Thousands Leave Ghouta in Surrender of Enclave to Syrian Government

Thousands Leave Ghouta in Surrender of Enclave to Syrian Government
A convoy of buses that carry rebels and their families waits at Harasta highway outside Jobar, in Damascus, Syria March 26, 2018. Reuters/Omar Sanadiki
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 BEIRUT—Some 7,000 people departed eastern Ghouta for Syrian rebel territory near the Turkish border on Tuesday under a deal arranged by Russia to surrender the enclave to the Syrian government, Russian state media and a war monitor said.

Rebels have been gradually leaving Ghouta since Thursday, accepting safe passage for themselves and their families to Idlib in northwestern Syria after they were defeated in a fierce assault by the Russian-backed Syrian military.