17 May 2017•Update: 18 May 2017
By Adham Kako
IDLIB, Syria
group of opposition fighters and civilians from the regime-held Al-Waer district in Syria's western Homs province have safely arrived in the nearby province of Idlib.
On Wednesday, some 2,700 people aboard 65 buses -- including 520 families -- arrived at the Saed refugee camp in Idlib's town of Maaret .
The bus convoy was accompanied by eight trucks carrying evacuees' belongings and ambulances from the Syrian Red Crescent.
The evacuations are being conducted in line with a Russia-brokered deal, concluded in March, between Syrian opposition groups and the Assad regime.
The arrangement is aimed at transferring opposition fighters to Idlib -- along with some civilians -- and to other opposition-held areas near Aleppo city.
For the last four years, Al-Waer has remained under a siege imposed by the Assad regime.
More than 20,000 people in Al-Waer have so far applied to leave the district within the context of the Russia-backed deal.
Under the arrangement’s terms, at least 12,000 people will be taken to Aleppo province; 6,200 to Idlib; and another 2,400 to Homs.
A total of 10 convoys left Al-Waer to date, with a final convoy expected to set out from the district later this week.
Since the Syria conflict erupted in 2011, hundreds of thousands of people have been killed and millions more displaced, according to UN figures.
