Regime, opposition trade captives in Syria’s Al-Bab

By Omer Koparan

AL-BAB/ANKARA

The Syrian regime and armed opposition groups exchanged a number of prisoners on Tuesday in line with the Astana peace process.

According to information obtained by Anadolu Agency, the Assad regime released 22 prisoners, including a number of women and children.

Armed opposition groups, for their part, reciprocated by releasing 20 male captives linked to the Assad regime.

The swap was conducted in line with the Astana peace process, in which Turkey, Russia and Iran serve as guarantor states.

Although an initial prisoner swap was carried out last November, hundreds of thousands of people are still thought to be languishing inside Syrian regime prisons.