Dozens of buses with terrorists and their family members have already headed out for the northern part of Syria's Aleppo Province.
The relocation of terrorists began late on Sunday, with “3005 fighters and their family members withdrawing by now,” the Reconciliation Center said. Up to 8,000 fighters and around 40,000 of their family members are expected to be relocated from Douma.
The Syrian Army said it gained control of the most of Eastern Ghouta on March 31, lifting the militants’ blockade of a major highway between Damascus and the rest of the country. Since late February, over 157,000 people have been evacuated from Eastern Ghouta and as many as 33,345 from Douma, Russia's Ministry of Defense said in a statement .
Syrian troops launched their major push on Eastern Ghouta in February, aiming to end the militants’ occupation that has been in place since 2012. Daily humanitarian pauses in the area began on February 27 as part of efforts by the Syrian Arab Army and Russia to help civilians leave the combat zone. The Russian military repeatedly said that the militants were using civilians as human shields, targeting those attempting to flee the terrorist enclave.
