HARASTA: Hundreds of Syrian rebels and civilians quit the penultimate opposition-held pocket of Eastern Ghouta on Saturday, bringing the government ever closer to sealing its victory over the battered enclave. A convoy of 17 buses carrying 981 people, including rebels and civilians, drove out the battered enclave late Saturday, according to state news agency SANA. A handout photo made available by the official Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA) shows Syrian Civilians leave the rebels-held Eastern Ghouta via al-Wafideen safe corridor, Damascus,Syria , 24 March 2018. Sabah al-Salloum desperately hoped her son Munzer, kidnapped four years ago by Ghouta rebels, would be among them. Those being bussed out of Ghouta on Saturday include civilians, rebels, and some allied jihadists from Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, Syria’s former Al-Qaeda affiliate.

Source: New Strait Times March 24, 2018 23:15 UTC