On Monday, more than 600 people evacuated the town on buses sent by the government and the Syrian Red Crescent to take them to Jarablus, a northern Syrian town controlled by Turkish troops and allied Syrian forces. More than 40,000 rebels and their family members have chosen to relocate, according to the Russian military. More than 120,000 people fled their homes under the five-week assault, seeking safety behind government lines, according to the Russian military. “If there is an agreement, the Russian military police will enter and be a buffer force between us and the government,” said Abdelaziz, the local council member. Turkey, with the support of allied Syrian opposition forces, is carrying out its own military operations in northern Syria, against a US-allied Kurdish militia.

Source: Egypt Independent April 02, 2018 19:41 UTC