Terrorists, prisoners begin to evacuate Douma as part of deal with Damascus

The first batch of prisoners released by terrorists in Syria’s Douma has reached the capital city Damascus via the Wafedin humanitarian corridor.

The prisoners were released early on Monday as part of an evacuation deal reached between the Syrian government and Jaish al-Islam terrorists.

According to the so-called Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, which is based in UK, the militant group has more than 3,500 prisoners and hostages in its prisons in Douma

The evacuations continue with scores of buses waiting to transport the terrorists and their families out of the besieged city.

In accordance with the deal reached earlier, the militants are permitted to leave along with their families in return for the release of all prisoners they have been keeping.

Earlier in the day, Russia’s military said an operation would begin on Sunday to bring Jaish al-Islam militants out of their besieged enclave of Douma, located about 10 kilometers northeast of the center of Damascus.

The agreement came after two days of an intense military showdown in Douma, where Jaish al-Islam militants reneged on a previous agreement for their evacuation from the area, and refused to release thousands of kidnapped people.

The militants also launched mortar attacks on several residential neighborhoods inside Damascus, which left several people killed and injured.

Eastern Ghouta, a besieged area on the outskirts of Damascus which is home to some 400,000 people, has witnessed deadly violence over the past few months, with foreign-sponsored militants launching mortar attacks on the Syrian capital in the face of an imminent humiliating defeat.