The last batch of Waer neighborhood’s evacuees to leave the last rebel stronghold in Homs city on Saturday, heading northern provinces of Idlib and Aleppo, as Russia's military police entered al-Waer Friday due to an evacuation deal reached in April, local reporter said.
2500 people, including 400 rebel fighters, are due to leave early Saturday, resuming the largest evacuation of its kind under a Russian-backed deal with the regime.
About 100 Russian troops have replaced rebels in their bastions at the engagement points with regime forces, Ammar Johmani reporter said.
17400 people have left the central city of Homs to the northern provinces of Idlib and Aleppo as well to the northern countryside of Homs since April, according to Ammar Johmani report.
Over the past year, the regime has accelerated its drive to push rebel-held pockets to surrender under evacuation deals similar to the one in force in Homs.
The agreement underlines Bashar al-Assad's upper hand in the war, which was an early center of the popular uprising against Assad, as more rebel fighters opt to leave areas they have defended for years in deals that amount to negotiated withdrawals to other parts of the country
