AMMAN, Aug 25 (Reuters) - Rebels and Syria’s army agreed to a deal on Thursday to evacuate all residents and insurgents from the besieged Damascus suburb of Daraya, a rebel leader and state media said, ending one of the longest stand-offs in the five-year conflict.Syria’s army has surrounded rebels and civilians and blocked food deliveries in Daraya since 2012, regularly bombing the area just 7 km (4 miles) from President Bashar al Assad’s seat of power.
It was one of the first places to see peaceful protests against Assad’s rule, and fought off repeated attempts to retake it by government forces as the conflict escalated into civil war. It was also the scene of one of the worst atrocities of the war.
“We reached agreement on the evacuation of all of the people of Daraya civilians and fighters,” said Captain Abu Jamal, the head of the Liwa Shuda al Islam, the biggest of two main rebel groups inside Daraya whose fighters are drawn from its residents.
The evacuation, which is similar to deals concluded in several besieged areas in the course of the conflict, could start on Friday and last for two or three days, he added.
In the past weeks, the army has escalated its bombardment of the rebel-held bastion, intensifying the use of barrel and incendiary bombs. Last week its only hospital was hit, rebels and aid workers said.
