Mass evacuation in Syria begins with prisoner exchange
April 12, 2017
More than 30 prisoners were exchanged before an evacuation from both pro-government and rebel-held villages. At least 18,000 people are expected to be evacuated.
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A prisoner exchange between the Syrian government and rebel forces took place Wednesday ahead of a planned evacuation of four villages.
An AFP photographer saw 12 prisoners released by rebel groups in government-held Aleppo, nine of whom were suffering from injuries. Syrian news agency SANA said "19 militants," were transferred by government forces from Fuaa and Kafraya at the same time. Corpses of fallen fighters were also included in the transfer.
The Syrian Arab Red Crescent oversaw the exchange overnight, according to a member of the relief committee for Foua and Kfarya. The Red Crescent did not immediately comment on the matter.
A video from Syrian military media showed the prisoners before the exchange, sitting on the floor next to a pot of soup. Videos released by rebel groups show Red Crescent vans arriving in rebel-held Idlib province to chants of "God is greatest." Men, some dressed in military fatigues, embraced the released prisoners.
Evacuation to begin Wednesday evening
Buses stood ready in the rebel-held villages of Madaya and Zabadani on Wednesday morning, according to negotiators and residents. The area - roughly 40 kilometers (24 miles) northwest of Damascus - is currently surrounded by Syrian government forces.
However, a government coordinator for negotiations said evacuation vehicles had not yet arrived in the government-held, Shiite majority villages of Fuaa and Kafraya. The villages lie in the otherwise rebel-held Idlib province, roughly 50 kilometers southwest of Aleppo.
"The logistical details are all ready, but the armed groups are delaying things," the coordinator told AFP. "The entry of buses into Zabadani and Madaya was a goodwill gesture from the government but they will not leave without a simultaneous exit of the Fuaa and Kafraya convoy."
The four villages involved in Wednesday's evacuation are part of a 2015 agreement under which aid deliveries and evacuations are to occur simultaneously.
Civilians will have the option to stay, but all 16,000 in Fuaa and Kafraya are expected to leave, at which point they will be evacuated to the government-held city of Aleppo to the east, the coastal province of Latakia or Damascus in the southwest. About 2,000 people from Madaya and Zabadani have registered with authorities to take buses to the northern Idlib province, according to the residents.
More than 300,000 have been killed in Syria since the conflict began in March 2011.
Who's fighting in the Syria conflict?
Syria's civil war erupted out of the Arab Spring protests that swept much of the Middle East and North Africa in 2011. The conflict has since drawn in multiple warring factions from around the world.
Image: Atta Kenare/AFP/Getty Images
War with no end
Syria has been engulfed in a devastating civil war since 2011 after Syrian President Bashar Assad lost control over large parts of the country to multiple revolutionary groups. The conflict has since drawn in foreign powers and brought misery and death to Syrians.
Image: picture alliance/abaca/A. Al-Bushy
The dictator
Syria's army, officially known as the Syrian Arab Army (SAA), is loyal to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and is fighting to restore the president's rule over the entire country. The SAA has been fighting alongside a number of pro-Assad militias such as the National Defense Force and has cooperated with military advisors from Russia and Iran, which back Assad.
Turkey, which is also part of the US-led coalition against IS, has actively supported rebels opposed to Assad. It has a tense relationship with its American allies over US cooperation with Kurdish fighters, who Ankara says are linked to the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) fighting in Turkey. Turkey has launched multiple military offensives targeting Kurdish militias.
Image: picture-alliance/AP Photo/L. Pitarakis
The eastern guardian
The Kremlin has proven to be a powerful friend to Assad. Russian air power and ground troops officially joined the fight in September 2015 after years of supplying the Syrian army. Moscow has come under fire from the international community for the high number of civilian casualties during its airstrikes. However, Russia's intervention turned the tide in war in favor of Assad.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/Tass/M. Metzel
The western allies
A US-led coalition of more than 50 countries, including Germany, began targeting IS and other terrorist targets with airstrikes in late 2014. The anti-IS coalition has dealt major setbacks to the militant group. The US has more than a thousand special forces in the country backing the Syrian Democratic Forces.
Image: picture alliance/AP Photo/A.Brandon
The rebels
The Free Syrian Army grew out of protests against the Assad regime that eventually turned violent. Along with other non-jihadist rebel groups, it seeks the ouster of President Assad and democratic elections. After suffering a number of defeats, many of its members defected to hardline militant groups. It garnered some support from the US and Turkey, but its strength has been greatly diminished.
Image: Reuters
The resistance
Fighting between Syrian Kurds and Islamists has become its own conflict. The US-led coalition against the "Islamic State" has backed the Syrian Democratic Forces, an alliance of Kurdish and Arab militias. The Kurdish YPG militia is the main component of the SDF. The Kurds have had a tacit understanding with Assad.
Image: Getty Images/A. Sik
The new jihadists
"Islamic State" (IS) took advantage of regional chaos to capture vast swathes of territory in Iraq and Syria in 2014. Seeking to establish its own "caliphate," IS has become infamous for its fundamentalist brand of Islam and its mass atrocities. IS is on the brink of defeat after the US and Russia led separate military campaigns against the militant group.
Image: picture alliance/AP Photo
The old jihadists
IS is not the only terrorist group that has ravaged Syria. A number of jihadist militant groups are fighting in the conflict, warring against various rebel factions and the Assad regime. One of the main jihadist factions is Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham, which controls most of Idlib province and has ties with al-Qaeda.
Image: picture-alliance/AP Photo/Nusra Front on Twitter
The Persian shadow
Iran has supported Syria, its only Arab ally, for decades. Eager to maintain its ally, Tehran has provided Damascus with strategic assistance, military training and ground troops when the conflict emerged in 2011. The Iran-backed Lebanese Shiite militant group Hezbollah also supports the Assad regime, fighting alongside Iranian forces and paramilitary groups in the country.