The Russian government estimates that more than 100,000 civilians have evacuated besieged eastern Ghouta in the past month. The Syrian army is close to gaining full control of the rebel-held enclave.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/A. Alshami
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The Syrian government moved closer to gaining total control of the Damascus suburb of eastern Ghouta on Saturday, as the second of three pockets held by opposition fighters began to carry out an evacuation of rebels and civilians.
The first pocket, in and around the city of Harasta, was surrendered by the rebels on Thursday, with evacuations beginning then and carrying on through Friday.
Syrian state media reported on Saturday that approximately 7,000 fighters, their family members and other civilians were expected to leave the towns of Zamalka, Arbin and Jobar in the second pocket of eastern Ghouta. The evacuation is the result of an agreement reached between Russia and the Syrian army, and the Islamist rebel group Faylaq al-Rahman, which has been operating in the area.
The Syrian army and its Russian allies have now recovered 90 percent of eastern Ghouta. The third and last pocket still held by the opposition is located in the area surrounding the city of Douma. Negotiations on the evacuation of Douma are ongoing.
Syrian President Bashar al-Assad visited his army in eastern Ghouta just days before the first pockets began evacuationsImage: picture-alliance/dpa/SalamPix
Mass exodus
Eastern Ghouta was once a main bastion of the opposition rebels in the outskirts of Damascus, but the intense Russian-backed government offensive that began on February 18 has nearly wiped out their control. The Syrian army and its Russian allies implemented a "leave or die" strategy with deadly airstrikes on the enclave and negotiated truces with rebels.
The Russian and Syrian army operation has been among the fiercest of Syria's seven-year civil war and has been denounced by many in the international community. Residents and rights groups have accused the Syrian government of indiscriminate killing through inaccurate barrel bombs and the use of chlorine gas. Russia and the Syrian government have denied these claims.
Russia's Defense Ministry said on Saturday that more than 105,000 people had left the enclave of eastern Ghouta since the stepped-up operation to retake it began in February, according to RIA news agency. The United Nations has estimated the population of eastern Ghouta at 400,000. Syrian state television said most of them had exited through "humanitarian corridors" opened by Syrian troops, as part of a Russian-led ceasefire agreement.
Activists say the siege of eastern Ghouta has killed more than 1,600 civiliansImage: picture-alliance/dpa/Sana
Evacuees head to Idlib
Most of Saturday's evacuees will go to Idlib province in the northwest of the country. Idlib is the last province that is still largely under rebel control. Some 2.5 million inhabitants live there, including more than 1 million people who have been displaced by fighting or evacuated from recaptured areas.
The jihadi alliance Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, led by Syria's former al-Qaida affiliate, largely controls Idlib province, although other major Islamist rebel groups are also active in the area.
Idlib province has been the site of suspected chemical attacks on civilians. On April 4, 2017, a sarin gas attack killed at least 83 people in the town of Khan Sheikhun, according to the UN. Months later, the UN accused the Syrian regime of having carried it out. Damascus has denied the charge.
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.
