128,000 civilians leave Syria s Eastern Ghouta

Damascus March 28 (IANS) A total of 128 000 civilians have so far left rebel-held areas in Damascus Eastern Ghouta through humanitarian corridors state news agency SANA reported on Wednesday.

Citing a military source SANA said the Syrian Army secured the evacuation of the large number of civilians adding that the operation was ongoing.

The latest batch of civilians left Eastern Ghouta on Tuesday with 500 civilians reaching government-controlled positions in the Wafidin area northeast of Damascus before they were taken to shelters nearby Xinhua news agency cited the Syrian news agency as saying.

The civilian evacuation which started on March 14 was made possible after the Syrian Army advanced in Eastern Ghouta and captured 90 per cent of that area from an array of rebel groups which have been entrenched in that key area since 2012.

Also thousands of rebels and their families were leaving Eastern Ghouta towards rebel-held areas in Idlib province.

--IANS
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