First batch of 5,000 Syrians evacuating Daraya

Damascus: The first batch of Syrians on Friday started to leave the besieged town of Daraya under the new deal that allows evacuation of rebel fighters and civilians.

Military vehicles were waiting to escort the buses out of the city, whose landscape is similar to those in the movies depicting the Armageddon, or the doom`s day, Xinhua reported.

Ambulances as well as convoys from the Syrian Red Crescent were waiting at a government-held area of the town to evacuate 4,000 civilians and some 700 rebels.

Preparations started on Friday morning for the evacuation in batches that was expected to last four days, sources said.

The evacuation is part of a deal reached on Thursday between the armed rebels and the government army, which allows over 4,000 civilians to be evacuated to displacement shelters in government-controlled areas.

Meanwhile, 700 rebels will hand over their heavy and medium weapons and move to the northwestern province of Idlib, a stronghold for the rebels` Jaish al-Fateh, state news agency SANA reported.