US: Deal reached to evacuate Raqqa

DAMASCUS: The US-led coalition fighting Daesh said a deal negotiated by local officials and tribesmen has been reached in Syria’s Raqqa to evacuate civilians and local Daesh fighters but not foreign militants.

Omar Alloush, an official from the Local Raqqa Council, confirmed the deal Saturday saying local fighters have been included in the evacuation. He did not immediately comment on the number of evacuees. The deal was negotiated by the Raqqa Civilian Council and tribal leaders.

In a statement Saturday, the coalition said it is not involved in the talks but “believes that it will save lives” and allow the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces and the Coalition to focus on defeating Daesh in Raqqa with less risk to civilians.

The deal reached on Thursday allows the SDF to screen and search all those leaving the area.

Separately, Syria state media said pro-regime troops have seized the town of Mayadeen, a Daesh stronghold in the country’s east, after weeks of fighting with the militants.

Meanwhile, Syria demanded on Saturday that Turkish troops who had entered northwestern Syria leave immediately, saying their presence constituted a “flagrant aggression.”

A Foreign Ministry statement carried on state media said the entry of Turkish military vehicles into opposition-held northwest Syria through the Bab Al-Hawa crossing late on Thursday was a violation of international law.

“Syria condemns in the strongest terms the incursion of units of the Turkish Army in Idlib province, which constitutes a flagrant aggression against the sovereignty and security of Syrian territory,” the statement said.

Turkey says it is operating alongside Syrian opposition groups to implement a deal reached last month with Russia and Iran in the Kazakh capital Astana to reduce fighting between insurgents.

But Syria’s statement said: “The Turkish aggression is not tied in any way with the understandings that were reached between the guarantor states in the Astana process, but constitutes a violation of these understandings.”