Assad close to taking key rebel enclave

SYRIA’S regime drew closer to taking full control of Eastern Ghouta yesterday as state media reported that fighters had begun evacuating the last rebel-held pocket of the former opposition stronghold near Damascus.

A Russian-brokered deal had been reported on Sunday for the fighters of Jaish al-islam, the largest rebel group still in Ghouta, to leave the enclave’s main town of Douma.

But the rebels have not yet confirmed the agreement, amid reports of divisions in the group with hardliners refusing to abandon their posts.

The retaking of Eastern Ghouta would mark a major milestone in President Bashar al-assad’s efforts to regain control of territory seized by rebels during Syria’s seven-year civil war.

Assad’s forces have retaken 95 per cent of Eastern Ghouta since launching a blistering assault on the besieged enclave on Feb 18, killing 1,600 civilians and displacing tens of thousands more.

Jaish al-islam has around 10,000 fighters, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitoring group.

“Twelve buses carrying 629 Jaish alislam terrorists and their families exited Douma,” state news agency SANA said. But journalists on the ground said both the regime and the rebels had restricted access to the evacuation operation from Douma.

Pro-regime newspaper Al-watan said in an editorial it was a matter of hours until Douma was declared a “town empty of terrorism”.