1,100 rebels leave suburb

Around 1,100 Syrian rebels and their family members have left a stronghold in the Damascus suburbs in the past 24 hours, according to the Russian military.

The town of Douma was one of the earliest hubs of the uprising against President Bashar Assad in 2011 and home to the

Army of Islam, the largest rebel group in the Ghouta suburbs of Syria’s capital. The Russian defence ministry said yesterday 24 buses in the previous 24 hours had taken more than 1,100 rebels and their families to the rebel-held north of Syria.

The deal between the group and the Russian military marks the end of a push by Syria’s government to consolidate its control.