DARAYA: Syrian rebels and their families began evacuating a long-besieged Damascus suburb on Friday as part of an agreement reached with the government following four years of gruelling air strikes and siege that left the suburb in ruins.

The surrender of Daraya, which became an early symbol of the nascent uprising against President Bashar Assad, marks a success for his government, removing a persistent threat only a few miles from his seat of power.

It provides a further boost for the Syrian army as it fights opposition forces for control over Aleppo, Syria’s largest city. Daraya’s rebels agreed to evacuate in a deal late on Thursday.

Under the terms of the deal, around 700 gunmen will be allowed safe exit to the opposition-held northern province of Idlib, while some 4,000 civilians will be taken temporarily to a shelter south of Daraya. The suburb has been besieged and blockaded by government forces, with only one food delivery by the United Nations allowed to reach the district during this time. It has been held by a coalition of ultraconservative Islamic militias, including the Martyrs of Islam Brigade.

As the first white bus with rebels and their families emerged from Daraya, Syrian army soldiers swarmed the vehicle, shouting pro-Assad slogans. The development comes as US Secretary of State John Kerry arrived in Geneva on Friday for talks with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov.

The talks centre on proposals to share intelligence and coordinate militarily with Russia against the militant Islamic State group and Al Qaeda in Syria and Iraq. Russia and Iran are strong backers of Assad and have been accused of targeting Western-backed rebel forces. The UN’s Syria envoy, Staffan de Mistura, called for the protection of people being evacuated from Daraya and said their departure must be voluntary.

In a statement issued in Geneva, he said the UN was not consulted or involved in the negotiation of the deal reached between rebel factions and government forces. “The world is watching”, De Mistura said.

Published in Dawn, August 27th, 2016