KARKAMIS: At least 15 civilians were killed on Saturday in barrel bomb attacks by regime aircraft on the rebel-held Maadi district in the city's east, the Britain-based Syrian Observatory said.

An AFP reporter in the area confirmed the attack, saying the two bombs fell within minutes of each other.

'Brink of starvation'

On Saturday, the last rebel fighters were evacuated from Daraya just outside the Syrian capital Damascus, under a plan to end a brutal four-year siege of the town that brought the population to the brink of starvation.

Hundreds of fighters and their families were bused north into rebel-held territory in Idlib province.

“The Syrian army completely controls Daraya and has entered all of the town. There isn't a single armed man there,” a Syrian military source told AFP.

The rebels said they were forced to give up the town, which was one of the first to rise up against the government, accusing Damascus of using “starve or surrender” tactics.

The roughly 8,000 civilians left in the town are also to be evacuated.

In Syria's northwest, fighting continued to rage between Syrian government forces and rebels in the battered city of Aleppo, in spite of tentative plans for a 48-hour ceasefire.

The UN's Syria envoy Staffan de Mistura called on the warring parties in Aleppo to state by Sunday whether they will commit to a two-day humanitarian truce to allow in aid after weeks of fierce fighting that has left hundreds dead.

He voiced regret that some opposition forces were baulking at the plan, which has been endorsed by Russia, a staunch ally of the Syrian regime.

Russia and the US signalled progress towards a deal on a ceasefire at marathon talks in Geneva on Friday.

“Today I can say that we achieved clarity on the path forward” for a revamped cessation of hostilities, US Secretary of State John Kerry said.

His Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov added that “very important steps” had been made on a deal to stop the violence.

Russia, a staunch ally of Assad's regime, has been backing government forces with air strikes on rebel-held areas.

The US supports Syria's main opposition alliance and some other rebel factions.

Demining

Turkey's offensive in Syria adds yet another layer to the tangled web of powers jockeying for influence in the country.

Ankara says that the Kurdish YPG militia has failed to stick to a promise to return across the Euphrates river after advancing west this month.

On Saturday, Turkish-backed rebels continued clean-up operations in the town of Jarabulus which they wrested from IS on Wednesday without significant resistance.

Anadolu agency said the rebels were destroying mines planted by IS.