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Syria crisis: Rebels 'leave Homs' under truce Syria crisis: Rebels 'leave Homs' under truce
(about 2 hours later)
Syrian rebels have begun evacuating the last area they hold in the city of Homs under a ceasefire deal reached with the government, a monitoring group has said. Syrian rebels have begun evacuating the last district they hold in the city of Homs under a ceasefire deal reached with the government, monitoring groups and activists said.
The deal means the entire city returns to government control.The deal means the entire city returns to government control.
Those leaving are due to go to areas of Idlib province still in rebel hands.Those leaving are due to go to areas of Idlib province still in rebel hands.
Homs, in central Syria, was once dubbed the "capital of the revolution" and saw some of the first protests against President Bashar al-Assad, in 2011.Homs, in central Syria, was once dubbed the "capital of the revolution" and saw some of the first protests against President Bashar al-Assad, in 2011.
The first bus has left the rebel-held area of al-Waer in Homs, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said. Buses arrived on Wednesday to transport fighters and their families out of the Homs suburb of al-Wair, activist network the Local Co-ordination Committees said.
About 800 people, including rebel fighters and civilians, are due to leave throughout Wednesday, the observatory said. About 800 people, including rebel fighters and civilians, are due to depart throughout Wednesday, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.
Under the UN-backed ceasefire, food aid has reached the neighbourhood for the first time in nearly a year. Fighters linked to al-Qaeda are among those due to leave, but moderate groups who have accepted the ceasefire are expected to remain.
Under the UN-backed deal, food aid has reached the suburb for the first time in nearly a year.
The Syrian Red Crescent tweeted (in Arabic) that its teams were operating in the area but few details were available on the conditions on the ground.
Homs: The Syrian revolution's fallen 'capital'
Homs during the uprising: A profile
Ahead of the deal, the Syrian authorities said they released 35 opposition fighters detained in Homs.Ahead of the deal, the Syrian authorities said they released 35 opposition fighters detained in Homs.
"We wish for the best," said one resident. "What do we want but safety?""We wish for the best," said one resident. "What do we want but safety?"
A significant deal: Lyse Doucet, BBC News, Homs An estimated 75,000 people still live in al-Wair, down from about 300,000 before the start of the Syrian crisis.
This very sensitive and significant deal has been reached after more than two years of sporadic negotiations. Some Syrian activists argue the deal is effectively a surrender forced by punishing blockades.
Under the first phase of the agreement, hundreds of fighters, including those linked to al-Qaeda, will leave the besieged neighbourhood. But others have defended the truce struck in al-Wair on the grounds that some groups will be allowed to keep their own weapons and control over their own communities.
More moderate groups who have accepted the ceasefire will remain in al-Waer for the moment. Are you in Homs or know someone who is? Are you affected by the issues raised in this story? Email haveyoursay@bbc.co.uk with your experience.
Syrian activists criticise such deals as surrenders forced by punishing blockades. If you are willing to speak further to a BBC journalist, please include a contact telephone number.
But the Syrian government, which has concluded similar deals in other areas, sees them as the best way to end the fighting on its own terms. And in some areas they have allowed some groups to keep their weapons and some control over their own communities. Email your pictures to yourpics@bbc.co.uk, upload them here, tweet them to @BBC_HaveYourSay or text 61124. If you are outside the UK, send them to the international number +44 7624 800 100.
Homs, Syria's third-largest city, has long been of geographic, strategic and economic importance. Before the uprising its population was estimated at 1.5 million. Or WhatsApp us on +44 7525 900971
Protests erupted in the city in the early days of the revolt against President Assad in 2011. Read our terms and conditions.
Soon, thousands of Homs residents were taking part in demonstrations despite a brutal crackdown by security forces and pro-Assad militiamen that left dozens dead. Or comment below.
But in 2012 the Syrian military began a major operation to retake the city, bombarding rebel-held areas, an assault that trapped thousands of civilians.
Last year a UN-brokered deal saw rebels pull out of one of their last remaining strongholds, the Old City.