Islamist Rebels Leave Last Area Near Syrian Capital of Damascus

Metro Damascus now fully under government control

Rebels made an agreement to withdraw from the suburbs south of Damascus. Syria says the deal was successful, and that there are no signs of any of the Islamist rebels left in the towns after 15 buses of rebels left for Turkish-held northern Syria.

Rebels and civilians leave from south of Damascus

The buses took hundreds of people out of Beit Sahm, Babila, and Yalda. The deal allowed the rebels to withdraw from the area, as well as any civilians who wanted to go with them. Exactly how many civilians went is unclear.

This is effectively the final fight over metro Damascus, with everything either under government control, or at least under local control with no insurgents left. The rebels retain territory further north, with one site in Homs the only presently besieged enclave.

Further rebel-held areas include much of Idlib Province, the northern part of Aleppo Province, and a tiny fraction of southern Daraa Province. The Syrian military’s victories appear to have assured control over the Syrian heartland.

Author: Jason Ditz

Jason Ditz is Senior Editor for Antiwar.com. He has 20 years of experience in foreign policy research and his work has appeared in The American Conservative, Responsible Statecraft, Forbes, Toronto Star, Minneapolis Star-Tribune, Providence Journal, Washington Times, and the Detroit Free Press.