Syria captives released as part of deal with regime
Syria captives released as part of deal with regime
Syria has said that dozens of captives of al-Qaeda-linked insurgents in the country's northwest have been released as part of a deal between the regime and rebels.
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This is the latest in evacuation deals - which are effectively capitulation [Archive:Getty]
Syrian state-run media has said that 42 people who were held for years by al-Qaeda-linked insurgents in the country's northwest have been released as part of a deal to hand over areas around Damascus back to the government.
Al-Ikhbariya TV broadcast images on Tuesday of the released, including women and children, arriving by bus at a government-controlled checkpoint, kissing and hugging Syrian soldiers.
The 42 are the first batch of more than 80 who are to be released.
According to the deal, al-Qaida-linked fighters will evacuate from a Palestinian refugee camp near Damascus while some 5,000 people in two northwestern villages besieged by insurgents will be allowed to move to regime-held areas.
This is the latest in evacuation deals - which are effectively capitulation - amid intense military offensives.
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