A delegation from Syria&#39;s rebel-held Eastern Ghouta was on Sunday considering a partial evacuation deal to halt a fierce government offensive, a negotiator and monitor told AFP.

The two main rebel groups in the region, which borders Damascus, have firmly and repeatedly denied negotiating with the Syrian regime.&nbsp;

But on Sunday, as the government&#39;s Russian-backed assault entered its fourth week, influential figures in one rebel-held town were considering a possible evacuation offer.&nbsp;

A committee from Hammuriyeh met with regime representatives on Saturday, a member of the committee told AFP, speaking on condition of anonymity.&nbsp;

&quot;The committee discussed a proposed reconciliation that would guarantee exit for those that want to leave, both civilians and rebels, from Hammuriyeh to other areas in Syria under rebel control,&quot; the delegation member said.&nbsp;

Civilians and fighters may be bussed to rebel-controlled parts of Daraa province in Syria&#39;s south, or to Idlib in the northwest, held by rebels and a former Al-Qaeda affiliate.

&quot;The committee is meeting on Sunday to take a decision and inform the regime. If they do not agree, there would be a resumption of the military operation on Ghouta, including Hammuriyeh,&quot; the delegation member added.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a Britain-based war monitor, said negotiations for evacuations from multiple towns were ongoing Sunday.

&quot;A decision could be taken any moment for Hammuriyeh, Jisreen, and Saqba,&quot; said Observatory chief Rami Abdel Rahman.&nbsp;

In recent years, the regime has recaptured several areas around Damascus from rebels by pursuing fierce military offensives culminating in evacuation deals.&nbsp;

But Faylaq al-Rahman, the opposition faction that holds Hammuriyeh, denied it was engaging in talks.

&quot;There are no direct or indirect negotiations with the Russian enemy or its allies,&quot; said the group&#39;s spokesman Wael Alwan.

&quot;No one has been authorised to negotiate on behalf of Ghouta&#39;s revolutionaries, institutions, or the Free Syrian Army.

The two main rebel groups in the region, which borders Damascus, have firmly and repeatedly denied negotiating with the Syrian regime

A delegation from Syria's rebel-held Eastern Ghouta was on Sunday considering a partial evacuation deal to halt a fierce government offensive, a negotiator and monitor told AFP. The two main rebel groups in the region, which borders Damascus, have firmly and repeatedly denied negotiating with the Syrian regime. But on Sunday, as the government's Russian-backed assault entered its fourth week, influential figures in one rebel-held town were considering a possible evacuation offer. A committee from Hammuriyeh met with regime representatives on Saturday, a member of the committee told AFP, speaking on condition of anonymity. "The committee discussed a proposed reconciliation that would guarantee exit for those that want to leave, both civilians and rebels, from Hammuriyeh to other areas in Syria under rebel control," the delegation member said. Civilians and fighters may be bussed to rebel-controlled parts of Daraa province in Syria's south, or to Idlib in the northwest, held by rebels and a former Al-Qaeda affiliate. "The committee is meeting on Sunday to take a decision and inform the regime. If they do not agree, there would be a resumption of the military operation on Ghouta, including Hammuriyeh," the delegation member added. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a Britain-based war monitor, said negotiations for evacuations from multiple towns were ongoing Sunday. "A decision could be taken any moment for Hammuriyeh, Jisreen, and Saqba," said Observatory chief Rami Abdel Rahman. In recent years, the regime has recaptured several areas around Damascus from rebels by pursuing fierce military offensives culminating in evacuation deals. But Faylaq al-Rahman, the opposition faction that holds Hammuriyeh, denied it was engaging in talks. "There are no direct or indirect negotiations with the Russian enemy or its allies," said the group's spokesman Wael Alwan. "No one has been authorised to negotiate on behalf of Ghouta's revolutionaries, institutions, or the Free Syrian Army.

Delegation from Syria rebel enclave mulls evacuation deal

Thousands of Syrians were stuck in and around Aleppo on Saturday as a deal to evacuate people from two Shi&#39;ite villages in return for Sunni rebels and their families leaving two towns near Damascus halted, a war monitor and activists said.

The British-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the problem was that rebels from Zabadani, one of the towns included in the deal, had not yet been granted safe passage out.

The agreement is one of several over recent months that has seen President Bashar al-Assad&#39;s government take back control of areas long besieged by his forces and their allies.

In the latest deal, hundreds of rebels and their families left the town of Madaya near Damascus, and were taken on buses to the government-held city of Aleppo. From there they will travel to Idlib province, an insurgent stronghold.

In return, pro-government fighters and residents from the Shi&#39;ite villages of al-Foua and Kefraya in Idlib, both surrounded by rebels, left the area and reached Aleppo&#39;s outskirts.

On Saturday, those from Madaya sat outside rows of coaches in a bus garage in government-held Aleppo, waiting to move onto Idlib, pictures sent by a pro-opposition activist showed.

Meanwhile, residents from the Shi&#39;ite villages were still waiting in insurgent territory on Aleppo&#39;s outskirts to enter the city, the Observatory and a witness said.

The pro-opposition activist said insurgents blamed the delay partly on the fact that a smaller number of pro-government fighters had left the Shi&#39;ite villages than was agreed.

At the transit point outside Aleppo, where the buses from al-Foua and Kefraya were waiting, one resident said he was not yet sure where he would live.

&quot;After Aleppo I&#39;ll see what the rest of the group is doing, if there are any preparations. My house, land and belongings are all in al-Foua,&quot; Mehdi Tahhan said.

&#39;We had no choice&#39;

A Madaya resident, speaking from the bus garage inside Aleppo, said people had been waiting there since late on Friday night, and were not being allowed to leave.

&quot;There&#39;s no drinking water or food. The bus garage is small so there&#39;s not much space to move around,&quot; Ahmed, 24, said.

&quot;We&#39;re sad and angry about what has happened,&quot; he said. Many people felt that they had been forced to leave, he said.

&quot;There was no other choice in the end - we were besieged inside a small area in Madaya.&quot;

Syria&#39;s opposition says the evacuation deals, which include areas of Aleppo and a district in the city of Homs, amount to forced displacement of Assad&#39;s opponents from Syria&#39;s main urban centres in the west of the country.

The agreements are also causing demographic changes, they say, because those who are displaced are mostly Sunni Muslims.

Syria&#39;s population is mostly Sunni. Assad is from the Alawite religious minority, often considered an offshoot of Shi&#39;ite Islam.

He has been backed militarily by Russia, and by Shi&#39;ite fighters from Iran and the Lebanese Hezbollah group in Syria&#39;s six-year-old conflict.

Assad has the military advantage over rebels in the west thanks to Russia&#39;s intervention in 2015, although the insurgents are still fighting back and have made gains in some areas.

(Reuters)

The problem is that rebels from Zabadani, one of the towns included in the deal, haven't been granted safe passage out, a war monitor said

Thousands of Syrians were stuck in and around Aleppo on Saturday as a deal to evacuate people from two Shi'ite villages in return for Sunni rebels and their families leaving two towns near Damascus halted, a war monitor and activists said. The British-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the problem was that rebels from Zabadani, one of the towns included in the deal, had not yet been granted safe passage out. The agreement is one of several over recent months that has seen President Bashar al-Assad's government take back control of areas long besieged by his forces and their allies. In the latest deal, hundreds of rebels and their families left the town of Madaya near Damascus, and were taken on buses to the government-held city of Aleppo. From there they will travel to Idlib province, an insurgent stronghold. In return, pro-government fighters and residents from the Shi'ite villages of al-Foua and Kefraya in Idlib, both surrounded by rebels, left the area and reached Aleppo's outskirts. On Saturday, those from Madaya sat outside rows of coaches in a bus garage in government-held Aleppo, waiting to move onto Idlib, pictures sent by a pro-opposition activist showed. Meanwhile, residents from the Shi'ite villages were still waiting in insurgent territory on Aleppo's outskirts to enter the city, the Observatory and a witness said. The pro-opposition activist said insurgents blamed the delay partly on the fact that a smaller number of pro-government fighters had left the Shi'ite villages than was agreed. At the transit point outside Aleppo, where the buses from al-Foua and Kefraya were waiting, one resident said he was not yet sure where he would live. "After Aleppo I'll see what the rest of the group is doing, if there are any preparations. My house, land and belongings are all in al-Foua," Mehdi Tahhan said. 'We had no choice' A Madaya resident, speaking from the bus garage inside Aleppo, said people had been waiting there since late on Friday night, and were not being allowed to leave. "There's no drinking water or food. The bus garage is small so there's not much space to move around," Ahmed, 24, said. "We're sad and angry about what has happened," he said. Many people felt that they had been forced to leave, he said. "There was no other choice in the end - we were besieged inside a small area in Madaya." Syria's opposition says the evacuation deals, which include areas of Aleppo and a district in the city of Homs, amount to forced displacement of Assad's opponents from Syria's main urban centres in the west of the country. The agreements are also causing demographic changes, they say, because those who are displaced are mostly Sunni Muslims. Syria's population is mostly Sunni. Assad is from the Alawite religious minority, often considered an offshoot of Shi'ite Islam. He has been backed militarily by Russia, and by Shi'ite fighters from Iran and the Lebanese Hezbollah group in Syria's six-year-old conflict. Assad has the military advantage over rebels in the west thanks to Russia's intervention in 2015, although the insurgents are still fighting back and have made gains in some areas. (Reuters)

Thousands of Syrians stuck as evacuation deal frays

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Delegation from Syria rebel enclave mulls evacuation deal

Thousands of Syrians stuck as evacuation deal frays