Rebel fighters began leaving the devastated Syrian city of Douma on Sunday in the first phase of a Russian-sponsored deal to evacuate thousands of rebels from the besieged enclave, state media said.
A bus carrying dozens of fighters and their families left the city en route to opposition-held areas in northern Syria in an arrangement expected to take several days.
Almost simultaneously, a first batch of freed hostages held by the rebels in Douma arrived at an army-controlled crossing, state television showed. They received a euphoric welcome from hundreds of relatives waiting for them before being whisked away to a reception center.
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