Over 100 Militants Leave Syria's Homs Within Reconciliation Program

A group of more than 100 militants and their families have left Al-Waer region, the last terrorist stronghold in the Syrian city Homs, spokeswoman of the regional department of Syria's Ministry of Information Hayat Awad said Monday.

DAMASCUS (Sputnik) — The Homs administration and the Syrian army reached an agreement with the Homs militants on them ceasing fire and leaving the city.

“Today, 131 militants and 119 of their family members left the Al-Waer region. They went by bus to the north of the Homs province, controlled by illegal armed groups,” Awad told RIA Novosti.

On September 22, some 250 militants from different Damascus suburbs left besieged areas and surrendered themselves to the government forces in accordance with a reconciliation program of the Syrian government, Alaa Ibrahim, the Damascus province governor, told Sputnik.

The militants arrived at Al Kadam Railway station near Damascus from Al Kuswa Assali, the Barada valley and other suburbs of Damascus. Now they are returning to peaceful lives outside of besieged areas in accordance with Syria's legislative decree 15/2016.

Legislative Decree 15/2016, granting amnesty to those persons who turn themselves in and lay down their weapons, as well as to kidnappers who release their hostages, was signed by Syrian President Bashar Assad on July 28, 2016 as part of the reconciliation program implemented by Damascus.