A vehicle transporting civilians and soldiers who the regime says were kidnapped by rebels and liberated in a prisoner swap arrive in a government-held area at the entrance of Harasta in Eastern Ghouta, on the outskirts of Damascus, on March 22, 2018, aft
BEIRUT: Syrian insurgents freed 13 soldiers in return for the release of five rebels on Thursday, the first step of a deal over Harasta town in eastern Ghouta, a Hezbollah media unit said.
Around 1,500 Ahrar al-Sham fighters and 6,000 family members will evacuate the town on Thursday, said the military media unit run by Hezbollah, which fights alongside Syria's army.
The evacuation marks the first such negotiated withdrawal in eastern Ghouta near the capital, where the army and its allies have waged a fierce offensive since last month.
