Syrians celebrate Syrian army's entry in the town of Dumair, north of Damascus, Syria, on April 19, 2018. The Syrian army and the law enforcement forces started entering the Dumair town in the eastern part of Qalamoun region north of the capital Damascus, as the rebels completed evacuation from that area. (Xinhua/Ammar Safarjalani)
DAMASCUS, April 19 (Xinhua) -- The Syrian army and the law enforcement forces started entering the Dumair town in the eastern part of Qalamoun region north of the capital Damascus, as the rebels completed evacuation from that area.
The Syrian flag was hoisted in Dumair as residents are chanting in support of the Syrian army and Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, according to a live broadcast by the state TV.
This comes as the Islam Army rebels and their families completely left Dumair after a deal was reached on Tuesday to empty that town from the rebels in the eastern part of the mountainous Qalamoun region.
In an earlier report, the Syrian army media and its allies said a deal was reached on Thursday that would see the evacuation of the Islam Army militants and allied rebel groups from other areas they control in the eastern part of the mountainous Qalamoun region.
The deal, mediated by Russia, would start as the Islam Army and other rebels hand over their heavy weapons and military hardware to the Syrian side as of Friday.
It would be followed by their evacuation to rebel-held areas in the northwestern province of Idlib and the northern city of Jarablus, according to the report.
The deal in Dumair and other areas in eastern Qalamoun comes after the Islam Army evacuated their last strongholds in the Douma district in the Eastern Ghouta a week ago.
State news agency SANA said 1,500 rebels and 3,500 members of their families were to evacuate Dumair, while data indicate that some 100,000 people live in Dumair.
Still, no clear number is given about those who will leave other towns in eastern Qalamoun.
