Homs: Over 1,400 Militants, Family Members Leave Al-Wa’er District

According to SANA news agency, over 1,400 gunmen and members of their families have left al-Wa’er neighborhood in the Western outskirts of Homs city for the Northern part of Homs province as part of the reconciliation agreement that was reached in the neighborhood, paving the way for the return of all state services.

432 gunmen who rejected the reconciliation agreement and 1,056 of their family members have headed towards the Northern territories of Homs.

Homs Governor Talal al-Barazi said that the governorate has completed all logistical preparations and measures for getting the first group of the gunmen out of al-Wa’er in the framework of the reconciliation agreement which was agreed upon last week.

The Governor added that the first group includes the evacuation of more than 1,500 gunmen and members of their families who would go to the Northeastern countryside of Aleppo province, pointing out that the Syrian Arab Red Crescent (SARC) and the Syrian and Russian military police supervise the process.

The Governor denied reports circulated by some media outlets “which are involved in the bloodshed” in Syria that a demographic change is planned for al-Wa’er neighborhood.

“These lies are a desperate attempt aimed at sabotaging the reconciliation agreement of al-Wa’er neighborhood in particular and the process of successive reconciliations in general,” al-Barazi underlined.

He clarified that over 40,000 people will stay in the neighborhood after all the gunmen who reject the reconciliation leave along with their families, who are 10,000 people in total.

He stressed that the governorate is working on drawing up a comprehensive plan to secure the return of all the families that had earlier left their houses in al-Wa’er neighborhood after the evacuation process is completed and services are fully restored.

Secretary of Homs Branch of al-Baath Arab Socialist Party Ammar al-Sibaai noted that over 100,000 people are expected to return to their homes after the reconciliation agreement is fully implemented.

Commander of Homs Police Mag. Gen. Khaled Hilal said after the agreement is fully completed, al-Wa’er neighborhood will be declared secure, and consequently the whole city of Homs will be fully secured.

He added that units of the Internal Security Forces will be back on duty in al-Wa’er neighborhood once the agreement is accomplished, affirming that security will be established in the neighborhood and families will return to their home.