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Residents of Syria's Old Homs city return home

Last Updated 10 May 2014, 10:47 IST

After a period of two years of conflict,  residents of Syria's Old Homs city have finally returned to their homes after the city was declared "secure" and "free of arms and gunmen", media reported Saturday.

Governor Talal al-Barazi Friday announced that the Old City of Homs has evacuated all rebels as a part of a deal concluded recently between the Syrian government troops and the armed militant groups, SANA news agency reported.

The deal went into effect earlier last week with a ceasefire Wednesday and the departure of around 968 rebels and civilians from districts of old Homs to the town of al-Dar al-Kabira in northern Homs.

In exchange, the rebels agreed to lift their siege of the pro-government towns of Nubul and Zahra in the northern province of Aleppo and to release the people and soldiers they had kidnapped earlier.

A few militants had also turned themselves in and handed over their weapons to the authorities.

The evacuation started two days ago with the aim of having the city of Homs cleared of arms and gunmen.

The residents of the Old City of Homs asserted that they would rebuild everything that was damaged and destroyed in the ongoing violence.

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(Published 10 May 2014, 10:47 IST)

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