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Jaish al-Islam convoy from Douma arrives in northern Syria

By Waleed Abu al-Khair in Cairo

The first batch of detainees released by opposition faction Jaish al-Islam are greeted upon their arrival in Damascus. Their release came as part of a ceasefire agreement in the Eastern Ghouta city of Douma. [Photo courtesy of Bahaa al-Sahli]

The first batch of detainees released by opposition faction Jaish al-Islam are greeted upon their arrival in Damascus. Their release came as part of a ceasefire agreement in the Eastern Ghouta city of Douma. [Photo courtesy of Bahaa al-Sahli]

Jaish al-Islam elements and their families arrived in northern Syria in a convoy from Douma on Monday (April 10th), as part of a deal that called for their departure in exchange for the release of dozens of pro-regime hostages.

The deal, brokered on Sunday, came a day after a reported chemical attack that killed at east 48 people in Douma, which sparked global outrage and calls for an impartial and independent investigation into the incident.

Analysts say the regime might have chosen to carry out a chlorine attack to avoid any further heavy losses among its troops and to ensure Jaish al-Islam left Douma under terms set by Damascus, AFP reported.

"Rather than go deep into Douma and get bloodied badly, a chemical weapons attack was used to sow terror among the population from which Jaish al-Islam draws support," Syria analyst Nick Heras said.

Buses transporting Jaish al-Islam elements and their families from the city of Douma outside Damascus to the Aleppo province city of Jarablus pass through al-Wafideen crossing in Eastern Ghouta. [Photo courtesy of Bahaa al-Sahli]

Buses transporting Jaish al-Islam elements and their families from the city of Douma outside Damascus to the Aleppo province city of Jarablus pass through al-Wafideen crossing in Eastern Ghouta. [Photo courtesy of Bahaa al-Sahli]

Fifty buses carrying Jaish al-Islam elements arrived in the Aleppo province cities of Azzaz and Jarablus after a civilian committee tasked by Douma residents to negotiate with the regime succeeded in reaching a final ceasefire agreement.

The agreement called for Jaish al-Islam -- which is the largest opposition faction in the area and controls Douma -- to release dozens of detainees, civilians and pro-regime fighters, some of whom have been held for more than three years.

In exchange for their release, Jasih al-Islam elements, their families and civilians who wished to leave the city in rural Damascus would be allowed to head north, to the city of Jarablus.

Tensions and delays

The convoy of departing Jaish al-Islam fighters and their families was delayed after the buses assembled at al-Wafideen crossing, local relief activist Bahaa al-Sahli told Diyaruna.

"Tension had risen in the area after regime loyalists issued threats and rumours spread that the convoy would come under attack as it passed through regime-controlled areas on its way to northern Syria," he said.

"Regime forces and pro-regime civilians became irate when they learned that a mere 75 detainees had arrived at a sports stadium in the capital Damascus after their release from Douma," he said.

The regime had been saying there were more than 5,000 detainees, he said, which appeared to be an attempt to cover up the number killed in the fighting.

"The convoy did not resume its journey until strong guarantees were obtained for the safety of the passengers," al-Sahli said.

The latest agreement is similar to the one that reached an impasse at the end of March, he noted.

This stipulated that the city was to be co-administered by a civilian committee consisting of Douma residents, in partnership with a committee representing regime institutions.

City residents would be given the choice of either reconciling their security status with the regime or leaving the city for the north within a period of six months, he said.

Under the terms of this agreement, security agencies would not harass the city’s residents, under guarantee from Russia, the agreement's sponsor, and military police would be deployed in and around the city to ensure the residents' safety.

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