Rebels leave Homs, Syria, under truce with government

HOMS , Syria, Dec. 9 (UPI) -- Rebels in Homs, Syria, began leaving the city after a truce was struck with the Syrian government, ending a three-year siege.

About 2,000 people, rebels and their families opposing the national government of President Bashar al-Assad, will travel by bus from Homs' suburb of al-Wair to northeastern Syria's Idlib province.

The deal, backed by the United Nations, is a victory for Assad's regime and a bitter conclusion for his opponents. Homs was once regarded as the "capital of the revolution" against him, and the truce indicates the entire city returns to government control. About 700 people are scheduled to leave Wednesday, Homs Governor Talal Barazi said, including members of groups aligned with al-Qaida.

A trail of buses awaited those leaving. The injured, including those on crutches and in wheelchairs, were the first to leave, followed by rebel soldiers and their families. The last group included members of groups which rejected the truce but agreed not to disturb the process.

As part of the agreement, food supplied by the Syrian Red Crescent has arrived in al-Wair for the first time in a year, and the Syrian government said it released 35 jailed rebels.

Some observers believe local ceasefires such as the one in Homs, negotiated without international involvement, are the most effective method to slowly bring peace to Syria. The British-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported in October that up to 250,000 people have died in fighting in Syria since 2011.