March 22 (UPI) -- After weeks of conflict that produced more than 1,200 deaths, hundreds of rebel fighters and their families began fleeing the fighting in Syria's Eastern Ghouta region Thursday.
The enclave on the outskirts of the capital of Damascus was one of Syria's last significant rebel-held areas. It is now controlled by the Syrian government and President Bashar al-Assad, who was aided in the fight by Russian air power.