Syrians enter Homs after militants' evacuation
Iran Press TV
Sun May 11, 2014 1:17PM GMT
Thousands of civilians have returned to the west-central city of Homs after foreign-backed militants evacuated it and surrendered full control of the flashpoint city to the Syrian army, Press TV reports.
People began to stream back into the city on Saturday after nearly two years to find their homes, some of which are completely destroyed. However, they expressed happiness about returning to their city and vowed to rebuild Homs.
"There is huge damage, but we are happy we are able to get back to our homes. We thank the Syrian army. I hope leaders of Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Turkey suffer what we suffered. They were the main reason behind our displacement and sufferings, they destroyed our country but we will rebuild it," said one of Homs residents after coming back.
Meanwhile, Talal al-Barazi, the governor of Homs said the Syrian government would exert its "utmost efforts" to reconstruct Homs, adding that all quarters of the Old City of Homs are secured.
The withdrawal of the foreign-sponsored militants from Homs handed a major victory to the government of President Bashar al-Assad ahead of June 3 presidential election.
The safe exit of the militants from the center of the city, located 162 kilometers (100 miles) north of Damascus, was part of a deal reached on May 4 between the government and the militants. The deal was brokered by Iran, Russia and the United Nations.
The pullout leaves the militants confined to a single district on the outskirts of the city.
In recent months, the Syrian army has managed to liberate a number of cities and towns from militant control.
Syria has been gripped by deadly violence since March 2011. Over 150,000 people have reportedly been killed and millions displaced due to the violence fueled by the Western-backed militants.
MR/AB/SL
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