ISTANBUL — On April 9, the fourth batch of evacuees left the besieged al-Waer neighborhood in Homs, northern Syria. The group headed for the city of Jarablus, which has been controlled by opposition factions since its liberation from the Islamic State (IS).

Batches of civilians and fighters continue to evacuate al-Waer under the Russian-brokered deal between the neighborhood committee and the regime on March 13. The “reconciliation deal,” as the Syrian regime calls it, calls for a halt in military hostilities against the neighborhood and the evacuation of opposition fighters to other opposition-held areas. Homs was the epicenter of the revolution during the first year of the rebellion and saw numerous uprisings since the outbreak of the rebellion.

On March 18, scores of opposition fighters and their families left the neighborhood for the city of Jarablus, which is controlled by the Turkish-backed Free Syrian Army factions fighting IS under the banner of Operation Euphrates Shield.

On March 27, the second batch of evacuees reached the city of al-Bab, which is also controlled by opposition factions affiliated with the Turkish-backed Euphrates Shield.