Thousands of Syrians start returning to Damascus suburb Daraya – state media

Thousands of Syrians began returning to Daraya on Tuesday, state media said. The town was one of the major centers of the uprising against President Bashar Assad and suffered massive damage during the fighting. Government forces clawed back the Damascus suburb from rebels two years ago, and many who did not want to live under state rule left along with rebel fighters under a surrender deal in August 2016, Reuters said. Civilians and fighters were bussed out to insurgent territory in the north, while others were displaced to government territory around the capital. The UN voiced concern over the Daraya evacuation at the time it went ahead, but since then several such withdrawal deals have been struck helping the government recapture major cities across Syria. Displaced people were returning after Daraya was “purged of remnants of the terrorists and the main services were reinstated,” state TV said.