Syria population transfer begins with exchange of prisoners

[TomSea]

Syria population transfer begins with exchange of prisoners
Updated: April 12, 2017 — 5:45 AM EDT
by PHILIP ISSA, The Associated Press

BEIRUT (AP) - Syria's government and rebels have exchanged more than 30 prisoners and nine bodies, part of a larger agreement to evacuate thousands of residents from four besieged areas in different parts of the country, activists and officials said Wednesday.

This photo provided by the government-controlled Syrian Central Military Media, shows buses gathered before a planned evacuation of residents in Madaya and Zabadani, two opposition-held areas near Damascus, Syria, Wednesday, April.12, 2017. As part of the planned evacuation deal of the besieged areas in different parts of the country, Syria´s government and rebels exchanged some 30 prisoners and nine bodies, activists and officials said Wednesday. (Syrian Central Military

The exchange came ahead of the planned evacuation of more than 10,000 residents from two pro-government Shiite villages in northern Syria, Foua and Kfarya, and the rebel-held towns of Madaya and Zabadani near Damascus.

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