09/05/2014 14:44
Syria conflict: Government troops retake Homs Old City
Syrian government forces have retaken control of the Old City of Homs after the evacuation of rebel troops, the BBC reported.
State television declared on Thursday that the Old City was "totally clean of armed terrorist groups" but officials later confirmed that the evacuation was not fully over.
Earlier, Homs Governor Talal al-Barazi said more than 1,500 fighters and their relatives had left since Wednesday.
The evacuation marks the end of three years of resistance in Homs.
Syria's third city was once dubbed the "capital of the revolution."
Much of Homs fell to the opposition in 2011, but over the past two years government forces have gradually regained control by subjecting areas once home to tens of thousands to continuous siege and bombardment.
Government forces took full control of the heart of Homs on Thursday, state media said, after rebels in the Old City boarded buses and were transported to rebel-held territory to the north.
"Old Homs is totally clean of armed terrorist groups," state television said, using the government's term for those seeking to topple President Bashar al-Assad.