Syria Forces Close to Gaining Full Control of Eastern Ghouta

Syrian government forces are close to taking full control of Eastern Ghouta, the last rebel-held area near the capital, Damascus.
Two out of three rebel groups that had been controlling the enclave have already surrendered, with thousands of fighters and their relatives departing for opposition-held areas in the north of the country.
The third rebel group, Jaish al-Islam, which controls the city of Douma, has so far refused to give in.
However, it is understood that Jaish al-Islam is also close to reaching an evacuation deal following negotiations with the Russian army, an ally of Syrian forces.
Al Jazeera’s Zeina Khodr, reporting from Beirut, Lebanon, said on Saturday that talks between Jaish al-Islam and the Russian military had earlier collapsed due to the group’s refusal to be evacuated to Idlib, a northwestern province still largely under rebel control.
“Jaish al-Islam does not have good relations with the rebel groups which dominate Idlib province,” said Khodr.
“What we understand is that they may be sent to an eastern region … close to Lebanon’s border,” she added.
On February 18, Syrian government forces backed by Russian fighter jets tightened their siege on Eastern Ghouta with a heavy military offensive that killed 1,500 and wounded more than 5,000.
Nearly 400,000 people remained in the enclave – under opposition control since mid-2013 – before the latest offensive began.