Syria: Evacuation of militants from Yarmouk camp begins April 30 /update 1

Event

The Syrian government-brokered evacuation of militants from the Yarmouk camp has begun as of Monday, April 30. Though Syrian state media has not specified which groups have agreed to evacuate the area, Syrian rebel sources claimed that the army had reached a deal with fighters from Hay'at Tahrir Al-Sham (HTS), guaranteeing them safe passage to Idlib province in exchange for the evacuation of two Shi'a villages in the province - Kefraya and Al-Fouaa - and the release of people abducted from the village of Eshtabraq.

The move comes amid the continued government bombardment of Islamic State (IS) positions in Al-Hajar Al-Aswad, a neighborhood in Yarmouk. Additional fighting between IS militants and Syrian government forces is expected in the area in the coming days.

Context

Though IS lost much of its territory in Syria and Iraq in 2017, the group still clings to some areas on the eastern side of the Euphrates River, as well as to desert areas along the Iraq-Syria border in Deir Al-Zor and Hasaka provinces.

Syria remains enmeshed in a complex civil war that started between the Assad government and opposition forces in March 2011. Today, the conflict in Syria involves many parties, including the Syrian government, the Russian government, the Iranian government, the Turkish government, a US-led coalition, and numerous armed groups on the ground (including the Islamic State) with competing goals.

Advice

Due to extremely poor security conditions, Western governments generally advise against all travel to Syria, with some banning travel to the country. Professional security advice and support should be sought prior to any travel to Syria.