Amidst criticism from US, UN and several other countries for allegedly killing civilians, Syrian government forces have gained control over 90 percent of the Eastern Ghouta region where militants continue to leave their last major stronghold near Damascus.

Reuters reports that Syrian forces celebrated the departure of the last group of militants and their families from the town of Harasta in Eastern Ghoutaon Friday.

Under severe pressure from Syrian forces ongoing operations having Russian air force support, militants agreed to leave the area to the other militant-held territory in northwest of the country, close to Turkey border.

Read More: UN Chief asks Security Council to end Syrians’ sufferings

Under the agreement between the militants and Syrian government, nearly 70,000 militants and their families were leaving from Saturday morning around the towns of Arbin, Jobar, Zamalka and Ein Terma. This was confirmed by Wael Alwan, spokesman of lesser known group Failaq al-Rahman. In exchange, the groups will release captured government soldiers.

Read More: Syrian President visits Eastern Ghouta frontline, civilians

The city of Douma is the last militant stronghold in eastern Ghouta. Negotiations are underway for removing the militants from the city where heavy fighting still continues. Recently, thousands of people have fled Douma into government-held territories.

The liberation of Eastern Ghouta from militants is considered to be the biggest victory of Syrian army after the liberation of Aleppo in December 2016.

During the recent weeks, Syria and Russia have cornered the terror groups as part of their campaign to liberate civilians who were being used as human shield by the militants. This was also aimed to end militant attacks from EEastern Ghouta on the capital Damscus.

Read More: Syria: Chemical weapon factory unearthed in Eastern Ghouta

Earlier, UN had estimated that 400,000 people were trapped inside the besieged area without access to food or medicine and 50,000 others fled the area after the heavy military confrontations started in mid-February.

Due to ongoing campaign Eastern Ghouta was left splintered into three shrinking pockets each held by a separate militant group. However, all the groups, including Jaish al_Islam, Jabhat al-Nusra  and Daesh (IS), who were involved in heinous crimes of killing innocents were following the Saudi nursed Wahabi ideology.

Eastern Ghouta fell to militants in 2012, months after Syria plunged into crisis, and has since served as a launch pad for fatal mortar attacks against residents and infrastructure in the capital. The area is situated not very far from Damascus airport.

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Amidst calls of stopping bloodshed by Syrian forces in Eastern Ghouta, Syrian aircraft continued dropping leaflets on Friday for encouraging the civilians to leave and armed militants to lay down their weapons.

Xinhua reports from Damascus that the footage released by the Syrian army shows its aircraft dropping leaflets displaying small maps showing safe exits out of Eastern Ghouta with instructions to the civilians on how to leave and urging the armed militants to lay down weapons to gain a presidential pardon for those who turn themselves in.

One leaflet read: “Everyone holding this paper is considered to have dropped arms against the Syrian military and can benefit from the amnesty issued by the president of the Arab Republic of Syria. All army checkpoints must guarantee the safety and protection of all this paper’s holders and provide them with food, medicine and shelter in accordance with the laws of the Syrian Arab Republic.”

The leaflets were dropped on the besieged inhabitants at a time when Russian sponsored five-hour a day pause continued for the fourth day without achieving the intended goal of civilians’ evacuation.

Syrian state media claims that rebels were preventing civilians to leave instead they were suing them as human shield. However, the Syrian Arab Red Crescent said it evacuated two Pakistani civilians, a man and his wife on Wednesday.

On Friday, two children succeeded in leaving the besieged area after midnight through the designated humanitarian corridor in Wafidin area, reports Russian Reconciliation Center in Syria.  Syrian soldiers monitored their movement as the rebels fired at them while they were leaving.

On February 24, the UNSC adopted a resolution asking all parties to immediately cease clashes and provide a sustained humanitarian break for at least 30 days across the country. However, Syria and Russia announced

five hour daily pause in hostilities in Eastern Ghouta.

Meanwhile, London-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said no civilians were killed on Friday by the shelling in Damascus. The people in the capital still prefer to stay indoors, particularly in the eastern Damascus’ close to the Eastern Ghouta.

Meanwhile, official Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA) reports that the government has been alert to emerging information that rebels may stage a chemical attack against the army in Ghouta.

An army official told Thursday,”Terrorist groups in Eastern Ghouta have received orders to use chemical weapons in the region to frame the Syrian army.”

The UN organizations have already sounded an alarm about the situation in Eastern Ghouta, where 400,000 people are believed to be trapped in the sprawling area.

A couple of months ago, al-Qaida-linked groups launched an offensive against a military base in the city of Harasta in Eastern Ghouta, triggering a counter-military offensive in the area.

Latest report from Damascus, says that on Sunday, the five hour pause began at 9 a.m. for allowing civilians, besieged by Jabhat al-Nusra and other terrorist groups affiliated to it to leave the area.

SANA reporter at al-Wafideen camp said that ambulances and public transport buses are waiting near the safe corridor. Temporary housing shelters are set up in al-Duwair in Damascus countryside.

Meanwhile there are reports of 64 shells fired by terrorist organisations on the residential neighbourhood in Damascus and surrounding areas.

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