Biggest convoy yet evacuates Syria's ruined eastern Ghouta

The largest convoy yet of eastern Ghouta evacuees arrived in northwestern Syria on Tuesday as the regime threatened to resume its blitz if the last remaining opposition groups do not leave.

Regime troops, backed by Russia and loyalist militia, launched a ferocious assault more than a month ago to retake the enclave on the outskirts of Damascus.

They have recaptured more than 90 percent of it and are draining the last opposition-held pockets through negotiated withdrawals brokered by Russia.

Russia and the Syrian regime reportedly threatened to resume their blistering bombardment if the last holdout pocket that includes the main Ghouta town of Douma does not agree to a similar deal.

TRT World spoke to journalist and activist Nour Adam reporting out of the enclave.

"Surrender or face an attack"

Jaish al Islam, the powerful opposition group that holds Douma, had hoped talks with Moscow would result in their staying in the town, instead of being bussed out like other groups.

But negotiations have stalled and Russia is reverting to its initial "leave or die" approach, two opposition sources close to the negotiations said.

"At the end of their meeting Monday, the Russians gave Jaish al Islam two choices: surrender or face an attack," one of them told AFP.

Jaish al Islam spokesman Hamza Bayraqdar had said the negotiations were for a deal whereby the group lays down its heavy weapons in exchange for government-provided water and electricity returning to the town.

Two deals have already seen thousands of rebels, their relatives and other civilians bussed out of bombed-out Ghouta districts to Idlib, a northwestern province most of which still escapes regime control.

"Day of shame"

At the same time, US Ambassador Nikki Haley on Tuesday rebuked the United Nations Security Council over Syria, saying the failure of a 30-day ceasefire should be a "day of shame" for council members.

"This should be a day of shame for every member of this council," said Haley.

Haley said 1,600 people had "died on our watch" in eastern Ghouta since the council unanimously adopted a ceasefire resolution on February 24 after intense negotiations with Russia, Bashar al Assad's ally.

"After years of enduring siege and starvation, residents are surrendering eastern Ghouta," said Haley.

"History will not be kind when it judges the effectiveness of this council in relieving the suffering of the Syrian people."

TRT World 's Frank Ucciardo reports the latest from New York.

Russia hit back that it was the only country working to turn the ceasefire into a reality on the ground in Syria.

Russian Ambassador Vassily Nebenzia said the departures were voluntary and that Moscow's forces were providing food, shelter and medical aid to those in need.

"Perhaps it is not to the liking of some, but in fact we are the sole member to undertake concrete measures to implement Resolution 2401," said Nebenzia.

Thousands board buses

With little hope of a breakthrough on a diplomatic solution to end the carnage, the largest numbers have quit the towns of Arbin and Zamalka, and the adjacent district of Jobar, all controlled by the Faylaq al Rahman group.

The group reached a deal with Moscow on Friday and its implementation began the following morning with nearly 1,000 people boarding buses and leaving.

The numbers have grown steadily since, with the biggest convoy yet departing in the early hours of Tuesday with more than 6,700 people aboard.

They arrived Tuesday afternoon to the Qalaat al Madiq area of central Hama province, a staging ground frequently used in such deals, an AFP correspondent said.

That convoy brought the total number of evacuees from areas under Faylaq al Rahman's control to more than 13,000 people.

The group's spokesman, Wael Alwan, has said as many as 30,000 people could be evacuated in all.

The Assad regime has used such evacuation agreements to recover swathes of territory since the uprising against his rule began seven years ago this month.

They would typically begin with the military encirclement of an area, followed by bombardment and a ground operation before a deal would be made.

On February 18, the regime, its ally Russia and loyalist militia launched an all-out air and ground assault that killed more than 1,600 civilians, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

The Britain-based monitor said it had also documented the detention of more than 40 men and boys by Syrian regime troops in recaptured areas.

Devastating air strikes and artillery fire have reduced large parts of Ghouta to ruins, forcing their residents to abandon them.

Some 110,000 people have fled into regime-held territory, most of them on foot or motorbike, through corridors opened up by the regime army and its Russian allies, according to state media.

The United Nations says around 55,000 of them are housed in very basic conditions in regime-run temporary shelters on the edge of Ghouta.

Moscow has brokered talks with the rebel groups that control the three remaining pockets of the enclave.

The first agreement, with Ahrar al Sham, saw more than 4,500 people, including opposition fighters, leave the town of Harasta last week.

Under the second deal, rebels from Faylaq al Rahman are being given safe passage to the northwest, along with thousands of civilians, in exchange for releasing prisoners they were holding.