Syrian soldiers carry a wounded freed soldier (C) in the capital Damascus' Eastern Ghouta countryside on March 31, 2018. Eight Syrian soldiers were set free from rebels' captivity in Eastern Ghouta countryside on Saturday, the latest group to be released amid evacuation of rebels from that area, according to the state Ekhbaria TV. (Xinhua/Ammar Safarjalani)
DAMASCUS, March 31 (Xinhua) -- Eight Syrian soldiers were set free from rebels' captivity in Eastern Ghouta countryside on Saturday, the latest group to be released amid evacuation of rebels from that area, according to the state Ekhbaria TV.
The TV aired footages of the freed abductees, who reached the government-controlled crossing on the outskirts of the town of Arbeen in Eastern Ghouta.
On Monday, 28 people were set free from Eastern Ghouta, as part of the deal that was reached recently between the rebels and the Syrian government under the Russian mediation.
The deal allows the evacuation of rebels and their families from Eastern Ghouta and stipulates the rebels' to release kidnapped soldiers and civilians kept in their custody for years.
More abductees are expected to be freed soon, and the large number of abductees is expected to freed from the rebel-held Douma district.
Meanwhile, the evacuation of rebels and their families toward rebel-held areas in northern Syria is still ongoing from central towns in Eastern Ghouta after the army captured 90 percent of the towns in neighborhoods in that area.