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Conflict in Syria

IS armed units in Yarmouk camp completely eliminated — Russian General Staff

The Yarmouk Palestinian refugee camp remained the last terrorist stronghold in Damascus

MOSCOW, May 23. /TASS/. Armed units of the Islamic State terror group (IS, outlawed in Russia) have been completely eliminated in the Yarmouk Palestinian refugee camp in Damascus, the Syrian army has taken control of the area, Head of the Main Operations Department at Russia’s General Staff Colonel General Sergei Rudskoi said on Wednesday.

"The Yarmouk Palestinian refugee camp remained the last terrorist stronghold in the capital, it actually was a shelter for IS members earlier defeated in various regions of Syria," he said. "As of today, ISIL [the former name of the IS - TASS] units active in the western part of Yarmouk have been fully eliminated, government forces have taken control of the area," Rudskoi added.

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Homs de-escalation zone freed from terrorists without firing a shot — Russian top brass

In addition, thanks to the efforts of the Russian Center for Reconciliation of the opposing sides, members of armed opposition units based in the eastern part of Yarmouk "were provided with the opportunity to either take advantage of the current amnesty and return to civilian life or leave for the Idlib province together with their families," the general pointed out. According to him, a total of 3,283 militants were removed from Yarmouk.

Various armed opposition groups took control of a large part of the Idlib province in May 2015. Later, militants willing to lay down their arms were taken there through humanitarian corridors. Around 30,000 people left from Aleppo to Idlib in late 2016. In the February to April period of 2018, a similar operation was carried out in Eastern Ghouta, when more than 165,000 people left the enclave, over 66,000 of them have already returned to their homes.

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Syrian conflict

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Germany moves to exclude Russia from concentration camp liberation celebrations

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