BEIRUT, December 18. /TASS/. Armed groups encircling the Shiite towns of al-Fua and Kefraya in the Syrian province of Idlib are hampering evacuation of civilians and wounded militias, Al Ekhbariya television channel said on Sunday.

According to Al Ekhbariya, buses and ambulance cars sent to those towns came under fire from presumably Jabhat Fateh al-Sham (formerly known as Jabhat al-Nusra) militants.

Meanwhile, Al Manar television channel said al-Fua and Kefraya are the sites of clashes between al-Nusra militants and Ahrar al-Sham groups which have given consent for the evacuation of civilians and militias. As a result, five buses came under fire.

It was planned to evacuate some 5,000 people from these towns on Sunday.

According to earlier reports, the agreements on evacuation of militants and their families from Aleppo provide for a concurrent humanitarian operation in the Shiite towns of al-Fua and Kefraya.