Syria government troops retake Homs Old City post rebels evacuation

Syrian government forces have retaken control of the Old City of Homs after rebel troops evacuated the city after three years.

Homs Governor Talal al-Barazi said more than 1,500 fighters and their relatives had left.

According to the BBC, the evacuation marks the end of three years of resistance in Homs.

Government forces took full control of the heart of Homs on Thursday, after rebels in the Old City boarded buses and were transported to rebel-held territory to the north, the report said.

Barazi said Homs would be declared a 'secure city' once the UN-supervised evacuation was complete, and that reconstruction would begin immediately, it added.