Homs cease-fire truce starts as rebels withdraw

Syria opposition fighters and the government have started executing the Homs cease-fire truce, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights on Wednesday. Over 1,000 fighters of different rebel and Islamist brigades started withdrawing from the besieged old quarters in Homs to the northern rural part of the city, allowing Al-Assad soldiers to bring food and medical aid into the pro-regime Shiite strongholds of Nubul and Al-Zahraa, said the Observatory. The rebels will also release prisoners and hostages held in the towns, said the Observatory, adding that the soldiers will check the area for any planted mines and existing explosives left by the fighters. According to the deal, the fighters were set to leave the rebel-held Old City of Homs through the Hama-Homs highway towards Al-Dara Al-Kabira in Homs' north countryside under the supervision of a UN delegation. The besieged Old City has recently seen rising tension and clashes between rebels and Al-Assad regime, leaving dozens dead and wounded. Earlier this year, about 1400 civilians were allowed to leave the city which has seen the worst fights in the three-year conflict, by a UN-brokered agreement between the Syrian sides. Residents of Homs, Syria's third largest city, were among the first to rise against Al-Assad regime, earning the nickname of "the capital of the revolution". The residents went on a series of fierce protests against the government until rebels seized control of most parts of the city