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On May 13, a fifth batch of 1,500 militants and their families withdrew from the northern Homs countryside pocket to the northern governorate of Idlib, according to the Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA). The evacuation of these militants was a part of the reconciliation agreement, which was reached on May 2.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) said that more than 13,000 militants and civilians had been evacuated from northern Homs to Idlib governorate and the city of Jarabulus in the governatore of Aleppo, so far. The SOHR added that more militants will be evacuated during the upcoming days.

Meanwhile, the Syrian al-Madina Radio revealed that the Syrian security forces had foiled an attempt to smuggle heavy weapons from northern Homs in the evacuation buses. The sources said that several heavy machineguns and loads of ammunition had been seized by Syrian security forces at an inspection point.

Under the evacuation agreement, militants in northern Homs countryside should hand over all of their weapons to the Syrian Arab Army (SAA). While the Free Syrian Army (FSA) surrendered most of its weapons, several radical groups are yet to fulfill this condition.

According to Syrian pro-government activists, many militants in the Hula region in northern Homs have not accepted the reconciliation agreement yet. These militants will likely face a military operation led by the Tiger Forces if they do not obey the agreement before the end of the evacuation process.

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