Over 600 Syrian rebels quit besieged town near Damascus

A member of the local reconciliation committee told AFP that around 2,100 people were being evacuated

Around 620 rebels and their families began evacuating a besieged town, located southwest of the Syrian capital of Damascus, on Wednesday, a local official said.

"The buses of rebels have begun moving," said Hassan Ghandour, a member of the local committee overseeing the deal in Moadamiyat al-Sham.

According to the deal, brokered by the Syrian government, buses ferrying rebels and their families would head towards the Idlib province, northwest of Damascus.

Moadamiyet al-Sham has been under a devastating government siege since early 2013.

Syria's government has championed such local deals, which typically see rebels evacuated in exchange for an end to their encirclement, as a way to bring stability to the war-ravaged country.

Another member of the local reconciliation committee who spoke to AFP on condition of anonymity put the number of evacuees, including rebels and civilians, at 2,100 people.

Any remaining rebels would hand over themselves to Syrian authorities "to have their status regularised," the member said.

"Then, the Syrian army will enter the town and state institutions will return to it. Infrastructure like water and electricity networks will be repaired beginning on Sunday," the member added.

More than 300,000 people have been killed since Syria's conflict erupted in March 2011.