Syrian rebels and civilians started evacuating the penultimate opposition-held pocket of Eastern Ghouta on Saturday, as the government moved ever closer to taking full control of the battered enclave. Eastern Ghouta was the opposition’s final stronghold on the edge of Damascus, but beleaguered rebels are now left with less than 10 percent of their one-time bastion. Since February 18, a Russian-backed air and ground assault has brought most of the area under government control, and Damascus is using evacuation deals to clear the last three pockets.
