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Some 400 Refugees Depart Syria's Rukban Camp on 22 May - Russian Military

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - As many as 370 Syrians have left the Rukban refugee camp on the border with Jordan on May 22, the head of the Russian Defence Ministry’s centre for Syrian reconciliation said Thursday.
Sputnik

"On 22 May, 370 refugees managed to leave the Rukban camp via a humanitarian corridor with the Jleb checkpoint. All those who left the camp were provided with medical assistance, basic necessities and food", Maj. Gen. Viktor Kupchishin said.

The joint Russia-Syria coordination centre on refugee repatriation has repeatedly decried living conditions in the camp, located within the US-controlled zone in Syria's At Tanf, and accused Washington of preventing the camp residents from leaving the area.

READ MORE: Reports of Alleged Chemical Attack in Syria's Idlib Unconfirmed — US State Dept

Since the opening of the Jleb checkpoint in early February, almost 13,000 people who lived in Rukban have been able to leave the settlement

Moscow Ready to Consider All Steps to Evacuate People From Rukban - Lavrov
Meanwhile, Kupchishin added that the centre registered several ceasefire breaches in the Latakia province and the city of Hama over the given period.

According to Kupchishin, as for Wednesday, about 57,998 Syrians, who evaded military service, had been granted amnesty by the Syrian authorities.

The conflict in Syria has been ongoing since 2011, but in 2017 the focus shifted from anti-terrorist fight toward a political settlement, return of refugees and reconstruction.

Russia, along with Turkey and Iran, is a guarantor of the ceasefire regime in Syria. Moscow has also been providing humanitarian aid to residents of the crisis-torn country.

READ MORE: Russian Air Defences Destroy Rockets Fired at Syria Base From Idlib — MoD

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