Syria evacuates 5,000 from town near Damascus
The Syrian government evacuated some 5,000 people Sunday from an embattled industrial town near Damascus where al-Qaeda-linked rebels have been battling government troops for more than two weeks, the state news agency said.
Opposition fighters from Jabhat al-Nusra, or the Nusra Front, swept into Adra northeast of the capital in mid-December, reportedly killing civilians, many of whom are members of the Alawite and Druse sects. Both minority communities largely support President Bashar Assad, who himself is an Alawite, against the primarily Sunni-led rebellion. (AP)
