The evacuation came after a deal struck by President Bashar al-Assad’s government and opposition forces in the town, which is near Damascus and was one of the first to rise up against the regime.
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The United Nations, which has repeatedly called for the lifting of the siege, said it was “not involved and not consulted in this deal”, in a statement put out by the UN Special Envoy to Syria Staffan de Mistura’s office.
Kerry said he and Lavrov had agreed on the “vast majority” of technical discussions on steps to reinstate a cease-fire and improve humanitarian access.
One activist who we spoke to had this to say: “Tell the world we want freedom”.
Daraya is located just 15 minutes drive from the capital and lies even closer to the government’s vital Mazzeh air base.
John Kerry and Sergey Lavrov were expected to discuss proposals to share intelligence and increase military co-ordination against Isis and extremist groups in Syria and Iraq.
Mr Yildirim said his country’s forces would remain in Syria until the border area was cleansed of Islamic State and other militants.
Large-scale massacres have also been reported, although there were conflicting reports of whether government forces or rebels were responsible for the killing of up to 500 residents in August 2012.
The evacuation is reportedly set to begin on Friday. Control of Daraya is a boost to Assad’s forces and increases security to the capital, his seat of power.
In 2012, troops loyal to Assad surrounded and besieged the suburb, where several hundred thousand people lived at the time. He said trucks are ready to take humanitarian relief to the city.
At least 48 green and white buses, eight ambulances and several Red Crescent and United Nations vehicles were lined up at the entrance of Darayya earlier Friday, waiting for the green light, the Associated Press reported.
Some 800 gunmen and 2,400 civilians were evacuated, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. Footage on state television showed buses carefully driving past a large group of soldiers and through streets lined with rubble.
The reconciliation agreement follows similar deals forged in the central city of Homs in May 2014 that saw fighters and their families evacuate the city’s old quarter and transferred to Idlib. Meanwhile, 4,000 civilians will turn themselves over to government forces and will be housed in shelters, although many fear retaliation and intimidation by government forces against civilians from the besieged city.
Sharfan Darwish, spokesman for the Syrian Democratic Forces’ local group in Manbij, said artillery shelling on Amarneh village, south of Jarablus, continued Friday.
“This is a precious moment for every Syrian”, he added.
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The officials provided the information on condition of anonymity in line with Turkish government regulations. The UN has long condemned the regime for using starvation as a weapon of war against civilians. “It is hard to talk to people or even look at them in the face”, Ayash told NBC News.
