Jaysh al-Islam, the main rebel group in East Ghouta, released a statement on March 12 denying involvement in negotiations with the Assad government towards an evacuation deal for its fighters.

Spokesman Hamzah Bereqdar, who delivered the statement, said that his group would “defend Ghouta until victory or martyrdom.”

Jaysh al-Islam said it had agreed a deal via Russia and UN agencies to allow the evacuation of some of the wounded from East Ghouta, according to a March 12 statement on Twitter. Credit: Islam Army via Storyful