Thousands of militants prepared to evacuate Daraya on Friday as a part of a settlement reached with the government.

Thousands of militants prepared to evacuate Daraya on Friday as a part of a settlement reached with the government.

Government forces are to take control of the town, located in the south-western side on Damascus.

The town's residents are to leave the city, Chief of Daraya municipality Marwan Obeid said.

A settlement was signed on Thursday in Daraya to evacuate families from the city and getting them out to temporary shelters in Damascus and its countryside, SANA news agency reported.

The agreement is seen as a major defeat for the militants who have been fighting the government for more than four years.

"Seven hundred armed men with their personal weapons will leave Daraya to head to the city of Idlib, while thousands of men and women with their families will be taken to reception centers," SANA said.

The insurgents would have to surrender other armaments to the army.

Meanwhile, AFP news agency quoted a  Syrian source on the ground as saying on Thursday that the evacuation could take four days to complete.