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State news agency SANA showed pictures of crowds gathering under large government flags and photos of Assad. Behind them, rows of buildings, their windows blown out, appeared pitted with shellholes and showed heavy damage from fighting.Damascus has described local agreements - accept state rule or leave - as a "workable model to bring security and peace" after more than seven years of war. It says it seeks to restore territory from militants so Syrians can return to their hometownsThe opposition to Assad however says the deals amount to a policy of forced displacement that aims to shore up his rule.The United Nations aid chief, Stephen O'Brien, voiced "extreme concern" over the Daraya evacuation at the time it went ahead. But since then several such withdrawal deals have been struck helping the government recapture major cities across Syria.The conflict has killed hundreds of thousands of people since 2011 and made nearly 11 million Syrians homeless.Hundreds of thousands of people have poured into Syria's northwest corner, the last remaining insurgent stronghold, forced to abandon their homes elsewhere in the country.The United Nations has also said the displaced should be allowed to "return voluntarily, in safety and in dignity".
Thousands of Syrians start returning to Daraya - state media
Assad's military and its allies regained control of Daraya after years of bitter siege and bombing.
