Syrian troops in tanks and armored personnel carriers started a full withdrawal Wednesday from the central city of Hama, which has become a flashpoint of the five-month protest in the country, Xinhua reported.
During a trip organized by the Syrian Information Ministry for foreign correspondents, a Xinhua reporter saw armored personnel carriers and tanks on the road between the central provinces of Homs and Hama.
Trucks have arrived at the northern entrance of Hama to upload those vehicles back to their camps outside the city, he said.
There are cement barriers and barricades in the streets of Hama, the reporter said, adding that the Syrian soldiers are clearing the barricades and piles of garbage from streets that are mostly deserted.
Upon entering the city, the reporter saw a two-story police station that was entirely burnt on July 31 by alleged gunmen who also killed the policemen in it.
Meanwhile, the private Al-Watan newspaper said Wednesday that life is gradually returning to normalcy in Hama.
The Syrian army has cleansed the city of gunmen and eliminated barricades and roadblocks set by them, the paper said.
Quoting a responsible source in Hama, the paper said the army units have retrieved large quantities of weapons, money, and wireless phones.
In a related development, the paper said the army units entered the cities of Bansh and Sermin in the eastern province of Idlib Tuesday to help security forces there hunt down the gunmen, adding that the army has arrested a number of wanted criminals and politicians.