Russia sends military police to Syria's Douma

MOSCOW - Russian military police has been sent to Douma, the town northeast of Syrian capital Damascus, where an alleged chemical attack on the weekend killed several civilians, the Russian Defense Ministry said Thursday.

The military police of the Russian armed forces have begun working in Douma to ensure law and order there after its liberation from the Islamic State (IS) terror group, the RIA Novosti news agency reported, citing a Defense Ministry statement.

Syrian government troops have captured Douma, previously held by IS, and gained control of the entire Eastern Ghouta suburb of Damascus, Yuri Yevtushenko, head of the Russian Center for Peace and Reconciliation in Syria, said on Thursday, according to TASS news agency.

More than 1,500 IS militants left Douma via a humanitarian corridor over the past 24 hours, raising the total number of evacuated rebels to about 13,500 in April, the Defense Ministry said, adding that the situation in Douma is now normalizing.