As a pilot project of the Working Group on the Release of Detainees/Abductees, Handover of Bodies and Identification of Missing Persons which was established within the framework of the Astana process with the participation of Turkey, the Russian Federation and Iran as well as the United Nations, several persons detained by the opposition groups and the regime were mutually and simultaneously released on 24 November 2018 in the Abu al Zindeen district to the south of al-Bab, controlled by the opposition.

Constituting an important first step within the context of building confidence among the conflicting parties in Syria, this practice is aimed to be continued with new initiatives.