Government forces remove checkpoints in Syria’s Daraa
DARAA, Syria (North Press) – On Wednesday, Syrian government forces started the process of removing their military checkpoints between the neighborhoods of Daraa al-Balad and Daraa al-Mahatta, south Syria.
The most notable checkpoints that were removed are al-Saray, the National Hospital, al-Sina’iya, and Sajna checkpoints.
The removed checkpoints have been placed in their sites for more than three years since government forces took control over the governorate according to a Russian-brokered agreement signed between the government forces and leaders of the opposition.
This step facilitates residents’ movement between their neighborhoods and Daraa al-Mahatta, which is in the city center of Daraa and home to key public facilities such as hospitals, according to residents.
Government forces evacuated houses they were seizing near the checkpoints, sources told North Press.
Removing the checkpoints took place two weeks after an agreement was reached between the government forces and the Central Committee, as several military posts were deployed in the neighborhoods of Daraa, according to the same agreement.
On Monday, unidentified gunmen attacked the military checkpoint stationed at the roundabout (al-Duwar) checkpoint east of Masakin Jalin, in the western countryside of Daraa.
On Tuesday, government security apparatuses and members of the army, accompanied by the Russian military police and the Central Committee in the western region, entered the town of Tal Shehab in the western countryside of Daraa, near the Syrian-Jordanian border.
On September 16, government forces entered to the city of Tafas, and on September 15, they entered to the town of Muzayrib accompanied by Russian military police.
On September 12, the Central Committee in the western countryside of Daraa and the security committee of the government forces reached a Russian-sponsored agreement on the entry of the government forces to al-Yadouda town and subjecting dozens of the wanted people to settlements.
For more than two months, Daraa has been subjected to a stifling siege by pro-Iranian factions and Syrian government forces and finally to end the siege by reaching a Russian-brokered ceasefire agreement allowing government forces to enter to the besieged neighborhoods.