Consensus on leaving opposition members Syria’s Daraa
DARAA, Syria (North Press) – On Monday, leaders of local factions in the town of Tafas in the western countryside of Daraa Governorate, southern Syria, announced that a number of former members of the opposition left the town because the Syrian government had previously demanded their deportation.
Khaldoun al-Zou’bi, a former leader of the opposition and a leader of a local group, said in a statement that “an agreement has been reached with the people of the town for the exit of a number of people wanted by the government forces.”
“The regime uses the presence of the former fighters as an excuse to enter the town,” he added.
Fierce clashes took place on Saturday between Syrian government forces and local fighters in the vicinity of Tafas after the government forces tried to advance towards the city.
The statement pointed out, “They will leave the city and go wherever they want.”
Al-Zou’bi stressed that the agreement came “to spare the town any military operations that might harm civilians and their property, and in order to stop the massive damage caused to farmers.”
For a week now, the government has closed the roads that lead to Tafas, and prevented its residents from reaching to their crops, causing great financial losses to them.
Since the government forces re-captured Daraa in 2018, the governorate has been living in a state of insecurity, with one or two daily assassinations targeting soldiers and officers of the government forces, not to mention the spread of thefts.
In 2021, Daraa Governorate went through an 80-day-seige. After that, a number of Daraa’s notables and government forces, with mediation of Russian officers, reached a ceasefire agreement on September 5, 2021, including handing over weapons and deploying governmental security posts in the towns of the governorate.