Calm in Syria’s Daraa following reports of agreement
DARAA, Syria, (North Press) – The town of Tafas in the western countryside of Daraa Governorate, southern Syria, witnessed on Monday a relative calmness and anticipation following reports of an agreement between Syrian government and former leaders of the opposition.
Last week, the situation in the town was tense following military reinforcements by the Syrian government forces deployed to the outskirts of the town, closure of some roads, and targeting some neighborhoods with machineguns and artilleries.
On August 14, differing information emerged regarding reaching an agreement between former leaders of the opposition and the Syrian government in a meeting held on August 13, stipulating ending tension the town nearly for 18 days.
On July 28, a previous agreement was reached in a meeting held in Daraa between representatives of Tafas and officers of the government forces.
In the agreement, the representatives agreed to hand over those unwilling to engage in the 2018 settlement agreement to the government forces and let the forces search in specific houses to find those outlawed.
In turn, the deal entailed that all government military personnel must withdraw from the town after finishing the search.
However, the terms of the agreement were not implemented as some of those wanted persons refused to leave, prompting the government to shell the town.
Tafas has been in a state of tension for more than two weeks, after the government forces began bringing in military reinforcements to the vicinity. The forces also shelled the town’s residential neighborhoods and blocked many roads that lead to it.
Nonetheless, activists belittled the agreement amid intransigence and insistence by the government forces to enter the town.
It was scheduled another meeting be held yesterday, between the Central Committee and the Syrian government forces to fix the already signed agreement.