Russian-backed faction withdraws from administrative borders of Syria’s Suwayda Governorate
SUWAYDA, Syria (North Press) – The Eighth Brigade of the Russian-backed Fifth Corps withdrew from territories belonging to the town of Qurayya in the countryside of Suwayda, after eight months controlling the region.
Local sources told North Press that the withdrawal came after negotiations between notables from Suwayda and Daraa.
Local sources added that among the notables participating in the negotiations were Emir Louay al-Atrash, Sheikh al-Aql Hamoud al-Hinnawi, and Sheikh Awad al-Miqdad.
Suwayda
The governorate of Suwayda, located in Syria’s south, is home to the country’s Druze minority, an ethnoreligious group which practices a monotheistic Abrahamic religion and speaks the Arabic language. Many refused to side with either the regime or opposition during the country’s civil war, forming independent groups.
In September, the region witnessed clashes between seven local armed groups from Suwayda and members of the Eighth Brigade, resulting in dozens of dead and wounded between the two sides.
The meetings between the two sides began early this month, when two groups of the negotiating parties came to the town of Qurayya and supervised the withdrawal process.
The source added that the two parties agreed to establish a control point in the town to be supervised by some of its residents in order to prevent repeated incidents and violations.
The Eighth Brigade is taking the city of Busra al-Sham, in the Daraa governorate, as a major stronghold. The brigade is led by Ahmed al-Awda, one of the leaders of the opposition factions that signed, with Russian mediation, a settlement with the Syrian government in 2018.
The local factions in Suwayda consist of al-Karama forces, al-Fahd Forces, the National Defense, Humat al-Diyar forces, the Maan Zahreddin faction, and the Karem Ubaid faction.
The source pointed out that the two negotiating parties stressed facing any strife or disputes that would lead to bloodshed.
The leader of al-Karama forces, Yahya al-Hajjar, called on the Russians early last month to withdraw their forces from the town of Qurayya.
Ahmed al-Awda stated that “there are malicious regional parties that want to create an armed conflict between Daraa and Suwayda.”
Al-Awda accused Hezbollah and Iran of supporting and arming some factions loyal to it, such as National Defense, in coordination with the Syrian government to implicate factions in Suwayda in fighting between the neighboring Daraa and Suwayda governorates.