Syrian regime forces and Russian military forces have entered a new town, al-Shajarah, west of Daraa in southern Syria. They carried out inspections of homes and combed surrounding farmlands.
Officers from the Syrian army’s 16th Brigade were present at the inspections alongside local leaders and citizens.
A deal sponsored by Russia with the central negotiating committee in the Daraa governorate has allowed regime forces and Russian military police to enter the town and set up a center for settling the status of wanted civilians and military personnel in the area.
The center was established on Sunday with locals coming in from al-Shajarah and nearby villages and towns, including Abdeen, Beit Ara, Nafaa, al-Qusayr, Jamla, Abdin, and Koya, to settle their status and turn in their individual weapons in compliance with the signed agreement.
Now that the settlement center has been set up in al-Shajarah, the Russian police and the Syrian regime would have successfully implemented the new deal.
A few days ago, they had finished implementing the first part of the deal which included other towns such as Hayt, Jallin, Masaken Jalin, and Saham al-Golan in the Yarmouk basin region.
A member of the Central Negotiating Committee in the western countryside of Daraa told Asharq Al-Awsat that the security committee of the Syrian regime in Daraa informed it and dignitaries from the towns of Hayt and Saham al-Golan on Sunday to hand over more light and medium weapons from the area.
Regime forces argued that the number of weapons handed over in the first day of the establishment of the settlement center in the town of Saham al-Golan on Sunday was not enough.
On Monday, more light and medium weapons were delivered, according to some media outlets.
Syrian officers from the army’s 16th Brigade on Sunday and Monday toured the towns of Jallin, Saham al-Golan, and Hayt, accompanied by the Russian police. They left the towns without establishing stations or posting points in the area.