DAMASCUS (Dispatches) – A second group of foreign-backed terrorists left the southern Syrian city of Daraa Thursday under a Russian-brokered truce aimed at stopping the region’s worst fighting in years, a monitor said.
Daraa, seen as the birthplace of the plot hatched by the West against Syria in 2011, was returned to government control in 2018 under a previous ceasefire that had allowed militants to stay in some areas of Daraa province.
But since late July terrorist groups have exchanged artillery fire with government forces and the Syrian government has imposed a siege on the city’s southern districts of Daraa al-Balad, hub of militants.
The clashes were the biggest challenge yet to the 2018 ceasefire, and Moscow-led talks have intensified in recent days as the government has stepped up its campaign to root out remaining terrorists from Daraa al-Balad.
The pro-militant so-called Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported Thursday that 53 people, mostly militants “who rejected the reconciliation deal reached under Russian auspices”, had been sent to northern Syria.
Syria’s official SANA news agency said that “45 terrorists and some of their family members” had left Daraa in what it called a step “towards ending terrorist control over the district and towards the return of all state institutions and services”.
It came two days after an initial group of opposition terrorists boarded buses to take them out of the area, according to the Britain-based Observatory.
Since 2011, Syria has been faced with the emergence of foreign-backed militant groups, out of which Daesh terrorist group popped up and dramatically deteriorated the situation in the Arab country.
Syrian officials say that with the process of eradicating terrorism having reached its final stages, it’s now time to focus on rebuilding.
Chinese Prime Minister Li Keqiang says his country attaches great importance to developing relations with Syria and is keen to support the Arab country in combating the coronavirus pandemic, improving the livelihood of its people and accelerating reconstruction.
China and Syria “have traditional, friendly relations and have long exchanged understanding and mutual support on issues related to core interests and major concerns of the two countries,” Keqiang said in a letter sent to the Syrian Prime Minister Hussein Arnous.
According to Arnous, the Chinese premier expressed his country’s readiness to “make joint efforts with the Syrian government to consolidate the traditional friendship between the two countries and constantly push forward cooperative relations, wishing Syria and its people security and prosperity.”