Terrorists Surrender in Eastern Ghouta amid Syrian Army's Rapid Advances

TEHRAN (defapress)- A number of terrorists surrendered to the government forces in Eastern Ghouta as the Syrian army continued its rapid advances against the militants in Damascus countryside.

News ID: 69195

Date: 14 March 2018 - 16:01

The Syrian army engaged in fierce clashes with the terrorists in Harasta in Eastern Ghouta before the beginning of the daily truce.

The Syrian army's artillery units and air force also pounded the terrorists' military positions in the town of Harasta which has fully come under the army's siege.

Meantime, battlefield sources reported that a sum of 10 terrorists of Ahrar al-Sham have surrendered to the Syrian army as the army has tightened its noose on the terrorists in Harasta.

In a relevant development earlier on Wednesday, the Syrian army troops took full control of a strategic region in Southern Damascus as hundreds of terrorists of Al-Nusra Front (Tahrir al-Sham Hay'at or the Levant Liberation Board) left the area within the framework of an agreement with the Syrian army.

A sum of 300 terrorists of Al-Nusra Front and their allied groups with their families (a total of 1,000 people) left al-Qadam region in Southern Damascus on Tuesday for Idlib.

Meantime, with the exit of the terrorists from al-Qadam region and completion of clean-up operations in there, the Syrian army took full control of the region.

Field sources said on Tuesday that tens of terrorists of Al-Nusra Front and their allied groups have left the Southern countryside of Damascus city together with their family members for militant-held regions in Idlib province.

The sources said that the first group of Al-Nusra terrorists, allied groups and their family members left al-Qadam region in Southern Damascus for Idlib in an agreement with the army.

They said that 600 militants and their family members will leave al-Qadam in the first phase of evacuation.

The total number of terrorists and their family members in al-Qadam stands at 2,000.

The militant who do not want to leave al-Qadam for Idlib are to hand over their arms and ammunition and will apply for government amnesty.

Militant-affiliated websites disclosed on Sunday that gunmen of the Free Syrian Army (FSA) and Tahrir al-Sham Hay'at (the Levant Liberation Board or the Al-Nusra Front) agreed on withdrawal of their gunmen from al-Qadam to militant-held regions in Idlib province.

They further reported that the army had previously given a 48 hours ultimatum to the militants to leave al-Qadam.

In the meantime, military analysts said that the army's rapid advances in Eastern Ghouta have forced the FSA and Tahrir al-Sham Hay'at to agree withdrawal from their positions in al-Qadam.