Islam Times - Syria Resumes Pounding Militants’ Positions in Dara’a after Russia-Mediated Deal Fails

Syria Resumes Pounding Militants’ Positions in Dara’a after Russia-Mediated Deal Fails

Islam Times - The Syrian military has renewed its attacks against the last militant enclave in the southwestern city of Dara’a following the collapse of a Russian-mediated deal to restore government rule in the area and end the presence of militants there.

The Syrian military said on Sunday that it had prepared buses for the evacuation of militants opposed to the deal to a northwestern part of Syria, which is under the control of Turkish-backed Takfiri militants.

"We insist on full army control and no return back to the state of lawlnessness and chaos that prevailed," an unnamed army spokesman told Reuters, accusing the militants of reneging on their pledges.

According to local negotiators, several thousand former militants and their families insisted that they would only leave to Turkey and Jordan, countries seen as safe sanctuaries.

Russia has been mediating a new deal to end the recent fighting in Dara'a, in which militants who reject the deal will have to leave the region.

The negotiations started late on Tuesday to prevent bloody urban warfare, a day after the two sides exchanged tit-for-tat machine gunfire.

However, the deal collapsed on Friday after disagreements over the extent of the Syrian military control over the Dara’a al-Balad’s neighborhoods as well as disarming former militants.