25,000 Militants Ready to Lay Down Arms in Southern Syria

The armed opposition groups in Syria declared that thousands of militants in the Southern parts of the country are willing to reconcile with the Damascus government, the Arabic-language media reports said on Saturday.
A provincial council affiliated to the militant groups in a statement admitted that 25,000 militants are looking for reconciliation with the Syrian government forces in Southern Syria, al-Mayadeen TV channel reported on Saturday.

The statement by the ‘Council for Men of Knowledge in the Levant’ has accused the terrorist commanders willing to compromise with the Syrian army of treason.

It has given the militant commanders in Southern Syria three days to withdraw from al-Mouk Operations Room (which operates under the Saudi, Qatari, the US and Jordanian spy agencies), the television added.

The Al-Mouk Operations Room has been accused of corruption, similar reports in a number of other Arab media have cited the financial corruption of the Operations Room members as a main cause of the militants complaint and their decision to surrender to the Syrian army.

In a relevant development in early August, around 1,000 rebels laid down their arms and turned themselves in to the Syrian officials in the Southern Syrian province of Dara’a amid the terrorist groups’ threats against those who surrender to the government.

The militants formerly fighting in the Southern battlefields of the country as well as the wanted persons (some of them going AWOL) surrendered to the Syrian government in Dara’a as the forces loyal to the Syrian President Bashar Assad continue gaining ground across the country.

A source in Dara’a province said that the wanted persons in Azra’, al-Sanamin and al-Moslemiya town had their files settled and pardoned.

He added that the files of 5 terrorists who had surrendered themselves and their weapons to the Syrian authorities were also settled.

This is while the terrorist groups had warned to confront anyone who accepts reconciliation with the Syrian government.

In a recent development in the Southern province on Sunday, the Syrian military forces targeted the terrorist groups’ positions at the beginning of a road connecting Dara’a city’s in the Southern and Central districts and in the Eastern deserts of Sweida, cutting off the militants’ supply route for several hours.

Syrian soldiers hit militant groups’ strongholds in Northwest of al-Karak square, the surroundings of post office building, in Northern side of al-Khalil mosque and in Eastern side of electricity company in Dara’a al-Balad and Dara’a al-Mahatta, where most cases of arms smuggling happens.

Militants suffered a heavy death toll in the attacks and no arms and ammunition consignment could enter the city.