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Syrian gov't reaches truce in rebel-held town in Daraa province

Xinhua, February 8, 2016 Adjust font size:

The Syrian government and rebels at the town of Ibta in the countryside of Syria's southern Daraa province have concluded a truce agreement, a monitor group said on Monday.

Both parties agreed that those who are detained from the town by the government will be released, and in return the armed men there will halt all hostilities against the government and will hoist the official Syrian flag on government institutions in the town, which is located on the old road between the capital Damascus and Daraa.

The armed men in Ibta will be tasked with guarding the town, but pledged to never point a gun against the government forces, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

The Syrian army, in return, will halt their bombardment against the town and will allow in aid convoys, according to the report.

According to the Observatory, which relies on a network of activists on ground, the Syrian authorities warned the rebels that the Syrian forces will militarily storm the town if they did not abide by the truce.

A similar agreement is also expected to be finalized in the adjacent town of Dael, according to the Observatory.

The towns are located south of the recently-captured city of Sheikh Miskeen, a main hub and rebel stronghold in the northern countryside of Daraa.

The military recapture of the city explains why the delegates in the towns of Ibta and Dael would want a truce with the Syrian army, observers say.

The Sheikh Miskeen city, which has seen previous battles between the rebels and the Syrian army, constitutes a supply line for the rebels who are operating in Daraa, the birthplace of Syria's nearly five-year old conflict.

Being a hub between rebel-held towns in Daraa, controlling the city has enabled the Syrian army to separate rebel-held towns in Daraa's northern countryside, and will secure main road connecting the southern provinces of Daraa, Swaida and Qunaitera.

Capturing the city also secured the international road connecting the capital Damascus with Daraa. The road is the main supply line for the Syrian troops in Daraa.

In December of last year, the Syrian army captured parts of the city before unleashing an offensive for its full recapture late last month. Endit