The Syrian army began withdrawing from the Druze-majority city of Sweida on Wednesday, the Ministry of Defense announced, following the conclusion of a ceasefire aimed at ending deadly intercommunal violence.
"The army forces have started to withdraw from the city of Sweida in implementation of the terms of the agreement, following the completion of sweep operations against outlaw groups," the ministry said in a statement. It did not mention the withdrawal of other Syrian security forces deployed in the city.
A previous truce announced on Tuesday appeared to have little effect on the ground in the southern region, where days of violence have left more than 300 dead, according to a monitor.
According to the text of the new ceasefire agreement, published by the interior ministry, there will be a "total and immediate halt to all military operations", as well as the formation of a committee comprising government officials and Druze spiritual leaders to supervise its implementation.
The defence ministry later said it had "begun withdrawing from the city of Sweida in implementation of the terms of the adopted agreement after the end of the sweep of the city for outlaw groups".
The ministry's statement made no mention of the withdrawal of any other government security forces deployed to the city.
In a video carried by state television, Sheikh Youssef Jarboua, one of Syria's three main Druze spiritual leaders, read out the 10 points of the agreement, which also included "the full integration of the province" of Sweida into the Syrian state.
Until now, Druze areas have been controlled by fighters from the minority community. After Islamist-led rebels toppled longtime ruler Bashar al-Assad in December after 14 years of civil war, some Druze fighters said they were ready to integrate into the new security forces.
The text of the ceasefire indicates that no harm will come to civilians or their property, after witnesses and a monitor reported abuses in recent days including summary executions and looting on the part of government forces and their allies.
It also provides for "the release of detainees" and inquiries into the fate of the missing.
Another influential Druze chief, Sheikh Hikmat al-Hijri, rejected the new agreement after it was announced.
"There cannot be an accord or negotiations with these armed groups that call themselves a government," he said in a statement.
Earlier on Wednesday, Hijri had appealed to US President Donald Trump, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, "and all those who have influence in the world" to "save Sweida".
The Men of Dignity movement, one of the two largest Druze armed groups in the area, said Wednesday that "any agreement that does not include the full withdrawal of the invading forces... will be totally unacceptable".
In a statement on Facebook, the group added it would keep fighting unless "the invaders withdraw from all the villages and towns that they have desecrated".
The clashes in the south began on Sunday between the Druze and Bedouin tribes, who have a long-running feud, sparking an intervention by government forces who deployed in Sweida city.
Witnesses reported that upon entering the city, the government forces joined with the Bedouin in attacking Druze fighters and civilians.
AFP
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