Hundreds of Syrian Special Forces Dispatched to Southwestern Damascus, Fresh Operation Expected

The sources reported that elite forces of the Syrian Army that were operating in the newly-freed al-Qaboun district in the Northeastern outskirts of Damascus city have been forwarded to the town of Beit Jinn near the Golan Heights border to join their comrades to launched a fresh round of anti-terrorism operations in the region.

The sources underscored that liberation of Beit Jinn is of significant importance for the Syrian Army troops because it is the last main bastion of Tahrir al-Sham Hay’at (the Levant Liberation Board) in Western Damascus.

A local official confirmed on Tuesday that the entire gunmen and their family members left al-Qaboun district in Eastern Damascus in the second and final phase of an evacuation deal concluded between the Syrian Army and the militants.

Damascus Governor General Bashr al-Saban said that 3,377 people including 1,604 gunmen left al-Qaboun district on Sunday and Monday within the framework of the second and final phase of the evacuation deal between the army and the militants.

He further said that a large number of militants, who laid down arms and joined peace with the army, received government amnesty and retuned to normal life, adding that the gunmen that had links to foreign countries, including Turkey and Saudi Arabia left the region for Northern Syria.

The Governor stressed that the area of al-Qaboun was completely clear of terrorists after the completion of the second and final phase of the evacuation of the armed groups.

He affirmed that the engineering units started to comb the area to dismantle Improvised Explosive Devices (IED) and landmines which the armed groups left behind before leaving the region.