Yarmouk Camp: 43 Al-Qaeda Militants Surrender to the Syrian Army

For two years, the Syrian Al-Qaeda group “Jabhat Al-Nusra” has used the Yarmouk Camp District as a base to launch their attacks in the southern part of the Rif Dimashq Governorate; however, their success began to dissipate quickly after the Syrian Arab Army (SAA) was able to recapture much of the lost territory in the south, forcing the militants to remain stagnate in this district.

On Friday, 43 militants presented themselves to the National Defense Forces (NDF) at a checkpoint outside the district, surrendering their weapons in exchange for a potential amnesty hearing in front of the Syrian courts.

Unfortunately for Jabhat Al-Nusra, the tide has turned in the Yarmouk Camp District, as the Palestinian Front for the Liberation of Palestine-General Command (PFLP-GC) and the Palestine Liberation Army (PLA) regain control over several neighborhoods inside this dilapidated area.

The Syrian Conflict has taken a toll on the civilian population inside the once flourishing Yarmouk Camp District, resulting in the diaspora of many Palestinians and Syrians to neighboring towns and refugee camps.

As a result of this war, less than 10,000 civilians (according to local sources) remain inside the Yarmouk Camp, with the overwhelming majority of the displaced residents moving their families and possessions to the Jarmana Camp east of the district.