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A senior Russian military delegation entered the opposition-held area of the southern Syrian city of Daraa city on Thursday and began negotiations over its handover to state rule, opposition officials and a witness said.
Two armoured vehicles with senior Russian officers entered the area of al Shayah in the devastated old city and began talks with commanders from the Free Syrian Army (FSA) on implementing the terms of a surrender deal reached last Friday that also includes evacuation of the opposition and a weapons handover.
Syrian state vehicles, accompanied by Russian military police, entered an area of Daraa city on Thursday to raise the national flag over an area held by the opposition for years, witnesses said, leaving President Bashar al-Assad poised for another big victory in the seven-year-long Syrian conflict.Cranes from the state-run Daraa municipal council erected a flag pole near the mosque where the eruption of large protests in March 2011 was widely seen as heralding the start of the conflict.Government forces backed by Russia have recovered swathes of opposition-held Daraa province at the border with Jordan in a major offensive that got underway last month and has forced many of the opposition to give up territory in negotiated surrender deals.Regime airstrike kills five in Syria’s IdlibThe opposition holed up in part of Daraa city are still in talks with Russian officers, with many of them aiming to secure safe passage to opposition-held areas of northern Syria. The talks were expected to resume on Thursday.A large convoy of Russian military police was expected to enter the devastated area later.Some 2,000 opposition fighters are holed up in the opposition-held part of Daraa city, along with their families. Many want to leave due to fear of how the government will treat them. Turkish army conducts 12th tour of patrols in Manbij
Syrian regime prepares to raise flag over opposition-held Daraa