Assad close to victory in Deraa province
BEIRUT/AMMAN: President Bashar al-Assad is poised to snuff out the Syrian rebellion in the place it first began more than seven years ago, as rebels in Deraa city enter talks with his Russian allies on withdrawing or accepting a return of state authority.
Government forces backed by Russia have seized most of Deraa province in the campaign that got underway last month, and on Monday encircled rebel-held parts of Deraa city and seized the entire Jordanian frontier that was once in opposition hands.
Assad, whose control was once reduced to a fraction of Syria, now holds the largest chunk of the country with crucial help from his Russian and Iranian allies.
Deraa was the scene of the first anti-Assad protests that spiralled into a war now estimated to have killed half a million people. The conflict has driven more than 11 million people from their homes, with about 5.6 million Syrian refugees in neighbouring states alone, and many more in Europe.
Rebels holed up in part of Deraa city were due to hold talks with Russian officers yesterday, a spokesman for the rebels, Abu Shaimaa, said. Some are seeking evacuation to opposition-held areas of the north, while others are negotiating to remain as a local security force, he said.
“Today there is a session with the Russians over the forced displacement,” he said, referring to the expected evacuation of a yet-tobe-determined number of rebels to opposition areas of the north-west at the border with Turkey.
A pro-Syrian government newspaper, al-Watan, said “the coming hours will be decisive on the level of ending the chapter of terrorism in Deraa city”.
As Assad pushes for outright military victory, there seems little hope of a negotiated peace settlement to the conflict.
The north and much of the east, however, remain outside his control and the presence of US and Turkish forces in those areas will complicate further advances for Damascus. – Reuters