In the south of Syria, a powerful group which controls the Deraa region has not ruled out joining the Ministry of Defense, but says it wants to keep its weapons, after the decision of the new authorities to dissolve the armed formations.
Thanks to an offensive launched from northern Syria, a coalition led by the radical Islamist group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) took power on December 8, ousting President Bashar al-Assad.
The new authorities announced on December 25 an agreement with armed groups for their dissolution, affirming that they would be integrated into the Ministry of Defense.
We are not convinced by the idea of the dissolution of armed groups.
This former officer in Assad’s army defected in 2012, when the repression of pro-democracy demonstrations turned into a civil war that left more than half a million dead and divided the vast country into zones of influence. .
We are an organized force in the south […] led by defected officers
of the army, he explains to theAFP during an interview in Bosra, southern Syria.
We have weapons, heavy equipment, we can be integrated within the Ministry of Defense (but) as a military body
maintaining its integrity, he adds.
Relations with Russia
According to him, the Southern Operations Chamber
brings together forces led by a local leader, Ahmad al-Audeh, who count thousands of men
without Islamist affiliation.
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Members of the “Southern Operations Chamber” in Busra in Daraa province.
Photo : afp via getty images / BAKR ALKASEM
Mr. Audeh is known for his good relations with Russia, but also has ties to neighboring Jordan and the United Arab Emirates, according to sources close to his training.
Russia oversaw a deal in 2018 that allowed regime forces to theoretically regain control of Daraa province, the cradle of the 2011 uprising, but which allowed the rebels to keep their weapons.
The fighters of the Southern Operations Chamber
have been the first to enter Damascus at dawn
of December 8, says the spokesperson.
The coalition led by HTS launched a lightning offensive at the end of November from northern Syria, which allowed it to take the city of Aleppo, then move south to capture Hama and Homs.
When military operations began in the north with the liberation of Aleppo, we […] decided to start liberating southern Syria to reach Damascus
says Colonel Abou Orra.
The officer specifies that these forces had developed their own military plans while maintaining a some coordination
with the fighters from the north.
Witnesses told theAFP having seen early on December 8 Ahmad al-Audeh’s men, recognizable by their tied turbans, particular to their region, deployed around the Central Bank and in several districts of the capital.
It was chaos, but we were able to briefly take control of vital institutions to ensure their protection
said the military leader, known as Abu Hossam.
Security mission
The spokesperson added that his men had for a time provided security for several embassies, notably those of Egypt and Jordan, and took diplomats stationed in Damascus to a large hotel in the capital to shelter them. .
They also promoted safe passage of Jordanian diplomats to their country’s border.
This initiative came at the request of several foreign countries
having called his boss, he said without further details.
When HTS-led forces arrived in Damascus on the afternoon of December 8, southern fighters feared chaos or armed clashes
with them and returned to Daraa, says the officer.
Two days later, Mr. Audeh met the country’s new leader, Ahmad al-Chareh. But he did not take part in the meeting that the latter chaired on December 25 with the leaders of several armed groups who said they accepted being dissolved.
