Um Batna | Initial agreement reached, a few hours after arrival of military reinforcement

Al-Quneitra province: Reliable sources in south Syria region have informed SOHR that an initial agreement has been reached between the military security branch on one hand, and the Central Commission in Hawaran and some of the area’s dignitaries on the other. The new agreement stipulates for the evacuation of 30 wanted individuals and their families from Um Batna village in al-Quneitra countryside to north Syria in no more five days.

 

This agreement comes a few hours after the arrival of regime military reinforcement in the vicinity of Um Batna village.

 

A few hours ago, SOHR sources reported that military reinforcement of dozens of troops from the Military Security Branch in Saasa, headed in the early hours of Saturday morning to the vicinity of Um Batna village, in the central countryside of al-Quneitra province near the occupied Syrian Golan.

 

This military build-up came after the threats by the Military Security Branch in Saasa to storm the village of Um Batna if ten specific families refused to leave to north Syria.

 

It is worth noting that the village witnessed a continuous movement of displacement of the people for fear of armed conflicts in case that regime forces decided to storm the town, if the negotiations between the Military Security Branch and the Central Committee in Horan and some of the town’s dignitaries collapsed.

 

Yesterday, SOHR activists reported the displacement of dozens of families from the village of Um Batna in al-Quneitra in response to the threats that were launched by the military security branch in Saasa.

 

Regime forces had threatened of storming the village if dozens of families refused to leave their houses towards north Syria. The calls for displacement coincided with the regime bringing military troops to the vicinity of the village that witnessed security tensions and mortar fire by regime forces stationed at Tal al-Shaar base.

 

On May 4, reliable sources in the south Syria region told the Syrian Observatory that a Russian delegation was seen arriving in Um Batna town in the middle countryside of al-Quneitra, near the occupied Syrian Golan.

 

According to SOHR sources, the Russian delegation met with several of the town’s dignitaries and residents, while the outcomes of these meetings remained unknown. It is worth noting that this is the second visit by the Russians since the start of tension in the town on May 1 following the developments in the previous days. The regime forces allowed the residents to travel in and out of the town. This calm coincided with the deployment of regime forces in the surrounding areas of the town, along with boosting their checkpoints there.

 

On the other hand, the new round of negotiations supposed to be held between dignitaries of Um Batna town and other dignitaries from surrounding towns on one hand, and regime forces on the other was postponed for three days, amid efforts to prevent the evacuation of specific young people to north Syria region, as regime forces demanded.

 

Moreover, SOHR sources reported the end of the first round of negotiations between representatives of the Syrian regime and dignitaries from the countryside of Damascus, Daraa and al-Quneitra, but no agreement was reached. While preparations were underway for new rounds of negotiations regarding the recent developments in Um Batna town.

 

According to SOHR sources, regime forces demanded the evacuation of ten wanted people from Um Batna town, who had launched the attack on the hill of Jaba orchards, and the settlement of security situations of the people who passed their date of joining the mandatory service in regime’s army.