Nearly 62 days the siege on Daraa | Russian-backed local factions establish military checkpoint and enter Daraa al-Balad

Daraa province: SOHR activists have reported that the Russian-backed 5th Corps forces have established a temporary military checkpoint near al-Bahhar graveyard on the southern entrance to Daraa al-Balad.

According to SOHR reliable sources, the Russian military police gave instructions to the 5th Corps to establish the military checkpoint in that area to complete the implementation of the Russian roadmap plan and in preparation for the opening of al-Saraya barrier and lifting the siege of Daraa al-Balad and finish the settlement of the wanted persons.

The move came in light of the ongoing siege on the city for 62 days, amid stalled negotiations under Russian supervision between the Central Committee in Hauran and the Security Committee affiliated to the regime for the 10th consecutive day.

Moreover, an 8th Brigade’s military convoy entered Al-Bahar neighborhood, one of the besieged districts of Daraa al-Balad by the regime forces.

Yesterday, SOHR activists reported that a civilian was killed and others injured in a regime forces bombardment on the residential neighborhoods in Daraa al-Balad.

On the other hand, the regime forces bombarded with artillery and rocket fire Daraa al-Balad and Daraa Camp and al-Sad Road neighborhood. Similarly, mortar shells were fired on the vicinity of al-Omary Mosque in Daraa al-Balad.

Earlier yesterday, SOHR activists reported renewing bombardment by the regime forces with mortar shells and heavy machine guns on Daraa al-Balad’s neighborhoods, where one of the shells targeted a building in al-Matar neighborhood in Daraa.

The attack coincided with the regime forces and the 4th Division receiving more reinforcements including eight vehicles carrying soldiers to al-Ray district near al- Yadudah town western of Daraa.

Daraa al-Balad that is inhabited by approximately 40,000 people still suffers lack of essential living needs under the siege that caused families to lose their food supply and led to lack of medical services and electricity, internet and water cuts.

Life conditions have become more difficult on civilians, where a domestic gas cylinder costs the family about 120,000 Syrian Liras which is double the salary of any governmental employee, similarly all kinds of fuel, bread and vegetables despite Daraa province is producing many kinds of it.

The humanitarian situation deteriorated with lack of bread, nutrition, drinking water, medicine, fuels and all life necessities.

On August 21, SOHR activists reported that regime forces and 4th Division, headed by Maher al-Assad who is the brother of the Syrian regime’s president, brought in large military reinforcement to the Municipal Stadium in Daraa and the 285th Brigade.

A group of the recently-arrived reinforcement, including rocket launchers, artillery units and pickup vehicles with submachine guns installed over them, were deployed in several areas across Daraa.

Moreover, hundreds of soldiers arrived in the region in the previous few days, mostly of the 4th Division-backed al-Ghayth Forces, headed by Brigadier General Ghayyath Dallah.

On the other hand, negotiations on the implementation of the roadmap proposed by the Russians were stalled for the seventh consecutive day, as the residents of Daraa and the central committees in Hawaran saw that the Russian-suggested roadmap including conditions similar to those ones stated by the regime security committee in the beginning of escalation in Daraa, and that these terms did not serve the interests of the residents.

In addition, some of the roadmap’s terms were considered humiliating to the people of Daraa.

On August 18, SOHR activists reported that residents in villages and towns across Daraa province, including Jasim, Heit, Tafas and al-Mezeyrib, staged demonstrations, rejecting the terms of the Russian roadmap’s terms.

The demonstrators chanted anti-regime slogans, expressing their discontent over the siege imposed on Daraa al-Balad.