A de-escalation agreement in the besieged Ghouta includes Hayyaat Tahrir al-Sham
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights obtained information from several reliable sources who confirmed to the observatory that an agreement had been reached between Rahman Corps and Jaysh al-Islam as the first party; and the Russians as the second party, to carry out a ceasefire in the Eastern Ghouta between the factions operating in the Ghouta and the regime forces and militiamen loyal to them, the sources told the Observatory that the Corps set a condition that Russia shall introduce humanitarian aid within 24 hours of carrying out the agreement, which is planned to start at midnight on Friday-Saturday, also Rahman Corps warned the Russians about not carrying out their promises, and that after a maximum of 48 hours of the start of the agreement; if the aid was not entered, then, the Corps will not be bound by this agreement, also the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights was informed by reliable sources that Hayyaat Tahrir Al-Sham is included within this agreement in an undisclosed manner.
The agreement comes 29 days after a violent attack launched by the Islamic factions operating in the Eastern Ghouta -including Hayyaat Tahrir Al-Sham- on the Vehicles Department and then besieging it and its buildings near Harasta city, after attempts and endeavors before it to get Hayyaat Tahrir al-Sham out of the Eastern Ghouta and move it to Idlib province, where the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights published on the 17th of December 2017 that the a new movement is witnessed in Rif Dimashq province, about transporting fighters to the Syrian North, and the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitored that fighters are registering their names in the Eastern Ghouta of Damascus, and in the detains obtained by the SOHR from several sources; a movement is taking place preparing for transporting fighters in Hayyaat Tahrir al-Sham from their positions in Al-Ghouta to Idlib province, and this movement is taking place in order to bring out the remaining Arab and foreign fighters of Hayyaat Tahrir al-Sham, as well as the Syrian fighters who want to get out towards the Syrian North, individually or even with their families, in addition to those families that wish to leave for different reasons such as their wish to be treated and escaping from the siege, hunger, and killing, and it monitored a record of a commander of Hayyaat Tahrir al-Sham from the Eastern Ghouta, in which he said that there are efforts taking place to “empty the Eastern Ghouta from the mujahedeen” and from Hayyaat Tahrir al-Sham, and that there are attempts taking place guaranteed by Al-Rahman Corps, Jaysh Al-Islam and Russia, to bring out the non-Syrian fighters of Tahrir Al-Sham as well as the Syrian fighters who desire to leave, to the Syrian North, in a new transportation, and the commander accused those who work on the success of this step, that they try to split the ranks for personal benefits, and there are some of those who want to get out, working on “achieving Al Qaeda project outside the Eastern Ghouta, as if jihad is only based on al-Qaeda, we like al-Qaeda, and keep to it, but we are not ready to challenge our masters, sheiks, mujahedeen, and leaders we followed, or to be ungrateful to them, we are not also ready to cut our relations with Sharia issues, ideas and views upon which we built our religion”, the commander also called in his record for not leaving the Eastern Ghouta to leave the fighting alone facing the regime forces and their allies.
Also it worth mentioning that the Syrian Observatory documented the death of 225 citizens including 57 children and 40 citizen women, since the 29th of December 2017 as a result of targeting the Eastern Ghouta by hundreds of raids and hundreds of artillery and rocket strikes, and the casualties are 131 citizens including 41 children, 31 citizen women and a male nurse, they were killed in raids by the warplanes on areas in Harasta city controlled by the Islamic movement of Ahrar Al-Sham and raids on Madyara town as well as the cities of Saqba, Hamuriya, Douma and Arbin, and 94 citizens including 16 children and 9 citizen women and 2 male nurses were killed by artillery and rocket shelling targeted areas in Beit Sawa town, the cities of Harasta, Hamuriya, Douma and Arbin as well as the towns of Kafr Batna, Mesraba, Al-Nashabiyah, Otaya and Mesraba.