MILITANTS IN BEIT JINN POCKET REPORTEDLY ACCEPT WITHDRAWAL AGREEMENT, SURRENDER THEIR POSITIONS TO SYRIAN ARMY
Illustrative image On December 25, the Syrian Arab Army (SAA) reportedly acheived another strategic victory in the coutnryside of Damascus. According to pro-government sources, units of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (formerly Jabhat al-Nusra, the Syrian branch of al-Qaeda) and other armed groups operating in the Beit Jinn pocket accepted a withdrawal agreement and declared their readiness to surrender their positions to the SAA. Negotiations between the local militants and the SAA started in the pocket last week after government forces had cut off the road between Beit Jinn and Maghar al-Mir and entered the village of Maghar al-Mir itself. If the surrender of militants in the Beit Jinn pocket is confirmed, this will be a major vicory for the Syrian military that eliminates one of the few remaining militant-held pockets in the Damascus countryside and secure and this important area near the Golan Heights. Click to see the full-size map