ISDEI Instituto de Seguridad, Defensa y Estudios Internacionales

File image The Damascus government and US-backed Faylaq al-Rahman have reahed an agreement over the evacuation of Faylaq al-Rahman fighters from Eastern Ghouta to the northern governorate of Idlib, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) reported on March 18. The districts of Jobar, Ayn Tarma, Irbin, Zamalka and Hazzah in the Eastern Ghouta region are currently under the control of Faylaq al-Rahman and elements of the former branch of al-Qaeda in Syria, Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS). Earlier, Wael Alwan, Faylaq al-Rahman’s spokesman confirmed to Reuters that the US-backed group is negotiating with the Damascus government to “guarantee the safety and protection of civilians.” “The most important points under negotiation are a ceasefire, ensuring aid for civilians and the exit of medical cases and injured people needing treatment outside Ghouta,” Alwan said. However, Alwan claimed that a general evacuation of civilians and militants from the Eastern Ghouta region is

Illustrative image, source: the official Facebook page of the Iraqi Federal Police On March 18, Commander of the Iraqi Federal Police (IFP) Lieutenant General Raed Shaker Jawdat announced that the IFP had conducted a successful security operation against ISIS cells in the Hawija area southwest of the city of Kirkuk during the last few days. According to Lite. Gen. Jawdat, the IFP was able to secure the following fourteen villages in the Hawija area: Khdr al-Abbas, Shubat Hussien, Zidan al-Harabi, Khalaf al-Asuad, al-Farhaniyah, Abbas Juad, Khalil Hantush, al-Hamidiyah, al-Madmumah, al-Ajmi, Adi Saleh, Wadi Zaghitun, al-Nakar and al-Awaj. The IFP also destroyed three tunnels that had been used by ISIS cells, captured an IED workshop and a multiple rocket launcher. The Iraqi Popular Mobilization Units (PMU) killed 80 fighters of ISIS during a similar security operation in the Kirkuk province on March 15. Iraqi forces launched these security operations in the Kirkuk provi