"A total of 15 armed groups are controlling al-Waer district, and only one of them is part of the Nusra Front. There are disagreements among these gangs and for this reason the militants do not want to leave [al-Waer] for the same areas… There are clashes among these groups and I believe that young people who carry weapons but are not ideologically aligned with the Nusra Front have an opportunity to return to a normal life," Barazi said.
According to Barazi, with the liberation of the historical center of Homs, about a third of militants laid down their weapons and used the presidential amnesty.
"We hope that a significant part of those hiding in al-Waer will do the same," the governor said.
"Sixty Russian police officers together with their Syrian counterparts are participating in this operation," Barazi said.
On March 13, Syrian authorities and militant groups in Homs reached an agreement with Russian mediation under which militants and their families would leave Homs stage by stage within 6-8 weeks, with the Syrian government troops guaranteeing safe passages for leaving the city.
The first group of militants — about 1,400 people — left Homs on March 18.
