Syrian Forces Reportedly Enter Douma Farms Area in Eastern Ghouta

The Syrian state TV has reported the Republican Guard forces entered the Douma farms area after the reports that the government forces attacked the last remaining rebel enclave in the Eastern Ghouta near Damascus.

"The Syrian army’s helicopters dropped leaflets on the town of Douma in Eastern Ghouta with the call on the local residents to return to their normal lives … The Syrian government urges the civilians to rest in their homes and continue their normal lives," the source said.

The Syrian leadership pledges to restore Douma’s infrastructure, the source stated.

READ MORE: Residents of Douma Urge Syrian Militants to Join Ceasefire — Reports

An agreement has been reached with Russia’s support between the Syrian army and militants in Douma regarding the Jaish al-Islam militant group joining the self-defense forces under the Syrian pro-government forces' control. The deal also covers the Russian and Syrian military police being able to enter Douma and liberate the captive local residents, the source continued.

The meeting between the parties for reaching a final agreement on the issue will be held later on Friday, the source added.

The Syrian army’s leadership has given the militants until Sunday to meet all the requirements that the parties agreed upon, the source noted.

The leaflets, dropped by Syrian army helicopters, contain information about the conditions for the peace settlement in Douma with support from Russia, including agreement of all the interested militants to leave for the town of Jarabulus in northern Aleppo under security guarantees provided by Moscow, the source pointed out.

READ MORE: Estimated One Thousand Failaq al-Rahman Militants Leave Syrian Douma — Source

Those militants who decided to surrender their arms at a certain Russian military police checkpoint by Friday will undergo a process of rehabilitation and regulation of their affairs in the short terms, the source added.

The Syrian government also guaranteed all those men subject to conscription a delay of up to 10 months in starting their military service, the source noted.

The situation in Eastern Ghouta has escalated over the past several months due to continued shelling between the militants operating in the area, and the Syrian government forces. To tackle the situation, Russia, which is one of the Syrian ceasefire guarantor states, has been supporting the Syrian government forces in ensuring the withdrawal of militants from Douma and Eastern Ghouta.

Due to these actions, thousands of local residents of the Damascus neighborhood, which had been internally displaced due to the Syrian civil war, have been returning to their homes over the course of the past few weeks.