Syrians celebrate the collapse of 61 years of Baath Party rule after armed opposition groups took control in Damascus, Syria on December 9, 2024 [Murat Sengul/Anadolu via Getty]
The Military Operations Administration of the Syrian opposition forces – led by Hayat Tahrir Al-Sham (HTS) – granted amnesty to all military personnel conscripted into service in the Syrian armed forces under the Assad regime on Monday.
In a statement issued a day after the toppling of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, the body declared the amnesty and said that the lives of soldiers would be safe and that soldiers must not be attacked.
The decision came after hundreds of conscripts and soldiers in former regime forces surrendered during recent battles with opposition forces, or were captured while attempting to flee from battles and military barracks.
Thousands of soldiers fled during the past week from battles in Damascus, Homs, Aleppo, and Hama, amid fears that soldiers who fought in the regime’s army could face persecution after the opposition’s advance and the ousting of Assad.
Two killed in Deir az-Zour
Two civilians were killed and six injured on Monday during protests against the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) in Deir az-Zour in eastern Syria.
Ahmad Al-Hussein, a media activist in Deir az-Zour, told Al-Araby Al-Jadeed, The New Arab’s Arabic edition, that SDF members directly opened fire on protesters in the Al-Joura neighborhood of the city, resulting in the death of two protesters and the injury of six others, some of whom are in critical condition.
He added that Deir az-Zour had witnessed protests today in Al-Joura, Al-Moddafen, and Al Qusour neighbourhoods.
Protestors rejected the entry of the SDF into Deir az-Zour following the withdrawal of the Syrian regime forces formerly stationed there and demanded the entry of opposition factions.
The SDF took control of Deir az-Zour last Friday, as well as parts of its western countryside, after regime forces withdrew, leaving a power vacuum.
Meanwhile, opposition factions, in coordination with local tribal groups from Deir az-Zour’s countryside, managed to seize control of the eastern and western countryside of Deir az-Zour (“Badia Shameya”).
This followed the surrender of a large number of regime forces to the Military Operations Command and the retreat of most Iraqi and Iran-backed militias towards Iraqi territory, amidst ongoing advances toward the city of Deir az-Zour in eastern Syria by opposition forces.
