Fighter of Jaysh al-Islam around Duma district, Illustrative image
Political leader of Jaysh al-Islam Mohamad Alloush denied that his group had reached an agreement with the Damascus government to evacuate its fighters from Duma district in the northern part of the Eastern Ghouta pocket to the northern city of Jarabulus, the Syrian pro-opposition news outlet Enab Baladi reported on April 1.
However, Alloush told Enab Baladi that an agreement had been reached to extend the ceasefire in the Duma district and to allow more injured and sick civilians to leave the city.
Earlier, the Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA) reported that Jaysh al-Islam had agreed to withdraw from Duma to the city of Jarabulus and to release all the captives from its prisons. The Hezbollah media wing in Syria also said that a local council of the Syrian opposition in Duma will be allowed to stay in and manage the district.
Meanwhile, Syrian pro-government sources revealed that the militants who had been evacuated from Duma district earlier were in fact fighters of Faylaq al-Rahman who had withdrawn to Duma after losing their positions in the southern part of the Eastern Ghouta region. The evacuation of these militants was conducted in the framework of the previous agreement with Faylaq al-Rahman. This also indicates that no new deal was reached.
On March 31, the Syrian Arab Army (SAA) gave Jaysh al-Islam 48 hours to accept an evacuation agreement or a military operation will begin in Duma. Now with the 48 hours almost over, the situation in Duma remains as complicated as before.
