The Syrian rebels begin to withdraw heavy weapons
The Syrian rebels begin to withdraw heavy weapons
BEIRUT: rebel groups in Syria began to withdraw their heavy weapons from a planned demilitarized zone in the last stronghold of the country's opposition, but confusion over their implementation threatens to derail it before an imminent deadline.
Russia and Turkey reached a tentative agreement last month to create a buffer zone between the opposition and the government forces in the north-western province of Idlib to prevent an offensive by the regime that Help groups warned it would cause a humanitarian disaster
Under the agreement, all the heavy weapons and radical groups will be moved out of the demilitarized zone, a 10 to 12 mile corridor that will run along the front lines between the rebel territory and controlled by the regime, by October 15.
In recent days, rebels have moved cannons, tanks and armored vehicles to an opposition-controlled territory that is not part of the proposed demilitarized zone, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights based in the United Kingdom.
"There was not much [of heavy weapons] to begin with, but we have begun to withdraw them, "said Colonel Fateh Hassoun, a former Syrian military officer who is now commander of the National Liberation Front, a coalition backed by Turkey that unites several rebel factions.
But the size and location of the demilitarized zone has been questioned by the rebels. They say that the runner seems to be completely inside opposition territory, instead of crossing the front line, expressing concern that they were sacrificing too much.
Rebel leaders in recent days have met repeatedly with Turkish intelligence officials to seek clarity on the borders of the area, as well as whether Turkish and Russian forces would be allowed to patrol the area, according to the rebels and the Observatory. The rebels said they did not want the Russian forces, which backed the Assad regime and intervened directly on his behalf three years ago, in areas controlled by the opposition.
"The discussions continue," said Capt. Naji Abu Huzaifah, spokesman for the rebel Front.
Idlib is home to approximately three million people, many of whom are civilians who were displaced from other parts of Syria during more than seven years of civil war. It is also a base for tens of thousands of moderate rebel fighters supported by Turkey, while containing approximately 10,000 fighters from groups that Russia, Turkey and the United States consider terrorists.
Although the Assad regime said it welcomed the agreement between Russia and Turkey, it has repeatedly promised to retake control of the entire country.
When the demilitarized zone agreement was announced for the first time, one of the greatest obstacles to its success seemed likely to be the presence of designated terrorist groups, such as Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, which emerged from the Nusra Front, affiliated with Al Qaeda.
HTS quickly signaled its opposition to the agreement, calling it a plot to weaken opposition to the regime of President Bashar al-Assad and other extremist groups have also spoken out against the agreement in recent days.
But Colonel Hassoun said that while they have publicly denounced the agreement, members of these groups have also begun to leave the proposed demilitarized zone.
"What is said publicly is one thing and what happens on the ground is something else," he said.
The Assad regime's commitment to the agreement is also still in doubt, given its record of violating previous ceasefire agreements during the course of the conflict.
Despite the agreement, Syrian regime forces continued to intermittently attack the area held by the rebels and bombed a village near the front line on Saturday morning, according to the Observatory. No victims were reported.
The Turkey-Russia agreement was well received for helping to avoid a large-scale offensive that, the United Nations warned, risked creating "the worst humanitarian tragedy of the 21st century."
Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said last week it was the "last chance" for a political solution in Syria and should be used to accelerate the political process to end the conflict, according to Turkish state media.
Write to Raja Abdulrahim in raja.abdulrahim@wsj.com
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