DARAA, Syria, Sept. 15 (Xinhua) -- Some armed men in Syria's southern province of Daraa on Wednesday expressed satisfaction about reconciliation with the Syrian army to regain peaceful life in their region.
Many armed men were waiting to get their reconciliation documents ready on Wednesday at a reconciliation center in the town of al-Mzairib, some 10 km west of the provincial capital of Daraa.
Al-Mzairib is the latest in a string of towns to join the Russian-backed reconciliation agreement to defuse months-long tension between local armed men and the Syrian army in Daraa, which was the birthplace of the Syrian war more than 10 years ago.
At the center, Dahhah Nayef, aged 40, was waiting to hand over his weapon to the army with apparent optimism.
He told Xinhua that he hoped all armed men follow his footsteps to reconcile with the government to bring back peace to Daraa.
"The situation is fine and we need to return to the warmth of our homes," he said.
Another armed man Ali Ajaj, aged 50, told Xinhua that he and other armed men wanted to unite with the army and be like "one hand."
"We want to be one hand with the Syrian army, which consists of sons of our families and brothers in the north and south. All we need is to live in peace," he said.
For his side, Qassem Muhammad Mousa, 40, said the reconciliation process is moving swiftly. "We welcome the entry of the Syrian army and the return of peace and security to these areas, to end the tough situation we have been going through," the armed man told Xinhua.
It's worth noting that the army entered al-Mzairib on Wednesday and hoisted the Syrian flag over government buildings in that area as part of a Russian-mediated agreement, enabling the Syrian rebels to reconcile with the government by handing over their weapon and abandoning the insurgency while allowing a safe passage for reluctant rebels to rebel-held areas in northern Syria.
Al-Mzairib is strategically important due to its proximity to the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights and the Jordanian border.
Armed men in that area had carried out several attacks on army positions and cut off roads as well as assassinations against military personnel and policemen.
Major Hamzeh Hamam, the head of the reconciliation committee in Daraa, said the center in al-Mzairib has witnessed a large turnout since Wednesday morning by armed men wishing to reconciliation with the army while fully handing over their weapons.
He said the army deployed in several positions in the town to fully secure it and embark on an inspection campaign in its neighborhoods to pave the way for reactivating state institutions there.
The Syrian army entered Daraa in 2018 after the rebels there were dislodged to the rebel-held areas in the northwestern province of Idlib. However, the tension has continued in Daraa with attacks taking place occasionally. Enditem
