Society 15:56 13/07/2018 World

Syrian troops raise national flag in Dara'a, birthplace of war

Syrian government forces say they have retaken a town that was the epicenter of the civil war that engulfed the country and the region for more than seven years.

State media said the Syrian troops entered the town of Dara'a on Thursday, CNN reports.

Under an agreement reached last week with militant groups, the Syrian government said "terrorist groups will hand over heavy and medium weapons," and that those who agree to the accord will be permitted to remain in the area.

Smoke rises above opposition held areas of the city of Dara'a during airstrikes by Syrian regime forces on June 28, 2018.

"Those who refuse reconciliation will be evacuated," the state-run SANA news agency reported Thursday.

Troops raised the Syrian flag once again over the town of Dara'a, where graffiti taunting Syrian President Bashar al-Assad about the demise of Arab dictators in other countries first sparked the uprising that became the Syrian war.

For many Syrians, the war began in the town of Dara'a, an agricultural town on the border with Jordan. In March 2011, 15 teenage boys were arrested because of graffiti spray-painted on a high school wall.

The images of Arab strongmen like Egypt's Hosni Mubarak and Tunisia's Ben Ali abdicating power prompted someone to scrawl on the wall: 'It's your turn now Doctor,' referring to Assad, the ophthalmologist.

Town officials couldn't find the perpetrator. The boys were held, beaten, had fingernails removed, and were tortured for weeks in a bid to prise a confession out of them.

While they were captive, their town revolted, protesting daily and calling on Assad to pressure the town's police chief to release them.

Weeks later they were finally freed, and Dara'a had become a focal point in the government's effort to suppress unrest. By the spring of 2011, army tanks rolled into the town, rebel forces took up positions to fight the army, and the town and the surrounding areas, descended into unrelenting violence.

Over seven years later, with millions of Syrians displaced and hundreds of thousands dead, the final push into Dara'a seemingly puts an end to the war as Syrian and Russian forces wrap up a major offensive launched last month.



Source Panorama.am
Share |
Տեքստում սխալ կամ վրիպակ նկատելու դեպքում, ուղարկեք խմբագրին հաղորդագրություն` նշելով տվյալ սխալը, այնուհետև սեղմելով Ctrl-Enter:

Newsfeed

17:03
Senator Jadot urges French government to boycott COP29 in Baku
French Senator Yannick Jadot has called on the French government to boycott the COP29 UN climate summit in Baku. “COP29...
16:32
Deputy FM: Armenia hopes for full normalization with Turkey
Armenia hopes for full normalization of relations with Turkey, including the opening of their shared border, Deputy Foreign Minister Vahan...
16:03
Analyst: Trump and Biden only US presidents who held no meetings with Pashinyan
Donald Trump and Joe Biden have become the only U.S. presidents who have held no meetings or phone calls with Armenian Prime Minister Nikol...
15:31
Temperatures to rise in Armenia next week
Clear weather is expected in all parts of Armenia on Thursday and in the next few days. The capital Yerevan will also see rainless...
15:14
Russia sees preconditions for improvement of South Caucasus situation
Russian Security Council Secretary Sergei Shoigu says that Moscow sees prerequisites for improvement of the situation in the South...
14:36
Armenia to take €236 million loan from EIB for North-South road construction
The European Investment Bank (EIB) is lending €236 million to Armenia to finance the construction of the Sisian-Kajaran road. The...
14:06
Armenia seeks to intensify talks with Azerbaijan, deputy FM says
Deputy Foreign Minister Vahan Kostanyan says that Armenia and Azerbaijan have not yet finally agreed on all terms in the bilateral peace treaty....
13:30
US pushing Armenia to 'suicide', Russian intelligence says
The US is determined to force Armenia down an anti-Russian path and towards “national suicide,” the Russian Foreign Intelligence...
13:00
Turkey's Erdogan visits Budapest for EPC summit
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his wife Emine Erdogan on Wednesday travelled to Budapest, Hungary, to attend the fifth summit of the...
12:36
Armenian government approves Mesrop Mesropyan's candidacy for PSRC head
The Armenian government on Thursday approved the candidacy of Mesrop Mesropyan as the new head of the Public Services Regulatory Commission...
12:08
Opposition MP: Armenian leadership has illusions about normalization with Turkey
Armenia’s authorities have illusions about building relations with Turkey, a country whose leader called Azerbaijani victory in the 2020...
11:38
15 cutting-edge Apple devices for Byblos Bank Armenia Mastercard Digital cardholders
Byblos Bank Armenia, in partnership with Mastercard, has launched a new campaign featuring a giveaway of 5 iPhone 16 Pros, 5 Apple Watch SE (2nd...
11:33
Lawmakers express grave concerns about U.S. participation in COP29 in Baku
Senator Roger Wicker (R-MS), Senator John Cornyn (R-TX), and Senator Thom Tillis (R-NC), along with Congressman Gus Bilirakis (R-FL),...
11:15
Trump's election victory likely upends all criminal cases against him
Donald Trump's presidential victory is also a win as he seeks to resolve his four criminal indictments. His win may largely free Trump...
11:00
Leopard again caught on camera in Armenia's Zangezur Biosphere Complex
A female leopard, named Misty, has again been caught on camera in Armenia's Zangezur Biosphere Complex, WWF Armenia reported....
17:03
International congress marking Sergei Parajanov's anniversary held in Madrid
Upon the initiative of the Chair of Armenian Studies at the Complutense University of Madrid and with the support of the Armenian Embassy in...
16:35
Political analyst: US election outcome exposed failure of Pashinyan's policies
Political analyst Suren Surenyants has reacted to Republican nominee Donald Trump’s victory in the 2024 U.S. presidential election. In...
16:06
Kate Middleton 'back training at the gym' and expected to resume overseas travel
The Princess of Wales is starting to return to royal duties in the name of causes close to her heart, HELLO! reports. Last month she...
15:50
Levon Ter-Petrosyan undergoes minor surgery
Armenia's former President Levon Ter-Petrosyan has successfully undergone a minor surgery, his spokesperson Arman Musinyan reveals....
15:35
Clear weather expected in next few days
Clear weather is expected in Armenia on Wednesday and in the next few days. Temperatures are set to further drop by 3-4C on Wednesday,...
14:57
UJA slams Armenian parliament speaker's disrespectful behavior towards reporter
The Armenian Union of Journalists on Tuesday issued a statement blasting National Assembly Speaker Alen Simonyan for his disrespectful behavior...
14:34
Pashinyan congratulates Trump on 'impressive' election win
Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has congratulated Donald Trump on his victory in the U.S. presidential election. "Warmest...
14:11
Armenian parliament speaker accused of insulting reporter
Armenian National Assembly Speaker Alen Simonyan has come under fire for disrespectful behavior towards Vahe Makaryan, a reporter for the...
13:30
World leaders congratulate Trump on election victory
World leaders raced to praise Donald Trump as he claimed a stunning US election victory over Kamala Harris, while financial markets also...
13:15
France, Kazakhstan express full support for Armenia-Azerbaijan normalization
France and Kazakhstan expressed their full support for the normalization of relations between Armenia and Azerbaijan in a joint statement issued...
12:24
Trump declares victory in US presidential election
Donald Trump declared victory in the presidential election early Wednesday morning as the Republican led Kamala Harris in projected Electoral...
12:06
Turkey sticks to condition for normalization with Armenia
Turkey again linked the normalization of Armenian-Turkish relations with a peace agreement between Armenia and Azerbaijan....
11:35
World Youth Championships: Armenian chess players among leaders after 7 rounds
The 7th round of the FIDE World Youth Chess Championships was held in Florianópolis, Brazil, on Tuesday. FM Aleks...
11:25
Next week’s UN climate summit in Baku will further enrich ruling Aliyev clan
By Harut Sassounian www.TheCaliforniaCourier.com Over the years, there have been several reports exposing the billions of dollars that...
11:13
Trump projected to win US presidency
Former President Donald Trump is projected to win the presidency, securing a second term nearly four years after he left Washington under a...

Follow us and get updates!

Most popular articles

{"core.blocks.header.spell_message1":"Selected mistake: ","core.blocks.header.spell_message2":"Send a message about the mistake?"}