| Eastern Qalamoun offensive (April 2018) | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of theRif Dimashq Governorate campaign (Syrian Civil War) and theRussian military intervention in the Syrian Civil War | |||||||
 Map of the operation | |||||||
| |||||||
| Belligerents | |||||||
 Syrian Arab Republic Russia |  Unified Military Command of Eastern Qalamoun  [1]Jaysh Tahrir al-Sham [2] Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham [3] | ||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
| Maj. Gen.Suheil al-Hassan (Tiger Forces) Col.Ghiath Dalla[citation needed](42nd Armored Brigade) | Shaher Juma †[4] (head of rebel negotiations committee inDumayr) | ||||||
| Units involved | |||||||
| |||||||
| Strength | |||||||
| Unknown | 1,500[6] | ||||||
On 17 April 2018, rebel groups in the easternQalamoun Mountains pocket, led byJaysh al-Islam, reached a surrender agreement with theSyrian Army andRussia. The agreement came after 2 weeks of negotiations that began with a Syrian Army ultimatum on 3 April.[7] Around 1,500 rebels handed over heavy weapons and equipment to the Syrian Army, and were evacuated by 124 buses in 4 convoys toTurkish-held areas in the northernAleppo Governorate along with their families, totaling around 5,000 people.[6] On 25 April, the last batch of rebels and their families left the eastern Qalamoun pocket, and the region came under full Syrian government control.[8]
Rebels in the town ofal-Dumayr and the rest of the eastern Qalamoun pocket have been in a state of ceasefire with government forces throughout 2016, with both sides focusing on fighting theIslamic State of Iraq and the Levant.[6] In mid-2017, however government forces launched anoffensive against rebels in theSyrian Desert to the east of the pocket, following a previousrebel offensive against ISIL in the region.
In late March 2018, the Levant Liberation Army launched an attack on Syrian Army positions in the eastern Qalamoun Mountains. This came amidst the Syrian Armyoffensive in eastern Ghouta.[9]
On 3 April 2018, rebel groups in the eastern Qalamoun pocket formed a unified military command,[1] which met with a Russian andAir Force Intelligence Directorate officer, the latter issued an ultimatum to the rebels, demanding that they either disarm and reconcile, or leave the eastern Qalamoun pocket entirely.[7] The rebel committee refused to leave and demanded the release of prisoners.[10] The Levant Liberation Army stated that it was not part of the unified military command, denied any coordination with it, and rejected negotiations with Russia.[2] On 8 April, the rebel unified command again met with Russian and Syrian Army officers, and reached a preliminary agreement.[11]
On 17 April, the government-runSyrian Arab News Agency announced thatJaysh al-Islam and theForces of Martyr Ahmad al-Abdo in Dumayr have surrendered, and began to hand over heavy and medium weapons to the government. 5,000 people, which included 1,500 rebel fighters and 3,000 civilians, prepared to leave. Clashes also continued in the nearby mountains.[6] On 18 April, Shaher Juma, head of the rebel negotiations committee in Dumayr, was assassinated by unidentified gunmen.[4]
On 19 April, the rebel unified command agreed to hand over weapons and surrender the entire eastern Qalamoun pocket, including the towns of Dumayr,Jayrud, andal-Naseriyah. Russian officers pledged to pardon people whoevaded conscription in the towns. The first batch of 2,500 people, including 600 rebels, were then transported by 44 buses from Dumayr toJarabulus.[12] The second convoy of at least 30 buses departed in the early hours of 22 April, and included 1,200Tahrir al-Sham andAhrar al-Sham fighters and their families, who arrived in theAfrin District.[13] The 3rd convoy arrived in theal-Bab area on 24 April,[3] and the 4th and final batch of 60 buses arrived in northern Aleppo on 25 April.[14] With this, the eastern Qalamoun Mountains came under full government control,[8] and theflag of the Syrian Arab Republic was raised inJayrud's main square.[15] Along with the territory, the Syrian Arab army said that it also gained back several heavy weapons including a dozen of tanks.[16] After further territorial sweeps on 17 May, pro-government media reported that eight more tanks were found.[17]
