Translation by Yusra Ahmed
(Zaman Al Wasl)- The humanitarian situation in the area of Yarmouk basin in the Western countryside of Daraa has been deteriorated due to fighting between the armed opposition and Yarmouk martyrs Brigade, the Islamic State affiliate in Horan. The Justice House in Horan which is the official body responsible for many issues in Daraa, has issued a statement about opening a humanitarian path following residents’ request about that to enable goods and products enter the area especially when the opposition blocked routes to Yarmouk Martyr Brigade
Today Friday July 1st, an opposition military formation controls the only entrance to the area has negated the statement explaining that the situation will stay as before until all signs of the Islamic State is eradicated, and only small amount of food an products would be let in to cover people’s needs in order to avoid delivering anything to fighters of Yarmouk Martyrs brigade.
Formations of Free Syrian Army have opened humanitarian path for people to use with limitation, as the opposition formations control the amount of food and other products in order to prevent Yarmouk martyrs brigade from use them. Moreover, transporting fuel was completely blocked to stop the Islamic State's affiliate from using it to run vehicles and heavy machines and arms. Moreover, the opposition formations have confiscated all the amount of fuel smuggled to the area before.
The area of Yarmouk valley has witnessed many battles between formations of the Free Syrian Army and Yarmouk Martyrs brigade, as each side aims to advance and gain more sites, but all of them were unsuccessful due to the severe fighting and large amount of mines by the Yarmouk martyr brigade at the entrance of villages, which obstructed the advance of the opposition.
The area of Yarmouk basin extends over wide area adjacent Israeli Occupation from the West and Jordan from the South.
The area consists of more than 15 villages with more than 70 thousand people most of them work in agriculture and breeding animals. These villages were the first to participate in the Syrian revolution and kept fighting till most of them were liberated in 2013.
Ayham al-Jahmani, leader of al-Mansoor Brigade affiliate of the Southern Front told Zaman al-Wasl: “we know that residents are the first who badly affected by tightening our grasp on the routes, but we have opened a humanitarian access for people to go in and out and bring goods and products enough for their families’ only.”
He explained that the wide spread of the villages over a the area of Yarmouk basin while the Islamic state’s affiliate holed in the area even before the beginning fighting, besides taking people’s houses as bases for them, all that forced the formations to besiege the area to reduce the ability of them to obtain food and fuel and medicine.
The commander confirmed that their battle is not with people and their main goal is to eradicate all fighters of the Islamic State form the area and their extreme principles to avoid taking them as an excuse for international interference in the area in the future.
Haj Mohammed Abo Hasini, one of the prominent figure in Yarmouk basin told Zaman Al Wasl that their main problem is the stagnation of their harvest and they were not able to transport it outside Daraa as before the military blockage.
Haj Mohammed explained that notables of the area have participated in negotiations with Justice house and the council of liberated Daraa Province to reach to an agreement to alleviate people’s suffering via opening a route allowing farmers to sell their products.
However, both sides were stubborn and they rejected the decision taken in the last meeting few weeks ago.
Abo Hasini added that movement in the area has stopped leading to deterioration in living conditions. He wished that the fighting sides reach to an agreement to stop fighting and direct their arms to the main enemy which is basher al-Assad an its regime
Comments About This Article
Please fill the fields below.