Gunmen Surrender to Authorities, Admit They Received Training in Jordan by Foreign Officers

DAMASCUS COUNTRYSIDE, (ST)- An armed group of seven members has surrendered  to authorities in al-Rheibeh village in Damascus Countryside. The gunmen handed over their weapons, ammunitions, and cars, according to the state news agency SANA.

The new step comes within the framework of local reconciliation process and as an attempt to benefit from the Amnesty Decree No. 15.

Mohammad Hamra, one of the gunmen, said he, together with members of the groups to which he was affiliated, “received training in Jordan by American, British, French and Italian officers.”

 “We made coordination with concerned bodies in Mouaddameyet al-Qalamoun area and get our legal status settled. We received kind treatment, Hamra said, urging all other gunmen to do the same and settle their legal status in accordance with the amnesty decree.

“We thank the state for embracing us again” he added.

Mohammad Zeidan, another gunman from Mouaddameyet al-Qalamoun area, stressed that “the gunmen received financial support from abroad and they used to steal salaries”.    

“The armed group’s battles against Deash were illusive,” he clarified.

On his part, Alaa Khamsan, a gunman who surrendered in Qalamoun, said ” we made contacts with the competent authorities to turn ourselves in and we received good welcome. A number of gunmen have told us that they were ready to hand themselves over at appropriate time.”  

On January 4, 2017, the Justice Ministry announced in a statement that the number of the persons who settled their legal status last year reached 4746. They returned to normal life after they promised not to carry out any kind of activity that harms the homeland’s security and stability.

Hamda Mustafa