Syrian authorities reported this Tuesday the dismantling of an armed group linked to the forces of President Bashar al Assad, deposed nearly two years ago, following an operation carried out in the western province of Tartús in which its top leader was killed.
The intervention, carried out by the Internal Security Forces, took place in the eastern area of Tartús after the local Directorate for Countering Terrorism located an “armed cell (...) affiliated with the remains of the overthrown regime” which, according to the investigations, was preparing attacks against the civilian population of the region.
During the operation, Syrian forces “neutralized” the leader of the armed group, identified as Yazán Abás, wounded another of its members, and confiscated various weapons and ammunition, according to information provided to the Syrian official agency SANA.
The provinces of Tartús and Latakia were already the scene in March of last year of a broad offensive driven by the authorities established in Damascus after the fall of Al Assad against militiamen loyal to the former president, who had maintained in these areas his main strongholds until the collapse of his regime due to the offensive of jihadists and rebels led by Hayat Tahrir al Sham (HTS).