65 gunmen turn themselves in to Assad army

DAMASCUS - 12 October 2017: Sixty-five gunmen affiliated with the Syrian opposition turned themselves in to Assad regime in northern Syria, a Syrian military source said Thursday.

Those gunmen belong to an armed that was active in Abu Kaef village in the northern Syrian city of Aleppo, the source said.

This group contacted some Russian forces in the area to hold negotiations with the Assad forces. Then, they turned themselves in at a checkpoint manned by the Syrian army in the area, it added.

The fighters of this group were not involved in any combat operation, the source noted. They were operating in the back lines of any battle with the Syrian army.

They promised not to get involved in any armed action in return for settling their legal status and being pardoned by the Assad regime.

The Syrian army has recently gained the upper hand in so many battlefields across the county that has caused militants to turn themselves in and ask for government's pardon.