The town of Tafas, in southern Syria, is facing bombardments carried out by the army. Forces loyal to Bashar al-Assad’s regime launched the offensive at the end of July, and intensified their attacks on Wednesday.
For four years, the Syrian regime has once again been master of the south of the country. But in this stronghold of the revolution, some groups are resisting. And some localities, like Tafas, a city of 45,000 inhabitants located in the province of Deraa, the cradle of the revolution against Bashar el-Assad, still escape the full control of Damascus. In early July, loyalist troops began deploying reinforcements to the area, reporting an upsurge in attacks targeting them.
The security forces demanded the surrender of some people accused of being linked to these attacks. Not obtaining satisfaction, they began to bombard the surroundings of Tafas and to isolate the city. After a few days, an agreement seemed to have been reached. Those wanted were to leave Tafas, and the army was supposed to withdraw. But the agreement did not hold and the fighting resumed.
On Wednesday, Syrian army tanks intensified their bombardments in certain neighborhoods of Tafas. So far, the soldiers have not been able to enter the town. But farmers can no longer access their fields. And these operations have led to major population movements, with some residents fleeing the bombed areas to neighborhoods considered safer.
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