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Prominent local leaders in the town of Khan Shaykhun in the southern Idlib countryside are currently negotiating with the Damascus government to reach a reconciliation agreement that would prevent an attack on the town, Syrian pro-government activists reported on May 9.
According to the activists, the proposed agreement would force all radical militants to withdraw from Khan Shaykhun, that will be placed under the direct control of the Syrian Arab Army (SAA).
Khan Shaykhun is located on a strategic highway linking Hama with Aleppo. The highway was supposed to be reopened last year as a part of the Russian-Turkish agreement. However, terrorist groups controlling the town and other positions along the highway rejected the agreement.
The SAA is currently stationed in the newly-captured town of Kafr Nabudah, which is located less than 12km west of Khan Shaykhun. If an agreement was reached, the army would need few days to reach the town.
Earlier, the locals in the town of Qalaat al-Madiq reached an agreement with Damascus, under which the army entered the town and its surroundings without any resistance.
The upcoming hours may witness a similar agreement between Khan Shaykhun local leaders and Damascus. However, terrorist groups, like Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), will likely work to sabotage any such agreement.
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