Preparations are under way for the issuance of a decree by the Syrian regime were eventually it will disband all pro-regime militias after a Russian request by President Putin during their last meeting in Sochi.

 

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights described this development as unprecedented and will be applied over all Syrian territories.

 

The source pointed out that Putin’s request not only included the disbanding of pro-regime militias, but included an annex to the disbanding of the Iranian-backed militias financed by Tehran, and which triggered anger among these militias.

 

The source said that Bashar al-Assad regime will resort to two options: either to demobilize the militias loyal to him or to officially annex them to the regime military.

 

The Russian request came after a series of violations committed by the militias in the past few months, which led to the looting of thousands of houses and robbing civilians of their belongings both at checkpoints and in the towns recently controlled by the regime.

 

Walid Muallem defends Iranian presence in Syria

Meanwhile, the Syrian Foreign Minister Walid al-Muallem defended on Saturday the Iranian presence in Syria, describing it as legal.

 

In a press conference held in the capital Damascus, al-Muallem said that the American troops should withdraw from al-Tanaf base on the Syrian-Jordanian border.

 

He added that Syria “has not been in any negotiations related to the southern front”, defending the Iranian presence in Syria and describing it as “legal” as it came at the request of the Syrian government “unlike the illegal presence of the Turkish and American troops in Syria.”

 

Al-Muallem said that the Syrian regime has communicated with the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF),  which is backed by the United States, but negotiations have not started as yet.