Key armed faction to integrate into Syrian govt forces

A powerful armed faction in southern Syria led by defected military officer Ahmed Al Awda announced that it was dissolving itself and integrating into the government's armed forces.

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“We, members, soldiers and officers of what was previously known as the Eighth Brigade, officially announce the dissolution of this formation and handing over all its military and human capacities to the defence ministry,” said Colonel Mohamed Al Hourani in a statement.

Earlier, security forces from the new government in Damascus deployed on Saturday around a strategic dam in northern Syria, under a deal with the autonomous Kurdish administration, state media reported.

Under the agreement, Kurdish-led fighters of the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) will pull back from the dam which they captured from the Daesh group in late 2015.