DAMASCUS - The Syrian government and rebels at the town of Ibta in the countryside of Syria's southern Daraa province have concluded a truce agreement, a monitor group said on Monday.
Both parties agreed that those who are detained from the town by the government will be released, and in return the armed men there will halt all hostilities against the government and will hoist the official Syrian flag on government institutions in the town, which is located on the old road between the capital Damascus and Daraa.
The armed men in Ibta will be tasked with guarding the town, but pledged to never point a gun against the government forces, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.
The Syrian army, in return, will halt their bombardment against the town and will allow in aid convoys, according to the report.
According to the Observatory, which relies on a network of activists on ground, the Syrian authorities warned the rebels that the Syrian forces will militarily storm the town if they did not abide by the truce.
A similar agreement is also expected to be finalized in the adjacent town of Dael, according to the Observatory.
The towns are located south of the recently-captured city of Sheikh Miskeen, a main hub and rebel stronghold in the northern countryside of Daraa. (Xinhua)