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00:00Over 1,000 fighters regroup ready to enter hostile territory.
00:05This is the first joint operation between the new Syrian government's forces and the
00:09Southern Operations Chamber, a rival armed group that has just accepted to join forces
00:14with Hayat Tahrir al-Shaab after a tough negotiation.
00:18This is an important step towards unifying Syria.
00:29Our primary objective is to arrest wanted people who are hiding inside these villages.
00:34We also want to collect the weapons held by the residents.
00:41The area is held by armed Bedouin groups that smuggle drugs, kidnap and steal.
00:50You see the caves?
00:51They offer good cover for fighting.
00:54Even the former regime with its mighty army and its air force could never enter this sector.
01:02Units are deployed to encircle the targeted villages.
01:23The motorbike scout zooms off, followed by fighters who deploy in the village on foot.
01:35Locals are helping us.
01:36They called us because there's a lot of drug trafficking, there are Assad regime and Hezbollah
01:39collaborators hiding here.
01:43With the sector surrounded, forces enter on pick-ups.
01:47They have a list of wanted criminals.
01:51Groups enter several houses simultaneously.
01:55We are not allowed close to the assault.
02:04At the end of the operation, each unit brings the weapons they have confiscated to the mosque
02:09in Ibn, the main village.
02:16No shots were fired that the gang members chose to surrender in the face of such overwhelming
02:21firepower.
02:26We arrested people who were illegally holding weapons, thanks to intelligence collected
02:31by the Southern Operations Chamber.
02:34They are now detained and they will be brought to justice.
02:40For the new power in Damascus, these operations are crucial for two main reasons.
02:45One, it takes weapons out of the hands of gangs, but more importantly, it's an opportunity
02:49for the large factions to work together and that sets the foundation for the future Syrian
02:54army.