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Executive Summary for November 7th

We review the key developments in Syria, including the first batch of civilians returning to Raqqa, Hayat Tahrir al-Sham seizing government positions in northern Hama and a U.S. official saying he backs a diplomatic solution to the Syrian war.

Published on Nov. 7, 2017 Read time Approx. 2 minutes

Civilians Return to Syria’s Raqqa

Hundreds of civilians returned to the city of Raqqa for the first time since the so-called Islamic State (ISIS) was ousted from the city, Agence France-Presse reported on Monday.

Citing a statement released by the U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) on Sunday, AFP said that civilians returned to al-Meshleb, Raqqa’s easternmost district, after “mine-removal teams had finished clearing the entire neighborhood of explosives left indiscriminately in civilian homes.”

The district is the first in Raqqa that civilians have been allowed to return to.

Raqqa has been sealed to civilians since it was freed from ISIS last month. The SDF has warned residents against returning before mine-sweeping operations are complete.

SOHR: HTS Reclaims Government Positions in Northern Hama

Al-Qaida-linked militants captured three villages in northern Hama from government forces on Monday, following a surprise attack, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) reported.

The Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) alliance launched a flash attack against government forces in the villages of Om Khazim, Om Trikiyyeh and al-Bulil, the SOHR said.

According to the monitor, the al-Qaida-linked militant group recaptured these areas after exchanging heavy fire with pro-government forces. HTS is also moving to secure at least three other villages in Hama’s northern countryside.

HTS militants, who are based in the adjacent stronghold of Idlib, have regularly carried out attacks against government forces in northern Hama.

An HTS attack on government loyalists in September killed some 22 pro-government fighters and allowed the al-Qaida-linked group to capture positions in the area. However, HTS was driven from the area by government forces less than a week later.

Mattis Voices Support for Geneva Peace Talks

The U.S. defense secretary said Monday that he backed a diplomatic solution for the conflict as ISIS nears defeat in Syria, AFP reported.

Speaking to reporters on Monday, Jim Mattis said he supported U.N.-backed diplomatic efforts in Geneva, which have run in parallel to Russian-sponsored peace talks in the Kazakhstani capital of Astana.

“Basically, we are trying to get this into the diplomatic mode so we can sort this out and make certain that minorities, whoever they are, are not subject to what we’ve seen under the regime of President Bashar al-Assad,” he was quoted as saying.

Peace talks in Geneva are expected to resume at the end of the month.

Russia last week announced that it would host the Syrian National Dialogue Congress. The proposed congress seeks to bring the Syrian government and its opponents together to discuss a political settlement and constitutional reforms for the country.

The congress, which was scheduled to convene on November 18, has been postponed because of Turkish objections to inviting Syria’s Kurdish groups to participate in talks.

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