Over 100 Militants Lay Down Arms in Syria's Aleppo Province - Source

A group of militants totaling 120 people laid down arms and surrendered to the Syrian army in the Aleppo province as part of the national reconciliation process, an informed source told Sputnik Saturday.

BEIRUT (Sputnik) — According to the source, the militants have been sent to a security committee in order to decide on their amnesty. The withdrawal was accompanied by the Russian military police to the government controlled area.

The source added the militants decided to lay down their arms due to constant efforts to spread leaflets and video addresses with appeals by the governor and the mufti of the province.

On Tuesday, 48 militants laid down arms in Aleppo.

In July 2016, Syrian President Bashar Assad issued a decree which provided amnesty for militants who lay down their arms and get back to normal life. The initiative was aimed at promoting national reconciliation in Syria, which has been engulfed in a civil war for over six years.

Syria has been in a state of civil war since 2011, with government forces fighting Syrian opposition groups striving to overthrow the president, while also fighting numerous extremist and terrorist groups. Moscow launched its anti-terrorist operation in Syria on September 30, 2015, at the request of Damascus.