Where things could be headed ...

"... Sheikh Habib had explained to us that Talkalakh's reconciliation agreement had several stages. First, there would be a ceasefire. Then the rebels, all of whom were Sunnis, would stop patrolling with their weapons while the pro-government militias – the Alawite shabiha – would stay away from Sunni villages. , Abu Oday, the rebel leader, would collect his men's weapons and secure them, in return for which the shabiha would be replaced by proper troops. Finally, the rebels would surrender their weapons and the army would withdraw from the area...."