Two persons kidnapped in Syria’s Suwayda
SUWAYDA, Syria (North Press) – On Sunday, unknown armed persons kidnapped two civilians, who are from Daraa, in the city of Suwayda, south Syria.
“Two young men, who are from Daraa working in the industrial zone in Suwayda, were kidnapped by unknown armed men,” a source from Suwayda that preferred to be unnamed for security reasons, told North Press.
“The two kidnapped young men are from the village of Nahteh, east Daraa, and they have been working in Suwayda for a year,” he added.
Since early in 2020, “95 people have been kidnapped, of which two were killed and 66 were released, while 27 are facing unknown fate,” according to a security source in the police command in Suwayda.
In 2020, tension between Suwayda and Daraa escalated when the Russian-backed Eighth Brigade headed by Ahmad al-Awda seized parts of al-Qrayya town.
“Kidnapping incidents are carried out by paid groups to sabotage social ties between Suwayda and Daraa,” one of those entrusted with settlements and reconciliations between Daraa and Suwayda said in a previous statement to North Press.
Residents of the governorates of Suwayda and Daraa say that the government security services affiliated with Iran benefit from sowing discord and chaos between the two neighboring governorates.
Since the eruption of the Syrian war, the two governorates have been witnessing mutual kidnappings which have increased in number during the past two years, leading to shooting incidents and casualties in some cases.