Government Forces Arrest Five Civilians in Syria’s Daraa
DARAA, Syria (North Press) – Syrian government forces arrested on Wednesday five civilians from their homes in the northern countryside of Daraa Governorate, south Syria, in a raid and inspection operation.
A local source told North Press that a military group affiliated with the Military Security branch under the command of Mustafa al- Masalmeh, so called al-Kasem, arrested five civilians from the village of Ataman north of Daraa.
More than 50 members riding technical vehicles participated in the raid in the early morning hours.
Rami al-Masri, his brother Raafat, in addition to, Hussein Muhammad al-Masri, and his two brothers Yousef, and Bassam were arrested without knowing reasons for the arrest, according to the source.
During raids and arrests, the government forces utilize military groups whose members are residents of Daraa who had previously joined the opposition forces and joined government forces after the settlement agreement of 2018.
In July 2018, opposition factions and Syrian government forces reached an agreement, mediated by Russia, for the opposition-held areas of Daraa. According to the deal, opposition militants who agreed to hand over heavy weapons, were handed special cards to protect them from prosecution, and allowed to stay in Daraa. Those opposed to the agreement were forced to leave for Idlib, which is under the control of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS – formerly al-Nusra Front).
The Monitoring and Documentation Department of North Press documented the arrest of 16 individuals in Daraa in January by government forces.