Syria’s Daraa records highest weekly deaths toll in 2023
DARAA, Syria (North Press) – As Syria’s southern governorate of Daraa is witnessing an increasing pace of security chaos, 15 killing cases have been recorded in different areas of the governorate and its countryside in one week.
On Thursday, local sources told North Press that three policemen were killed in an attack by unidentified armed men on their car near the town of Khirbat Ghazaleh, in the eastern countryside of Daraa.
The killed policemen are Khaled Shofni, Alaa Qarada and Khaled Abduljalil, according to the sources.
As a result of the clashes that took place, Omran Suleiman al-Rajih, one of the gunmen who used to be a militant in the ranks of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS, formerly al-Nusra Front) was killed, the source added.
In July 2018, the opposition armed faction and the government forces reached a ceasefire agreement mediated by Russia in the opposition-held areas in Daraa. Under the deal, the opposition armed factions agreed to hand over their heavy weapons in exchange for staying in Daraa, and those oppose the agreement would go to Idlib, which is under the control of the HTS.
Since the government forces re-captured Daraa in line with the 2018 agreement, the governorate has been living in a state of security chaos, with one or two daily assassinations targeting soldiers and officers of the government forces, not to mention the spread of thefts.
Recently, the Eighth Brigade, affiliated with the military intelligence of the government forces, raided a number of towns in the eastern countryside of Daraa, in search for people involved in drug trade.
On March 8, a local source told North Press, “Fayez al-Radi [the leader of the group] and Musa al-Sharif were killed after being targeted by unknown gunmen riding a motorcycle in the town of Tibah in Daraa eastern countryside.”
“Al-Radi and al-Sharif hail from the town of Nassib in eastern Daraa. Both worked in a drug trafficking group,” the source added.
On the same day, locals told North Press that the body of “Muhammad Youssef al-Mazawi” was found with gunshot wounds near the town of Dael in the central countryside of Daraa.
The sources added that al-Mazawi is “a Shiite who hails from the city of Busra al-Sham in eastern Daraa and a militant of the Lebanese Hezbollah.”
Al-Mazawi had joined ranks of forces that fought against opposition factions when they attempted to control Busra al-Sham in March 2015.
On March 7, local sources told North Press that Raed al-Radi, Odai al-Zoghbi, Ali al-Abed and Anwar al-Rifai were killed in clashes took place between the Eighth Brigade, affiliated with the military intelligence of the government forces, and the groups of Fayez al-Radi and the group of Ismael al-Qaddah [leader of a drug ring], nicknamed Smigel, in the town of Umm al-Mayathin, in the eastern countryside of Daraa.
In 2018, the Eighth Brigade, which is backed by Russia, was established out of the remnants of the Shabab al-Sunna faction headed by Ahmad al-Awda of the Syrian opposition during its control of southern Syria.
The sources added that all the killed individuals are operating within al-Radi and al-Qaddah groups in drugs trading.
On March 6, local sources told North Press that Muhammad al-Hariri was killed in clashes between the Eighth Brigade and the Fayez al-Radi group in the town of Tibah in the eastern countryside of Daraa.
On the same day, individuals shot dead the young man Yaman Marwan Kiwan in the city center of Daraa.
The sources added that Kiwan, who hails from the town of Tafas in the western countryside of Daraa, was killed for revenge.
On March 5, local sources told North Press that Ziyad Shehade known as Talsh was killed in the village of al-Yadudah in the western countryside of Daraa.
The sources added that Shehade was shot dead in al-Yadudah camp.
Shehade had joined ranks of Syrian opposition factions before the government forces took control of Syria’s south in 2018 and he was accused of drugs trading.
On the same day, a local source told North Press that “Nader Khalaf Abu Nbout, nicknamed “Abu Jazwan,” was killed after he was targeted by gunmen riding a motorcycle in the al-Abbasiya neighborhood in the city of Daraa.”
The source added that Abu Nbout had worked with an armed group headed by the so-called “Muhammad al-Masalma,” nicknamed “Hefo,” which is an ISIS-affiliated group.
On March 4, eyewitnesses told North Press that residents found the body of the 17-year-old Hassan Hussein al-Hariri in the town of Khirbet Ghazaleh in the eastern countryside of Daraa.
With these killing cases Daraa recorded the highest weekly death toll since early 2023.