Government forces commander killed in Syria’s Daraa
DARAA, Syria (North Press) – On Saturday, unidentified gunmen killed one of the most prominent military commanders affiliated with the Syrian government forces in the Daraa Governorate, in southern Syria.
A local source told North Press that “the so-called Wasim Muhammad al-Zarqan, a militia leader affiliated with the government forces, was fatally shot by unknown assailants in the city of al-Sanamayn, in northern Daraa.”
The source added that, “al-Zarqan hails from the town of Kafr Shams in northern Daraa and is a former commander in ‘Liwa Burkan Hauran,’ affiliated with the Syrian opposition.”
The source added that he began working for the government’s Military Intelligence Branch after obtaining a settlement card in 2018. He formed a group to pursue and arrest wanted personnel in addition to carrying out assassinations.
“Al-Razqan worked for [Lebanon’s] Hezbollah in selling and smuggling narcotics to Jordan,” the source added.
Al-Zarqan was accused of plotting the assassination of a former opposition commander, Adham al-Karad, along with three of his companions, near the town of Tabna, in northern Daraa, while they were heading to Damascus two years ago, according to the source.
He survived multiple assassination attempts, the most recent of which occurred in May 2022, when an IED planted in his car exploded in the town of Kafr Shams, causing no injuries or deaths.
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.
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.