Former opposition member killed in Syria’s Daraa
DARAA, Syria (North Press) – On Friday, unknown gunmen shot a former opposition member in the city of Daraa in southern Syria, killing him at once.
A local source told North Press that “the so-called Rani Ruweli Bajbuj, a former opposition member, was fatally shot by unidentified assailants, riding a motorcycle, in a market in Daraa al-Balad.”
The source added that Bajbuj had collaborated with an armed military group working for the Islamic State (ISIS) under the command of the so-called Hefo.
The so-called ‘Muhammad al-Masalma’, nicknamed Hefo, headed an ISIS-affiliated armed group.
Bajbuj was among the people who smuggled food and ammunition to ISIS militants while they were besieged by the Eighth Brigade and local armed men in the Tariq al-Sadd neighborhood in October 2022, the source noted.
Since the government forces re-captured Daraa in 2018, the governorate has been living in a state of insecurity, with daily assassinations targeting soldiers and officers of the government forces, as well as the spread of thefts.
In July 2018, the opposition armed factions and government forces reached a cease-fire agreement mediated by Russia in the opposition-held areas of Daraa Governorate. Under the deal, the opposition factions agreed to hand over their weapons in exchange for staying in Daraa. Those who opposed the agreement were sent to Idlib, which is under the control of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS, formerly al-Nusra Front).