Government forces kill man in Syria’s Daraa

DARAA, Syria (North Press) – A person was killed on Monday after being targeted by the Syrian government forces in the western countryside of Daraa, southern Syria.

Anas Halil Abu Khashrif was shot by the government forces during a patrol near the town of Sheikh Saad in the western countryside of Daraa, his relatives said.

They told North Press that the patrol attempted to arrest Abu Khashrif and another person was with him, but when they resisted, the patrol’s soldiers opened fire, killing Abu Khashrif while the other person managed to escape to an unknown location.

The soldiers took the body of Abu Khashrif with them. Local mediators are currently engaged in negotiations to hand it over to the family.

Recently, Daraa has witnessed protests through which the protesters demanded “the overthrow of the Syrian regime” in tandem with the deteriorating economic conditions. Also, a state of insecurity has spread in Daraa including killing since the government has taken control over it in 2018.

In July 2018, the opposition armed factions and Syrian 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 weapons in exchange for staying in Daraa, and those who opposed the agreement were deported to Idlib, which is under the control of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS – formerly al-Nusra Front).  

By Ihsan Muhammad