Increased Arrests and Assassinations Amid the Expansion of Security Tension in Southern Syria
As-Suwayda – Southern Syria – North-Press Agency
The southern governorates of Syria are witnessing increased security tensions amid arrests and assassinations of leaders and members of the Syrian Government by unidentified armed groups.
As-Suwayda governorate has been undergoing tensions in the last 24 hours upon the kidnapping of Muhannad Shihabuddin, a local opposer of the government, from his shop in the city of As-Suwayda last night.
Residents of the city accused the government’s military intelligence of arresting him and taking him to its headquarters in the city, prompting armed groups to gather around the Military Security Branch.
While Militants of local armed groups threatened the Government’s Military Intelligence Branch in As-Suwayda to escalate, in case the kidnapped leader is not released till the next morning, among the information that the armed groups have kidnapped some of the government’s security members.
On a related level, a body of a resident of Jeleen village in Daraa governorate was found, shot dead by unidentified assailants in the town of At-Tira in the western countryside of Daraa.
Opposition sources quoted local residents as saying that the assassinated man was “Anas Al-Jazzar”, a person who earlier had made a previous settlement with government forces when they controlled the governorate.
Several persons were also arrested as they were passing through Al-Tablin checkpoint on Tasil-AlBakkar road in the western countryside of Daraa, in addition to the arrest of another person at Mankath al-Hattab checkpoint northern Daraa.
Local residents are dismayed by the failure of the security authorities southern Syria, the lack of security stability despite months of the imposition of its control on Daraa and all of the southern parts of Syria through military operations or settlements and reconciliations.