Ongoing kidnappings and security chaos in Daraa and As-Suwayda
North-Press Agency
Kidnappings and arrests have increased in the Syrian southern governorates of Daraa and As-Suwayda in the past few months, where unknown groups have kidnapped civilians and members of the Syrian government forces in exchange for financial ransom.
Local media outlets in As-Suwayda governorate documented the numbers of the kidnapped by unknown persons, where it reached 22 kidnapped, including 17 civilians and 5 members of the Syrian government forces in January 2020, who were kidnapped in different circumstances.
According to As-Suwayda “24 Agency”, unknown persons and armed groups kidnapped civilians and two soldiers of the Syrian governmental forces some days ago, demanding financial ransom in exchange for their release.
Some of the kidnapped were released in exchange for financial ransom, or because the kidnappers were subjected to pressure from the local armed groups in some cases, while others are still being held, and the kidnappers demand a financial ransom in exchange for their release, according to the the aforementioned local agency.
In October, informed sources from the city of As-Suwayda said in an interview with North-Press that the kidnappings returned to occur in the area, where five kidnapping incidents occurred, one of which failed, in conjunction with news about ongoing compromise process for those accused of kidnappings.
An armed group in the city kidnapped a young man near the power station, while an armed group intercepted a car for a civilian, who was kidnapped in a town of the southern countryside, and forced him to accompany them to an unknown destination.
In the governorate of Daraa, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights indicated that unknown armed group conducted an assassination attempt in the town of Muzayrib in the western countryside of Daraa, and gunmen targeted a citizen in a field, while wounding a person close to the field.
The Syrian observatory stated that the attacks and assassination attempts were carried out in many ways and methods, including by detonating IEDs, landmines and gun-shooting.
The number of kidnappings increased to more than 251 operations in Daraa during the period from last June until today, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.
On January 11th, local websites reported that gunmen from the village of Nahta, east of Daraa attacked Syrian government military checkpoints between the village of Nahta and al-Karak and detained 20 members with their weapons, in response to the arrest of the Syrian government forces of a person from the town of al-Musayfirah, to put pressure for his release.
Earlier on the same day, gunmen from the town of al-Karak attacked a Syrian government military checkpoint and detained 8 members and confiscated their weapons and equipment with the aim of forcing the government to negotiate with the families in order to release the detainees.