Government forces kill, injure 10 people in Syria’s Daraa
DARAA, Syria (North Press) – A former leader of the Syrian opposition and four companions were killed on Thursday night in an ambush by Syrian government forces in the city of Daraa, southern Syria.
A local source told North Press that, three cars were transporting Khaldoun Badawi al-Zoubi, Muhammad Jadallah al-Zoubi and their companions were ambushed by the government forces in al-Dahiya area in Daraa.
The killed were returning from a meeting with colonel general Louay al-Ali, head of Military Intelligence Branch of the government forces, the source said.
Khaldoun al-Zoubi’s car was targeted with an RPG-7 missile, then clashes erupted between the government forces and the opposition for half an hour.
The clashes resulted in the killing of Khaldoun al-Zoubi along with four companions, and the injury of Muhammad Jadallah al-Zoubi along with four companions. All of them were hospitalized to Daraa.
Muhammad Jadallah al-Zoubi, a former leader of the Syrian opposition, who comes from the town of al-Yadouda, west of Daraa, is one of those the government demanded to leave for northern Syria about a year ago.
Locals believed that the order of getting rid of them was given by Colonel General Louay al-Ali. They were invited to a meeting on the pretext of discussing how to implement the provisions they reached nearly two weeks ago regarding the town of Tafas in the western countryside of Daraa.
Al-Zoubi was among the leaders who met with government forces officers two weeks ago. An agreement was reached regarding halting military operations in Tafas after restricting it for nearly a month and targeting civilians’ houses with heavy machine guns and artillery shells.
Since the government forces re-captured Daraa in 2018, the governorate has been living in a state of insecurity, with one or two daily assassinations targeting soldiers and officers of the government forces, not to mention the spread of thefts.
In 2021, Daraa Governorate went through an 80-day-seige. After that, a number of Daraa’s notables and government forces, with mediation of Russian officers, reached a ceasefire agreement on September 5, 2021, including handing over weapons and deploying governmental security posts in the towns of the governorate.