DARAA, Syria (North Press) – Residents and journalists in Daraa governorate, south Syria, accuse Syria government agencies of being behind assassinations of former leaders and militants of Syrian opposition amidst Russia’s repudiation of its role as guarantor of settlements.
This comes after withdrawal of Russian troops from Daraa, enabling the Syrian government to take control, and forcing the opposition to withdraw their weapons.
On August 25, Residents of the town of Tafas, in the western countryside of Daraa, and several villages, attended the funeral of Khaldoun Badawi al-Zoubi four companions of his group.
Al-Zoubi is one of the most prominent former opposition leaders in Tafas, and a member of the negotiating committee.
Al-Zoubi and his companions were killed and five others were injured in an ambush by the Syrian government in Daraa during returning from a meeting with colonel general Louay al-Ali, head of Military Intelligence Branch of the government forces, activists in Daraa told North Press.
They accused al-Ali of being behind the assassination, due to strained relationship between him and al-Zoubi.
According to Muhammad al-Shara, member of Martyrs Documentation Office in Daraa, 77 leaders of the opposition have been killed since the implementation of the settlement agreement in July 2018.
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.
Al-Shara added that a number of them were killed by the “Syrian regime” and some others were killed by the Islamic State Organization (ISIS), which returned to Daraa through government military checkpoints.
Since the first settlement agreement, 53 leaders have been arrested by the government forces, a number of them have been released, while the others are still under arrest or face unknown fat, according to the office.
Silencing opposition members
The defected government General Muhammad al-Haj said, “Al-Assad regime refuses any kind of opposition, every oppositionist under its authority is at risk of being assassinated, regardless of being armed or not.”
“The regime considers the opposition leaders are the engine of protests, armaments, military confrontation and community leadership, thus, it tries to remove them by assassination and arrest,” according to al-Haj.
He confirmed the assassinations could not silence Daraa’s residents, adding, “We might shut up temporarily, but not for long.”
On August 21, the former leader of the Syrian opposition, Ghassab al-Eid, was arrested by government forces at Damascus International Airport on his return from Egypt to Syria.”
While, another one was killed by unknown attackers in the countryside of Daraa on the same day.
France-based researcher and journalist, Hassam al-Berem said Russia has recently escaped from its commitments and obligations in southern Syria.
Additionally, Russia has demilitarized the opposition formations even of their individual weapons and turned Daraa into civilian pattern.
After the demilitarization of the opposition, they [government forces] pursued civilian activists, with the absence of Russia’s role as guarantor, according to al-Berem.
Russia was absent from recent negotiations, which took place directly between local leaders and government forces, following the tension that occurred in the city of Tafas.
The researcher said that “al-Assad regime” succeeded in eliminating Syrian opposition, through removing leaders, social dignitaries, and all the geopolitical formations that arose in the region during the “revolution phase.”
He pointed out targeting oppositionists’ operations; Whether by arrest or displacement, were carried out under Russian supervision, and recent settlements in Daraa, last year, “were concluded under threats by Russians, but not by the regime, and the Russians involved in them as a party rather than a guarantor during that phase.”
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, officials and officers of the government forces, not to mention the spread of thefts.