Former opposition leader killed in Syria’s Daraa
DARAA, Syria (North Press) – A former leader of the Syrian opposition was killed on Monday in crossfire with Syrian government forces in the town of al-Yadudah in the western countryside of Daraa, southern Syria.
A local source told North Press, “Muhammad Eyad Abdurrazaq, nicknamed Abu Qassem al-Aqrabawi, was killed as a result of injuries he sustained following clashes with the government forces.”
A patrol of the Military Security Branch in Daraa raided this morning the house of al-Aqrabawi in al-Yadudah, the source said.
After refusing to turn in himself, both parties exchanged fire which resulted in serious injuries for al-Aqrabawi, the source added.
Al-Aqrabawi was arrested and transferred to the Military Security branch in Daraa, where he passed away succumbing to his wounds.
Al-Aqrabawi was the leader of one of the armed opposition factions before joining the settlement agreement in 2018.
In July 2018, the opposition armed factions and government forces reached a cease-fire agreement mediated by Russia in the opposition-held areas in Daraa Governorate. Under the deal, the opposition armed factions agreed to hand over their heavy weapons in exchange for staying in Daraa, and those oppose the agreement would go to Idlib, which is under the control of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS).
Following the arrest of al-Aqrabawi, a group of resident of al-Yadudah blocked the road connecting between the village and the center of Daraa city with burning tires for about an hour in refusal to the government forces repeated assaults.
Since the government forces re-captured Daraa in 2018, the governorate has been living in a state of insecurity, with assassinations, arrests and thefts taking place on a daily basis.