DARAA, Syria (North Press) – The re-emergence of the Islamic State Organization (ISIS) in the south of Syria over the last months has raised many questions on the mechanism it reached such an area. Political observers and notables in Daraa point their fingers to the Syrian government in facilitating the group reach the area for a hidden agenda.
Since the Syrian government forces re-controlled the city of Daraa and its countryside in 2018, the area is swept by anarchy and murders that are almost daily occurrences. The government accused “strangers” of such crimes and murders and it threatened to carry out a military operation.
Local armed groups announced a first campaign to expel ISIS militants from the city of Jassem in mid-October which resulted in the killing of 20 ISIS militants.
Second campaign
On October 30, local armed groups announced a second campaign against the extremist group’s militants in Daraa Balad city which goes on up to date. On Thursday, a one-sided ceasefire agreement was announced to allow civilians evacuate the area scene to clashes.
A field leader within civilian armed groups told North Press the campaign targets militants of the group positioned in the two neighborhoods of Tariq al-Saad al-Sharqi and al-Mohandessin.
He indicated that the operation was good and was close to be ended. However, the presence of civilians that were used by the groups as a human shield delayed immensely the operation flow.
The field leader, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, affirmed six militants of the group were killed; Bilal Harfoush, Salah Lutfi Ghozlan and Muhammad Harfoush were among the deaths. A large number was also reported injured.
The field leader denied any participation by the Syrian government forces in the operation affirming local fighters from all the area have come to take part in the operation.
He added that the government forces threatened to enter the area and launch a military operation against ISIS to control the city. However, they took the initiative to prevent the entry of the government forces echoing the Jassem scenario.
The leader pointed out that there is a close linkage between ISIS militants, the government forces and security branches.
During the operation launched in Jassem, local groups obtained personal documents and papers in the possession of the group’s militants issued by security bodies of the Syrian government, he noted.
“How could those [ISIS militants] issue such documents and pass through security checkpoints of the government?” He wondered.
Bribes
From his part, a notable in the city of Daraa told North Press “Some [persons] in the area embraced militants of ISIS in return for money.”
He added that they were smuggled from Jassem to destabilize [the area] and carry out their crimes the last of which was the suicide attack that targeted the divan of a person of the family of al-Abazid.
The local notable denied any engagement of the government forces in the campaign against ISIS affirming that all fighters are people and honorable [locals] of Jabal al-Arab, as he put it.
Campaign’s aim
In turn, former Syrian diplomat and politician Bashar Ali al-Hajj Ali said, “It is normal that the Syrian regime try by every possible means to return to the governorate and to control it after Russia announced its withdrawal and support to its affiliated Eighth Brigade halted.”
Al-Hajj Ali indicated that the government could create any pretext to storm the settlement areas and liquidate its proponents; there is no stronger a pretext than to send ISIS militants to the area.
Meeting such a plan could attain a set of aims for the government; controlling the area, presenting itself as a counter-ISIS force and send messages to the neighboring countries on the necessity of adopting dialogue and to secure the reach out by Iran to the Jordanian borders under the clock of government forces.
The Syrian politician accused the government of facilitating the entry of the group’s militants to the area on the basis that there is no party in the area except for Syrian government forces and their allies.
Al-Hajj Ali called on the local factions to reveal the Syrian government and Iranian scheme by publishing facts [obtained on the ground] to media and to shed light on the actual reality that only the local fighters and those of the Eighth Brigade fight ISIS.
Al-Hajj Ali emphasized the necessity that local armed men to avert a military operation by the Syrian government forces in the area under “fighting terrorism” and to reveal the outcome of their military operation against ISIS.