14 including 5 civilians killed in Syria’s Daraa in week
DARAA, Syria (North Press) – During the current week, the city of Daraa and its surrounding witnessed continuation of security chaos and murders in tandem with ongoing clashes between local armed groups and militants of Islamic State Organization (ISIS).
North Press, since early this week up to Friday, has documented the killing of 14 individuals, including five civilians, two government soldiers, five armed men and two ISIS militants, in different areas in Daraa and its countryside.
Different killing incidents
On November 5, a local source told North Press, Rashwan al-Bardan and Ibrahim Ahmad al-Bardan were shot dead by unidentified attackers in the town of Tafas in the western countryside of Daraa.
The source added that Rashwan had served as a chief of Tafas police station during Syrian opposition era, and then he joined the government settlements after the latter regained control over the area in 2018.
On the same day, Bassem Ahmed al-Abazid died in a hospital in the capital, Damascus, after being injured as a result of an explosion of a remnant of war on November 3 in the al-Arbaeen neighborhood of Daraa, sources close to al-Abazid family said.
On November 6, a local source told North Press that unidentified gunmen, who were riding a motorbike, shot dead Muhammad Mahmoud al-Share’, a soldier of the Syrian government forces, in the city of Nawa in the western countryside of Daraa.
A day earlier, Amin Jado al-Rifa’i succumbed to his injuries he sustained in an attack by unidentified attackers in the city of al-Sanamayn in the northern countryside of Daraa, he was transferred to the National Hospital in Daraa where he died.
A local source told North Press that al-Rifa’i was accused of dealing with the government security apparatuses and drugs’ trading.
Pursuing ISIS continues
In light of the ongoing state of unrest in Daraa al-Balad for two weeks, clashes between local armed men and ISIS militants have not ended yet.
On the back of the ongoing clashes between the two parties in Sad Dam neighborhood, five armed men, two ISIS militants, a journalist and a civilian were killed.
The identified ISIS militants were Ihab al-Kur and Omar Abu Ouleiqa from the Muhammad al-Masalma group, who belongs to ISIS.
The local gunmen Muhammad Wahid al-Naser, from the town of Muzayrib in Daraa western countryside, Muhammad Musa al-Falouji and Muhammad Safwan Bagboug were also killed in the clashes erupted on November 5. All three served in the ranks of the Syrian opposition armed factions and underwent the Russian-mediated 2018 agreement, the source noted.
Also, Ahmad Ali Fallaha, who hails from Daraa camp died on the same day.
In July 2018, the Syrian opposition armed factions and Syrian government forces reached a settlement agreement mediated by Russia in the opposition-held areas in Daraa Governorate. Under the deal, the opposition militants who agreed to hand over their heavy weapons were handed a settlement card and allowed to stay in Daraa, while those opposed the agreement would go to Idlib, which is under the control of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS, formerly al-Nusra Front).
Local sources told North Press, “Media activist Atef Shabli al-Saadi was caught up and severely wounded while he was covering the hostilities in Dam Route neighborhood.”
He later died when he was undergoing surgery at one of the private hospitals in the city,” the sources added.
On November 9, Fawozi Awad al-Masalma was shot dead in his house in the same neighborhood due to the clashes between the armed men and ISIS militants.
On the same day, Muhammad Ahmad Turki al-Bardan, a member of the local groups who hails from Tafas, was killed in the clashes in Dam Route in Daraa al-Balad.