12 individuals killed in Syria’s Daraa in one week
DARAA, Syria (North Press) – In one week, 12 individuals, including civilians, were killed in the city of Daraa and its countryside, south Syria, indicating an increase in violence amid a state of security chaos.
On Thursday, seven individuals, including a doctor and five soldiers of the Syrian government forces, were killed in clashes in the city center of Daraa.
Local sources told North Press doctor Ali Barakat al-Saed was killed when he exited the private al-Shareq Hospital in the neighborhood of al-Kashef. He was hit with an indiscriminate bullet during clashes between two groups of the government forces.
In the same clashes, four other government soldiers were killed, they are Muhammad al-Masalama so-called Abu Dawla, Muhammad Bajboj so-called al-Rowaili and they are affiliated with Mustafa al-Masalama group of the Military Security Branch, Ahmad Fahed, a member of the government Military Security Branch, and a policeman who was not identified.
Other sources told North Press that Muhammad Lu’ay Sibeh, a former member in opposition factions who joined the Fourth Armored Division of the Syrian government, was killed by unknown gunmen in the town of Sayda.
Unknown attackers shot dead Abdulghafar Ziad al-Bardan, a member of local forces, in the town of Tafas in the western countryside of Daraa.
On Jan. 24, a local source told North Press that Mamdouh al-Azam and Qasem al-Odat were shot dead at a national park near the town of Tasil in the western countryside of Daraa.
On Jan. 22, a local source told North Press, “Mahmoud Iyad al-Amer, 14, was killed in an explosion of a landmine, which was planted during the war, while he was on an agrarian field close to Mhajjah in north Daraa.”
Earlier on the same day, local sources told North Press that Farid al-Idawi was killed by unidentified attackers in the town of Jassem in the northern countryside of Daraa.
Al-Idawi was civilian and had not joined any military or security formations, according to the sources.
A local source told North Press, “Rabi’ Safi al-Masalama was killed in an attack by unknown gunmen in the countryside of al-Nakhla, on the outskirts of Daraa.”
The source added that al-Masalma was a member of a cell affiliated with Islamic State (ISIS) operating under the leadership of Muhammad Abdulrahman al-Masalama, also known as Hefo.
In July 2018, the opposition armed factions and government forces reached a ceasefire agreement mediated by Russia in the opposition-held areas in Daraa Governorate. Under the deal, those 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).
In 2021, Daraa Governorate went through an 80-day siege. 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 government security posts in the towns of the governorate.