7 Syrian Servicemen Killed, 3 Injured in Bomb Explosion in Daraa Province, Security Source Says

It was reported the previous day that Syrian armed forces and law enforcement agents were taking measures to ensure security and order in the province of Daraa, where terrorist activity has recently increased.

Seven Syrian servicemen died after a bomb blew up their car on Wednesday night, according to a source from security agencies. Three other officers were injured.

According to the source, the explosion occurred on the road linking the villages of Nafia and Ain Zakar. The explosive device was said to have been planted on the road.

On Wednesday, Syrian Army units, accompanied by Russian military police, entered Daraa al-Balad, the southernmost city in the province, and the last stronghold of armed criminal groups in southern Syrian.

Situation in Daraa

The situation in the province - that came back under government control in 2018 - has become more tense over the summer as parts of the province, including Daraa al-Balad, remain under the control of local criminal militants. Clashes with Syrian Army units resulted in four deaths among Syrian servicemen, another eight were wounded.

On 1 September, a new agreement on local reconciliation was reached. It involved, among other things, the possibility of "rehabilitating" the status of those militants who agreed to surrender their weapons. Militants who refused to lay down their arms were obliged to leave Daraa, and were given buses with which to do so by the government.

The Syrian Army in Daraa Province on the border with Jordan

© Sputnik / Mikhail Alayeddin

/

Go to the mediabank

Last week, illegal armed groups in Daraa violated the agreement, stating that they are not going to comply with its terms and refusing to surrender their weapons. The announcement came after authorities gave them 40 buses to travel to northern Syria or Jordan.

At least 93 militants laid down their arms and acquired new social status, according to the report. The agreement was arranged on Sunday with mediation on the part of the Russian side.