Syrian soldiers killed, wounded in separate attacks in Daraa governorate

A number of Syrian regime soldiers were killed and wounded in separate attacks in the southern Daraa governorate on Tuesday.

"An explosive device" targeted a patrol belonging to regime forces on the road linking the capital Damascus and Daraa, near the town of Al-Ghariyah al-Gharbiyah, killing one soldier and wounding two others, one activist told The New Arab’s Arabic language site Al Araby Al Jadeed.

State-run media in Syria said the attack targeted a patrol belonging to the Internal Security Forces, confirming that one person was killed while the wounded were taken to hospital.

Elsewhere in Daraa, in the town of Nawa, the head of the security studies department which belongs to the regime’s State Security Branch was also shot dead by unknown assailants.

The attack took place near the Al-Hajar Mosque in Nawa, where the attackers shot and instantly killed Abu Jaafar, according to the Daraa 24 website.

In another deadly incident, a Syrian officer in the regime’s military succumbed to his wounds on Tuesday after sustaining injuries in an attack the previous day.

The officer was targeted in a roadside attack in the northern countryside of the Daraa governorate, according to local media.

Insurgent activity remains high in Daraa, with frequent assassinations of regime security personnel and reconciled opposition fighters ongoing. The Syrian regime and former opposition fighters have also fought the remnants of the Islamic State group in the region.

Damascus recaptured the Daraa governorate from rebel fighters in 2018.

More than half a million people in Syria have died since the 2011 conflict erupted following a brutal crackdown by Bashar al-Assad's regime on pro-democracy protesters.

The war has also displaced millions of Syrians and has wrought economic and infrastructural havoc on the country.