Illustrative image.
On February 27, two soldiers of the Syrian Arab Army (SAA) 5th Division were shot and killed by unidentified gunmen in the western countryside of Daraa.
The soldiers were reportedly manning a checkpoint located on a road between the towns of Ain Thakar and Tasil. The gunmen fled the scene. No group has claimed responsibility for the attack, so far.
Last week, an identical attack took place in town of al-Sheikh Maskin in the northern countryside of Daraa. Similarly, two soldiers of the SAA were killed.
In the last few months, Syrian authorities stepped up their security operations in Daraa in order to put an end to these attacks. On February 27, two raids were reported in the towns of Jasim and Inkhil in the northern countryside of the governorate.
Government service members were not the only target of recent attacks in Daraa. Former rebel commanders in the governorate have been the target of an assassination campaign. The most recent target was Khaled Sultan al-Mahamid, a former field commander of the Revolution Army, who was gunned down in the town of al-Yadudah in the western Daraa countryside two days earlier.
Overall, the security situation in Daraa remains poor. The lack of sufficient cooperation between authorities and the locals is the main problem.
