Syrian Intelligence Patrol Ambushed In Northern Daraa (Video)

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On December 12, a patrol of the Syrian Air Force Intelligence Directorate (AFID) was ambushed in the town of Dael in the northern countryside of Daraa.

The patrol came under fire minutes after entering Dael. Heavy clashes broke out between intelligence officers and unidentified gunmen in the streets of the town. The patrol managed to withdraw from Dael only after the intervention of the Syrian Arab Army, who quickly dispatched several battle tanks and infantry fighting vehicles to the town.

Several AFID officers, gunmen and civilians were reportedly wounded during the clashes in Dael. Nevertheless, no one was killed.

Syrian opposition activists claimed that local fighters in Dael attacked the AFID patrol because it entered the town without coordination. However, some pro-government activities said that the ambush was indirectly orchestrated by ISIS cells in the town.

A day after the attack, a delegation from Dael met with senior officials from the government’s security committee in Daraa to de-escalate. The delegation reportedly refused any presence of the AFID in the town for unclear reasons.

The situation in Dael brings to memory what happened in the town of Jasim in the western Daraa countryside earlier this year.

Locals in Jasim refused the deployment of government forces in their town. Later, it was revealed that senior leaders of ISIS were hiding there. In mid-October, the terrorist group leader Abu al-Hasan al-Hashimi al-Qurashi was killed in the town during a security operation that was carried out by the Syrian military, intelligence and local fighters.

ISIS maintains a strong presence in Daraa. Many of the terrorist group commanders are still on the run in the governorate, including Mohamad al-Masalmah, “Hafu,” and Muayad Harfouche, “Abu Taja,” who escaped from Daraa city following a joint security operation that took place between August and September.

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