Daraa
The death toll among General Security forces under Syria’s caretaker government has risen to eight following violent clashes in the city of Al-Sanamayn, located in the Daraa countryside in southern Syria.
A military source told +963 that three security officers were killed on Wednesday night during confrontations with the armed group led by Mohsen Al-Haimid. This brings the total number of General Security personnel killed in Al-Sanamayn to eight. In addition to the security casualties, two elderly civilians, Ali Abu Huweiya (Abu Faisal) and Hussein Al-Haimid (Abu Marwan), were also killed in the violence.
The clashes left six civilians wounded, including a child and a woman, as well as several security officers. Among the injured security personnel, seven are from the towns of Inkhil and Al-Hirak in the Daraa countryside. The wounded were transferred to hospitals in Damascus and the nearby city of Jasim for medical treatment. Local reports from “Daraa 24” indicate that among the slain security officers, four were from Al-Sanamayn, while another was from the town of Kafr Oweid in the southern Idlib countryside.
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A military source confirmed that nine members of the Al-Haimid group were killed, and 14 others were injured in the clashes. Two members of the group reportedly detonated explosive devices inside an elementary school after being cornered by security forces. Meanwhile, authorities arrested at least ten members of the group, including individuals identified as Ali Al-Kashki, Yaman Al-Haidouri, Qasem Al-Labbad, Ahmed Al-Labbad, Alaa Al-Labbad, Hikmat Al-Labbad, and Omar Al-Labbad.
The Ministry of Defense and General Security forces have now besieged Mohsen Al-Haimid and several of his fighters in a fortified location in Al-Sanamayn’s western district. Security forces are cautiously advancing, conducting operations to clear the area and evacuate civilians.
General Security, in cooperation with the Ministry of Defense, launched a large-scale security operation on Wednesday targeting the armed groups led by Mohsen Al-Haimid and Hashem Al-Kashki in northern Daraa. Security forces imposed a tight cordon around the militants’ hideout, deploying tanks and military vehicles to reinforce the operation. Authorities issued a two-hour ultimatum for the fighters to surrender following intense clashes.
During the operation, three General Security officers were killed, and ten others were injured, according to a military source. The deceased officers were identified as Laith Al-Thiyab, Adam Al-Labbad, and Mohammed Qabalan. Several others sustained injuries, some of whom remain in critical condition. The source emphasized that the primary goal of the operation was to dismantle armed cells and combat drug trafficking networks in the region.
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Both the Al-Haimid and Al-Kashki groups were previously affiliated with Syria’s Military Intelligence division under the former regime. The latest security operation came just hours after an armed attack in Al-Sanamayn resulted in the deaths of three commanders from the Al-Haimid group and left several others wounded.
On Tuesday, unidentified gunmen opened fire with automatic weapons on the group’s commanders while they were attending a funeral in Al-Sanamayn. The attack led to the deaths of Osama Al-Atmeh, also known as “Al-Ittis,” Ali Imad Al-Atmeh, and Nour Al-Jumaa, senior figures within the Al-Haimid group. Several others, including children, were wounded and transported to the Rusel Specialty Hospital in Al-Sanamayn for treatment.
The situation in Al-Sanamayn remains highly volatile as security forces continue operations to eliminate armed groups and restore stability in the region.