Illustrative image.
On January 18, unidentified gunmen attacked a checkpoint located near the town of Mlaiha al-Garbiah in the eastern countryside of Syria’s Daraa.
The checkpoint was manned by service members from the Syrian Arab Army (SAA) 52nd Brigade and the Air Force Intelligence Directorate.
The Horan Free League blog claimed that two service members were killed during the attack. Nevertheless, the Daraa 24 and other local news sources said that the attack did not result in any casualties.
The attack on Mlaiha al-Garbiah checkpoint may have been carried out by ISIS cells, who are known to be active in the eastern countryside of Daraa.
The situation in Daraa have been unstable. On January 16, an attack with an improvised explosive device that took place in the northern part of the governorate’s city center claimed the life of Mohamad Bassam Turki al-Masalmah, a local pro-government field commander who used to work with the SAA’s elite 4th Division.
Last year, Damascus and its allies made much efforts to secure Daraa. A Russian-sponsored reconciliation process saw thousands of wanted gunmen in the governorate handing over their weapons and settling their legal status. Still, more should be done to stabilize the governorate.
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