Attackers kill road safety officer in Daraa — Jerusalem Post

In Syria’s Daraa province, armed men attacked a checkpoint in the Busra al-Sham area on October 25. A road safety officer was killed and another was injured. The Jerusalem Post reports, citing the Syrian state news agency SANA.

According to SANA, internal security units arrived at the scene after the attack, engaged in a firefight and detained the suspected attackers. Syrian authorities said they are continuing to investigate the circumstances and motives of the attack.

Attacks on security personnel

The incident in Daraa occurred after another attack reported by SANA on October 13. At that time, three road safety officers on patrol were killed on the Salamiyah–Ithriyah highway in the eastern part of Hama province.

Daraa was one of the major centers of the uprising against Bashar al-Assad’s regime, which began in 2011. The province experienced years of division during the civil war, and armed attacks remain an obstacle to Damascus’s efforts to strengthen control over the region.

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Road blockade in Suwayda and operation near Damascus

Tensions persist in the neighboring province of Suwayda. SANA claims that local armed groups blocked the main highway between Suwayda and Damascus at the Umm al-Zaytoun checkpoint. Representatives of the Druze community rejected these claims.

According to the Syrian state media’s account, about 100 workers were unable to get to work because of the movement restrictions. Earlier, such restrictions also, according to SANA reports, prevented students from traveling to take national exams. Suwayda Governor Mustafa al-Bakur said on October 18 that living and security conditions had worsened, accusing armed groups of kidnappings, threats and obstructing efforts to resolve the situation.

At the same time, Syrian security forces were conducting an operation against a suspected ISIS cell in Rankus, about 45 kilometers north of Damascus. According to Rudaw, two internal security officers were killed and another five were wounded during the operation. Security forces said five suspected militants were killed, six were detained, and weapons and explosive belts were seized.