Syrian regime forces kill 2 civilians in Daraa

TEL ABYAD, Syria

Two civilians were killed Monday in an attack by forces of Syria’s Bashar al-Assad regime in southwestern Daraa province.

Aymen Abu Nokta, a local activist, told Anadolu Agency that the attack was carried out after unidentified individuals targeted a vehicle of the regime's military security unit with an improvised explosive device (IED) on the road between the city of Nawa and the town of Al-Shaykh Saad.

Noting that three soldiers were killed, Abu Nokta said the Assad regime, which held the people of Nawa responsible for the attack, rained mortars on the city in retaliation.

He said two civilians including a woman were killed and 10 others wounded in the bombardment, which was carried out as students were leaving school.

Abu Nokta said the wounded were transported to a hospital in Nawa.

The Daraa al-Balad area was blockaded by regime forces on June 25 after residents, including former members of the Syrian opposition, resisted an order to surrender light weapons and allow regime forces to search homes in the area.

Daraa, known as the birthplace of the Syrian revolution, is home to 40,000 residents and was an opposition stronghold until 2018.

Syria has been ravaged by civil war since early 2011, when the Bashar al-Assad regime cracked down on pro-democracy protesters.