Syrian security forces kill 2 in clash with former regime remnants: Ministry

ANKARA

A routine security patrol in the town of Najha, located in the Sayyida Zainab area south of Damascus, came under direct gunfire from armed elements believed to be remnants of Syria's former regime, the Interior Ministry said late Monday.

The attack prompted an immediate exchange of fire between security forces and the assailants, leaving two attackers dead and several others wounded, a ministry statement said.

No casualties were reported among security personnel.

Security forces cordoned off the neighborhood and launched an operation, uncovering weapons and ammunition abandoned by the fleeing attackers, Hussam Al-Tahan, security director of Damascus countryside, said in a statement cited by the country's official news agency SANA.

Since the fall of Bashar al-Assad’s regime, military authorities have opened reconciliation centers for former regime loyalists to surrender their weapons. However, some factions have refused to comply, leading to clashes in multiple provinces.

Assad, Syria’s leader for nearly 25 years, fled to Russia on Dec. 8, ending the Baath Party’s regime, which had been in power since 1963.

Ahmed al-Sharaa, who led anti-regime forces to oust Assad, was declared president for a transitional period on Jan. 29.

ANKARA

The attack prompted an immediate exchange of fire between security forces and the assailants, leaving two attackers dead and several others wounded, a ministry statement said.

No casualties were reported among security personnel.

Assad, Syria’s leader for nearly 25 years, fled to Russia on Dec. 8, ending the Baath Party’s regime, which had been in power since 1963.

Ahmed al-Sharaa, who led anti-regime forces to oust Assad, was declared president for a transitional period on Jan. 29.