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On June 14, unknown gunmen shot and killed Doctor Musa Qanbas, a member of the reconciliation committee in southern Syria, in front of his clinic in the town of al-Harra in the northwestern Daraa countryside, according to the Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA).
So far, no group has claimed responsibility for the assassination of Doc. Qanbas. However, Syrian pro-government activists believe that the newly formed Ahrar Tell al-Harrah Brigade may have been behind the crime. The group vowed to work against the Syrian Arab Army and Russia when it was first formed on May 4.
This is not the first attack on the members of the reconciliation committee in southern Syria. On June 2, three members of the committee named “Tufiq al-Ghunim”, “Mohamad al-Ghunim” and “Mufaq al-Bargas” were assassinated in the northeastern Daraa countryside.
According to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR), at least twelve members of the committee were assassinated by unknown gunmen during the last two months.
These public figures are being targeted for working with the Damascus government to reach a peaceful solution in the southern governorates of Daraa and al-Quneitra. Syria’s President Bashar al-Assad confirmed that such efforts are taking place during an interview on June 13 and said that Israel and the U.S. are working against them.
