A personal disagreement between local fighters and Syrian security forces personnel in northern Daraa has led to bloody clashes between the two sides.
The clashes broke out late in the evening on June 27, when a number of fighters of the 5th Corps assaulted a checkpoint near the town of Mahajjah as a result of personal differences that have escalated over the past two weeks.
Two of the attackers, identified as Tewfik al-Hamad and Hassan al-Qadah, were shot dead by security forces at the checkpoint.
The checkpoint’s personnel also suffered two casualties, Maj. Ali Mualla of the Syrian Arab Army (SAA) 5th Division and Ahmad al-Sabah, an officer of the General Intelligence Directorate.
Maj. Ali Mualla on the left side and Ahmad al-Sabah on the right.
After the clashes subsided, the 5th Corps dispatched a large force to Mhajjah to retrieve the bodies of its dead fighters. The SAA also deployed reinforcements around the town and secured the perimeter of the checkpoint. The situation in the region is now completely calm.
This unprecedented incident came amid a series of attacks against the 5th Corps fighters and Syrian service members in Daraa. Earlier that day, a fighter of the 5th Corps was assassinated in the eastern Daraa countryside.
