The people of the city of Shahba, As-Suwayda governorate, expelled the governor Amer al-Ashi from the funeral procession of the victims of the “Islamic State” (ISIS) suicide attack against the governorate yesterday.

An activist from the city, on the condition of anonymity, told Enab Baladi today (Thursday), July 26, that the people have expelled the governor and the political leadership, accompanying him, from the procession.

He attributed the action to the accusations directed at the Syrian regime for facilitating the entrance of “ISIS” to the governorate.

The “Islamic State” launched a surprising attack on the villages of al-Mtoneh, Shabki, Tarbah, Dama, Shurehi, al-Ghaitah, As Sweimreh in rural As-Suwayda.

ISIS-affiliated suicide bombers sneaked to neighborhoods in the city of As-Suwayda and opened fire and threw bombs at random before they detonated themselves.

The death toll of yesterday’s attacks reached 215 deaths and other 180 injured people, some of whom are in a critical condition, as reported by “Sham FM”, a local radio channel, quoting Hassan Amro, director of the Healthcare Department in As-Suwayda.

Enab Balad’s reporter in the governorate, however, pointed out that the number of documented casualties is 145 people so far.

The attack triggered a wave of anger in the governorate against the Syrian regime, which showed pride in its ability at expelling the “Islamic State” from the area through its different media outlets.

Today, the governor Amer al-Ashi told “Sham FM” that “all the villages in the eastern rural parts of As-Suwayda to which “ISIS” troops sneaked are completely safe, thanks to the Syrian Army and the governorate’s people’s cooperation”.

Nonetheless, “Suwayda24” network confirmed that “Shabab al-Jabal” (Youth of the Mountain) are the ones who combated the most violent attack on the governorate, which was not accompanied by an action on the part of the regime.

There are a number of local armed groups in the governorate of As-Suwayda, on top of which “Rijal al-Karama”: “Rijal al-Karama” movement appeared in 2012 and promoted itself as a “neutral” group among people. The movement “prohibits” all sorts of assaults against the governorate’s people, on the part of the Syrian regime against the Syrian revolutionaries or by terrorist groups such as “al-Nusra Front” and the like. The movement managed to present itself as a fait accompli through the power of arms. The movement suffered a drawback after the assassination of its leader and founder Waheed al-Bal’ous, who was killed in an explosion of a car bomb, an incident that enticed resentment against the Syrian regime. The movement, after a while, returned to action, rearranged its cards and named a new leader. The movement and its armed wing stood to the principle of neutrality during the regime’s last military campaign against Daraa, due to which Moscow classified it as “a “terrorist group”.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Syrian regime, last May, transported the “Islamic States’” troops from the Yarmouk Camp, southern Damascus, to As-Suwayda desert under a deal that was not declared officially.

The regime’s forces refrained from direct intervention in yesterday’s operations against ISIS and the resistance was all done by the local armed groups.