Unidentified gunmen targeted an officer in Syria’s Ministry of Defense on Wednesday evening, September 30, in al-Sanamayn (northern Daraa governorate), seriously wounding him after opening fire while he was driving his car.
Enab Baladi’s correspondent in Daraa reported that the shooting targeted Anwar al-Jundi, an officer in the Ministry of Defense’s 40th Division and a native of al-Sanamayn. He sustained injuries to his flank and hand and was taken to al-Sanamayn Military Hospital before later being transferred to Damascus for treatment.
According to the correspondent, this was the third attack of its kind in al-Sanamayn since the end of the latest security campaign in the area. It was preceded by two attacks targeting Fawzi al-Sharif and Mohammad Dhiab.
Enab Baladi’s correspondent reported at the time that Mohammad Ahmad al-Dhiab was killed on Monday evening, September 28, noting that he had been displaced to northern Syria before returning to al-Sanamayn following the fall of the former Syrian regime.
Two days earlier, Fawzi al-Sharif was killed in the same neighborhood, according to the correspondent. His father, Mohsen al-Haimad, a former commander in the former regime’s Military Security apparatus, was accused of killing his son.
Accusations in the area have been directed at armed groups affiliated with local commander Mohsen al-Haimad, according to the correspondent. The groups are based in al-Sanamayn’s western neighborhood.
The correspondent said security forces carried out an operation and raids in al-Sanamayn during September in an effort to curb the groups’ influence. However, the operation did not result in al-Haimad’s arrest or the neutralization of his group, leaving the city facing continued security tensions and repeated attacks.
Pursuit of Mohsen al-Haimad
The killings come amid continuing security incidents in al-Sanamayn, against the backdrop of a campaign targeting Mohsen al-Haimad, a former commander in the former regime’s Military Security apparatus who has been pursued by the Syrian government for months.
Al-Haimad is a former local commander in al-Sanamayn in the Daraa countryside. He led an armed group linked to the former Syrian regime’s Military Security branch and has been accused of involvement in assassinations and violations against civilians.
On September 17, clashes broke out in al-Sanamayn between security forces and an armed group affiliated with al-Haimad during a security operation to arrest a wanted man. Three Internal Security personnel were killed and others were wounded.
On September 19, Syria’s Internal Security forces announced the arrest of Walid al-Fallah, whom they described as one of the leading figures of the cell implicated in the killing of three security personnel in al-Sanamayn.
Enab Baladi’s correspondent in Daraa reported at the time that al-Fallah was considered the right-hand man of group leader Mohsen al-Haimad, adding that the arrest came as part of a security operation that continued for a second consecutive day.
The correspondent added that Syrian security forces arrested two other commanders in the group alongside al-Fallah, Ali al-Dhiyab and Qassem al-Laila, while group leader Mohsen al-Haimad remained in hiding.
Interior Ministry Takes Action
Interior Minister Anas Khattab told Enab Baladi on September 29 that continuing security operations were underway to clear southern Syria and Daraa of Islamic State cells, while providing details about a security operation targeting such cells in al-Sanamayn.
The minister said security forces had eliminated a number of cell leaders and countered their activities following a targeted security strike against Islamic State cells in al-Sanamayn. He added that efforts were continuing to pursue the remaining fugitives and those in hiding and bring them to justice.
Khattab added that these cells were longstanding groups active in the area, and that action against them had previously been postponed because of specific field conditions and considerations. Specialized security agencies later made what he described as a decisive decision to confront them directly after their activities exceeded acceptable limits.
The interior minister said the danger posed by these cells stems from the fact that their members are from the area, giving them detailed knowledge of its terrain, entrances and exits, and increasing their ability to inflict harm and evade detection compared with outsiders.
Khattab concluded by assuring residents that security operations were producing positive results that would soon contribute to greater stability in the area and a noticeable improvement in security conditions in the coming days.