Clashes between regime forces and local gunmen in Rankous town leave nearly 25 persons dead

Activists provided the Syrian Observatory with details of the bloody incident that took place in the early hours of Wednesday morning, in Rankous town in the Western Qalamoun.

The activists informed SOHR that a regime informant delivered information to the regime forces about the presence of local opposition militiamen in the town.

These gunmen have no ties with the factions, but they refused to have their security situations settled with the regime or to leave to Idlib and preferred to stay in the area’s barren mountains.

Accordingly, heavily armed regime forces with tanks and armored vehicles stormed areas in the town, where clashes flared up between both parties and lasted until dawn.

The clashes resulted in the killing of one regime officer and three other soldiers as well as the regime informant. Nine local gunmen of those who used to stay in the town for late hours, were also killed.

After these clashes, other local gunmen came from the barren mountains and attacked regime checkpoints in the town, leaving ten regime soldiers dead.

A state tension and high alertness is prevailing in the town along with campaigns of raids and inspection being carried out by the regime forces.

On December 12, SOHR sources reported hearing gunfire with light machineguns near “Al-Burj Al-Tibbi” checkpoint that is affiliated to “State Security Branch”.

Local sources informed the Observatory that unknown assailants attacked checkpoints of the regime forces at the outskirts of Douma city in Rif Dimashq.

No information about casualties has been reported so far. After the incident, security alertness prevailed in the area.