The Syrian Observatory For Human Rights

After arresting tens of citizens and evacuating others from their villages, the regime forces reduce their presence at al-Lajat and pull some of the vehicles and checkpoints from the area

Daraa Province, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights: al-Lajat area in the northeastern countryside of Daraa is witnessing a better security conditions, where sources confirmed to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights that the regime forces have withdrawn from positions and checkpoints in al-Lajat and other villages, but stayed in some other villages, and on the roads between the villages of al-Lajat area, and even more in areas in the vicinity of al-Lajat area in the northeastern countryside of Daraa, and these withdrawals came after by wide-scale raids and arrests by the regime forces in the past days, where the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights published on the 7th of August 2018 that the regime forces and gunmen loyal to them are continuing to clamp down on the citizens and residents of Al-Lajat area, in the north-western sector of Daraa countryside, where local sources informed the Syrian Observatory that tens of residents were taken by the regime forces from their houses and were transported from villages in Al-Lajat area, under the pretext of declaring the villages, of which residents were brought out, as a military zone, and to secure Khalkhala Military Airbase, which was subjected few days ago to a violent attack by the “Islamic State” organization, during which it managed to kill 7 members of the regime forces and gunmen loyal to them, and caused damage and destruction to the equipment inside the airbase, which is located at the administrative border of the north-western countryside of Al-Suwaidaa with the north-eastern countryside of Daraa, while the Syrian Observatory monitored yesterday, that resentment is prevailing the province of Daraa, specially the north-eastern sector of its countryside, as a result of the ongoing raids for the 4th consecutive day, by the regime forces and gunmen loyal to them, and the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights learned that the resentment escalated after gunmen loyal to the regime, sources said that they are decedent from the villages of the north-western countryside of Al-Suwaidaa which is adjacent to Al-Lajat area in the north-eastern countryside of Daraa, had stormed Al-Shiyah village and other areas in its vicinity, and raided the houses, while locals accused these members of abusing and insulting the citizens, in addition to beating and swearing at women and inspecting them in search for money and jewelry.

The Syrian Observatory published today, Monday the 6th of August 2018, that the regime forces released about 250 detainees from al-Lajat area in the northeastern countryside of Daraa, out of the 370 who were arrested after a raid on the 3rd, 4th and 5th of August 2018, who were arrested on the pretext of searching for “cells of the Islamic State” organization after the violent attack that targeted Khalkhala Airbase, and being under rocket shelling and attack by a group of members of the Organization, which killed at least 7 members of the regime forces and militiamen loyal to them, the SOHR also monitored on the 4th of August 2018, that citizen women and locals from the area of Yarmouk Basin accused the regime forces and gunmen loyal to them, of “undressing the women during the inspection”, and the citizen women confirmed in their accusations, that the regime forces and their allies were searching for jewelry and money, and they turned to “undressing the women” while they were bringing them out of Yarmouk Basin, in order to make sure that they do not smuggle money, which provoked the resentment of the residents against this incident.