Five civilians were killed and three others, including a child, were severely wounded in an attack on a civilian home in Syria’s southwestern Deraa governorate on 27 June.

According to the state-run Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA), the attack took place in Al-Sanamen City in Deraa’s northern countryside when unidentified gunmen opened fire on the home of the head of the city’s Agriculture Department.

The former secretary of the Baath Arab Socialist Party branch in Deraa, Kamal al-Atma, was among the victims.

No group has taken responsibility for the attack.

A wave of targeted killings have rocked Deraa governorate over the past several months. The attacks started after the Syrian Arab Army (SAA), with support of Russian troops, liberated the region from rebel armed groups late last year.

In April, another official affiliated with the ruling Baath Party was shot dead by unidentified gunmen in the city of Nawa, located in the western part of Deraa.

According to local reports, armed motorcyclists intercepted the car of Farid al-Amarin, then dragged him out and killed him.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) reported on 1 April that 41 people were killed in Deraa in the month of March as part of the wave of targeted attacks.

SOHR released a report on 31 March that revealed 117 attacks left 97 people dead in Deraa since the beginning of this year.

The killings have targeted many of those who have been involved in or supported the peace and reconciliation agreement brokered by Russia between the SAA and armed rebel groups in Deraa, as well as high-ranking security personnel and local council leaders.

The reconciliation process has been successful in de-escalating tensions across the country over the last year.

It has also led to Jordan re-opening its border crossing with Syria and the restart of trade between the two countries.