NEW DELHI: At least 20 people lost their lives in clashes on Sunday in Syria‘s Daraa province following an explosion killing a group of children, according to a rights monitor, AFP reported.
Daraa, known for its role in the 2011 uprising against President Bashar al-Assad, came under government control in 2018 after a ceasefire supported by Russia.
However, the province has been facing ongoing unrest since then.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported that Ahmed al-Labbad, a leader of an armed group, was accused by a rival group of planting the explosive device that claimed the lives of eight children in Sanamayn.
Despite denying involvement, Labbad faced retaliation from a rival armed group linked to military intelligence, resulting in further violence, including the burning of homes and casualties among Labbad’s family and fighters.
The clashes in Sanamayn were not immediately covered by Syrian state media, which attributed the earlier explosion to ‘terrorists’.
Daraa has been witnessing sporadic attacks, armed conflicts, and assassinations, with some incidents claimed by the Islamic State. The region has been marred by violence, with over half a million people losing their lives in the Syrian civil war since its onset in 2011, leading to massive displacements.