Syria's Killing Spree: Targeted executions surge across multiple provinces

Shafaq News/ Multiple Syrian provinces recorded a surge in assassinations and executions due to a security vacuum and lack of accountability, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR).

In the past 72 hours alone, 12 attacks have resulted in the deaths of 14 civilians, including a child, in provinces such as Daraa, Homs, Idlib, Hama, Damascus, and Tartus, the Observatory reported.

“One of the most striking incidents took place in Tartus, where the bodies of two young men from the city of Drekish were discovered near Safita.” Both victims had been executed with gunshots, their bodies left near Tell al-Khadr after reportedly being kidnapped by unidentified assailants.

In Homs, SOHR reported that a man “was found beheaded and shot multiple times in the village of al-Kazimiyah," noting that the victim had previously received reassurances from armed groups associated with military operations.

Another killing in the province involved a 19-year-old who was found dead after going missing for several days.

In the capital, Damascus, the body of a young man was discovered at al-Muwasat Hospital on April 3. He had been abducted by two armed men at a makeshift checkpoint in the al-Wuroud neighborhood days earlier, before his disappearance.

SOHR also recorded that another incident in the Barzeh district saw a man fatally shot in “an execution-style killing.” The victim was identified as Jamil Mohammad Daqo, a relative of Hassan Mohammad Daqo, a known figure linked to drug trafficking networks in the region.

The province of Hama also witnessed violent attacks. On April 3, a man and a child were shot dead by gunmen in a silver Hyundai Santa Fe while traveling on a motorcycle to transport milk in the countryside of Salamiyah. Another man was killed under similar circumstances in Ghour al-Asi.

Meanwhile, Daraa, a province frequently affected by assassinations, saw two young men gunned down in separate incidents in the towns of al-Harah and al-Sanamayn.

SOHR has warned that these targeted killings, which have now spread across multiple regions, reflect "an alarming rise in lawlessness and impunity." The organization called for urgent measures to address the deteriorating security situation and prevent further civilian casualties.