Eight armed members of the Islamic State (IS) jihadist group, including their leader in this area, were killed yesterday in Deraa province, southern Syria, in battles with local armed groups, a non-governmental organization said.

The situation in the province, the cradle of the uprising against Bashar al-Assad in 2011, remains volatile, despite the return of regime forces in July 2018 thanks to a reconciliation deal.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights spoke of eight armed associates of IS who were killed yesterday Sunday, including their “leader”, in “battles between local factions and an organization accused of declaring allegiance to IS in Nawa”.

The slain local leader, originally from the province, was said to have been tasked with “strengthening the ties between cores” of the jihadist group in the southern part of the country, the UK-based NGO, which relies on a wide network, added sources in Syria.

“Eight Daesh (IS acronym in Arabic) terrorists were eliminated in the city of Nawa, Daraa province, including the alleged leader of Hawran,” the official Syrian news agency SANA reported.

Former rebels in Deraa province had accepted a deal proposed by Russia, Damascus’s main ally, in which they were allowed to keep their light atomic weapons.

Attacks, armed conflicts, killings of fighters loyal to the government, former rebels, and even civilians working for the state often occur in it. IS has claimed responsibility for some of the attacks.

On November 30, 2022, IS confirmed the death of its previous local leader, who was killed in October in Deraa, also in clashes with local militants.