Assad’s forces released a child and his father two days after detaining them in Damascus, following an attack on a security center and military checkpoints in the Jaidour area, northern Daraa.
According to the Ahrar Houran local activist group, the regime freed Hassan Al-Halawiyah and his 13-year-old son, Ward, on Tuesday after their arrest in Damascus.
Al-Halawiyah, originally from the town of Jasim in rural Daraa, had traveled to Damascus to seek treatment for his son, who suffers from severe burns.
In response, local fighters attacked with light and medium weapons regime checkpoints, including the Al-Tayrah checkpoint between the towns of Inkhil and Jasim, the Samlin checkpoint in northern Daraa, and the State Security center in Inkhil.
A leader of the groups involved in the attacks told Ahrar Houran that the regime was forced to release Al-Halawiyah and his son after an escalation in attacks on military checkpoints in the Jaidour area and the blocking of roads in the region.
He added that the local groups acted in solidarity due to the humanitarian situation, especially considering the child’s severe burns.
This is not the first time Assad’s regime has been compelled to release detainees. Earlier this month, the regime freed Mohammed Al-Darawshah after he was detained while visiting his cancer-stricken child in a Damascus hospital. His release followed public pressure and attacks by armed groups on six regime checkpoints across Daraa province.
The Syrian Opposition Coalition (SOC) emphasized that Assad’s regime only responds to force. In light of the ongoing arbitrary arrests, torture, enforced disappearances, and demands for ransom in exchange for detainee releases, locals have resorted to attacking regime checkpoints and security centers or kidnapping regime officers to pressure for the release of their detained relatives.
(Source: SOC’s Media Department)
