ISIS mercenaries linked to Suweida attack

Coming from the depths of the Syrian desert, specifically the Tulul al-Safa area, ISIS mercenaries joined the so-called "Tribal Mobilization," primarily composed of fighters from the Syrian Transitional Government's Ministries of Defense and Interior, to participate in the Suweida attack, according to several informed military and local sources reported to ANHA Agency. 

The Tulul al-Safa area, east of Suweida, is a rugged volcanic region bordered by the Badia al-Sham desert to the north and the Hammad desert to the south. It is one of the main strongholds of ISIS mercenaries, who use it as a base for launching attacks on nearby cities and villages. The sources indicated that the primary goal of ISIS's involvement in the attack was to seize as many weapons as possible under the pretext of "spoils," as well as looting the contents of residents' homes to finance their activities.

Additionally, the mercenaries aimed to spread their extremist ideology among the participating groups, using the chaos as free propaganda to recruit new members, particularly from displaced individuals working within the Transitional Government's Ministry of Defense.

U.S. Warnings

Earlier, Washington warned of a "security weakness threatening the credibility of the Syrian Transitional Government," according to U.S. Secretary of State Mark Rubio. In a post on the X platform, he stated: "If the authorities in Damascus want to maintain any chance of achieving a unified, peaceful Syria free from ISIS and Iranian control, they must use their security forces to prevent ISIS and violent jihadists from entering Suweida and committing massacres."

Detailed Evidence:

Despite the clear events in Suweida, including field executions, sectarian-based killings of civilians, and the open display of ISIS symbols and slogans by many attackers, a detailed analysis revealed additional evidence confirming ISIS mercenaries' involvement.

Notably, several documented videos from Suweida showed that most perpetrators of the killings and executions wore watches on their right wrists, a behavior rooted in the ideology of ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, who appeared with a watch on his right wrist during his first sermon in Mosul in 2014. ISIS fatwas consider wearing a watch on the left wrist as "imitating infidels," making the right wrist "preferred" in their extremist ideology.

In a recent documented incident, an ISIS mercenary broadcast a video showing the burning of a large building in a rural agricultural area of Suweida, accompanied by the phrase: "The lone wolves roam, punish, capture, and burn."

Additionally, the mercenaries announced via their channels the death of Mustafa al-Melihan (from Lebanon) during his participation in the Suweida attack, sharing images confirming his presence in the area.

Public Rejection and Local Warnings

 On July 13, dozens of residents from the town of Tsil in rural Daraa protested against the presence of former ISIS mercenaries within the security apparatus, warning of the danger they pose to the local community. A statement issued by the "Saraya Ansar al-Sunna" mercenaries on July 15, one day before the so-called "Tribal Mobilization" began, declared: "We will repeat what we did before, killing and punishing the Druze community in Suweida." Despite this explicit threat, the Transitional Government's Ministry of Interior took no preventive measures and continued to treat "Ansar al-Sunna" as a "fictional" entity.

Attackers Adopt ISIS Ideology

Syrian journalist Rawad Bilan, a Suweida native, spoke to ANHA Agency via virtual communication, confirming that the attackers, consisting of members from the Ministries of Interior and Defense and the so-called "tribes," carried a systematic ISIS and extremist ideology. Their primary goal was to commit as many civilian killings as possible to achieve a sectarian massacre. Bilan noted that ISIS flags were openly raised in front of Transitional Government forces participating in the attack, with many fighters wearing ISIS symbols on their shoulders, which are openly sold in Damascus markets.

Bilan directly accused the Syrian Transitional Government of orchestrating the attacks, stating that the military operations were conducted under the supervision and guidance of the Ministry of Defense, with logistical support from the Ministry of Interior, which controls the roads leading to the conflict zones. He described the events in Suweida and its countryside as "sectarian genocide and organized crime," holding the government responsible for the bloodshed.

Suweida Residents' Demands

Bilan stated that the most prominent include sending an independent international investigation committee to document the crimes and hold perpetrators accountable, ensuring no involvement of Transitional Government-affiliated entities to guarantee justice. He also called for the deployment of international forces to protect the administrative borders of the province, forcing all attacking parties to cease fire, and allowing the entry of humanitarian aid and Red Cross personnel instead of the Red Crescent, which he described as "infiltrated by the authorities and used to bring loyalist members into Suweida."

Casualty Toll

The documented casualty toll from the morning of July 13 until the preparation of this report reached 1,339 deaths, mostly Suweida residents, resulting from clashes and field executions, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

 a.k

ANHA