A/HRC/45/31 A. Conduct of hostilities 14. In Dar’a and Suwayda’ Governorates, armed clashes resulted in civilian casualties. For example, on 1 March, the 4th Division and 9th Division of the Syrian Arab Army launched a ground attack on the town of Sanamayn in Dar’a Governorate. The offensive followed a series of arrests and killings by government and allied forces 19 and reprisals by armed groups who took Syrian Arab Army troops hostage. At least three civilians died due to indiscriminate shelling and rocket attacks on Sanamayn on 1 March by government forces, including an imam who was killed by rocket fire while performing the call to prayer and two other men who were killed by indirect fire, one in his home and one while visiting a relative. A number of injured persons were transferred to the military hospital in Sanamayn. The Commission also received reports of the summary execution of an 18-yearold male by members of the Criminal Security Department, and of government and allied forces deliberately destroying houses after having retaken the town. Clashes ended following the interposition of the Fifth Assault Corps, which negotiated the evacuation of members of armed groups in exchange for the release of Syrian Arab Army troops. 15. On 18 March, in Jallayn, Dar’a Governorate, indiscriminate mortar and rocket attacks by the Syrian Arab Army started at around 2 p.m., killing six civilians, including two children, and injuring one civilian. The shelling was described as originating from the bases of the 5th Division and the 175th Artillery Regiment in Izra’, as well as the military base located in the Municipal Stadium in the city of Dar’a. The incident followed tensions due to the establishment of checkpoints around Jallayn. In response to the checkpoints, members of the Central Negotiation Committee20 attempted to the approach Syrian Arab Army troops, reportedly to enter into discussions. When approaching the checkpoint, two of the Committee members were killed and one was injured. Subsequently, the checkpoint was attacked and Syrian Arab Army soldiers were killed. Following this attack, government forces shelled the town. 16. In late March, an incursion by the Fifth Assault Corps in Al-Qurayya, Suwayda’ Governorate, resulted in the killing of 10 civilians during exchanges of small arms fire. The incident followed a spate of kidnappings and retaliatory acts in the area that involved the Fifth Assault Corps, elements of the local armed groups affiliated to Yahya Raed Najm, 21 and civilians. The catalyst was the abduction of two cattle sellers from Busra al-Sham in Suwayda’ Governorate on 26 March. The next day, on 27 March, Druze villagers, who were armed but, according to multiple interviewees, not members of armed groups, intervened, allegedly to prevent further abductions. Eight villagers from Al-Qurayya were killed in exchanges of fire, and six were kidnapped. Days later, following the intervention of the Syrian Arab Red Crescent, the bodies of the six villagers were returned to their families; they had allegedly been executed by the Fifth Assault Corps. 17. Reports of targeted killings of individuals increased 22 across Dar’a and Suwayda’ Governorates during the reporting period, in what appeared to be retaliatory acts by numerous local armed actors. Reportedly, there were at least 53 such killings across Dar’a between January and June targeting medical professionals, political actors with both proand anti-government stances, judges, members of armed groups who had “reconciled” their status, and members of the security apparatus. In nearly all documented cases, the killings were carried out by men on motorcycles using small arms, rendering identification of the perpetrator difficult. For example, on 27 May, at around 8 p.m., an apparent ambush between Muzayrib and Tafas targeted Dar’a Central Committee members and their guard, 19 20 21 22 “Government and allied forces” denotes entities operating in the southern part of the Syrian Arab Republic – among others, the Syrian Arab Army, the Syrian intelligence apparatus, popular committees and the Fifth Assault Corps. The Committee comprises former armed group members, civilian activists, sheikhs and jurists, and acts as an intermediary between civilians, the Government and the Russian Federation. The leader of a local armed group. Although COVID-19 movement restrictions led to a decrease, the first half of 2020 nevertheless saw an increase in the number of reported targeted killings (see A/HRC/14/24/Add.6, paras. 8–10, for a definition) in comparison to previous years. 5