Unknown assailants assassinated Nabil Amer, a member of the reconciliation committee between Daraa and Suweida governorates, increasing tensions that have been riling southern Syria in recent days, despite uncertainty over who carried out the killing.
A number of Suweida residents and social media pages mourned Amer’s death. The killing was met with anger, as he was considered an important public figure in Suweida.
Journalist and activist Maher Sharafeddine, from Suweida, said that a, “kidnapping gang in Suweida was responsible for killing Nabil Amer, a national figure, while he was working on his land.”
Suweida 24 reported via its Facebook page that, “Nabil Amer, who comes from the village of Walgha, was found killed under mysterious circumstances on land that he owned in the outskirts of the town of Thaala in western Suweida governorate, and his car was stolen.”
The network quoted a medical source as saying that the cause of death had been a severe blow to his head.
Amer was considered a notable figure in Suweida, and often wrote on his Facebook page calling for an end to security, economic and social deterioration, and to prevent conflict in southern Syria between residents of Daraa and Suweida.
He was also a member of the Social Committee for National Action in Suweida.
Amer’s killing comes amid tensions in southern Syria after an armed group from Suweida kidnapped an elderly man named Nawwaf al-Hariri between the villages of Taarah and Dweirah in rural northwestern Suweida three weeks ago.
The kidnappers demanded a ransom of 10 million Syrian pounds for his release.
Afterwards, a group of notables from the Houran region released a statement calling for the formation of a committee of civil notables to find a solution to the problems between Daraa and Suweida, on the condition that Hariri be released.
This article was translated and edited by The Syrian Observer. The Syrian Observer has not verified the content of this story. Responsibility for the information and views set out in this article lies entirely with the author.
