Three killed in shootings in south Syria's restless Daraa province

Four people were killed in a series of shootings and explosions in Syria's southern province of Daraa on Sunday.

Daraa province was the first area of Syria to rise up against President Bashar Al-Assad's rule in 2011 and became an opposition stronghold until it was recaptured by the regime and Russian forces in 2018.

It has remained restive since then, with ongoing attacks on regime checkpoints as well as assassinations of former rebels and sporadic anti-regime protests.

One man, identified as Ahmad Shukri Al-Sweidani, was shot dead in the city of Nawa in the west of Daraa province on Sunday, The New Arab's affiliate Syria TV reported.

Two other men, Abdullah Farrouh and Bashar Al-Atmah, were shot dead in the town of Sanamein in northern Daraa province. Armed men then attacked regime checkpoints in the area, reportedly in response to the killings.

A mine laid earlier in the Syrian conflict also exploded in Tafas in the west of the province, killing a fourth man, Mohammed Ahmad Ruweili, according to Syria TV.

An opposition media activist group called the Association of Free People of Hauran (another name for Daraa province) said that it had recorded the deaths of 39 people across the province, as well as 37 arrests, during the month of February.