Damascus, Aug 10 (IANS): A roadside bomb explosion killed a TV reporter and three government soldiers in Syria's southern province of Daraa, media reported.

The incident occurred when a vehicle, transporting crew members from local SAMA TV and several government soldiers, was targetted by an improvised explosive device (IED) explosion in the al-Shayah region within Daraa's rural expanse, according to the state news agency SANA report on Wednesday.

Three soldiers and 31-year-old TV reporter Firas al-Ahmad were killed in the explosion, while another cameraman survived with injuries, it added.

The group had been returning from covering a campaign against drug smuggling along the border shared with Jordan, Xinhua news agency reported.

The Syrian Army had intensified its efforts to counter drug trafficking activities, particularly along the Syrian-Jordanian border amid neighbouring countries' concerns and requests to mitigate the flow of illicit substances.