Syria monitor says 9 killed in sectarian clashes as govt vows accountability
A Syria war monitor on Tuesday said nine people including six Druze fighters were killed in sectarian clashes near Damascus, as authorities blamed “gunmen” and vowed to pursue those involved.The overnight clashes, sparked by the circulation on social media of an audio recording deemed blasphemous, were met with condemnation from leaders of the Druze religious minority.The violence follows sectarian massacres last month in the Alawite coastal heartland that were the worst bloodshed since Islamist-led forces overthrew longtime president Bashar al-Assad in December.While seeking to present a more moderate image to the world, the new authorities must also contend with pressures from radical Islamists within their ranks.”Heavy clashes erupted in Jaramana after security forces and affiliated gunmen stormed” areas of the mostly Druze and Christian suburb of Jaramana, said the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitor.It added that the clashes erupted after “the circulation of an audio recording, attributed to a Druze citizen, containing religious insults”.AFP was unable to confirm the recording’s authenticity.The Britain-based monitor, which relies on a network of sources inside Syria, said six Druze fighters from Jaramana and three “attackers” were killed.The interior ministry reported “intermittent clashes between groups of gunmen”, adding that security forces “went to break up the clashes and protect the residents”.It reported unspecified casualties including among the security forces.”We affirm our keenness to pursue those involved and hold them to account,” it said in a statement, adding that investigations were also ongoing to identify who was behind the recording “insulting our Prophet Mohammed”.An AFP correspondent saw armed men deployed on the road to Jaramana and at its entrances.- ‘Full responsibility’ -“We will not be lenient in bringing to justice anyone who contributes to sowing chaos and undermining security,” the ministry statement added.Jaramana’s Druze religious leadership in a statement condemned “the unjustified armed attack” that “targeted innocent civilians and terrorised” residents.”We strongly condemn any insult against” the Prophet Mohammed, the statement said, calling the “fabricated” audio recording an attempt to “sow strife and division”.It said that the Syrian authorities bore “full responsibility for the incident and for any further developments or worsening of the crisis”.Local residents told AFP they heard gunfire and shelling overnight but that fighting had subsided by morning.A Jaramana resident, requesting anonymity due to safety concerns, told AFP that “we were trapped in our homes as the sound of intermittent gunfire continued”.”The children have not gone to school and the streets of our neighbourhood are empty this morning,” the resident added.Riham Waqqaf, a 33-year-old humanitarian worker, said she was staying home with her husband and children.She expressed worry that Jaramana “might turn into a battlefield… I am afraid of the situation escalating further”.Fighter Jamal, declining to provide his full name, said local armed groups had asked Jaramana residents to stay home “for their safety”.”Jaramana has not witnessed a day like this in many years,” he added.The area is also home to families displaced by Syria’s conflict which erupted in 2011.- Coastal violence -Security forces deployed in Jaramana last month following clashes between security forces and local gunmen tasked with protecting the area, the Observatory had said.Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz at that time warned the new Islamist-led authorities not “to harm the Druze” minority, which is also spread across Lebanon and Israel.Druze leaders rejected the Israeli warning and declared their loyalty to a united Syria.The clashes in Jaramana mark the latest test for the Islamist authorities, who have roots in the Al-Qaeda jihadist group but have vowed inclusive rule in the multi-confessional, multi-ethnic country.The authorities have been seeking to persuade Western capitals that the jihadist origins of the forces who toppled Assad are confined to the past, and that crippling international sanctions should be lifted.Some countries including the United States have said they would wait to see how the new authorities exercise their power and ensure human rights.Druze representatives have been negotiating with authorities on an agreement to integrate their armed groups into the new national army.Last month’s coastal violence saw security forces and allied groups kill more than 1,700 civilians, mostly Alawites, the Observatory had said. The government of interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa, whose Islamist group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) led the offensive that toppled Assad, accused Assad loyalists of sparking the violence by attacking security forces, and has launched an inquiry.burs-lar/lg/jsa
