Syria: at least a dozen killed in sectarian clashes near Damascus

At least a dozen people were killed in a predominantly Druze town near the Syrian capital on Tuesday in clashes sparked by a purported recording of a Druze man cursing Prophet Muhammad, which angered Sunni Muslim gunmen, said rescuers and security sources.

Reuters reported that the fighting marked the latest episode of deadly sectarian violence in Syria, where fears among minorities have been swelling since former president Bashar Al-Assad was ousted in December. Opposition groups installed an interim government to replace the Assad regime.

Such fears spiked after the killing of hundreds of Alawites in March in apparent revenge for an attack by Assad loyalists. Assad’s support base was found among members of the Alawism sect.

The latest clashes began overnight when gunmen from the nearby town of Maliha and other predominantly Sunni areas converged on the mostly Druze town of Jaramana, south east of Damascus, said security sources. The fighting, with small and medium arms fire, killed 13 people, according to local rescue workers.

Among the dead were two members of Syria’s General Security Service, a new security force comprised mostly of members of former opposition groups, according to interior ministry spokesperson Mustafa Al-Abdo. He denied that armed gunmen had attacked the town, saying instead that groups of civilians angered by the voice recording had staged a protest that came under fire from Druze groups.

The Interior Ministry said that it was investigating the origin of the recording and called for calm, urging citizens not to let emotions lead to violence or damage to public property.

Druze elders met with security forces in a bid to prevent further escalation, said a security source. “What was said by a few individuals against our Prophet represents only them and is rejected by us and all of society,” explained Druze religious leader Sheikh Yousef Jarbou, who called on both communities to reject efforts to fuel sectarian divisions.

Syria’s nearly 14-year civil war carved the country into various zones of influence, with the Druze — an Arab minority who practise a religion originally derived from Islam — arming themselves to defend their own towns.

The new Sunni-led leadership in Damascus has called for all arms to fall under their authority, but Druze fighters have resisted, saying Damascus has failed to guarantee their protection from hostile militants.

Community leaders blamed the government for failing to prevent Tuesday’s attack and warned that it would bear responsibility for any future repercussions. “The authorities are responsible for preserving security,” Rabei Munzir, a local Druze activist in Jaramana, told Reuters.

Neighbouring Israel has said that it is willing to intervene in Syria to protect the Druze, thousands of whom also live in Israel and in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights, which Israel captured from Syria in the 1967 Six-Day war.

READ: ‘US continues to closely monitor the actions of the Syrian interim authorities’: Envoy