Syria’s new rulers, rebels who led the rebellion that overthrew longtime ruler Bashar al-Assad in December, have struggled to maintain security for the country’s minorities, despite urging national unity and inclusivity.
The clashes were prompted overnight after an audio clip was circulated on social media attacking the Prophet Muhammad. The recording was attributed to a Druze leader.
Attackers from the nearby town of Maliha and other predominantly Sunni areas converged on the mostly Druze town of Jaramana.
The Interior Ministry reported casualties following “intermittent clashes between groups of gunmen”, adding that security forces “went to break up the clashes and protect the residents”
“We affirm our keenness to pursue those involved and hold them to account,” it said in a statement.
Among those killed were two members of Syria’s General Security Service, a new security force comprised mostly of former rebels, according to ministry spokesman Mustafa al-Abdo.
Six Druze fighters from Jaramana and three “attackers” were also killed, according to the United Kingdom-based monitor Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.
A statement by the Druze community in Jaramana denounced the “unjustified armed attack” and condemned the audio recording, insisting it was fabricated “to incite sedition and sow division among the people of the same nation”.
“I categorically deny that the audio was made by me,” Druze leader Marwan Kiwan said in the video statement. “I did not say that, and whoever made it is an evil man who wants to incite strife between components of the Syrian people.”
