According to Reuters on Thursday, citing activists and local media, the death toll from clashes in the Al-Suwayda region in southern Syria has risen to 17 people.
In addition to the dead, dozens of people were injured in clashes that have taken place in recent days between local groups and groups associated with the Syrian regime. The Druze-majority province has remained largely immune to the bloody conflict that has engulfed the rest of the country since 2011, but there have been sporadic demonstrations due to extremely deteriorating economic conditions.
Ryan Maarouf, editor-in-chief of the local Suwayda 24 Network, said the population is growing frustrated and angry over arbitrary arrests, arbitrary roadblocks and kidnappings for ransom by Syrian regime-backed militants. As-Suwayda governorate saw an “armed uprising” described by observers and activists, during which “the largest of its kind” clashes erupted between local groups on the one hand and groups accused of links to the “Military Intelligence Department” Syrian regime , with another.
The clashes, which continued until Wednesday morning, led to the “Movement of Decent People” and “Liwa al-Jabal” taking control of the headquarters of the “Fajr Force Group”, led by the so-called “Raji al-Falhaout”. who, in turn, are accused by provincial activists and local faction leaders of links to the aforementioned “intelligence” unit. The repercussions of this story date back to last Saturday, after the “al-Falhaut group” abducted people from the town of Shahba in the northern countryside area of Swayda, which was met with counter-operations directed against the officers of the forces of the Syrian regime.According to Maaruf, the above events led to the blocking of the international road between Damascus and As-Suwayda for several days before the two sides reached an agreement on the release of prisoners on both sides. ” Rijal al-Karama is considered one of the most famous local bands and is very popular in Druze-dominated As-Suwayda.
