At least 10 gunmen were killed on Tuesday during clashes between pro- and anti-regime factions in the mainly Druze province of Sweida in southern Syria, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.
The clashes, which broke out in two villages in Sweden, also left nearly 20 other people injured, according to the NGO. Four opponents and six supporters of Bashar al-Assad’s regime are dead, according to the same source.
Tension has been rising in the province since Monday, due to the kidnapping of two anti-regime members.
The Syrian government is present in Sweden, where state institutions and security centers operate. The army is deployed a short distance from it.
The region experiences frequent kidnappings and murders, mainly committed by local criminal gangs. The smuggling, mainly of drugs and weapons, flourishes towards neighboring Jordan.
The province and city of Sweida, home mainly to members of the Druze minority, have been relatively unscathed since the outbreak of war in Syria in 2011, with the exception of attacks by rebels in 2013 and 2015 and by the Islamic State (IS) jihadist group in 2018, which claimed the lives of over 280 people.
Although some minorities joined the resistance at the start of the war, others continued to support the regime. The minority community, however, generally tried to distance itself; the Druze chose the role of balancers during the eleven years of armed conflict. Many of them carry weapons to defend their territories.
Source: AMPE
Source: Capital
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