Clashes between Islamists who took power Syria and supporters of the fallen president Bashar al-Assad The government killed two Islamist fighters on Wednesday and wounded others, according to interim officials.
Details about how the fighting broke out and who incited the confrontation were not immediately known. Interim officials in Syria say two fighters killed Hayat Tahrir al-Shamor HTS, which led the superb offensive that toppled Assad earlier this month.
The transition in Syria has been surprisingly smooth, but it has only been a few weeks since Assad fled the country and his administration and forces melted away. The insurgents who toppled Assad are rooted in fundamentalist Islamist ideology, and while they are committed to creating a pluralist system, it is unclear how or whether they plan to share power.
Since Assad’s fall, dozens of Syrians have been killed in acts of revenge, according to activists and observers, the vast majority of them from the minority Alawite community, a branch of Shiite Islam in which Assad belongs to.
In the capital, Damascus, Alawite protesters clashed with Sunni counter-protesters and gunshots were heard. The Associated Press could not confirm details of the shooting.
Alawite protests also took place along the Syrian coast, in the city of Homs and in rural Hama. Some called for the release of soldiers from the former Syrian army now imprisoned by HTS.
The Alawite protests were reportedly partly sparked by an online video showing the burning of an Alawite shrine. Interim authorities insisted the video was old and not a recent incident.
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Sectarian violence has erupted in bursts since Assad’s ouster, but nothing like the level feared after nearly 14 years of civil war that has killed about half a million people. The war has fractured Syria, creating millions of refugees and displacing tens of thousands across the country.
This week, some forcibly displaced Syrians began returning home, trying to rebuild their lives. Shocked by the devastation, many discovered little remained of their homes.
In the northwest region of Idlib, residents were repairing shops and sealing damaged windows on Tuesday, trying to bring back a sense of normalcy.
Idlib city and much of the surrounding province have for years been under the control of HTS, led by Ahmad al-Sharaa, formerly known as Abu Mohammed al-Golani, once allied with al-Qaeda, but is the scene of incessant repression. attacks by government forces.
Hajjah Zakia Daemssaisid, who was forcibly displaced during the war, said returning to her home in rural Idlib was bittersweet.
“My husband and I spent 43 years of hard work saving money to build our house, only to find out it was all wasted,” the 62-year-old said.
In the dusty neighborhoods, cars passed with luggage strapped to them. People stood idly in the streets or sat in empty cafes.
In Damascus, new Syrian authorities raided warehouses on Wednesday and confiscated drugs such as Captagon and cannabis, used by Assad’s forces. A million Captagon tablets and hundreds of kilos of cannabis were set on fire, interim authorities said.
Albam reported from Damascus, Syria, and Alsayed from Idlib, Syria.
© 2024 The Canadian Press