Flashpoint Sweida: Government Gears up as clashes rage between tribes and militias
According to reports in the area, tribal troops moved into some parts of Sweida before pulling back early Friday morning. They then regrouped around the city to wait for help from other tribe areas in Syria. The violence got worse after attacks on Bedouin villages made things worse.
As the leader of Syria's Tribal and Clans Council, Sheikh Abdul Moneim Al-Nassif called for all tribes to rush to Sweida to "rescue civilians" from what he called a killing of local Bedouins.
As a result, the Interior Ministry has started to send in troops to restore order and protect the people living there, according to a Syrian security source who stated that they had received requests from people in the province.
Tribal fighters had earlier started a counteroffensive in western rural Sweida, retaking towns like Taara, Al-Dour, and Al-Mazraa. This was done in response to claims that Druze armed groups attacked Bedouins after the government pulled its troops out.
According to state media, illegal groups attacked the Maqous neighborhood, which was home to Bedouin families. They killed and hurt many citizens, including women and children. Bedouins' homes and neighborhoods were also set on fire.
Along with the over 500 families who have left their homes because of violence and damage, more than 1,000 Bedouin people are said to be being held in the town of Shahba.
Sheikh Hikmat Al-Hijri, a well-known Druze imam, asked the Syrian government to send in military troops to stop more killing. He said in a video message that no one group should be blamed for the bloodshed and that unity and tolerance were very important.
Syria troops quit Druze heartland after violence leaves over 500 dead.
The city of Sweida was desolate on Thursday, AFP correspondents on the ground report, with shops looted, homes burnt and bodies in the streetshttps://t.co/clVJZFIrlp pic.twitter.com/2TjAHW4TRO
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