Syria launches probes into extrajudicial killings in Druze heartland - Region
The violence, which began on July 13 and ended with a weekend ceasefire, started with clashes between Druze fighters and Sunni Bedouin tribes but soon escalated, killing more than 1,300 people, mostly Druze, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitor.
Witnesses, Druze factions and the Observatory have accused government forces of siding with the Bedouin and committing abuses including summary executions when they entered Sweida last week.
The interior ministry on Tuesday condemned "in the strongest terms the videos circulating showing field executions carried out by unidentified individuals in Sweida".
For days, brutal videos on social media have appeared to show the execution of people in civilian clothing.
"These acts are serious crimes punishable by law with most severe penalties," the ministry statement said.
Authorities "have begun an urgent investigation to identify those involved" and arrest them, it continued, adding that "nobody is above the law".
According to the Observatory, the dead included 533 Druze fighters and 300 civilians from the religious minority, 196 of whom were "summarily executed by defence and interior ministry personnel".
The toll also includes 423 government security personnel, and 35 Sunni Bedouin, three of them civilians who were "summarily executed by Druze fighters", according to the Britain-based Observatory, which relies on a network of sources inside Syria.
Another 15 government personnel were killed in Israeli air strikes launched in support of the Druze, it added.
Separately, the defence ministry said Tuesday that it was looking into "reports of shocking and serious violations committed by an unidentified group wearing military uniform in Sweida city".
A committee would "investigate the affiliation and background of the individuals" involved, a statement said.
It added that groups from other areas "were present in Sweida city and carried out revenge operations there".
"No tolerance will be shown to any perpetrator of violations, even if they are affiliated with the defence ministry," Defence Minister Murhaf Abu Qasra was quoted as saying.
The announcements came hours after a committee investigating massacres of mostly Alawite civilians in March released its findings, including that it had identified people "linked to certain military groups and factions" among those involved in the bloodshed.
A ceasefire in Sweida took effect on Sunday, after Bedouin and tribal fighters withdrew from Sweida city and Druze groups regained control, while government forces deployed in parts of the province.
The United Nations said Tuesday it was relocating its staff and their families from the city, and that it had handed a new aid shipment to the Syrian Red Crescent destined for Sweida.
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