A leader of Syria’s Druze minority has condemned attacks against his community after dozens of people were killed in two days of sectarian clashes south of Damascus.
Sheikh Hikmat al-Hijri on Thursday denounced the violence in Jaramana and Sahnaya near Damascus earlier this week as a “genocidal campaign” against the Druze community in Syria.
Syria’s Ministry of Information said 11 members of the country’s security forces were killed in two separate attacks.
The United Kingdom-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR), a war monitor, said at least 101 people were killed in fighting between security forces, allied fighters and local Druze groups.
The SOHR, which relies on a network of sources in Syria, said the death toll included 30 government loyalists, 21 Druze fighters and 10 civilians, including Sahnaya’s former mayor, Husam Warwar.
In the southern province of Sweida, heartland of the Druze minority, it said 40 Druze fighters were killed, 35 in an “ambush” on the Sweida-Damascus road on Wednesday.
The clashes broke out around midnight Monday after an audio clip circulated on social media of a man criticising Islam’s Prophet Muhammad. The audio was attributed to a Druze scholar. But the scholar, Marwan Kiwan, said in a video posted on social media that he was not responsible for the audio, which angered many Sunni Muslims.
On Wednesday afternoon, the Syrian government said a deal was reached between Druze dignitaries and official representatives after which security forces and pro-government fighters entered Sahnaya and Druze gunmen withdrew from the streets.
Videos on social media showed what appeared to be pro-government armed groups beating Druze men they had captured in Sahnaya and making offensive sectarian remarks.
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