LAGOS JULY 15TH (NEWSRANGERS)-At least 30 people have been killed and nearly 100 wounded in fierce clashes between local militias and tribal factions in southern Sweida province, according to Syria’s Interior Ministry.
The violence, which erupted over the weekend, continued on Monday as government forces deployed to restore order were drawn into confrontations with local armed groups.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a UK-based war monitor, reported a higher toll, stating that at least 50 people had died in the fighting, including two children and six members of the security forces.
The unrest began with a series of tit-for-tat kidnappings between members of the Druze religious minority and Sunni Bedouin clans.
According to the observatory, hostilities were triggered when Bedouin tribesmen set up a checkpoint, where they allegedly attacked and robbed a young Druze vegetable vendor.
That incident sparked retaliatory abductions on both sides.
“Some clashes occurred with outlawed armed groups, but our forces are doing their best to prevent any civilian casualties,” Interior Ministry spokesperson Noureddine al-Baba told state-run Al-Ikhbariya TV, confirming that security forces entered the city early on Monday.
The Interior Ministry called the situation a dangerous escalation, blaming the deterioration in security on “the absence of relevant official institutions,” which it said had deepened the chaos and hindered the local community’s efforts to restore calm.
African News
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