Damascus, July 15, (dpa/GNA) – At least 40 people were killed in clashes between armed groups in the southern Syrian province of Sweida, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported Monday.
Among them were 27 members of the Druze minority and 10 Bedouins. Fifty people were also injured, some critically, it said.
The London-based war monitor which has been documenting violence in Syria since 2011, said the the violence continued overnight and on Monday morning.
A source close to the Syrian Ministry of Defence confirmed that four soldiers from the Syrian Arab Army had been killed and 15 wounded during operations to stop the ongoing clashes and protect civilians in Sweida.
The soldiers were reportedly targeted while attempting to de-escalate the fighting and secure areas affected by the violence, which has engulfed parts of eastern and western Sweida since Sunday. Some of the wounded are said to be in serious condition.
The Syrian Interior Ministry of the government in Damascus reported earlier, that there had been more than 30 deaths and around 100 injuries in several communities.
The government of President Ahmed al-Sharaa took control of the capital, after the overthrow of longtime ruler Bashar al-Assad about six months ago.
According to the observatory, the unrest began a few days ago with a robbery of a Druze youth on the highway between Damascus and Sweida.
According to the report, members of local tribes set up a checkpoint where they stopped the young man, brutally beat him, and robbed him before abandoning him in a deserted area.
Druze fighters then kidnapped Bedouins, leading to roadblocks on the highway and ultimately to violence in the area.
The Ministry of Defence sent military units to end the violence.
Some of the troops fought alongside the Bedouins, the observatory and some Druze activists reported.
Government soldiers are committed to protecting the civilian population, the ministry stated.
“Restoring security and stability in Sweida is a shared responsibility between the state and its citizens,” it said.
The government is working with Druze leaders and the governor of Sweida to calm the situation, it said.
The new government has promised a “Syria for all” in the sectarian country of around 23 million inhabitants.
In December, an Islamist-led rebel alliance led by al-Sharaa ousted al-Assad after years of civil war. Since then, the new leadership has sought to rebuild ties with the international community.
Internationally, the treatment of minorities in the new Syria is being viewed with particular scepticism. Like al-Sharaa and his companions, the majority of Syrians are Sunni Muslims.
Recurring outbreaks of partly sectarian violence in recent months, have fuelled fears among minorities including the Druze, Alawites, Shiite Muslims and Christians.
Three weeks ago, a previously largely unknown jihadist group claimed responsibility for a suicide attack on a church in Damascus, which killed at least 25 people and injured more than 60 others.
The Saraya Ansar al-Sunnah (Supporters of the Sunnah Battalions) group has threatened further attacks on religious minorities.
GNA