Druze elder says external groups threaten Damascus suburb
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ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - A Druze elder from the Jaramana suburb south of Damascus said on Monday that external 'unchecked' armed groups are threatening the area while locals have secured the city after sectarian violence left over 113 dead.
'The threat isn't from the city, the threat is from outside the city, where some unchecked [armed] elements are present outside the city of Jaramana. They present a danger to the city, Fahad Haydar, a Druze elder of Jaramana, told Rudaw.
According to Haydar, the security situation in Jaramana has stabilized with the presence of local Druze councils and religious bodies.
Tensions boiled over in southern Syria last week after an offensive audio clip about the Prophet Muhammad initially attributed to a Druze cleric triggered sectarian anger. The audio, later discovered to be fake, sparked violent confrontations in the Druze and Christian majority suburb of Jaramana.
The conflict later spread to the nearby Sahnaya and Ashrafiyat Sahnaya. According to the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, at least 113 people were killed in the clashes.
Jaramana police chief Hussam al-Tahan assured that the security situation in the area remains stable.
'The security [forces] are spread across Jaramana city,' said Tahan. 'There are no armed elements outside the law. The situation is good, there is good civilian movement, and good trade flow in the city.'
After the fall of Assad, the Rijal al-Karama (Men of Dignity) Movement became one of the largest armed groups in Suwayda, playing a key role in protecting the local population, ensuring security, and organizing local militias to safeguard the Druze-majority province from external threats and internal corruption.
'The agreement was on organizing weapons in the city… not handing them over, but including them under the defense ministry and interior ministry,'
On Wednesday, the state-run SANA news agency reported that the governors of Rif Dimashq and Suwayda, along with Druze 'dignitaries and social figures,' reached a 'preliminary agreement' for a ceasefire in both Jaramana and Ashrafiyat Sahnaya.
However, Suwayda24, an outlet focused on southern Syria's Druze-majority province, said the meeting ended 'without a clear agreement, except for some non-binding points,' including a full ceasefire and a joint committee to address the aftermath of the clashes.
The Druze leadership has condemned Damascus. In early April, the spiritual leader of Syria's Druze community, Hikmat al-Hijri, denied having made any agreements with Damascus, accusing the current government of being 'extremist in every sense of the word.'
Solin Mohammed contributed to this report.
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