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Ethnic clashes between the Sunni Bedouin community and Druze militants have killed at least 89 people in Syria's southern province of Sweida.
Among the dead were 46 Druze, 18 Sunni fighters, 14 civilians and 7 unidentified people in military uniform, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. It is said that the identity of the remaining 4 deceased is yet to be ascertained.
The clashes began on Sunday after a group of Bedouin kidnapped a Druze vegetable trader on the highway to Damascus. The incident led to a series of kidnappings in response to the armed conflict. As the clashes continued until Monday, "mortars" were hit in the villages and dozens of civilians were injured, the news agency "Sweida 24" reported.
After the clashes, Sweida is deserted and shops are closed. Eyewitnesses have said that even when they were burying the deceased, the firing took place. Abu Tayam, a 51-year-old local resident, said, "Ammunition has been falling randomly for two days, we are in extreme panic."
claims to have attacked tanks but has not given details of the incident. The Syrian government's defense and interior ministries have pledged to mobilize troops, secure passage for civilians and end the violence quickly. Spiritual Druze leaders in Sweida have called on Damascus to intervene to control the situation. But prominent religious leader Sheikh Hikmat al-Hijri refused the entry of security agencies and demanded "international protection".
