DAMASCUS: Syrian police imposed an overnight curfew in the city of Homs, state media reported, after unrest related to demonstrations that residents said were led by members of the Alawite and Shiite minority communities.
Some residents said the demonstrations were related to pressure and violence in recent days targeting members of the Alawite minority, a sect long considered loyal to former President Bashar al-Assad, who was overthrown by rebels on August 8. December.
Spokespeople for Syria’s new ruling administration led by the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) group, a former al Qaeda affiliate, did not immediately respond to requests for comment on the curfew.
State media said the curfew would be imposed for one night, from 6 p.m. local time to 8 a.m. Thursday.
The country’s new leaders have repeatedly vowed to protect minority religious groups, who fear that former rebels now in control could try to impose a conservative form of government.
Small demonstrations also occurred in other areas on or near the Syrian coast, where most of the country’s Alawite minority lives, including the city of Tartus.
The demonstrations took place as an undated video circulated on social media showing a fire inside an Alawite shrine in the city of Aleppo, with armed men walking around inside and posing near human bodies.
The Interior Ministry said on its official Telegram account that the video dated back to the rebel offensive in Aleppo in late November and that the violence was carried out by unknown groups, adding that whoever was circulating the video now appeared try to incite sectarian fighting.
The ministry also said that some members of the former regime had attacked Interior Ministry forces on Wednesday in Syria’s coastal area, leaving several dead and wounded.
Published in Dawn, December 26, 2024
