Violence grips Syria’s Druze heartland after killing of protester

Druze gunmen attacked security sites in Syria’s southern province of Suweida after regime forces shot dead a pro-democracy demonstrator earlier this week.

The assailants, belonging to several militia opposed to President Bashar Al Assad, exchanged fire on Thursday with regime forces at intelligence branches, police stations and ruling Baath party compounds, members of the opposition said.

“Some buildings were hit with rocket propelled grenades. There was damage but no casualties,” one of the sources said.

The mostly Druze province has been an anomaly throughout the 13-year Syrian civil war. Many residents armed themselves at the onset of the conflict but stayed on the sidelines and mostly refused to serve in the military while also not actively attacking the state.

The balance of power contributed to the Assad regime refraining from the use of deadly force to quell demonstrations in Suweida, which were renewed in August last year, after the economy deteriorated.

However, Jawad Al Barouki, a protester, was shot dead on Wednesday in front of a security building in the province’s eponymous capital.

Suhail Thubian, an influential figure in the six-month protest movement, cautioned that peaceful disobedience should be adhered to.

“Violence will ruin every thing,” he told The National.

Mr Thubian spent six years in prison under Hafez Al Assad’s presidency in the 1980s and 1990s for being a Communist opponent of his rule.

“The non-violent course will continue,” he said after attending the funeral of Mr Al Barouki in Suweida city.

The funeral was held at a large hall, and attended by Sheikh Hammoud Al Hinnawi, a senior member of a triumvirate that comprises the religious leadership of Syria’s Druze.

Mr Thubian said that after the funeral of Mr Al Barouki, mourners marched to the main square of Suweida to continue their act of civil disobedience.

In 2010, the year before the Syrian revolt broke out, the Druze population made up about 3 per cent of Syria’s 22 million people.

The Druze population is concentrated in Suweida and in the Damascus suburb of Jaramana. It is among the most educated social groups in the country, as well as one of the most secular.

The 2011 protests turned into armed conflict within a year, after security forces suppressed the protest movement in a clampdown that killed thousands of civilians.

The Druze are also a transnational minority, with a presence in Lebanon, Jordan and Israel, where they comprise a small but significant component of the military.