Syrian police impose curfew in Homs after unrest
26/12/2024 6:06
Syrian police have imposed
an overnight curfew in the city of Homs, state media reported,
after unrest there linked to demonstrations that residents said
were led by members of the minority Alawite and Shi’ite Muslim
religious communities.
Reuters could not immediately confirm the demands of the
demonstrators nor the degree of disturbance that took place.
Some residents said the demonstrations were linked to
pressure and violence in recent days aimed at members of the
Alawite minority, a sect long seen as loyal to former President
Bashar al-Assad, who was toppled by Sunni Islamist rebels on
Dec. 8.
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 was being imposed for one night,
from 6pm (1500 GMT) local time until 8am on Thursday morning.
The country's new leaders have repeatedly vowed to protect
minority religious groups, who fear that the former rebels now
in control could seek to impose a conservative form of Islamist
government.
Small demonstrations also took place in other areas on or
near Syria’s coast, where most of the country’s Alawite minority
live, including in the city of Tartous.
The demonstrations took place around the time an undated
video was circulated on social networks 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 on
Aleppo in late November and the violence was carried out by
unknown groups, adding that whoever was circulating the video
now appeared to be seeking to incite sectarian strife.
The ministry also said that some members of the former
regime had attacked interior ministry forces in Syria’s coastal
area on Wednesday, leaving a number of dead and wounded.
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