Syria’s Sweida: a city of corpses and ruin as Druze reel from bloodshed
Survivors describe gruesome killings by Syrian troops, deepening distrust and raising fears for minority groups after days of intense fighting
One elderly man had been shot in the head in his living room. Another in his bedroom. The body of a woman lay in the street. After days of bloodshed in Syria’s Druze city of Sweida, survivors emerged on Thursday to collect and bury the scores of dead found across the city.
A ceasefire overnight brought an end to ferocious fighting between Druze militia and government forces sent to the city to quell clashes between Druze and Bedouin fighters.
The violence worsened sharply after the arrival of government forces, according to accounts to Reuters by a dozen residents of Sweida, two reporters on the ground and a monitoring group.
Residents described friends and neighbours being shot at close range in their homes or in the streets. They said the killings were carried out by Syrian troops, identified by their fatigues and the insignia on them.
Reuters was able to verify the time and location of some videos showing dead bodies, but could not independently verify who conducted the killings or when they occurred.
In a video statement early on Thursday, Syrian leader Ahmed al-Sharaa said that protecting the rights of Druze was among his priorities and blamed “outlaw groups” seeking to inflame tensions for any crimes against civilians.