Members of Syria’s security and military services have been detained as part of an investigation into sectarian violence in the southern province of Sweida in July that left hundreds of people dead, investigators said Sunday.
The head of a Syrian committee investigating the violence in Sweida held a news conference in the capital, Damascus, to talk about progress made, but did not release a death toll, saying this will come in the final report that is expected by the end of the year.
In mid-July, armed groups affiliated with Druze spiritual leader Sheikh Hikmat al-Hijri clashed with local Bedouins, spurring intervention by government forces who effectively sided with the Bedouins. Hundreds of civilians, mostly Druze, were killed, many by government fighters.
Close
Syrian security forces near Sweida in July. Credit: Bakr Alkasem/AFP
Syrian security forces near Sweida in July. Credit: Bakr Alkasem/AFP
Judge Hatem Naasan, head of the investigative committee, said they have listened to people affected by the violence, including “witnesses and victims.”
Naasan told reporters in Damascus that members of security services and the military, “who were proven to have committed violations based on investigations of the committee and videos posted on social media platforms,” have been detained.
Naasan downplayed suggestions that foreign fighters took part in the violence in Sweida. He said that some foreign fighters were detained and questioned, adding they acted on their own by entering the city, and none of them were members of the Syrian armed or security forces.