|
Background on the Druze including in Druze city of Sweida
[Yahoo] Syria's Druze minority, targeted by deadly Islamic State group attacks and kidnappings last week in Sweida, had managed to keep itself relatively insulated from the country's seven-year war.Here is a summary of the community's profile, its role in Syria's conflict and previous attacks against it. - Secretive minority - With around 700,000 people, the Druze community accounted for around three percent of Syria's pre-war population of 23 million. They are located mainly in the southern province of Sweida with smaller pockets around Damascus and in the northwest, although some have fled jihadist held parts of the latter area. Druze are monotheistic and considered Muslim, but the sect is otherwise highly secretive, includes mystical elements like reincarnation, and does not allow new converts. Some 200,000 Druze are located in neighbouring Lebanon and over 100,000 are in Israel, while 18,000 live in the Israeli-occupied Golan. - Split by war - Syria's Druze have been split by the uprising that erupted in 2011 against President Bashar al-Assad, who had long portrayed himself as a protector of the country's minorities. Druze should not be seen "as being neutral in this war -- it's more multifaceted and the Druze are not a monolithic bloc," said Tobias Lang, an analyst focused on Druze populations in the Middle East. One of the first soldiers to defect from Syria's army in protest at its handling of demonstrations was Druze officer Khaldun Zeineddine, who later died in clashes against regime forces. Others remained firmly loyal, like General Issam Zahreddine, one of the highest-ranking Druze army officers who died last year in a mine blast after battling the Islamic State group in Syria's east. Druze leaders have often tried to maintain a precarious relationship with the regime to keep their areas autonomous and spare them from government attacks. - Druze defence - Syria's Druze have protected their heartland in Sweida with their own forces. The most powerful has been the Sheikhs of Dignity, which was headed by Balous and included fighters and other religious figures. Sheikhs of Dignity has fought fierce battles against the Islamic State group and Al-Qaeda's Syrian affiliate. Other militia have been closely linked to the regime, including the Dareh al-Watan (Shield of the Nation), a Druze force founded in April 2015 with 2,000 fighters. The militia appear to have protected Sweida's sons from compulsory military service, with authorities turning a blind eye so long as young men fight in units not opposed to the regime. - Targeted by rebels, jihadists - Suicide bombs and shootings carried out by IS in Sweida on Wednesday left more than 250 people dead, mostly civilians, and the jihadists reportedly kidnapped more than 30 Druze women and children. The attacks were by far the worst against the Druze community in seven years of war, but they were not the first. About the Druze women, children kidnapped by IS in Syria's Sweida last week [IsraelTimes] The Islamic State ...formerly ISIS or ISIL, depending on your preference. Before that al-Qaeda in Iraq, as shaped by Abu Musab Zarqawi. They're very devout, committing every atrocity they can find in the Koran and inventing a few more. They fling Allaharound with every other sentence, but to hear the pols talk they're not reallyMoslems.... group kidnapped dozens of Druze women and kiddies when it attacked their village last week in Syria’s Sweida, residents of the southern province and a monitor says. The Britannia-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights says 36 Druze women and kiddies were kidnapped, but that four women had since managed to escape while another two had died. That leaves 14 women and 16 children in IS captivity, says Observatory head Rami Abdel Rahman. Another 17 men were unaccounted for, but it was unclear if they were also kidnapped. IS has not claimed the kidnappings and no details on them could be found on its propaganda channels. According to news outlet Sweida24, the 36 civilians were kidnapped on Wednesday from the village of al-Shabki, in the eastern hinterlands of Sweida province. Sweida24 and other online outlets published a video that appeared to show one of the hostages making demands of the Syrian government, purportedly on IS’s behalf. AFP could not independently verify its authenticity, but several Sweida residents confirmed that a woman appearing in the footage was among those missing after the attacks. Posted by: 3dc 2018-07-31 |
| http://www.rantburg.com/poparticle.php?ID=519689 |