1st LD: 6 Syrian security personnel killed by suspected Druze militants in Swaida city

Suspected Druze militants killed six Syrian security forces in the predominantly-Druze province of Swaida on Saturday, just a day after deadly bombings killed a Druze spiritual leader antagonist to the Syrian regime, a monitor group reported.

While further details surrounding the incident are still forthcoming, activists reported a tense situation in Swaida after twin bombings a day earlier in the Druze city killed 33 people, including Sheikh Wahid al-Balous, a Druze spiritual leader and outspoken critic of the Syrian regime.

Al-Balous, who had advocated the neutrality and the non-alliance to any part of the Syrian conflict, had formed a militia in Swiada to defend that city from any attack by any party. He even secured arms to his followers and was said to have been supported by the Lebanese Druze leader Walid Junblat, another outspoken critic of the Syrian government.

He was said to have been coordinating indirectly with the rebels' Free Syrian Army in the nearby city of Daraa.

The spiritual leader had enjoyed a rising popularity in Swaida, as he also urged the Syrian youth there to stop joining the Syrian army in the mandatory service, vowing that he will "harshly" respond to any attempt of arrest of any young man in Swaida for the mandatory service.

After the Friday bombings, the followers of al-Balous burned cars in front of the government institutions there, amid pro-government reports that the security posts have not been stormed by the angry Druze.

Activists inside Swaida said the sympathizers of al-Balous destroyed the statue of late President Hafez al-Assad, the father of current President Bashar al-Assad, in Swaida.

They posted the photo of the statue surrounded with a cloud of rising dust and smoke.

They further said that the armed militants of al-Balous have also routed the Syrian soldiers manning checkpoints out of their positions and took control of the checkpoints, in the latest escalation in that key province.

Other spiritual leaders in the city were said to have been holding meetings with the young men there to contain the explosive situation before further escalation.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said "cautious calm" prevailed city.

The situation and the recent incidents in Swaida could not be independently confirmed due to the poor communication to the city on Saturday.

A day earlier, Sheikh Youssef Jarbu, a top Druze cleric, told the pro-government Sham FM that the aim of the blasts is to frame the Syrian authorities and create a gap between the people of Swaida and the Syrian government.

The Syrian cabinet condemned the blasts, saying it will not dissuade the Syrian people from continuing to defend their homeland alongside the Syrian army.

The governor of Swaida, Atef al-Naddaf, said the blasts aim to stir sedition in Swaida, which has remained largely calm during the country's long-running conflict.

The Druze minority, along with other minority groups in Syria, has emerged as supporters of President Bashar al-Assad, fearing the expansion of radical jihadist groups that showed no tolerance of minority groups in Syria.

However, the Druze support of the Syrian regime didn't stop them from criticizing the government's conduct in that city near the Jordanian borders. Endit