Syrian rebels and Assad’s supporters clash, leaving 2 fighters dead – National

Clashes between Islamists who took over Syria and supporters of deposed president Bashar Assad government killed two Islamic fighters on Wednesday and wounded others, according to temporary officials.

The details of how the fighting broke out and who instigated the confrontation were not immediately known. Interim officials in Syria said that two fighters were killed Hayat Tahrir al-Shamor HTS, which led the stunning offensive that toppled Assad earlier this month.

Syria’s transition has been surprisingly smooth, but it’s only been a few weeks since Assad fled the country and his administration and forces disappeared. The rebels who ousted Assad are rooted in fundamentalist Islamist ideology, and while they have vowed to create a pluralistic system, it is not clear how or if they plan to share power.

Since Assad’s fall, dozens of Syrians have been killed in reprisals, according to activists and monitors, the vast majority of them from the minority Alawite community, an offshoot of Shiite Islam to which Assad belongs.

In the capital, Damascus, Alawite protesters clashed with Sunni counter-demonstrators and gunshots were heard. The Associated Press could not confirm the details of the shooting.

Alawite protests also took place along Syria’s coast, in the city of Homs and the countryside of Hama. Some called for the release of soldiers from the former Syrian army who are now imprisoned by the HTS.

The Alawite protests were apparently sparked in part by an online video showing the burning of an Alawite shrine. The interim authorities stressed that the video was old and not a recent incident.

Sectarian violence has erupted in bursts since Assad’s ouster, but nothing close to the level feared after nearly 14 years of civil war that killed an estimated half-million people. The war broke Syria, creating millions of refugees and displacing tens of thousands throughout the country.

This week, some Syrians who were forcibly displaced began walking home, trying to rebuild their lives. Shocked by the devastation, many found little remains of their homes.

In the northwestern Idlib region, residents repaired shops and sealed damaged windows on Tuesday, trying to restore a sense of normalcy.

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The city of Idlib and a large part of the surrounding province has been under the control of the HTS for years, led by Ahmad al-Sharaa, formerly known as Abu Mohammed al-Golani, formerly aligned with al-Qaeda, but has the scene been of relentless attacks by the government forces.

Hajjah Zakia Daemessaid, who was forcibly displaced during the war, said returning to her home in the Idlib countryside was bittersweet.

“My husband and I spent 43 years working hard to save money to build our house, only to find it all gone to waste,” the 62-year-old said.

In the dusty neighborhoods, cars with luggage on top drove up. People were conveniently standing on the street or sitting in empty coffee shops.

In Damascus, Syria’s new authorities raided warehouses on Wednesday, seizing drugs such as Captagon and cannabis, used by Assad’s forces. A million Captagon pills and hundreds of kilos (pounds) of cannabis were set on fire, authorities said at the time.

Albam reported from Damascus, Syria, and Alsayed from Idlib, Syria.

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