Syrian police impose curfew in Homs after riots By Reuters

DAMASCUS (Reuters) – Syrian police have imposed a night-time curfew in the city of Homs, state media reported, following unrest there linked to demonstrations that residents say were led by members of armed groups. Alawite and Shi’ite religious minorities.

Reuters could not immediately confirm the demands of the protesters or the extent of the chaos.

Some residents said the demonstrations were linked to the crackdown and violence in recent days directed at members of the Alawite sect, a sect long seen as loyal to former President Bashar al-Assad, who overthrown by Sunni Islamist rebels on December 8.

Spokesmen for the new Syrian regime led by the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) group, a former al Qaeda affiliate, did not immediately respond to requests for comment on the timing of the move. come home.

State media said the curfew was imposed overnight, from 6pm (1500 GMT) local time until 8am on Thursday morning.

The country’s new leaders have repeatedly vowed to protect religious minorities, who fear that the former rebels who now rule may seek to impose an Islamic form of government.

Smaller demonstrations also took place in other areas on or near the Syrian coast, where most of the country’s Alawite minority lives, including in the city of Tartous.

The protests came as an anonymous video was shared on social media showing a fire inside an Alawite shrine in the city of Aleppo, with armed men circling inside and standing nearby. and the human body.

The Ministry of Interior said in its official Telegram report that the video began during the uprising in Aleppo in late November and the violence was carried out by unknown groups, adding that anyone who He published the video and now he seems to want to instigate the conflicts between the groups.

The ministry also said that some members of the former regime attacked the forces of the Syrian Interior Ministry in the Syrian coastal area on Wednesday, leaving many dead and wounded.