Clashes Between Ruling Islamists and Assad Supporters in Syria Leave Several Dead

Clashes between Islamists who have seized the capital of Syria and supporters of the ousted Bashar al-Assad government on Wednesday, December 26, resulted in the deaths of at least two Islamist fighters and injuries to several others. This was announced by temporary Syrian officials, according to the Associated Press. Details regarding how the clashes began are still unclear. Temporary Syrian officials reported that two fighters from the Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham group were killed. This group previously led a stunning attack that resulted in the overthrow of Assad's government on December 9. The power transition in Syria has been surprisingly calm, despite the fact that only a few weeks have passed since Assad fled the country and his forces and government collapsed. The rebels who overthrew Assad follow a fundamentalist Islamist ideology, and although they have promised to create a pluralistic system, it remains unclear how they intend to share power with others, if they have any such intention at all. Since the fall of Bashar al-Assad's government, dozens of Syrians, mostly from the Alawite minority community, which is a branch of Shia Islam to which Assad belongs, have been killed in retaliatory actions. In the capital, Damascus, Alawite protesters clashed with Sunni protesters, and gunfire was heard. The Associated Press could not confirm details regarding this gunfire. Alawite protests also emerged along the Syrian coast, in the city of Homs, and in rural areas of Hama. Some called for the release of former Syrian army soldiers who are now in prisons controlled by Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham. It appears that part of the Alawite protests was sparked by the release of a video on social media showing the burning of an Alawite shrine. Temporary Syrian officials insist that this video is old and does not relate to a recent event. Earlier on Tuesday, December 25, hundreds of protesters in Christian areas of Damascus took to the streets to protest the burning of a Christmas tree near the city of Hama in central Syria. Protesters shouted slogans in defense of Christian rights as they moved towards the Orthodox Church headquarters in Damascus. Journalists from the French news agency witnessed these demonstrations. Hundreds of Christians protested in Damascus against attacks on Christian sites.