Child killed,5 people injured in tribal clashes in Homs countryside

A seven-year-old child was killed and five people sustained varying degrees of injuries today after armed tribal clashes broke out between the Al-Maharsha and Al-Masabih clans, both belonging to the Amour tribe, in the city of Al-Sukhnah in the eastern countryside of Homs. The clashes erupted against the backdrop of a dispute over ownership of a plot of land.

The property dispute escalated into armed clashes involving the use of machine guns, resulting in the child succumbing to his injuries and five others being wounded. The injured were transported to nearby medical centers and hospitals to receive treatment.

Following the incident, a state of tension and heightened alert prevailed across Al-Sukhnah, amid fears that the clashes could resume and spread. Local residents appealed to the security authorities and the Badia Security Forces to intervene, contain the tensions, and prevent renewed gunfire.

According to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, the number of family and tribal clashes in areas under the control of Syria’s transitional government has reached 104 since the beginning of the current year. These clashes have resulted in 90 deaths and 192 injuries.