Security tension rises after Syrian Govt's storm of Wadi Barada in Damascus

The town of Kafr al-Awamid in the Wadi Barada region of rural Damascus witnessed widespread security tension late last night that is still ongoing.

The tension arose after dozens of vehicles belonging to the Syrian Interim Government Forces, heavily armed, stormed the town, sparking panic and fear among residents, particularly children and women, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, which published photos and videos of the incident.

According to local sources, the forces raided several homes under the pretext of searching for wanted individuals. During the raids, they conducted searches that included property damage and indiscriminate gunfire inside some houses.

The sources also reported that the forces assaulted several women, which caused a woman sustaining fractures, in addition to stealing gold jewelry and sums of money from some homes.

The forces closed the town's entrances and exits, preventing anyone from entering or leaving, amid a heavy security presence. Additional reinforcements arrived later, and two people were arrested on various charges, amid an atmosphere of intimidation and fear among the civilian population.

On October 29th, a similar attack occurred on al-Zahriyat residential area of Damascus, carried out by an armed group of more than 30 men led by a man known as "Abo Anas" and accompanied by "Abo Hudhayfa." They stormed the neighborhood, assaulting residents with beatings, verbal abuse, and insults, in addition to issuing threats to force them to evacuate their homes.

Sources indicated that the gunmen severely beat several young men with rifle butts, resulting in injuring five of them. Some of the injured were taken to hospitals, while others were forced to flee the neighborhood to escape the assault, however; security forces' interference to stop the abuses was completely absent.

J.J