"The killing of a Bedouin couple just south of Syria's third largest city Homs threatened to spark another round of sectarian clashes in the country this week. The couple, found dead on Sunday, were from the prominent Sunni Bani Khaled tribe. On the walls next to their bodies, their apparent murderers had scrawled sectarian slogans. Homs, a city known for its diverse religious makeup, was on edge. Tribal members mobilised and reportedly began shooting at homes in Alawite-majority neighbourhoods."
"Security forces from the Minister of Interior and Defence deployed to the area and, in tandem with some tribal leaders, calmed the situation. A curfew was imposed by Syrian authorities. The government appears to have acted quickly to ease tensions, particularly after the violent response to the killing from some tribal members in Homs's Alawite neighbourhoods. No casualties were officially reported, though monitoring groups said there were dozens of injuries."
Security deployments by Syrian Interior and Defence forces, supported by tribal leaders, prevented a wider outbreak of sectarian violence after the murder of a Sunni Bani Khaled Bedouin couple near Homs. The killings, accompanied by sectarian graffiti, provoked tribal mobilisation and reported shootings in Alawite-majority neighbourhoods, and prompted Alawite-led protests in Latakia and Tartous. Authorities imposed a curfew, arrested around 120 people linked to the violence, and reported no official fatalities though monitoring groups cited dozens of injuries. Previous sectarian outbreaks occurred in coastal areas in March and in Suwayda in July, underscoring persistent intercommunal tensions.
Read at www.aljazeera.com
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