Jaramana: Calm has been restored to the densely populated suburb of Jaramana near the Syrian capital Damascus as of late Sunday, local sources told Anadolu. The end of tensions came after talks between security forces under the country's Interior Ministry and local leaders.
According to Anadolu Agency, Tahir Mohammad Omar, the police chief of the Damascus countryside, inspected the police station where members of the General Security Forces and local armed militias called the Jaramana Shield Brigade were being held. Musab al-Shami, a security official from Damascus's outer agricultural region of Eastern Ghouta, reported to Anadolu reporters at the Jaramana police station that the events started with the killing of Ahmed Al-Khatib, an employee of the Defense Ministry. Shami noted that the tension increased after some individuals attacked the police station, but an agreement with the locals and their leaders allowed security and police forces to return to their posts.
Shami emphasized that cooperation with the people of Jaramana will strengthen in the coming days. He assured that those acting outside the law will face justice and expressed gratitude to the Jaramana community for their role in maintaining security. Images captured by an Anadolu team in the district center confirmed that life had returned to normal.
The tensions began Friday evening when a dispute resulted in the killing of a member of the Syrian security forces and the wounding of another by an armed militia linked to the former regime at a checkpoint. Jaramana, located approximately 60 kilometers (37.2 miles) from the Israeli border, is home to Druze, Christians, and Sunni and Shia Muslims.
The incident comes in the wake of significant political changes in Syria. Bashar al-Assad, Syria's leader for nearly 25 years, fled to Russia on Dec. 8, ending the Baath Party's regime, which had been in power since 1963. The following day, Ahmed al-Sharaa, the leader of the new Syrian administration who was appointed president on Jan. 29, tasked Mohammed Al-Bashir with forming a government to oversee Syria's transitional period.