Hikmat al-Hijri, a Druze sheikh, called on the international community on Thursday to intervene to protect the Druze community in Syria.
In a statement, al-Hijri said, "We ask the international community, with all its organizations, bodies, and institutions, to see this disregard and the obfuscation of all the suffering we are experiencing. We do not need words, but actions. We are not advocates of secession, and we will never be. Rather, we advocate actual participation and the establishment of a democratic federal state project that preserves our dignity, guarantees the freedom of the nation and its citizens, and maintains security."
He added, "We issue this urgent appeal to expedite the work of the committees under international supervision to protect the population and save them from an inevitable fate, one that we do not accept, nor do we accept to be annihilated. Rather, we live and continue to live, and we develop a future vision for our country."
Al-Hajri stated, "We no longer trust a body claiming to be a government. The government does not kill its own people with the help of its takfiri gangs, and after the massacres, it claims to be outlaws. We do not trust the presence of its members among us because they are merely bloody killing machines, kidnappings, and distorting the facts. Seeking international protection is a legitimate right for a people decimated by massacres."
He added, "This systematic killing is clear, exposed, and documented. It does not require committees like those formed for the crimes committed in the Sahel. Rather, it requires the immediate intervention of international forces to maintain peace, prevent the continuation of these crimes, and halt them immediately. We issue this urgent appeal to expedite the protection of an innocent, defenseless people."
Al-Hajri's statement came hours after the cessation of military operations in southern Damascus following clashes that erupted Monday night and Tuesday morning in the Jaramana area and spread to the Ashrafieh Sahnaya area the day before yesterday. This followed the circulation of an audio recording that included insults to the Prophet Muhammad, attributed to a Druze sheikh. The recording led to the deaths and injuries of dozens, including security personnel.
The controversial cleric heads a military militia called the Military Council, whose ranks include thousands of Druze fighters. However, the greatest threat facing al-Hajri emerged during the bloody events in the town of Ashrafieh Sahnaya when clashes spilled into the Sweida province between tribal elements in the Druze-majority province, who halted reinforcements and fighters attempting to advance toward the southern suburbs of Damascus.
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