More than a dozen killed in sectarian clashes near Syrian capital

DAMASCUS (Reuters) - More than a twelve radical were killed successful a predominantly Druze municipality adjacent the Syrian superior connected Tuesday successful clashes sparked by a purported signaling of a Druze antheral cursing the Prophet Mohammad which angered Sunni gunmen, rescuers and information sources said.

The warring marked the latest occurrence of deadly sectarian unit successful Syria, wherever fears among minorities person been swelling since Islamist-led rebels ousted erstwhile person Bashar al-Assad from powerfulness successful December, installing their ain authorities and information forces.

Those fears spiked aft the killings of hundreds of Alawites successful March successful evident revenge for an onslaught by Assad loyalists.

The clashes began overnight erstwhile gunmen from the adjacent municipality of Maliha and different predominantly Sunni areas converged connected the mostly Druze municipality of Jaramana, southeast of Damascus, information sources said.

The fighting, with tiny and mean arms fire, near 13 radical dead, according to section rescue workers.

Among the dormant were 2 members of Syria's General Security Service, a caller information unit comprised mostly of erstwhile rebels, according to interior ministry spokesperson Mustafa al-Abdo.

Abdo denied that equipped gunmen had attacked the town, saying alternatively that groups of civilians angered by the dependable signaling had staged a protestation that came nether occurrence from Druze groups.

The Interior Ministry said successful a connection it was investigating the root of the dependable signaling and called for calm, urging citizens not to fto emotions pb to unit oregon harm to nationalist property.

Druze elders met with information forces successful a bid to forestall further escalation, a Syrian information root said.

"What was said by a fewer individuals against our Prophet represents lone them and is rejected by america and each of society," Druze spiritual person Sheikh Yousef Jarbou said, calling connected some communities to cull efforts to substance sectarian divisions.

Syria's astir 14-year warfare carved the state into assorted zones of influence, with the Druze - an Arab number who practise a religion primitively derived from Islam - arming themselves to support their ain towns.

The caller Islamist-led enactment successful Damascus has called for each arms to autumn nether their authority, but Druze fighters person resisted, saying Damascus has failed to warrant their extortion from hostile militants.

Community leaders blamed the authorities for failing to forestall Tuesday's onslaught and warned that it would carnivore work for immoderate aboriginal repercussions.

"The authorities are liable for preserving security," Rabei Munzir, a section Druze activistic successful Jaramana, told Reuters.

Neighbouring Israel has said that it was consenting to intervene successful Syria to support the Druze, thousands of whom besides unrecorded successful Israel and successful the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights, which Israel captured from Syria successful the 1967 Six-Day war.

(Reporting by Kinda Makieh and Firas Makdesi; Writing by Suleiman Al-Khalidi, Editing by William Maclean)