Syrian rebels intensify security in Damascus

Syrian insurgents intensified their security measures on Thursday in Damascus after clashes erupted between Islamists now in power and supporters of Bashar Assad.

Convoys of armed insurgents were deployed at the entrances of Damascus city.

Clashes between Islamists who took over Syria and supporters of ousted President Assad’s government killed six Islamic fighters on Wednesday and wounded others, according to a British-based war monitor.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the fighters were killed while trying to arrest a former official in Assad’s government, accused of issuing execution orders and arbitrary rulings against thousands of prisoners.

The fighters were from Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, or HTS, which led the offensive that toppled Assad earlier this month.

In the capital, Damascus, Alawite protesters scuffled with Sunni counter-protesters and gunshots were heard.

The Associated Press could not confirm details of the shooting.

Alawite protests also took place along the coast of Syria, in the city of Homs and the Hama countryside.

Syria’s transition has been surprisingly smooth but it’s only been a few weeks since Assad fled the country and his administration and forces melted away.

The insurgents who ousted Assad are rooted in fundamentalist Islamist ideology, and though they have vowed to create a pluralist system, it isn’t clear how or whether they plan to share power.