A reported theft on a Damascus highway has developed into a major sectarian conflict in postwar Syria. A Bedouin group kidnapped and abused a Druze merchant who was traveling from Damascus to Suwayda on July 11 through sectarian language and intimidation before they left him severely injured. The single violent encounter between groups triggered a prolonged conflict which forced 30,000 people to flee while demonstrating how weak communal bonds remain in Syria's southern regions.
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