Eleven people have been killed in clashes in a Damascus suburb as armed groups attacked civilians and security forces, Syria’s official SANA news agency reported on Wednesday.

Since late Tuesday, armed groups have been firing on civilian and public security vehicles on the roads, while other assailants attacked a checkpoint in Sahnaya city, south of the capital, SANA reported.

Residents told DPA that machine guns and rocket-propelled grenades had caused damage to homes and cars and left many residents frightened for their safety.

Security forces had advanced to the centre of Sahnaya amid heavy gunfire to reach Druze-dominated neighbourhoods in the city, one resident said.

The clashes in Sahnaya came one day after violence erupted in the town of Jaramana, also near Damascus, sparked by an audio recording of a person insulting the Muslim prophet Mohammed.

At least 17 were killed in the Jaramana clashes, according to the UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

The recording was attributed to a member of the Druze community, sparking clashes between members of the Druze community and other groups.

On Tuesday, the interior ministry said they are still working to identify the person speaking in the recording.

A statement from the Druze community in Jaramana said the recording was fabricated to incite sedition.

Since the overthrow of long-time ruler Bashar al-Assad in December, Syria’s new Islamist leadership has called for unity and promised inclusivity, but deadly violence has repeatedly broken out.

In March, clashes erupted between Syrian security forces under the country’s new authorities and gunmen loyal to al-Assad in Syria’s western coastal region.

The fighting left hundreds dead. 

(dpa/NAN)