Members of the the Druze Military Council, paramilitary group in Sweida, Syria on the 8th of March, 2025.
Emily Garthwaite for NPR
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Emily Garthwaite for NPR
The new government in Syria, formed after the fall of dictator Bashar al-Assad, is working to disband local militias to form one national army. But some groups are refusing to join. We meet one very well armed religious minority called the Druse. They say they’re afraid of sectarian attacks from the new government and will not be giving up their weapons.
