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Ain Menin water dispute
Security tensions returned to Ain Menin in the Damascus countryside after a day of protests tied to drilling work on a water well, with residents blocking roads and security forces intervening to disperse gatherings.
“after protests that had taken place yesterday afternoon over a water-well issue”
Al Jazeera Net said residents held a sit-in on Friday to demand stopping the maintenance of one of the wells in the Be'arjel area lands, and that participants argued water was not distributed fairly.
The same report said residents moved to stop drilling after they learned that a drilling rig had begun deepening one of the wells in Be'arjel, before security forces arrived at the site.
Al Jazeera Net also reported that an eyewitness described clashes between security forces and angry protesters, followed by gunfire to disperse them, and that protesters blocked roads by lighting car tires.
Two versions of events
Islam Times said the Damascus Countryside Media Directorate explained that machinery work by the Water Authority falls under maintenance of its wells and not drilling new wells on private lands, while a Tall City Coordination statement said protests escalated into direct intervention to stop the drilling work.
Islam Times reported that the protests led to clashes between protesters and security forces, including an assault on several security vehicles, with gunfire in the air aimed at dispersing the crowd and closure of some roads inside the town.
The East Middle East newspaper said Internal Security Forces opened fire to disperse protesters, resulting in injuries and the arrest of several people, and it described rioting, vandalism, and roadblocks as necessitating the intervention.
Al-Modon’s account, as carried by Al-Madina, included a contrasting narrative from journalist Anas al-Kurdí, who said the government announced expansion of an existing well but that “the well being worked on is new, located on privately owned land” and that the drilling rig belonged to a private contractor.
Arrests, injuries, and calm
Several outlets described arrests and injuries as part of the crackdown, with Al-Araby Al-Jadeed reporting that clashes resulted in six people being injured and several protesters arrested.
“resulting in six people being injured and several protesters arrested”
Al-Araby Al-Jadeed also said the Rural Damascus Information Directorate denied rumors of drilling new wells and confirmed the works related to well maintenance, while it said sabotage of machinery and attacks on technical staff occurred.
ANHA said calm returned to Ain Menin after a day of security tensions, and it framed the episode alongside preparations for return lists and other regional security developments.
Al Jazeera Net reported that the tension ended in the town with the deployment of internal security and the arrival of peace and de-escalation delegations, while it said only minor injuries were recorded from crowding.
