A fragile peace in Syrian enclave

Members of the Druze community training with the Mountain Brigade in the southwestern province of Sweida, Syria. The militias that control the Druze religious minority’s heartland in southwestern Syria have resisted the new government’s attempts to bring all armed groups under its control. — David Guttenfelder/The New York Times

THE trainer paced the grounds of a mountain enclave in southwestern Syria, shouting at dozens of new recruits as they sprinted between barricades made from old car tyres.

“You have to practise as if it’s real,” bellowed the instructor, Fadi Azam. “Want me to start shooting at you instead to make it real?”