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Syrian Unrest Stirs New Fear of Deeper Sectarian Divide
(New York Times) Anthony Shadid - The Syrian government's retaking of Jisr al-Shoughour is sharpening sectarian tensions between the Sunni Muslim majority and the minority Alawite sect to which the family of President Bashar al-Assad belongs. Sunni residents of the town accused Alawite neighbors of taking part in the crackdown, some coming from a town less than a mile away. "The sectarian aspect, the divisions and the animosity are getting worse," said an Obama administration official in Washington. "We see the elements of an armed opposition across Syria," the American official said. "In the northwest, we see it as having taken over. There are a lot of them." "We don't really know who these armed groups are," the official added, but noted that they are "religiously based, absolutely." After recent events, Turkish and American officials say they believe that some of the business elite have begun to turn against the state.