In the Syrian provinces of Latakia and Tartus on the Mediterranean coast, more than 1,000 people were killed in clashes over two days, reported Reuters citing independent observers. The clashes occurred between militants and security forces linked to the new Islamist authorities of the country and supporters of the ousted President Bashar Assad, belonging to the Alawites. The victims included 745 civilians, 125 Syrian security personnel, and 148 fighters loyal to Assad, reported the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.
Rami Abdulrahman, head of the observatory, stated that the mass killings in Jableh, Baniyas, and surrounding areas in the Alawite heart of Syria were the most brutal violence in Syria since the overthrow of Assad's regime. According to him, the victims included women and children belonging to the Alawite minority. Human rights activists, in particular, wrote that at least 60 civilians, including ten women and five children, were killed in the city of Baniyas.
The new ruling authority on Thursday began suppressing what it called an emerging insurgent movement after ambushes by militants linked to the government of former President Assad.
A Syrian security service representative told the agency that several dozen security personnel were killed in clashes with militants. Officials also acknowledged violations during the operation but blamed unorganized masses of civilians and militants.
A source in the Ministry of Defense on Saturday told state media that all roads leading to the coast were blocked to stop violations and help restore calm, and security forces were deployed on the streets of coastal cities. According to the agency's interlocutor, an emergency committee created to monitor violations will refer anyone found disobeying military command orders to a military court.
The scale of the violence, including reports of the execution of dozens of Alawite men in one village, raises doubts about the ability of the Islamist ruling authority to govern based on «universal participation», which, according to Western and Arab experts, is a key issue.
Assad was overthrown in December last year after decades of dynastic rule by his family, marked by brutal repression and a devastating civil war. Interim President of Syria Ahmed Sharaa, supporting the repression in a televised address, said that security forces should not allow anyone to «exaggerate their retaliatory measures... because what distinguishes us from the enemy is our commitment to our values». «When we abandon our moral principles, we and our enemy end up on the same side», he said, adding that civilians and prisoners should not be treated cruelly.
On Saturday, the Syrian segment of social media was filled with images and obituaries of people from the coastal area. One of the leading critics of Assad's regime, Abdulrahman, told Reuters that the mass killings occurred on religious grounds. «It's not about being for or against the former Assad regime. This is a massacre on religious grounds, aimed at expelling the Alawite population from their homes», he said.
Photo: Reuters