The clash that broke out on Thursday was intense as Assad is an Alawian – fell in December by a lightning rebel force and a few days after tensions that formed part of the heart of the religious minority in Latakia.
The Syrian Human Rights Observation reported on Saturday that “340 Alawian civilians were killed in coastal areas of Syria and the Latakia Mountains by security forces and a group of allied forces.”
The UK-based observatory said they were killed in “executions” carried out by security guards or government fighters, and accompanied by “looting of homes and property.”
The civilian deaths bring overall sacrifices to 553 people, including 93 members of the new government’s security forces and 120 pro-Assad fighters, showing data from the observation deck.
The killings followed a clash caused by the arrest of wanted people by security forces in Alawite villages, the observation deck reported. Monitor said there was a “return to relative calm” in the area on Saturday, but security forces continued cleaning and deploying reinforcements on Saturday, but state news agency Sana reported that security forces had repelled “an outcast from a rebellious attack” at a national hospital in a coastal city in Latakia.
A source from the Ministry of Defense later told Sana that the military blocked the road leading to the west coastal area to prevent “violations” without specifying who was committing them.
Media also reported that security forces were deployed in Latakia city and further south to restore order.
– Call to surrender –
In a speech on Friday, Syrian interim president Ahmed al-Sharah urged the rebels to “put their weapons down and surrender before it’s too late.”
On Saturday, security guards from Mustafa Neifati in Latakia state called on civilians to “not get caught up in agitation.”
Western powers and Syrian neighbours underscore the need for new Syrian unity, seeking funds to rebuild a nation that has been destroyed by years of civil war under Assad.
The coastal region is plagued by the fear of retaliation against Alawis due to the brutal control of the Assad family, including extensive torture and loss of failure.
Social media users share posts that document the murders of Alawian friends and family, with one user saying that their mother and siblings are all “slaughtered” at home.
AFP was unable to independently verify these accounts.
Observatory, which relies on a network of Syrian sources, has recently reported multiple “genocides” among the deaths of women and children.
“The majority of the victims were immediately executed by elements belonging to the Ministry of Defense and the Ministry of Home Affairs,” the Monitor said Friday.
The observatory and activists have released footage showing dozens of bodies of civilian clothing stacked up outside the home nearby, with blood stains and women crying.
Other videos appeared to show a man in military clothing shot and killed people at close range.
AFP could not independently verify the images.
Syrian UN envoy, Gaia Pedersen, condemned “a very troublesome report of civilian casualties.”
He called on all sides to refrain from actions that could destabilize Syria and endanger a reliable and comprehensive political transition.
Aron Rand, an international think tank of the century, said violence was a “bad precursor.”
He said the new government does not have the tools, incentives and local support bases to engage with disgruntled Alawi people.
“What they have is oppressive forces, and many of them are made up of jihadist enthusiasts who the Alawites think are God’s enemies.”
