Clashes and ‘revenge’ killings leave over 1,000 dead in Syria in two days: All
More than 1,000 people have died in two days of violence in Syria, according to a war monitoring group, as reported by Associated Press (AP).
Clashes between government forces and supporters of former President Bashar Assad, followed by revenge killings, have led to one of the deadliest incidents in the country’s 14-year conflict, has sparked fears of further instability.
The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported that among the dead were 745 civilians, mostly killed at close range,
Along with 125 government security personnel and 148 militants linked to Assad.
When and how the violence started?
The violence erupted on Thursday, three months after the insurgent-led government took power, toppling Assad’s rule.
Authorities claim they were targeting remnants of Assad’s forces but have also blamed “individual actions” for the widespread killings.
The clashes reportedly began when government forces attempted to detain a suspect near Jableh but were ambushed by Assad loyalists.
Security forces have since deployed heavily in Alawite strongholds along the Mediterranean coast.
About 10% of Syrians belong to the sect, an offshoot of Shiite Islam.
The Assad family, which governed Syria with an iron fist for five decades, are Alawites, and the sect dominated the ruling class and upper ranks of the military.
Now, they are being targeted as the new government blames Assad loyalists for ongoing attacks.
Large parts of Latakia province were left without electricity and drinking water.
Revenge attacks escalated on Friday, with Sunni Muslim gunmen, loyal to the government, targeting Alawites, Assad’s minority sect.
Residents described brutal killings in Alawite villages. Speaking to AP, Ali Sheha, a 57-year-old from Baniyas, said, “Bodies were on the streets. The gunmen were less than 100 metres away, firing at homes and residents.”
He said attackers checked people’s IDs to confirm their sect before killing them.
Women paraded naked
Witnesses told the Associated Press that women were reportedly stripped and paraded naked in the streets before being shot dead, amid the horrifying scenes of violence.
In Baniyas, one of the towns which had been hit the worst, bodies were seen lying on the roads, and on the roofs of buildings, as gunmen had prevented civilians from burying them for a long time.
“It was very very bad. Bodies were on the streets,” said one resident, as quoted by AP, while fleeing their town after seeing gunmen fire and kill randomly, burning down homes and cars as well.
Meanwhile, thousands of Alawites have fled, with many taking refuge at Russia’s Hmeimim airbase.
Lebanese legislator Haidar Nasser told AP, “The international community should protect Alawites, who are Syrian citizens loyal to their country.”
France has condemned the violence, urging independent investigations into the killings.
Who are the Assad loyalists taking up arms?
There does not yet appear to be a single unifying force responsible for orchestrating the attacks on Syria’s western coast, and so far the violence is largely attributed to small-scale cells of Assad loyalists, according to the Institute for the Study of War, a Washington-based research group.
The attacks against security forces on Thursday, however, were the “first time that pro-Assad loyalist activity demonstrated clear coordination and prior planning,” according to Charles Lister, the director of the Syria and counterterrorism programs at the Middle East Institute.
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