The death toll from two days of fighting between security forces and supporters of deposed Syrian president Bashar Assad, followed by retaliatory killings, has exceeded 600, a war monitoring group reported on Saturday.
This marks one of the deadliest outbreaks of violence since the Syrian conflict began 14 years ago, reports AP.
Assad loyalists kill at least 13 police officers in ambush on Syrian forces in coastal town
The clashes, which began on Thursday, signalled a significant escalation in resistance against the new government in Damascus, just three months after insurgents took control and removed Assad from power.
The government stated that it was responding to attacks by remnants of Assad's forces and attributed the widespread violence to “individual actions.”
Retribution killings between Sunnis and Alawites
The retaliatory killings, carried out on Friday by Sunni Muslim gunmen loyal to the government against members of Assad’s Alawite minority, represent a severe setback for Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, the faction that led the former government's overthrow. Alawites had long been a core part of Assad’s support base.
Residents from Alawite villages and towns described to The Associated Press the brutal killings, in which gunmen shot Alawites—primarily men—on the streets or at their doorsteps. Homes belonging to Alawites were ransacked and set ablaze in various areas, according to two residents of Syria’s coastal region, who spoke to the AP from their hideouts.
Fearing for their safety, they requested anonymity and added that thousands of people had fled to nearby mountains seeking refuge.
Witnesses describe atrocities in Baniyas
Residents of Baniyas, one of the hardest-hit towns, reported seeing bodies scattered on the streets and left unburied in homes and on rooftops, with no one able to retrieve them. One resident recounted how gunmen prevented people for hours from collecting the bodies of five neighbours who were killed at close range on Friday.
Ali Sheha, a 57-year-old Baniyas resident who fled with his family and neighbours hours after the violence erupted, said that at least 20 of his neighbours and colleagues in one Alawite-populated area of the town were killed—some in their homes, others in their shops.
Sheha described the attacks as “revenge killings” targeting the Alawite minority for atrocities committed by Assad's government. Other residents claimed that foreign fighters and militants from nearby villages and towns were among the attackers.
“It was horrific. Bodies were lying on the streets,” Sheha said by phone from about 20 kilometres (12 miles) outside the city. He described how gunmen gathered less than 100 metres from his apartment, indiscriminately firing at homes and civilians. In at least one instance he witnessed, gunmen demanded residents’ identification to verify their religion and sect before executing them. He also said homes were set on fire, cars stolen, and properties looted.
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Death toll triples
The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported that 428 Alawites were killed in retaliatory attacks, along with 120 pro-Assad fighters and 89 security personnel. Observatory head Rami Abdurrahman said the revenge killings ceased early on Saturday.
“This was one of the largest massacres of the Syrian conflict,” Abdurrahman stated regarding the killing of Alawite civilians.
Earlier, the group's estimate had exceeded 200 deaths. No official figures have been released.
A funeral took place on Saturday afternoon for four Syrian security force members killed during the clashes along Syria's coast. Large crowds attended the ceremony in the northwestern village of Al-Janoudiya.
Official reports: Government forces regaining control
Syria’s state news agency quoted a Defence Ministry official saying government forces had regained control of most areas previously held by Assad loyalists. Authorities have reportedly closed all roads leading to the coastal region “to prevent further violations and gradually restore stability.”
On Saturday morning, the bodies of 31 people killed in Friday's revenge attacks in the central village of Tuwaym were laid to rest in a mass grave, according to local residents. The victims included nine children and four women. Residents provided the AP with photographs showing bodies wrapped in white cloth, prepared for burial.
Lebanese legislator Haidar Nasser, one of two Alawite representatives in Lebanon’s parliament, said many Syrians were fleeing to Lebanon for safety. However, he did not provide exact figures.
Nasser added that many people were seeking refuge at the Russian air base in Hmeimim, Syria, and urged the international community to protect Alawite civilians, whom he described as loyal to their country. He also stated that since Assad’s removal, many Alawites had been dismissed from their jobs, and some former soldiers who had reconciled with the new authorities were killed.
During Assad’s rule, Alawites held influential positions in the military and security apparatus. The new government has accused Assad loyalists of carrying out recent attacks on the country’s security forces.
The latest clashes reportedly began when government forces attempted to detain a wanted individual near the coastal city of Jableh but were ambushed by Assad loyalists, according to the Observatory.