Syria: Death toll surpasses 1,000 as Sunni jihadists target Alawites and Christians

Image: Jihad Watch

An ambush on a Syrian security patrol by gunmen loyal to the ousted leader Bashar Assad has escalated into clashes, with a war monitor estimating that over 1,000 people have been killed over the past four days.

The attack on Thursday, near the port city of Latakia, reopened the wounds of Syria’s 13-year civil war and led to the most intense violence the country has experienced since December, when insurgents led by the Islamist group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) ousted Assad.

The counteroffensive against Assad’s loyalists in the predominantly Alawite coastal region caused destruction in multiple cities and towns. Rights organizations have reported numerous revenge killings, with Sunni militants targeting the minority Alawite sect, regardless of their involvement in the insurgency.

Here’s a summary of the latest violence in the war-torn country:

Tensions have been escalating since Assad’s downfall, fueled by sectarian attacks on Alawites, who had ruled Syria for over 50 years under the Assad dynasty. These attacks persisted despite pledges from Syria’s interim president to build a political future that includes and represents all of the country’s communities.

During their ambush, pro-Assad Alawite gunmen overwhelmed government security forces and eventually seized control of Qardaha, Assad’s hometown, while Damascus rushed to deploy reinforcements.

Col. Hassan Abdel-Ghani, a Defense Ministry spokesperson, stated on Sunday that security forces had regained control of the region and would continue pursuing insurgency leaders.

The majority of the casualties appear to be from the Alawite community, primarily located in the coastal provinces of Latakia and Tartous. Rights organizations estimate that hundreds of civilians were killed.

Damascus blamed “individual actions” for the widespread violence against civilians, asserting that government security forces were responding to the pro-Assad gunmen.

In a weekend address, Vice President Al-Sharaa called on both Syrians and the international community to hold those responsible for harming civilians and mistreating prisoners accountable. Such human rights violations had been widespread under Assad’s rule. Al-Sharaa also established a committee, mostly composed of judges, to investigate the violence.

On Sunday, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio issued a statement urging Syrian authorities to “hold the perpetrators of these massacres” accountable. Rubio emphasized that the U.S. “stands with Syria’s religious and ethnic minorities,” including the Christian, Druze, Alawite, and Kurdish communities.

(This Article was originally published by Jihad Watch)