Damascus, Syria – At least 540 people, including 340 Alawite civilians, have been killed, many executed by security forces, during clashes between Syria’s new regime troops and insurgents loyal to ousted president Bashar al-Assad, a UK-based war monitor reported Saturday.
“In the largest act of collective revenge, 340 civilians were murdered in cold blood on the coast and in the mountains of Latakia,” the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said in a statement.
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It added that more than 200 fighters from both sides have been killed since Thursday, bringing the total death toll to over 540.
The Alawite minority, a branch of Shia Islam followed by the Assad family, makes up about 10 percent of Syria’s population.
The community is concentrated in the coastal provinces of Latakia and Tartus, former strongholds of the deposed president, and has historically held key positions in institutions such as the military.
The Observatory accused Syria’s new authorities and allied groups of committing these “crimes” in a manner similar to operations once carried out by Assad’s security forces.
According to the NGO, the “massacres” occurred in the town of Baniyas in Tartus province, as well as in rural areas of Latakia, including Al Qardaha and Jableh, where violence erupted Thursday.
At least 89 members of Syria’s Interior and Defense Ministries have been killed in direct clashes, while pro-Assad insurgents have suffered 120 casualties so far, the group reported.
The fighting broke out when Alawite insurgents attacked security forces in Jableh, triggering Syria’s deadliest wave of violence since Assad was overthrown on December 8.
Syrian security forces are now carrying out raids and searches in areas where Assad loyalists are believed to be hiding, the Observatory said, adding that “street battles” are ongoing in Latakia and Tartus.
The new regime’s forces are primarily composed of former fighters from the now-dissolved Islamist alliance Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), which played a leading role in Assad’s ouster and has roots in the Al Nusra Front, Al Qaeda’s former Syrian affiliate.
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