More than 1,000 people, including 745 civilians, were killed in two days of a clash between Syrian security forces and fighters who were loyal to the previous Assad regime and loyal to the revenge killing, War Monitor says it is one of Syria's highest death tolls since 2011.
The Syrian Human Rights Observatory, a UK-based monitor, said 745 civilians were killed mostly in execution style, killing 125 Syrian security forces and 148 Assad's loyalty. The death toll over the two days of the battle is very different, and it is estimated that the final death toll will be even higher.
The fight began Thursday after fighters loyal to the exiled Assad regime ambushed security forces in Jable on the coast of Latakia.
So far, widespread coordinated attacks have been the biggest challenge for the country's Islamic authorities, coming three months after opposition fighters led by Islamist rebel group Hayat Taharil al-Shaam defeated Syrian president Bashar al-Assad.
To crush the rebellion, the Syrian government called for reinforcement, with thousands of fighter jets converging on Syrian coasts from across the country. The fighter jets are nominally under the auspices of the new Syrian government, but the militia still persists, some of which are related to past human rights abuses and are relatively undisciplined.
The Syrian government argued that “individual actions” led to the killing of civilians, and that a massive influx of fighter jets on the coast led to human rights violations. In a speech on Friday, Syrian President Ahmad Alshara said, “Anyone who harms civilians will face severe punishment.”
According to the Syrian Human Rights Network, the video showed dozens of people dressed in civilian clothing stacked up and dead in the town of Almuktalya. Other videos showed a fighter wearing security uniforms running blanks, ordering the man to bark like a dog, and beating prisoners. The Guardian was unable to independently verify these videos.
A small number of Islamic Arawai sects existed on Syrian coasts, and the Syrian president who abdicated from it was welcomed, but most of the Arawais had no connection to the Assad regime.
New Syrian authorities have promised the Alawites that they will be safe under their control and that there will be no vengeance killings. However, this week, the killing of hundreds of civilians, primarily Alawians, in government security forces, sent a wave of fear through religious minority communities.
A man from the town of Snobal in Latakia detailed how he killed at least 14 neighbors of all his neighbors, including the execution of three sons in front of his 75-year-old father and family mother.
“After they killed their father and his boy, they would ask their mother to take off her money or kill her,” said the man who was close to the family but spoke under an anonymity for his safety.
Another Latakia resident said that electricity and water to the area were cut off on past days and they had been evacuated to their homes.
“There's no water for more than 24 hours, no electricity. Factions are killing people who appear before them. The bodies are stacked on the streets. This is a collective punishment,” said a Latakia resident.
Syrian UN envoy Gier Pedersen urged civilians to be protected on Friday, accusing them of France of violence targeting “civilians for their faith.” The French Foreign Ministry also urged Syrian authorities to “confirm that an independent investigation can shed light on these crimes and that the perpetrators will be sentenced to prison.
Rights groups said transitional justice and true commitment to comprehensive government is key to preventing Syria from swirling into a cycle of violence. Syria's current transitional authorities are set to announce the new government this month. This will be scrutinized in detail to represent Syria's religious and ethnic diversity after this week's violence.
