Syrian security forces are facing accusations of executing at least 52 members of the Alawite minority in the coastal province of Latakia, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a British-based war monitoring group. The group claims to have seen footage showing dozens of bodies in civilian clothing piled in the garden of a house in Latakia.
An interior ministry source, speaking to the official Syrian news agency Sana, acknowledged “individual violations” had taken place along the coast and promised to take action to prevent further incidents. However, the claims that these killings were carried out by Syria’s current government forces have not been independently verified by BBC News.
The alleged executions come after fierce clashes between government forces and fighters loyal to the ousted President Bashar al-Assad, which resulted in over 70 deaths. In response to the violence, curfews have been imposed in several cities, including Homs, Latakia, and Tartous, where the conflict has escalated.
Earlier reports from BBC Verify confirmed the authenticity of two videos depicting a body being dragged behind a car in Latakia. The United Nations’ special envoy for Syria, Geir Pedersen, expressed “deep concern” over the escalating violence, calling on all parties to “refrain from actions that could further inflame tensions, escalate conflict, exacerbate the suffering of affected communities, destabilize Syria, and jeopardize a credible and inclusive political transition.”
Latakia, the heartland of the Alawite minority, is also the stronghold of the Assad family, which belongs to this sect. Estimates of the number of casualties vary, and BBC News has been unable to independently verify these claims. However, local residents report that the Alawite community is increasingly being targeted by sectarian violence. One Alawite woman told BBC Arabic that many Syrians are “scared” regardless of their location, fearing they will be “scapegoats” for the ongoing violence.
The ongoing bloodshed, the most severe since the toppling of Assad in December, has raised alarm across the region. Both Turkey and Russia have warned that the violence threatens the stability of the entire Middle East. The Alawite sect, an offshoot of Shia Islam, comprises about 10% of Syria’s population, which is predominantly Sunni.
