Illustrative image.
Thousands of civilians went missing after the Syrian interim government launched a deadly crackdown on the coast, the heartland of the Alawite religious minority, earlier this month, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) warned in a report on March 22.
The London-based monitoring group also revealed that hundreds of dead bodies were being held by Syrian authorities at several hospitals across the coast.
The crackdown began on March 6 when the Alawites rebelled on the coast following months of violations by government forces. The Alawites, Syria’s largest minority, are an offshoot of Islam Shiite. The family of former Syrian president Bashar al-Assad belongs to the sect.
After facing international pressure, the Syrian government announced that all operations on the coast were over by March 10 and formed an investigation committee. However, the killings continue.
“The violations were not limited to looting, displacement, and massacres of Alawites. They extended to even more brutal practices, with bodies being kept instead of being handed over, buried in mass graves, or burned,” the SOHR said, noting this “raises questions about the motivations behind these practices and whether they aim to obliterate the victims’ identities or completely erase their traces.”
The SOHR has so far documented the death of 1,614 civilians, mostly Alawites, in some 62 separate massacres on the coast.
At least 836 of the victims were killed in the governorate of Latakia, 503 in the governorate of Tartus, 262 in the governorate of Hama and 13 in the Homs governorate.
The monitoring group demanded an independent international investigation committee specializing in documentation, research, and investigation to “ensure the exposure of these violations and efforts to halt them, in addition to providing protection for civilians and preventing the continuation of these crimes.”
The investigation committee formed by the Syrian government, which reportedly includes members with an anti-Alawite sentiment, is yet to be heard from. I
In addition, none of the fighters and commanders confirmed to have taken part in violations on the coast have been yet held accountable by the government.
The brutal crackdown displaced at least 16,000 Alawites to northern and eastern Lebanon with more that 8,000 others taking shelter at Russia’s Khmeimim Air Base near the city of Jableh in the countryside of Latakia.
In a separate report from March 22, the SOHR warned that authorities in Tartus had threatened to seize the properties of the civilians who fled the killings.
All in all, tensions remain high on the coast. With the Islamist-led government showing no willingness to positively engage with the Alawites, another round of violence appears very likely. Meanwhile, Alawite leaders continue to call for international protection.
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just another zio- and jewsa-orchestrated massacre.
exactly jews do what jews do and their goons the turks are the useful idiots who carry it out for them. erdo and aliyev are the biggest shabbosgoy rats if they claim they support the palestinians they are lying. rabbi yosef mizrachi says all of azerbaijans military is israelis. let that sink in for a moment. the cleansing of artsakh was commited by israel and now they want to do it to gaza
if the ‘international observers’ don’t count the dead… did they really get murdered?
much like with the fbi: if a crime isn’t counted, statistically – did it ever happen?
10 years ago, john mccain met with isis in syria.
this is the result.
58 years ago, little johnny ‘wet start’ took out his own aircraft carrier, the uss forrestal (single handedly mind you) off the coast of vietnam, killing at least 139 ‘crewmates’ from the fire he caused. a brilliant tactician indeed. the houthis would be quite pleased with having c*nts like him around now, flying ‘ops’.
he should of cooked off in that fire instead of a bomb.
are syrians happy with their “great ally” russia…???
heheheheh
they’re happier with them than they are with the genocidal zionist terror regime and its pet head choppers.
these brutale islamic killers are the very ones, the eu supported and “the brutal dictator,” assad imprisoned.
they killed between 30.000 to 50.000 and about 20.000 are still missing. they threw many of them in the sea or deep valleys. where are the european human rights? where are the sanctions? they e.u is talking about lifting sanctions and even giving the terrorist gang money! and it isn’t only alawites and is also christians. usa and eu never really cared about the christians in the middle east. they only cared about their own interests.
the eu has just given them 2.5 billion euros. vd leyen was gushing over what a great society the head choppers were going to build, how great it was going to be for minorities, wimmin, etc. the uk’s david lammy chipped in with another £50 million of uk taxpayer money. mass murder and ethnic cleansing doesn’t come cheap, you know. those heads don’t chop themselves off.
these alawites asking for international protection is like asking count dracula to protect the local blood bank.
this is only one sick gesture by the current hts swine in syria. nothing is forgotten, full circle, then there is hell to pay for the extremist degenerates…
or maybe he’ll to pay for the degenerates who surrendered to the extremists.
according to hillary clinton this hts terrorist were called friends of usa,france,britain,turkey,italy and germany own global friends.no why are their killing others.