Syria’s new authorities on Thursday launched a safety crackdown in a coastal area the place 14 policemen had been killed a day earlier than, vowing to pursue “remnants” of the ousted Bashar al-Assad authorities accused of the assault, state media reported.
The violence in Tartous province, a part of the coastal area that’s house to many members of Assad’s Alawite sect, has marked the deadliest problem but to the Sunni Islamist-led authorities who swept him from energy on Dec. 8.
Members of the Alawite minority, an offshoot of Shia Islam, wielded large sway in Assad-led Syria, dominating safety forces he used in opposition to his opponents through the 13-year-long civil conflict and to crush dissent throughout a long time of bloody oppression by his police state.
The safety forces launched the Tartous operation to “management safety, stability, and civil peace, and to pursue the remnants of Assad’s militias within the woods and hills,” state information company SANA reported.
An ‘ambush’ by forces loyal to ousted president Bashar al-Assad has killed 14 members of the Syrian police in western Syria, the transitional administration mentioned Thursday. Syria’s new inside minister mentioned on Telegram that 10 police members had been additionally wounded by what he known as ‘remnants’ of al-Assad’s authorities in Tartous.
The crackdown was introduced because the Damascus authorities warned of an try to incite sectarian strife, after a video courting from late November circulated on social media displaying a fireplace inside an Alawite shrine in Aleppo. The inside ministry mentioned unknown teams perpetrated the violence and that its forces had been working “evening and day” to guard non secular websites.
Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), the previous al-Qaeda affiliate that led the insurgent marketing campaign that toppled Assad, has repeatedly vowed to guard minority teams, who concern the brand new rulers might search to impose an Islamist authorities. Many members of minority teams, together with Christians, are apprehensive.
Reported sectarian violence in Damascus
In a predominantly Alawite neighborhood of Damascus, Alawite sheik Ali Dareer mentioned that properties had been vandalized and other people crushed on the premise of their non secular id, regardless of HTS guarantees the sect could be handled with respect. He blamed “a 3rd social gathering” making an attempt to incite discord.
Dareer informed Reuters that the group had prolonged its hand to the brand new authorities however there “have been many violations,” citing a number of accounts of individuals being crushed at a checkpoint.
An HTS fighter within the space mentioned there had been an incident on Thursday through which Alawites had been taken off a bus and crushed due to their faith, however denied that HTS was accountable.
“This can be a matter of sedition, and we do not wish to be dragged into it,” Dareer mentioned.
“1000’s of individuals are crammed with resentment, anxiousness, and their dignity is offended,” he mentioned. “Nonetheless, we should stay dedicated to peace.”
Taher Dawwa, 38, an Alawite who was a army volunteer beneath Assad, mentioned the “burden of all errors” shouldn’t be positioned on one sect. “We do not need division.”
The Syrian conflict took on sectarian dimensions as Assad drew on Shia militias from throughout the Center East, mobilized by his ally Iran, to battle the insurgency dominated by members of the Sunni Muslim majority.
Underlining sectarian tensions, protesters chanted “Oh Ali!” throughout a rally outdoors native authorities headquarters in Tartous, photos posted on social media on Wednesday confirmed.
The mantra was a reference to Ali ibn Abi Talib, a cousin of the Prophet Muhammad who’s revered by Muslims however held in particularly excessive regard by Alawites and Shias, who consider Ali and his descendants ought to have led the Islamic group.
Civil peace
Mohammed Othman, the newly appointed governor of the coastal Latakia area adjoining Tartous, met Alawite sheiks to “encourage group cohesion and civil peace,” SANA reported.
The Syrian data ministry declared a ban on what it described as “the circulation or publication of any media content material or information with a sectarian tone aimed toward spreading division.”
Assad’s long-time Shia regional ally, Iran, has criticized the course of occasions in Syria in latest days.
On Sunday, Supreme Chief Ayatollah Ali Khamenei known as on Syrian youth to “stand with agency willpower in opposition to those that have orchestrated and led to this insecurity.”
Khamenei forecast “{that a} sturdy and honourable group can even emerge in Syria as a result of right this moment Syrian youth don’t have anything to lose,” calling the nation unsafe.
Syria’s newly appointed overseas minister, Asaad Hassan al-Shibani, mentioned on Tuesday that Iran should respect the need of the Syrian folks and Syria’s sovereignty and safety.
“We warn them in opposition to spreading chaos in Syria and we maintain them accountable for the repercussions of the newest remarks,” he mentioned.
Source link