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1,000 dead in Syria in ‘revenge killing’: What led to one of ‘deadliest acts’
The death toll from recent clashes in Syria has surpassed 1,000, with significant casualties among civilians, security forces, and militants. The violence marks a severe escalation in the ongoing conflict, leading to widespread revenge killings and significant disruptions in essential services.
The death toll from two days of clashes between Syrian security forces and supporters of ousted President Bashar Assad, along with subsequent revenge killings, has surpassed 1,000, according to a war monitoring group on Saturday. This makes it one of the deadliest episodes of violence since the start of Syria’s 14-year conflict, as reported by the Associated Press.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, based in the UK, reported that in addition to 745 civilians killed—mostly by close-range shootings—125 members of the government security forces and 148 militants from Assad-aligned armed groups were also killed. The group also noted that large areas around the city of Latakia experienced power and water outages.
What is happening in Syria?
The clashes, which began on Thursday, represent a significant escalation in the challenge to the new government in Damascus, occurring three months after insurgents took control following Assad's removal from power.
The government has stated that they were responding to attacks from remnants of Assad’s forces and attributed the widespread violence to “individual actions.”
‘Revenge killings’ between Sunnis and Alawites
The revenge killings that began on Friday, carried out by Sunni Muslim gunmen loyal to the government against members of Assad’s minority Alawite sect, represent a significant setback for Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, the faction responsible for overthrowing the former government. The Alawite community has long been a key part of Assad’s support base, as reported by the Associated Press.
Residents of Alawite villages and towns spoke to The Associated Press about killings during which gunmen shot Alawites, the majority of them men, in the streets or at the gates of their homes. Many homes of Alawites were looted and then set on fire in different areas, two residents of Syria’s coastal region told the AP from their hideouts.
They asked that their names not be made public out of fear of being killed by gunmen, adding that thousands of people have fled to nearby mountains for safety, said the report.
Residents speak of atrocities in one town
Residents of Baniyas, one of the towns most affected by the violence, reported that bodies were left scattered in the streets or unburied in homes and on building rooftops, with no one able to retrieve them. One resident stated that gunmen blocked attempts by locals to remove the bodies of five neighbours who had been killed on Friday at close range, preventing them for hours from doing so.
Ali Sheha, a 57-year-old resident of Baniyas who fled with his family and neighbors hours after the violence broke out Friday, said that at least 20 of his neighbors and colleagues in one neighborhood of Baniyas where Alawites lived, were killed, some of them in their shops, or in their homes, as reported by the Associated Press.
Sheha called the attacks “revenge killings” of the Alawite minority for the crimes committed by Assad's government. Other residents said the gunmen included foreign fighters and militants from neighbouring villages and towns, AP reported.
“It was very very bad. Bodies were on the streets,” as he was fleeing, Sheha said, speaking by phone from nearly 20 kilometers (12 miles) away from the city. He said the gunmen were gathering less than 100 meters from his apartment building, firing randomly at homes and residents and in at least one incident he knows of, asked residents for their IDs to check their religion and their sect before killing them.
He said the gunmen also burned some homes, stole cars, and robbed homes.
Death toll has multiplied
The Observatory’s chief Rami Abdurrahman said that revenge killings stopped early Saturday.
“This was one of the biggest massacres during the Syrian conflict,” Abdurrahman said about the killings of Alawite civilians, AP reported.
Official reports say Syrian forces regaining control
Syria’s state news agency quoted an unnamed Defense Ministry official stating that government forces have regained control of much of the areas previously held by Assad loyalists. The official also mentioned that authorities have closed all roads leading to the coastal region “to prevent violations and gradually restore stability.”
Also Read: Israel cut off food and supplies to Gaza. Aid groups are scrambling. What’s happening on the ground?
As reported by the Associated Press, on Saturday morning, residents reported that the bodies of 31 people killed in revenge attacks the previous day in the central village of Tuwaym were buried in a mass grave. Among the victims were nine children and four women. Residents shared photos with the AP showing the bodies, draped in white cloth, lined up in the mass grave.
Lebanese legislator Haidar Nasser, who holds one of the two seats allocated to the Alawite sect in parliament, said that people were fleeing from Syria for safety in Lebanon. He said he didn't have exact numbers.
Nasser stated that many people were seeking shelter at the Russian air base in Hmeimim, Syria, and called on the international community to protect Alawites, who are loyal Syrian citizens. He mentioned that since Assad's fall, many Alawites had been fired from their jobs, and some former soldiers who reconciled with the new authorities were killed.
Under Assad’s regime, Alawites held key positions in the army and security agencies. The new government has accused Assad's loyalists of being behind recent attacks against the country’s new security forces over the past few weeks, as reported by the Associated Press.
(With inputs from Associated Press)
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First Published:9 Mar 2025, 10:35 AM IST
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