Armed groups have killed entire families, including women and children, during a recent outbreak of sectarian violence in Syria’s coastal regions, according to the United Nations’ human rights office.
The bloodshed in areas traditionally supportive of former ruler Bashar al-Assad has resulted in more than 800 deaths amid clashes between armed groups loyal to the ousted dictator and forces aligned with the new Syrian regime, as reported by a war monitor.
Thameen Al-Kheetan, spokesperson for the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), stated that the agency has documented at least 111 killings, though the actual number is believed to be significantly higher. “Some survivors told us that many men were shot dead in front of their families,” Al-Kheetan reported during a press briefing in Geneva, noting that many of these “summary executions” targeted members of the Alawite minority.
The Assad family, which ruled Syria for over half a century, belongs to the Alawite sect, a minority Shiite Muslim group in predominantly Sunni-majority Syria. Al-Kheetan indicated that the killings “appear to have been carried out on a sectarian basis, in Tartus, Latakia, and Hama governorates reportedly by unidentified armed individuals, members of armed groups allegedly supporting the caretaker authorities’ security forces.”
“In a number of extremely disturbing instances, entire families including women, children, and individuals hors de combat—were killed, with predominantly Alawite cities and villages targeted in particular,” he added.
The United Kingdom-based Syrian Network for Human Rights (SNHR) reported that among the 803 killed, “non-state armed groups” loyal to Assad were responsible for the deaths of 383 individuals, including 172 members of state security forces and 211 civilians.
Eyewitness accounts and verified videos have shown government loyalists conducting field executions, with some perpetrators speaking of “purifying” the country.
In one incident, armed men entered the home of teacher Ahmed Ali Al Mousa in Baniyas, inquiring about his sectarian affiliation before abducting him. He was later found with gunshot wounds and died in the hospital. On the same day, Mousa’s sister-in-law and 15-year-old nephew were killed by another armed group that entered their apartment and shot them without warning.
A woman in Latakia recounted that militants using sectarian slurs broke into her house, killing her husband and all the men in her village. The families were not allowed to retrieve or bury the bodies.
Throughout Assad’s rule, the Alawite sect became increasingly associated, in the eyes of his opponents, with the atrocities committed by his regime during the Syrian civil war.
Interim Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa, who once led the al Qaeda-linked group that toppled Assad late last year, has previously promised political equality and representation to Syria’s diverse ethnic and religious populations.
The caretaker authorities announced the end of security operations in the coastal areas on March 10, but intermittent clashes continue to be reported. Sharaa has blamed the violence on remnants of Assad’s forces, claiming they were attempting to incite sectarian strife.
On Sunday, Sharaa stated that his government would hold accountable anyone involved in the deaths of civilians during the heavy fighting, previously describing the violence as “expected challenges.” The interim government has vowed to form an independent committee to investigate the violence and submit a report to the presidency within 30 days.
