Syria’s interim prime minister, Ahmed Sharaa, vowed on Sunday to bring to justice those behind the deadly clashes between loyalists of deposed President Bashar al-Assad and the nation’s new Islamist leaders. The violence in Assad’s coastal stronghold has already killed more than 1,000 people, a war monitoring group said.
In a television address, Sharaa blamed remnants of the old regime and unidentified foreign sponsors for trying to destabilize the nation. He cautioned against trying to spark a new civil war, promising to take firm action against anyone abusing state authority or using power for personal interests. His office announced the establishment of an independent committee to probe the violence.
The fighting broke out after rebels, under the leadership of Sharaa’s Sunni Islamist faction Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, toppled Assad’s regime in December. Assad took refuge in Russia, abandoning main allies, as Sharaa’s faction set up an interim administration and gained control of the military. Violence has intensified even after the initial calm as security forces suppress an insurgency tied to Assad’s Alawite sect in Latakia and Tartous provinces.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said that among the fatalities were 745 civilians, including children and women, as well as 125 security forces and 148 Assad loyalists. The observatory described it as one of the bloodiest events since the 2013 chemical attack in Damascus. Security sources also disclosed that pro-Assad fighters had sabotaged public utilities, severing electricity and water supplies.
There have been reports of mass killings and retaliatory attacks, with armed groups attacking Alawite populations. Kurdish commander Mazloum Abdi accused Turkish-backed Islamist groups of some of the most heinous crimes. The United Nations and the US called on Syria’s interim government to bring justice to the victims, as reinforcements are sent in to reassert order.
