123 civilians executed in Syria's north-west as clashes continue between pro-govt forces & Assad loyalists

The government security forces in Syria have executed around 125 civilians during a rolling two-day battle with the loyalists of the country’s ousted President Bashar al-Assad in the northwestern region. The death toll was confirmed by a Syrian war monitor on Friday.

The Syrian Network for Human Rights (SNHR), a human rights monitor considered independent and credible, noted the “large-scale field executions of men and young adults, without any clear distinction between civilians and combatants” in northwest Syria.

SNHR maintained that at least 240 people had lost their lives in the ongoing conflict since Thursday. This includes 100 Syrian security forces officials and 15 civilians. The Thursday slaughter was done by Assad’s loyalists. The war monitor said that the fighting made Thursday Syria’s deadliest day since the toppling of the Assad regime three months earlier.

How did it start?

According to SNHR, the fighting between the two factions started on Thursday afternoon, when militants loyal to the ousted leader ambushed Syrian security forces in a coordinated attack in a rural area of Latakia province. The region used to be Assad’s stronghold and housed many of Syria’s minority Alawite Islamic sects .

On Friday, Syria’s interim president Ahmad al-Sharaa went on to urge these militants to lay down their arms “before it’s too late”. He also asked those loyal to the new government to avoid attacking civilians or abusing prisoners.

“When we compromise our ethics, we reduce ourselves to the same level as our enemy,” he said in a video address. “The remnants of the fallen regime are looking for a provocation that will lead to violations behind which they can seek refuge," he added. In response to the attacks, the Syrian government eventually mobilised thousands of troops to north-west Syria and attacked Assad loyalists with helicopter gunships, drones and artillery.

According to SNHR, in the al-Mukhtariya, Latakia, about 40 civilians were executed together in a single location. Videos of the incident show people dressed in civilian clothes piled on top of one another as women wailed. Later the Syrian interior ministry said that some “individual violations” had taken place as a result of people heading towards the villages being attacked by Assad loyalists.

However, they did not claim responsibility for the alleged execution. “We are working to put a stop to these violations that do not represent the Syrian people as a whole,” an interior ministry source told Syria’s state broadcaster. Amid the chaos, the UN special envoy for Syria, Geir Pedersen, urged for the protection of civilians in the region. “There is clearly an immediate need for restraint from all parties and full respect for the protection of civilians by international law,” Pedersen said in a statement.

Despite assurance from the interim Syrian government that they will be protected, the minority community of Alawite has been subject to several revenge killings since December. Syria’s new rulers tried to defend themselves by saying that the killings were “individual cases” committed by individuals and groups unaffiliated with the government in Damascus. However, they have done little to protect the community.

With inputs from agencies.