Insecurity, violations against Alawite community escalate in Syria

SYRIA, Feb. 28 (YPA) – Members of the General Security of the Syrian Interim Administration launched raids in the countryside of Hama and Latakia in western Syria, resulting in the arrest of dozens of people from the Alawite sect.

This campaign comes a day after security tensions in the city of Qardaha, which led to the death of one person and the injury of five civilians.

According to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a raid was carried out in the village of “Ain Shams” in the Masyaf district in the Hama countryside.

The operation resulted in the killing, injury, and arrest of about 70 people under the pretext of pursuing members of the former Syrian army.

The arrests included 52 people, including children and the elderly, while the fate of six people remains unknown. The clashes during the raids also led to the death of five people and the injury of seven others.

These events caused a state of panic among the residents of the village of “Ain Shams,” especially since the area had previously witnessed settlement operations, which raised question marks about the reasons for the campaign.

The Observatory indicated that some of the detainees were subjected to verbal insults and beatings, in addition to racist innuendos.

In Latakia, security forces affiliated with the Syrian Interim Administration attacked a vehicle near the Rijah checkpoint at the entrance to the city, killing four people, including a former naval officer in the Syrian regime forces, and seriously wounding four others.

YPA