BEIRUT (AP) — The death toll from the two-day clash between security forces and ousted Syrian President Bashar Assad and subsequent revenge killings has risen to more than 600, a war watchdog group said on Saturday.
The clash that broke out on Thursday marked a major escalation in Damascus’ challenge to the new government three months after the rebels stripped them of authority after removing Assad from power.
The government said it was responding to attacks from the remains of Assad’s army, and condemned “individual actions” of rampaging violence.
Retaliation murders between Sunni and Alawites
The revenge killing, which began on Friday by Sunni Muslim gunmen who are loyal to the government against members of Assad’s minority Alawite denomination, is a major blow to Hayat Taharil Al-Sham, the faction who led the government to overthrow. For decades, Alawis was a large part of Assad’s support base.
Residents of Alawite villages and towns have spoken to the Associated Press about the killings in which gunmen, the majority of them, shot Alawites on the streets and on the gates of their homes. Many Alawis homes were looted and then burned in various areas, two residents of Syrian coastal areas told the Associated Press from their hideout.
They asked not to be made public for fear of their names being killed by gunmen, adding that thousands of people had fled to nearby mountains for safety.
Residents talk about the atrocities in a town
Residents of Baniya, one of the worst towns in violence, said the bodies were either scattered on the streets or buried on the roofs of houses or buildings. One resident said the gunman prevented residents from killing five neighbors’ bodies at close range for hours.
Ali Sheha, a 57-year-old Baniya resident, is a Baniya resident who fled with family and neighbors hours after the violence on Friday, said at least 20 neighbors and colleagues were killed in one Baniya neighborhood where Alawyans lived, some of whom were killed in shops and homes.
Sheha called the attacks by the Alawite minority “revenge killings” due to the crime committed by the Assad government. Other residents said the gunmen included foreign fighters and militants from nearby villages and towns.
“It was so bad. He had run away and the body was on the street,” Sheha said. He said gunmen were gathering from buildings less than 100 meters from his apartment, randomly firing at homes and residents, and in an incident known in at least one incident, they asked for their ID to check their religion and denomination before killing their ID. He said that gunmen also burned several homes, stole cars and took the house.
The number of deaths has tripled
The British-based Syrian Human Rights Observatory, a war monitor, said 428 Alawians were killed in the revenge attack, along with 120 pro-Assad fighters and 89 from security forces. Observatory Chihhrami Abdulrahman said the revenge killing stopped early on Saturday.
“This was one of the biggest massacres during the Syrian conflict,” Abdul Rahman said of the murder of Alawite civilians.
The previous figure given by the group was over 200 deaths. No official numbers have been announced.
A funeral was held for four members of Syrian security forces in the northwest village of Al Janudiya on Saturday afternoon after being killed in a collision along the Syrian coast. Many people attended the funeral.
Official reports show that Syrian forces have regained control
Syrian state news agency said its government forces have regained control of many of the Assadroyalists. It also added that the authorities will close all roads leading to coastal areas, “preventing violations and gradually restoring stability.”
The bodies of 31 people killed in the revenge attack in the Central Village of Twem the day before Saturday morning were placed in the tombs of the masses, residents said. The killers included nine children and four women, residents said, and they sent AP photos of the bodies covered in white cloth while lined up at the tombs of the masses.
Haidarnasser, a Lebanese legislator who holds one of two seats assigned to the Alawian denomination of the parliament, said people are fleeing Syria for the security of Lebanon. He said he didn’t have the exact numbers.
Nasser added that many people are evacuated to Russian air bases in Khmeimim, Syria, and that the international community should protect the Alawians, Syrian citizens who are loyal to their country. He said that since Assad’s collapse, many Alawites have been fired from their jobs, and former soldiers who have reconciled with the new authorities have been killed.
Under Assad, Alawites held the top posts of the Army and security agencies. The new government has blamed his loyalists for attacks on the country’s new security forces over the past few weeks.
According to the station, the recent clash began when government forces attempted to detain wanted people near the coastal city and were ambushed by Assad’s loyalty.
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The Omar album contributed to this report from Syrian Al Janudhiya.
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