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Foreign fighters take part in massacres... Sectarian atrocities strike the Syrian coast with heavy casualty toll
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Foreign fighter influx and sectarian incitement through mosques contributed to violence against Alawites, reflecting authorities' failure to provide security for unarmed citizens
Rami Abdulrahman, Director of the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, reported in exclusive statements to "Sky News Arabia" about horrific human casualties in the Syrian coastal region, noting that the real numbers may exceed those announced due to attempts to hide bodies and bury them secretly.
Abdulrahman stated that the count of Alawite civilian victims who fell due to sectarian motives reached 745 citizens, emphasizing that they were ordinary civilians not involved in the armed conflict or associated with the regime. Meanwhile, 125 members of security forces and 150 armed individuals belonging to the Alawite sect were killed, while some continue to use the term "regime thugs" to justify attacks against them.
Abdulrahman explained that the areas affected by systematic killing, looting, and burning operations include multiple villages around Jableh and the suburbs of Baniyas, where homes were directly targeted and extensive looting operations occurred before burning them. He added that the media did not highlight the actual scale of destruction, suggesting that tens of thousands of homes were subjected to theft and burning.
He indicated that the militants involved in the massacres are not residents of the Syrian coast, but came from other Syrian governorates and even from foreign nationalities such as Uzbeks, Chechens, and fighters from Central Asia, in addition to the "Al-Amshaat" faction, which now belongs to the Ministry of Defense, and was one of the most prominent perpetrators of massacres and looting operations.
Abdulrahman pointed to inciting calls that contributed to the escalation of violence, explaining that coastal residents, including Alawites, aspire to live safely away from fighting. However, he stressed that the government in Damascus committed a grave error when it called through mosques for "general mobilization" and "come to jihad," which led to the influx of fighters from outside the region to commit atrocities against Alawites.
Abdulrahman discussed the deteriorating humanitarian conditions, where some areas have been completely cut off from bread, water, and electricity for three days. He also indicated that some civilians took shelter at the "Hmeimim" base to escape killing, but they did not find the desired protection; instead, they were asked to seek Turkish protection rather than Russian or French protection, which caused their discontent.
Abdulrahman noted that conditions in cities may seem more stable, but in rural areas, flagrant violations occur away from media cameras, noting that forced displacement operations continue, and there are bodies lying in the open since days, amid prevention of burying them or approaching them.
Abdulrahman concluded his speech by emphasizing the need for Damascus to take responsibility for protecting citizens, warning of the continuation of sectarian fighting and violations that have devastating effects on the entire Syrian social fabric.
Levant-Agencies
