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Sectarian violence in Syria claims 1,000 lives, undermining peace efforts
On March 6, a series of violent attacks in Syria, reportedly orchestrated by supporters of the ousted president Bashar al-Assad, led to a devastating toll of civilian lives. The assailants, primarily from the Alawite sect, targeted members of the defense and interior ministries, igniting a wave of retaliatory strikes from security forces and armed groups along the Syrian coastline and in the Latakia mountains.
By March 9, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) revealed that nearly 1,000 Alawite civilians had perished in what many have described as "revenge killings," following the initial assaults. The reported death toll also included 231 personnel from security services and the defense ministry, as well as 250 Alawite militia fighters, culminating in a total of 1,454 fatalities.
Eyewitness accounts from Latakia indicated that while the attackers claimed affiliation with Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), the group responsible for the overthrow of the Assad regime, they were identified as a separate “terrorist group” by local residents.
In a public address on March 9, Syria’s interim president Ahmed al-Sharaa, also known as Mohammad al-Julani, pledged to investigate the massacres, asserting that those accountable for civilian bloodshed would face justice. He characterized the violent factions as “remnants of the former regime,” warning of their attempts to plunge Syria back into civil conflict.
Al-Sharaa emphasized the urgency of the situation, stating that the investigative committee would have the authority to utilize whatever means necessary to fulfill its mandate, with a report due within 30 days.
This surge in violence comes just three months after the fall of al-Assad’s regime, a shift led by HTS in collaboration with the Turkish-backed Syrian National Army. The recent massacres have severely dampened hopes for a new beginning in Syria, complicating efforts to heal the deep-seated sectarian wounds inflicted by the former administration.