Syria’s newly established rebel-led authorities report that supporters of ousted President Bashar al-Assad have ambushed and killed 14 interior ministry troops in the western part of the country.
According to the authorities, 10 other troops were wounded in the clashes on Tuesday near Tartous, a stronghold of Assad’s Alawite Muslim sect.
Reports indicate the security forces were ambushed while attempting to arrest a former officer linked to his role at the notorious Saydnaya prison near Damascus.
This incident comes just over two weeks after Assad’s presidency was toppled by rebel forces led by the Islamist faction, Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS).
The UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) reported that three unidentified “armed men” were also killed in the clashes. The group added that reinforcements were later deployed by the security forces.
In a separate development, Syrian authorities imposed an overnight curfew in the central city of Homs, according to state media.
The curfew followed unrest triggered by a video purportedly showing an attack on an Alawite shrine.
The interior ministry stated that the footage was old, dating back to a rebel offensive on Aleppo in late November, and attributed the violence to unidentified groups.
The SOHR reported that one demonstrator was killed and five others injured in Homs. Protests were also recorded in other areas, including Tartous, Latakia, and Assad’s hometown, Qardaha.
Alawites are an offshoot of Shia Islam to which many of the former regime’s political and military elite belonged, including Assad’s family.
The community is fearful of revenge, with members blamed for the torture and killing in Syria under Assad.
Former officers are refusing to surrender their weapons, with some towns showing signs of resistance, as evidenced by the recent clashes in Tartous.
Alawite religious leaders have called for a general amnesty for their community, but this seems unlikely due to the numerous alleged war crimes committed by its members.
The aftermath of decades of oppression remains a pressing issue, with tens of thousands tortured to death in Syrian prisons and countless families still waiting for answers and justice.
Syrians are demanding accountability and trials for those responsible for these atrocities, a prospect that has left members of the Alawite community deeply apprehensive.
The HTS-led offensive, which began in Syria’s northeast and swept across the country, ended over 50 years of Assad family rule. The Assad family has since fled to Russia.
HTS has pledged to protect the rights and freedoms of Syria’s diverse religious and ethnic minorities, though its designation as a terrorist organization by the UN, the US, the EU, the UK, and others casts doubt on its governance capabilities.
On Tuesday, protests erupted following the burning of a Christmas tree, intensifying calls for the new authorities to safeguard the rights and security of minority groups.