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The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) said on March 12 that an additional 158 civilians, mostly members of the Alawite minority, had been murdered on the Syrian coast despite claims by the Syrian interim government that military operations were over.
The London-based monitoring group documented three separate massacres during the day. In Tartus, 34 civilians were killed around the city of Banias and 15 others were killed in the nearby town of Barmaia. Meanwhile in Latakia, a civilian was killed in the town of Sqoubin, another in the town of al-Rmylah, and 18 others in the town of al-Sanobar in addition to five Christans who were murdered in other parts of the governorate.
The remaining victims were killed in Hama, with 62 executed in the town of al-Rusafa and 22 others in the town of Arza, according to the group.
The killings began last week when the Alawites rebelled on the coast, their heartland, following months of violations by government forces.
The Alawites, Syria’s largest minority, are an offshoot of Islam Shiite. The family of former Syrian president Bashar al-Assad belongs to the sect.
The interim government attempted to contain the situation by launching an investigation into the killings, and announcing on March 10 that all military operations on the coast were over. However, the killings continue as evident by recent reports.
So far, the SHOR has documented 50 massacres against the Alawites with a total death toll of at least 1,383. The group noted in previous reports that an additional 231 security personnel and 250 rebels had also been killed in the escalation. The real toll is expected to be much higher.
Syrian government forces and affiliated militants, including foreign fighters, mostly from Central Asia and the North Caucasus, were reportedly responsible for the killings.
The massacres have so far displaced at least 10,000 Alawites to the governorate of Baalbek-Hermel in eastern Lebanon with more that 7,000 others taking shelter at Russia’s Khmeimim Air Base near the city of Jableh in Latakia.
The Syrian government will likely face serious consequences for its failure to stop the violence on the coast. The Alawites appear to have lost all trust in the government with the group’s leader even asking help from Israel. This could fragment the country even further.
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