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The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) on March 11 reported more civilian casualties on the Syrian coast, despite claims by the Syrian interim government that military operations against so-called “Assad regime remnants” were over.
Last week, a rebellion broke out on the coast following a series of violations against the Alawite minority, with officers from the former Syrian Arab Army leading the move. The Alawites are an offshoot of Islam Shiite. The family of former Syrian president Bashar al-Assad belongs to the sect.
The rebels saw initial success in Latakia, Qardaha, Jableh, Banias and Tartus. However, they quickly were overpowered by government forces. Since then, Alawites civilians have been targeted en masse.
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. Still, the SOHR said that 132 Alawite civilians were killed on March 11, with 72 losing their lives in Tartus and 60 others in Latakia.
According to the London-based monitoring group, 47 separate massacres have taken place on the coast so far, with a total of at least 1,225 victims.
The group noted in previous reports that an additional 231 security personnel and 250 rebels had also been killed in the escalation.
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 Jableh.
Over the last few days, refugees in Khmeimim Air Base refused several calls by the government to return to their homes, demanding international protection. The refugees even rejected aid supplied by the government and kicked out government-affiliated journalists from their camp within the base on March 11.
The escalation on the Syrian coast was discussed behind closed doors in the United Nations Security Council a day earlier upon request from Russia and the United States. However, the results of the discussions remain unclear.
The Syrian government has so far failed to end the sectarian-motivated killings, damaging both its reputation and legitimacy. Meanwhile, the Alawites, the country’s largest minority, appear to have lost all trust in the government with some activists even demanding the intervention of Israel.
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