Syria’s interim president, Ahmed al-Shara, appealed on Sunday for calm and for unity as he moved to reassure the nation after days of clashes {that a} monitoring group mentioned had killed a whole lot of individuals.
“We should protect nationwide unity and civil peace,” he mentioned from a mosque in Damascus, in keeping with video that circulated on-line. “We name on Syrians to be reassured as a result of the nation has the basics for survival.”
The violence erupted last week between fighters affiliated with Syria’s new authorities, headed by Mr. al-Shara, and people loyal to the ousted dictator Bashar al-Assad. Scores of civilians have been killed, in keeping with two warfare monitoring teams, together with combatants on each side of the battle.
Mr. al-Shara’s remarks on Sunday got here as contemporary combating was reported within the countryside of the coastal Latakia and Tartus provinces. A spokesman for the Protection Ministry, Col. Hassan Abdul Ghani, informed state media that authorities forces have been combing the countryside for armed fighters loyal to the deposed Assad regime.
The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, which has monitored the Syrian battle since 2011, mentioned that authorities forces have been attacking with drones, tanks and artillery on Sunday. In different areas, it mentioned, authorities forces have been looking for armed teams affiliated with the deposed regime’s army.
The clashes have centered within the coastal provinces, the place a lot of the nation’s Alawite non secular minority — which dominated the ruling class and higher ranks of the army beneath the Assad authorities, and included the Assad family itself — stay. That has raised fears of a renewed sectarian battle within the nation.
Greater than 1,000 folks have been killed in Tartus and Latakia provinces for the reason that combating erupted final week, the observatory mentioned early on Sunday. About 700 civilians have been included in that determine, most killed by authorities forces, it mentioned. The data couldn’t be independently verified.
One other monitoring group, the Syrian Community for Human Rights, reported earlier that authorities safety forces had killed some 125 civilians. The group had not but up to date its casualty figures on Sunday. It mentioned that males of all ages have been among the many casualties and that the forces didn’t distinguish between civilians and combatants.
The violence has been the worst for the reason that Assad authorities was ousted in early December by rebels who turned the nation’s new leaders. It presents a significant take a look at of the brand new authorities’s authority and skill to unify the nation, which has deep sectarian divisions after greater than 13 years of civil warfare.
