Syria's new leader vows investigation after reports of mass killings
The Hindu
Syria's new leader vows accountability after mass killings, sparking international backlash against worst violence since Assad's overthrow.
Syria's new leader has vowed accountability and an investigation after reports of mass killings of Alawite civilians triggered an international backlash against the worst violence since Bashar al-Assad's overthrow.
In its latest toll on Monday (March 10, 2025), the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights war monitor said 973 civilians had perished since March 6 in "killings, field executions and ethnic cleansing operations" by security personnel or pro-government fighters in the coastal heartland of the Alawite minority community to which the toppled president belongs.
Its previous toll of 830 had specified the "executions" targeted Alawites in the Mediterranean coastal provinces of Latakia and Tartus.
United Nations rights chief Volker Turk said Sunday (March 9, 2025) the killings "must cease immediately", while the Arab League, the United Nations, the United States, Britain and other governments have condemned the violence.
"We will hold accountable, firmly and without leniency, anyone who was involved in the bloodshed of civilians... or who overstepped the powers of the state," Syria's interim president Ahmed al-Sharaa said in a video posted by state news agency SANA.
Earlier Sunday, the presidency announced on Telegram that an "independent committee" had been formed to "investigate the violations against civilians and identify those responsible for them", who would face the courts.
Fighting between the new security forces and loyalists of the former government erupted last Thursday, after earlier tensions, and escalated into reported mass killings.
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