More than 1,300 people in Syria have been killed many believed to be civilians in the span of three days amid intense fighting between forces associated with Syria’s new government and those loyal to the deposed dictator Bashar al-Assad, according to a human rights group.
The conflict is considered the country’s worst violence since insurgents toppled the Assad regime back in December. It’s also the biggest test for Syria’s new government since it has assumed power. On Sunday, the British-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported that 830 civilians have been killed, along with 231 Syrian security forces and 250 Alawite militants. The figures could not be independently verified.
The Observatory characterized many of the killings as executions and massacres, carried out in revenge against the Alawite community, which made up Assad’s traditional base of support. The human rights group also reported burning of homes and forced displacement, worsened by the absence of international intervention
The fighting broke out on Thursday near the coast after reports that Alawite gunmen ambushed and killed 16 government forces in the coastal province of Latakia. In response, the government sent reinforcements to and imposted curfews on Latakia and neighboring Tartus.
Credit: NPR