Standing next to the bodies of two men lying on the ground, the blood that accumulates around one of them, in the Syrian town of Qabo al-Awamiya in the field of Latakia, a woman shouts with despair: “God will not forgive you.”
“Are those your children? God will not forgive you“One of the men with whom he is talking, who is out of picture and seems to be holding the camera, responds.” You started, “he says, while issuing a chilling threat:” I swear, let’s crush all alauites. “
The exact circumstances surrounding the images were not clear immediately. But it is one of the more than 15 geolocated videos and verified by NBC News by capturing the mortal violence that took Assad family.
In a video, you can see an armed man hit and make fun of another man, before liberating him just to shoot him while fleeing; In another, men are forced to drag on their hands and knees before being shot. In several others, you can see accumulated bodies in the streets and in massive tombs in Latakia areas, an ancient strength of the Syrian dictator expelled Bashar al-Assad.
A radical response of security forces has stabilized violence, but the images have exposed the deep divisions that tour Syrian society after more than a decade of civil war, with the mortal attacks that highlight the colossal challenge of the country’s interim leader, Ahmed al-Sharaa, faces in its attempt to fulfill its vision to lead a more unified and inclusive Syria.
More than 1,300 people were killed in an eruption of violence at the beginning of this month after the retaliation attacks were launched after the assault on security forces, with more than 970 civilians, mainly from the Alauita community, among those killed, according to the Syrian Observatory of Human Rights based in Britain. Hundreds of Syrian soldiers and loyal fighters were also killed in clashes.
Most of the murders focused on the governed of Latakia and Tartus along the Mediterranean coast, both the ancient Assad strengths and in the home of the populations of the majority. Hundreds of people were also killed in Hama, more inland, and elsewhere.
Some have accused government forces of being behind retaliation attacks, with the violence promoted by doubts about Sharaa’s own position while his past life as a jihadist leader continues to pass through his future ambitions.
These accusations have come despite the calls to the peace of Sharaa in the midst of violence, as well as their decision to initiate an investigation into violence, promising to take those responsible to justice.
A member of the Alawite community, who spoke on condition of anonymity about fears for his safety, told NBC News that Promise gave him little peace of mind.
The 24 -year -old man described how he and his neighbors in a city in the Government of Hama were forced to leave their homes on March 7 by “masked groups.” He said he noticed a white vehicle with the words “public security” stamped on him.
“They forced us to get out of the house and make us kneel on the ground, warning us:” Shut up and don’t say a word, or I will shoot you, “he said in messages on Monday. He said that at least two of his neighbors were taken by the men and then found dead, sharing images with NBC News showing the two men lying on the bleeding floor, one with a severe wound through their left eye.
NBC News could not independently verify the details of your account. But now, he said, he lives with fear of another attack and is “considering looking for asylum in another country due to fear and terror.”
The man said he was not an Assad supporter, but that under the regime, he had felt more protected as Alauita. He said he felt convinced that the current government had at least some role in attacks against its community.
It is a feeling that many share in the Alauita community, said Tim Eaton, a member of Senior Research in the Middle East and the North Africa Program in the group of experts based in London, Chatham House.
He pointed out that Assad’s ties with the Alauita community, as well as the strong presence of the community within the regime, created a “type of dependence”, while exacerbating “the animosity of those who oppose the regime.”
Mortal violence in recent days marks an important turning point in Syria after the expulsion of Assad, led by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, or HTS of Sharaa, HTS, Rebel Group, highlighting the difficulties facing Syria’s leader to navigate a complicated security chain with sectarian divisions that similate for months before boiling.
Muhsen Al-Mustafa, an investigation assistant at the Center for Strategic Studies based in Istanbul, said in a telephone interview on Monday that, although the security situation in Syria was more stable now, there was still a general “confusion” about the state of “peace within the country.”
“This feels like being an important proof of the rule of law and the rhetoric of Sharaa’s leadership,” Eaton said in a separate telephone interview on Thursday.
But, he said: “I feel that the answer to it will be the most decisive part, because will you be able to control these elements? [those responsible for the violence] responsible?”
“The challenges are incredibly steep,” he said.
