More than 1,000 people, including 745 civilians, have been killed in two days of violent clashes between Syrian security forces and fighters loyal to the ousted Assad regime, as well as ensuing revenge killings, according to a UK-based war monitor. This marks one of the highest death tolls in Syria since 2011.
According to a report by The Guardian on Sunday, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported that among the dead, 745 civilians were mostly executed, while 125 Syrian security personnel and 148 Assad loyalists were killed. Death toll estimates vary widely, with some sources suggesting the final count could be even higher.
The clashes erupted on Thursday after Assad loyalists launched an ambush against security forces in Jableh, a city in the coastal Latakia province. The coordinated and large-scale assault posed the most significant challenge to the country’s new Islamist authorities since they took power.
This escalation comes three months after Islamist rebel group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham led the opposition in overthrowing former president Bashar al-Assad. In response to the ongoing violence, the Syrian government has deployed reinforcements, with thousands of fighters mobilizing across the country to secure the coastal regions.
While these fighters operate under the authority of the new Syrian government, many militias continue to function independently. Some of these groups have been previously accused of human rights abuses and remain largely undisciplined.
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