‘The streets are empty, no one dares go outside’: Syria’s Alawites terrorised by revenge killings

Hundreds of civilians murdered by militant groups, throwing doubt over new government’s ability to control the country - and US willingness to lift sanctions

When armed men entered Hayan’s house last Friday, he thought he was going to be killed like his neighbours before him. Militants dragged him outside, threw him to the ground and started shooting right above his head, making it so he could no longer hear the insults they lobbed at him for being a member of the country’s minority Islamic Alawite sect.

Hayan was lucky – they chose merely to scare not kill him – but by the time the rampage finally ended, 25 residents of the Alawite town of Salhab, northwest Syria, were dead. They included a 90-year-old local religious figure whom militants killed after forcing him to watch them murder his son.

Topics

Syria says operation against Assad loyalists over after deadly violence

A monitoring group says 973 civilians have been killed in revenge attacks against the Alawite sect since Thursday.
BBC News - 6d
‘They killed him in cold blood’: the cycle of revenge in north-west Syria

Over 1,000 people – including 745 civilians – were killed in attacks last week that mostly targeted Alawite minority. Sipping tea on an unusually warm February afternoon on his veranda that ...
The Guardian - 2d
Hundreds of Civilians Killed by Government Forces in Syria, War Monitors Say

More than 1,000 people have been killed in fighting between forces of the new government and remnants of the ousted regime, according to a war monitor, which said about 700 were civilians.
The New York Times - Mar. 9
Hundreds of civilians have been killed in Syria. Here's what we know.

Hundreds of civilians have been killed in Syria in the last 48 hours, marking the deadliest eruption of violence since the fall of the Assad regime in December.
NBC News - Mar. 9
Hundreds of civilians reported killed in massacres as violence in Syria spirals

International alarm is growing over fighting in western Syria, where hundreds of civilians have been reportedly killed amid intense clashes.
ABC News - Mar. 8
Violence in Syria Shows Difficulty in Unifying Armed Forces

Sectarian-driven killings of civilians this month displayed the government’s weak control over both its own forces and affiliated fighters, experts said.
The New York Times - 4h
Violence in Syria Shows Difficulty in Unifying Armed Forces

Sectarian-driven killings of civilians this month displayed the government’s weak control over both its own forces and affiliated fighters, experts said.
The New York Times - 4h
Violence in Syria Shows Difficulty in Unifying Armed Forces

Sectarian-driven killings of civilians this month displayed the government’s weak control over both its own forces and affiliated fighters, experts said.
The New York Times - 4h
US condemns Syria violence after hundreds killed in sectarian clashes

President Ahmed al-Sharaa calls for calm after attempted pro-Assad uprising triggers revenge killings by pro-government forces
Financial Times - Mar. 9

More from The Guardian

Kremlin confirms Trump-Putin call on Tuesday as European leaders question Russia’s intentions – Europe live

Russian leader and US president to speak by phone and discuss Ukraine ceasefire plan. Polish prime minister Donald Tusk has commented on the Lithuanian prosecutor general’s report on ...
The Guardian - 40m
Carney and Macron present united front in face of Trump trade war

Canadian PM stresses importance of ‘reliable allies’ in joint press conference with French president. Europe live – latest updates Canada is the “most European of the non-European countries”, ...
The Guardian - 1h
Houthis and US both vow escalation after wave of deadly American airstrikes in Yemen – Middle East crisis live

US says airstrikes are intended to deter rebel group from attacking Red Sea shipping. The US and Iran-backed Houthis in Yemen are both vowing escalation after t he US launched a wave of deadly ...
The Guardian - 41m
Trump administration set for legal fights after carrying out deportations despite court orders – US politics live

Courts to demand answers after doctor is deported and two planeloads of Venezuelans flown to an El Salvador prison; Trump to attend Kennedy Center board meeting. What is the Alien Enemies Act and ...
The Guardian - 28m
Japan to deploy long-range missiles able to hit North Korea and China

Planned missiles on Kyushu said to be part of ‘counterstrike capabilities’, as fears grow over US security pact. Japan is planning to deploy long-range missiles on its southern island of Kyushu ...
The Guardian - 1h