Over 1000 Killed in Syrian Violence; US Calls for End to 'Massacres' of Minorities

The US Secretary of State condemned what he called the 'massacre' of minorities in Syria and called for the Syrian interim government to hold those responsible for the violence accountable. Marco Rubio, in a statement released on Sunday, March 10, also stated that 'radical Islamist terrorists, including foreign jihadists,' have killed people in western Syria in recent days. He added that the United States stands with religious and ethnic minorities, including Christian, Druze, Alawite, and Kurdish communities, and extends condolences to the victims and their families. This statement came following reports of hundreds of Alawite minority deaths in the past two days of clashes between Syrian government forces and armed individuals in western Syria. Meanwhile, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights called for immediate action from the Syrian interim government to end the 'mass killings' in the country. Volker Turk described reports of the killing of entire families of civilians in northwestern Syria as 'extremely concerning.' According to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, based in the UK, the recent two-day clashes between Syrian security forces and armed individuals in western Syria have resulted in casualties on both sides, including 745 civilians from the Alawite minority. French and Reuters news agencies reported that in the past two days, 125 Syrian security forces and 148 armed individuals, referred to as 'forces loyal to Bashar al-Assad,' have been killed. These agencies noted that they are unable to independently verify these figures. Rami Abdulrahman, director of the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, stated that in the past two days, 745 civilians died in '30 separate massacres,' which he said included Alawite minorities, including women and children. He described the recent events in predominantly Alawite areas of Syria as 'the worst violence' in the 13-year civil war. Some of the massacres on Saturday occurred in the regions of Jableh and Baniyas, between Latakia and Tartus. Reuters reported that 'massacres, looting, and burning of homes' continued throughout the night in Baniyas and its surrounding villages. The recent violence in the region known as the coast, including the provinces of Latakia and Tartus and some adjacent areas, has been significant. One Alawite resident of Baniyas told AFP that armed individuals, 'including foreigners,' entered people's homes and killed two of his brothers and a nephew. The 67-year-old man told AFP that he escaped to a Sunni neighborhood and said, 'If I had moved five minutes later, I would have been killed.' Additionally, Reuters reported that since Thursday, thousands of Alawites and Christians have fled their homes, with several hundred, mostly women, children, and the elderly, seeking refuge at 'Hmeimim,' a Russian military base in Latakia. According to Reuters, officials of the new Syrian government have acknowledged 'some violations' during their security operations in the coastal region but attributed these to 'unorganized civilian groups,' 'fighters intending to support official security forces,' and 'those seeking to commit crimes amid the chaos of the conflicts.' The Ministry of Defense of the new Syrian government announced on Saturday that all roads leading to the coastal region are blocked, and the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported that after sending additional reinforcements to security forces, the region has seen a 'relative return to calm' since late Saturday. Meanwhile, the state news agency SANA reported ongoing power outages across Latakia province, and Nazeer al-Qudari, the Minister of Education in the transitional Syrian government, announced that schools in both Latakia and Tartus provinces would be closed on Sunday and Monday. Reports of widespread violence against Alawites, 'some of which involve the execution-style killings of dozens of Alawite men in a village,' have raised questions about the new Islamist government's ability to form an inclusive state. Respect for minority rights and the establishment of an inclusive government have been among the main demands and concerns of Western and Arab countries regarding the new Syrian government. Rebels led by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham launched surprise attacks in northwestern Syria on November 28, ending Bashar al-Assad's government with their entry into Damascus on December 9.