Minorities on edge

Umut Can FIRTINA

The Salafi jihadist groups, brought to power in Syria as part of imperialist plans, have justified the concerns of minorities. As jihadists continue their attacks and executions in areas with a high Alevi population, minorities in the country remain on edge.

Jihadist groups affiliated with the Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) administration in Syria are carrying out ethnic cleansing attacks and mass executions against Alevis in the Latakia and Tartus regions, where the Alevi population is concentrated.

The spokesperson for the Defense Ministry of the interim administration, Hüseyin Abdülgani, announced that the military “operations” launched against militias affiliated with the ousted Bashar al-Assad administration along the country’s coastal region have ended. Abdülgani stated, “Our forces have neutralized the remnants of the ousted regime in the villages of Muhtariyye, Muzayria, and Zubara in Latakia province, as well as Dalye, Tanita, and Kadmous in Tartus province.”

MASSACRES CONTINUE

However, the London-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) reported that attacks on civilians are still ongoing in some areas. SOHR noted that looting and executions continue in Banyas, a town with a predominantly Alevi population, and announced that the civilian death toll has risen to 973. The total number of casualties has reportedly reached 1,311.

ALEVIS LEFT HELPLESS

Emphasizing that impunity encourages repeated crimes and targets Syria’s social peace, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) warned that the country is on the brink of civil war. Noting that the recent attacks on the coastal regions have resulted in the highest death tolls since the start of the civil war in 2011, SOHR stated that the “Alevi community is in a desperate situation” and cautioned that “tensions could escalate further.”

SOHR also called on the Damascus administration to prosecute the security forces responsible for mass executions and to end the policy of impunity.

‘FOREIGN POWERS ARE RESPONSIBLE’

HTS leader Muhammed al-Jolani, however, avoided addressing the massacres against Alevis, instead blaming “Assad and foreign powers” for the ongoing violence. Claiming that Syria is facing “a threat,” Jolani argued that “the remnants of the Assad regime and the foreign powers supporting them are trying to drag the country into civil war.”

REACTION FROM ROJAVA

In a statement from the Rojava administration, the massacres against Alevis were condemned, describing them as “dragging the Syrian people back into a dark period they do not wish to relive.” The statement declared that “murders and massacres clearly demonstrate the persistence of a hegemonic mentality.” It also called for the fair and transparent punishment of those responsible and the establishment of a national dialogue encompassing all Syrian people.

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CLASHES BETWEEN JIHADISTS AND SDG IN KURDISH NEIGHBORHOOD

In Şeyh Maqsoud, a predominantly Kurdish neighborhood in Syria's Aleppo province, clashes erupted between the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDG) and forces affiliated with the HTS administration. According to a report by Rudaw, 12 government-affiliated security personnel were killed in the fighting. Additionally, one civilian and three SDG members were reported injured. Local sources stated that Syrian government-affiliated armed forces launched an attack on a checkpoint in Şeyh Maqsoud the previous night. However, Syrian Defense Ministry spokesperson Hasan Abdülgani claimed that the SDG attacked their forces first, but that they had successfully “repelled the attack.”

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ATTACKS AND INSTABILITY WILL PERSIST

Dr. Selim Sezer, Assistant Professor at İstanbul Gedik University’s Department of International Relations, analyzed the sectarian attacks by jihadist groups against Alevis and the ongoing conflict in Syria for BirGün:

"From the very beginning, Alevis have been the primary target group in Syria. Whether this aggression will extend to other groups remains to be seen. HTS and other militia groups have launched intense attacks on the local population in Latakia, Tartus, and even Hama, particularly targeting the Alevi community. This can be interpreted as an act of intimidation. At the same time, there are numerous uncontrolled armed groups, including Chechen and Uyghur militants, whose attacks are directly aimed at civilians. Independent sources confirm that in these assaults, homes were raided, people were gathered, and then executed."

Sezer also pointed out the contradiction in HTS leadership's rhetoric:

"One of HTS’s frequent statements is that all weapons should be collected, and no armed groups should remain in the country except for official forces. However, in practice, it is evident that disarming the many pro-government militia groups is not a priority. In other words, the groups considered a threat to the administration—or those with the potential to become one—are not foreign jihadists. They are seen as secondary. Given that these groups have engaged in infighting during the 14 years of civil war, we can expect different levels of clashes and attacks in the near future. Although Jolani claims the situation is under control, the continued existence of these groups makes it highly likely that similar incidents will recur, even if temporary calm is achieved. Many groups will resist disarmament. Ensuring Syria's territorial integrity and integrating various factions into the national army is one of the country’s most pressing challenges, and it does not seem likely to be resolved in the short term. Various types of conflicts and instability are foreseeable in the coming period."

WHITE HOUSE REACTS TO ‘RADICAL ISLAMIST’ VIOLENCE

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio condemned the “radical Islamist terrorists” responsible for massacres against minorities in Syria and called on the interim government to hold those accountable. Rubio stated that “the U.S. stands with Syria’s religious and ethnic minorities, including the Christian, Druze, Alevi, and Kurdish communities,” expressing condolences to the victims and their families.

United Nations (UN) High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk also demanded an immediate end to the killings. In his statement, Turk noted, “There are reports of extrajudicial executions carried out on sectarian grounds by unidentified perpetrators. These executions are being carried out by security forces of the interim government and elements linked to the former administration.”

Note: This article is translated from the original Turkish version titled Azınlıklar diken üstünde, published in BirGün newspaper on March 11, 2025.