Media: In Syria, Islamists kill a huge number of civilians

Killed civilians in Syria. Photo: open sources

As of March 9, 2025, the number of civilians killed in Syria as a result of actions by Islamists who have come to power may be in the thousands, various sources report. This is one of the bloodiest episodes of violence since the beginning of the Syrian conflict 14 years ago.

The UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR), which monitors the situation in Syria, reported that around 745 civilians were killed in about 30 "massacres" targeting Alawites in coastal regions on March 7 and 8, according to BBC. However, the actual number of victims could be much higher.

Speaking at a mosque in Damascus on March 9, Islamist interim Syrian President Sharaa stated that "what is currently happening in Syria is within the expected challenges." According to him, pro-Assad military forces engaged in armed clashes with Islamist government groups, and the latter simply responded.

According to the Syrian Observatory, around 125 members of forces linked to the new Islamist government and 148 fighters supporting Assad were killed in battles in the coastal region. Shortly after these events, government Islamists began taking revenge, exterminating the civilian population.

Amid the fighting, hundreds of civilians reportedly fled their homes in the coastal provinces of Latakia and Tartus, which were strongholds of the ousted President Bashar al-Assad, himself a member of the Alawite minority.

The Alawites, a sect that is a branch of Shia Islam, make up about 10% of Syria’s population, which is predominantly Sunni Muslim.

The violence has plunged the Alawite community into a "state of terror," an activist from the city told BBC on Friday.

Large groups of people sought refuge at the Russian military base Khmeimim in Latakia, according to Reuters.

Video footage published by Reuters shows dozens of people chanting in front of the base: "People want Russian protection."

Meanwhile, local media reported that dozens of families also fled to neighboring Lebanon.

The UN Special Envoy for Syria, Geir Pedersen, stated that he is "deeply alarmed by the very troubling reports of civilian casualties" in Syria's coastal areas.

At the same time, independent observers are providing much higher casualty figures among the civilian population.

Russian expert on Syria, Oleg Blokhin, wrote on his Telegram channel that "over the past three days, HTS terrorists have killed at least 10,000 civilians –Alawites, Christians, and Shia – in Latakia, Tartus, Hama, and Homs." He also noted that "the number of victims continues to grow, as terrorists have not stopped killing people."

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