Over 1,000 killed in Syria clashes, reprisals

Fighting between government forces and insurgents loyal to former President Bashar Assad escalated into revenge killings of hundreds of civilians in the last two days. Clashes in Syria’s coastal region began last week, when the insurgents ambushed government soldiers near the cities of Latakia and Jableh.

The transitional government took power three months ago while removing the Assad regime. Christians in the area have suffered greatly during the civil war and their security has been an ongoing concern following the power shift.

Who was killed? A total of 973 civilians, including women and children, died in massacres and summary executions as of Sunday, according to the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. Most of the dead were minority Alawites, a Shia Muslim faction that supported Assad. The rights watchdog also reported that 231 government-affiliated soldiers and 250 Alawite insurgents have been killed in the fighting.

What else has been reported about the conflict?

• Christians are also among the dead and many have fled to the mountains, according to Newsweek. Bodies piled up in the streets of the coastal city of Banias, the Associated Press reported. Most reports say Syrian government forces carried out the killings.

• The Syrian Ministry of Defense on Monday announced that insurgent forces were neutralized and the coastal regions could return to normal life, according to the state news agency.

• Separately, fighting between government troops and Turkish-backed factions in the Aleppo area of northern Syria is still ongoing. Turkish jets reportedly carried out airstrikes Monday morning.

What did Syria’s president say about the killings? The president of Syria’s transitional government, Ahmad al-Sharaa, on Sunday blamed the violence on remnants of Assad’s regime and called for unity. He also asked international powers not to interfere and said he was establishing an independent commission to investigate the matter.