72 killed in Syria in 24 hours amid rising assassinations

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Al Mayadeen
21 Mar 2025 19:44
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These developments come amid a growing sense of lawlessness in areas under the Syrian government control.

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Syrian security forces inspect vehicles at a checkpoint, following a recent wave of violence between Syrian security forces and gunmen loyal to former President Bashar Assad, as well as subsequent sectarian attacks, in Latakia, in Syria's coastal region, Tuesday, March 11, 2025 (AP)

72 people were killed across Syria in the past 24 hours, in a series of bloody assassinations targeting both civilians and military personnel, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported on Friday.

The Observatory stated that 58 of the victims were killed in the countrysides of Tartus and Latakia, noting that the assassinations in these areas were carried out by armed groups affiliated with the General Security and Syrian military factions.

The remaining killings took place across the provinces of Aleppo, Daraa, Deir Ezzor, Damascus, and Homs, although no further details were provided on the perpetrators in these areas.

These developments come amid a growing sense of lawlessness in areas under the Syrian government control, with accusations directed at security agencies and pro-government militants for being behind the ongoing wave of assassinations.

Earlier, the observatory revealed that it had obtained four video clips documenting field executions of unarmed young men from the minority Alawite sect, carried out by security personnel in the village of Shir in the Latakia countryside on March 7.

UN deputy envoy to Syria urges accountability over violations in coast

Syrian security forces deployed to the coastal region had committed "violations", the UN Deputy Special Envoy for Syria, Najat Rochdi, told Al Mayadeen on Thursday, emphasizing the need for accountability and an end to what she referred to as "acts of reprisal."

Rochdi indicated that the events in Syria’s coastal region had "led to a loss of trust among residents regarding their return home."

German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock, following a meeting with Syria’s interim leadership on Thursday, stressed the urgent need to rein in extremist groups responsible for this month’s sectarian massacres and to hold them accountable.

"It is imperative that extremist groups in their ranks are brought under control and those responsible for crimes are held accountable," she stated after talks in Damascus with interim President Ahmad al-Sharaa and other officials.

"Any attempt at renewed escalation must be prevented."

Her visit came weeks after sectarian massacres led by security forces and their allied groups on Syria’s Mediterranean coast—home to the Alawite minority—killed more than over 1,500 people, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

The monitor raised concerns about the way victims were being buried in mass graves, warning that these sites could later be exploited as "propaganda to promote narratives serving political agendas, with accusations leveled against so-called remnants of the regime for committing war crimes."

Additionally, the observatory reported "human rights violations perpetrated by security forces, the Ministry of Defense, and affiliated groups," citing cases of summary executions, forced displacement, and the burning of homes, all carried out with no legal deterrent.