Seven killed in Syria's Aleppo amid surging violence
According to the source, six individuals were shot dead in the Sheikh Saeed neighborhood in southern Aleppo by unidentified armed men.
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Reinforcement Syrian security forces deploy in the outskirts of Latakia, Syria, Friday, March 7, 2025 (AP)
At least seven civilians were killed in Aleppo, northern Syria, over the past 24 hours, a local source confirmed to Al Mayadeen on Tuesday, as violence continues to grip the country.
According to the source, six individuals were shot dead in the Sheikh Saeed neighborhood in southern Aleppo by unidentified armed men riding a motorcycle. The attackers opened fire directly at the victims before fleeing the scene.
In a separate incident, a doctor was killed inside his clinic in central Aleppo after being targeted by gunmen. No group has claimed responsibility for either attack.
Surge in targeted killings across Syria
The UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights has documented 78 killings across various Syrian provinces since the beginning of April.
These deaths fall under what the Observatory categorizes as "liquidation crimes," reflecting the widespread lawlessness and targeted assassinations in the country.
Syria has remained in a state of persistent turmoil since the fall of the previous regime, with killings, kidnappings, and thefts rampant, particularly in coastal regions.
The prolonged conflict has resulted in thousands of deaths, injuries, and arrests, deepening the humanitarian crisis.
Mannheim Conference demands end to massacres
The inaugural Mannheim Conference in support of Syria’s Al-Sahel, Homs, and Hama regions concluded in Mannheim, southwestern Germany, with participants pledging to use all means, from advocacy to documentation, to pursue justice and end atrocities in Syria.
The conference's concluding statement had all participants pledge to "To exhaust all means - through coordination, documentation, and advocacy - to secure justice, end killings, and punish perpetrators," calling "to adopt positions consistent with international laws and human rights charters and take all necessary measures, whether related to investigation, follow-up, and monitoring, or to emergency relief, aid, and rehabilitation of affected areas."
The conference announced the establishment of a "follow-up committee" to remain in permanent session for coordination and communication with relevant parties and organizations concerned with Syrian affairs.
The Mannheim Conference marks the first initiative of its kind, bringing together for the first time in person a group of over 100 expatriate academics and activists originally from Syrian regions affected by recent massacres, in addition to several Alawite Syrian associations, unions, and organizations from across Europe and the United States.
Pro-government groups committed war crimes in the Syrian coast: Amnesty
Earlier in April, Amnesty International found that the events that unfolded in Syria's coastline area were "war crimes", holding Syrian interim government forces accountable for the massacres.
Amnesty International highlighted that pro-government militants killed over 100 people in the seaside city of Baniyas on March 8 and 9, 2025. The group investigated 32 incidents and determined that they were purposeful and targeted the Alawite minority.
Eyewitnesses informed the organization that armed men asked victims if they were Alawites before threatening or murdering them.
In certain cases, they held them responsible for transgressions committed by the ousted regime. Authorities also compelled families to bury their loved ones in mass graves, with no religious or public rituals.