The crackdown by the jihadist HTS, which came to power in Syria after the ouster of Bashar al-Assad, has raised tensions in the country. After the Druze, the Alawites, who are concentrated in the cities of Latakia and Tartus in the west of the country, have also risen up in response to the crackdown. While some Alawite resistance groups have been taking up arms against HTS since yesterday, HTS has responded with increased repression and attacks against civilians. Images of mass detentions and executions have appeared on social media, while there are also allegations of attacks on Alawite civilians. While the insurgents retreated to the mountainous areas, HTS militias dominated the city centers and terrorized the neighborhoods under the name of search and search.
- They raid houses and hurl insults
Reached by Halkweb, a resident of central Latakia, whose name we cannot disclose for security reasons, said, “Since the morning hours, they have been entering Alawite neighborhoods and raiding houses. They also entered my house. During the raids, people who have never held a weapon in their hands are subjected to heavy insults and threats. They especially insult our Alevi identity. Even being Alevi is a crime in their eyes.”.
- There were people who did not return alive from the places they called
Stating that people were sometimes kicked out of their homes, while others had their ID cards and even their vehicles confiscated, a resident of the city said, “They took my ID card and said, ‘Come tomorrow and pick it up at the checkpoint. But I am not sure whether I will go or not. Many people who went to reconciliation centers to lay down their arms or who were called to testify in case of a denunciation did not return alive. Such incidents are never claimed and are dismissed by HTS as ’individual revenge‘. However, what is happening is a fully planned and organized massacre. If the world does not step in, more horrible events will happen.’.
- Sensitive people in Turkey should be our voice
Stating that the latest incidents started after HTS entered an Alawite neighborhood in a convoy and opened fire randomly, the resident said, “The Alawites had surrendered their weapons in good faith after Assad was overthrown. But the people we are facing are people who have no intention of stopping no matter what we do. They are even against our existence. What is happening is not an uprising by Assad's forces, but the struggle of a group of people who want to protect their lives. However, if the world lets us go, we will disappear among them. In this respect, we expect sensitive people in Turkey to make our voice heard.”.