At least 16 members of the security forces of the Islamic government in Syria were killed on Thursday in attacks by armed groups that describe themselves as the “Coast Guard” and are portrayed by local media as “remnants of the Assad regime”.
According to sources from the Defense Ministry, led by the Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), military reinforcements are on their way to the Jabla and surrounding areas to support the public security forces and restore stability in the region. The armed forces of the Defense Ministry will support the public security forces, which are fighting back against the attacks of the remnants of the Assad militias in several areas, the sources said.
The violence broke out after military reinforcements from Idlib arrived to launch a large-scale security operation in Latakia and its surroundings, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR).
After the deadly clashes and subsequent confrontations, hundreds of citizens poured onto the streets of Tartus in western Syria to protest against the de facto government of President Ahmed al-Sharaa, a former leader of Al-Qaida in Syria and a deputy of ISIS founder Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi.
Social media videos show that the security forces, supported by Turkey and the Gulf region, opened fire on the demonstrators. Local reports indicate that a curfew has been imposed in Tartus.
A document circulating on the evening announced the establishment of the Military Council for the Liberation of Syria. It is said to have been signed by Brigadier General Ghiath Dala, a former officer of the Syrian Army (SAA). The document states that the armed groups, which are currently rebelling against the new authorities on the Syrian coast, are working to “liberate all Syrian areas from occupiers and terrorist forces” and “overthrow the HTS regime”.
Since the fall of the Assad regime in December, hundreds of Syrians have been killed by members of the HTS-led security forces in extrajudicial killings on the spot and hundreds of abductions have been reported.
Several Al-Qaida-affiliated individuals have been appointed to top positions in the new Syrian government. Foreign fighters, including Chinese Uighurs who arrived in the country during the Syrian conflict, have been given high ranks in the new armed forces.