HTS have called on former personnel from Assad regime’s forces to hand in their weapons [Ozan Kose/AFP/Getty]
Syria’s former rebels said they will begin clamping down on former regime officials in the country’s coastal region, a stronghold of former President Bashar al-Assad
The Islamist Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) group, which now leads Syria’s transitional government, announced on Saturday the beginning of a security campaign against what they called remnants of former president Bashar al-Assad’s forces in the coastal provinces of Latakia and Tartus in northwestern Syria.
The group said it would not target civilians and that its campaign was directed at military, security and other officials who may have been complicit in crimes against the Syrian people since the conflict began in 2011.
There have also been reports of mass looting and widespread lawlessness in the region.
HTS sources told The New Arab’s sister site Al-Araby Al-Jadeed that “the aim of the campaign is to pursue officers and elements who have criminal records and are still hiding in the Syrian coastal area, and who have not handed over their weapons.”
“Over the past few days, these remnants have carried out robberies and taunted residents, claiming that they belong to [the Syrian rebels’] military operations command, which is why [we are] pursuing them to prevent chaos in the Syrian coastal region,” the sources told Al-Araby Al-Jadeed.
The operations will take place in coordination with local mayors and notables, with the aim of preventing harm to civilians, the sources added, stressing that the main goal of the campaign is to restore safety and security to these areas.
As the more than 50-year-old regime collapsed and HTS captured swathes of Syrian territory, there were reports of revenge killings happening in Latakia and Tartus, with rumours saying members of the Alawi community, who form a majority in Syria’s coastal mountain area and to which Assad belongs – were primarily being targeted.
Videos which have gone viral showing officials said to have been part of the regime being arrested and beaten, with unverified reports of field executions.
Last week, four HTS members were ambushed and killed by a group said to have been pro-Assad, who were attempting to steal weapons from a military outpost in the village of Al-Muzayraa near Jableh in Latakia province.
HTS earlier this week said it has opened a large number of “reconciliation centres” for former personnel from Assad regime’s forces to hand in their weapons and receive temporary IDs affording them protection. Syrians who joined Iranian militias or were part of the National Defence Force pro-regime militias have also been instructed to attend these centres.
