The United Nations has strongly condemned reports of entire families being killed in northwest Syria, calling for investigations and accountability for the perpetrators. According to the UN commissioner for human rights, Volker Türk, there are “extremely disturbing” accounts of entire families, including women, children, and surrendered fighters, being killed in the coastal regions of northwest Syria. The violence erupted after clashes between security forces and Assad regime loyalists, resulting in Syria’s highest death toll since the start of the revolution in 2011.
Türk emphasized the need for urgent action, stating that the targeted killings in coastal areas must cease immediately. Fighting began on Thursday when fighters loyal to the ousted Assad regime attacked security forces in northwest Syria, prompting a wave of revenge attacks, including against civilians belonging to the Alawite sect. Clashes resumed on Sunday after security forces were again attacked by Assad loyalists.
The Syrian government has called for reinforcements to crush the rebellion, mobilizing fighters from across the country. However, despite being now under the auspices of the new Syrian government, some militias implicated in past human rights abuses remain active.
The UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) reported that more than 1,000 people had been killed in two days of fighting, including 745 civilians, 125 members of Syrian security forces, and 148 Assad loyalists. The death toll figures vary, with a second rights group, the Syrian Network for Human Rights (SNHR), reporting different numbers of civilian deaths. The Syrian government has not released its own casualty figures, and these reports have not been independently verified.
On Sunday, Syria’s transitional president, Ahmed al-Sharaa, addressed the violence, urging national unity and calling for an end to violence. He announced the formation of a seven-person committee, consisting of judges and a lawyer, to investigate the killings of civilians and security forces, with a report to be issued in 30 days. The assault on Syria’s coast is seen as the biggest challenge to the country’s Islamist authorities. The government has attributed the killings to “individual actions” and stated that the influx of fighters on the coast has led to human rights violations.
Source: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/mar/09/north-west-syria-un-latakia-assad-regime-loyalists-killings
