Violence in Syria began on Thursday and spiralled in no time, escalating tensions three months after the ouster of President Bashar al-Assad from power
GUWAHATI, March 9: Violence in Syria has taken a big toss with clashes between security forces and loyalists of the former government have killed more than 1,000 people, most of them Alawite civilians, prompting Syrian leader Ahmed al-Sharaa to urge for peace and national unity, reports said Sunday.
The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported on Saturday that the violence, one of the deadliest outbreaks since Syria’s war began 14 years ago, involved security forces and armed groups loyal to ousted President Bashar al-Assad, and retaliatory attacks.
Reports said the unrest has led to power and water cuts in the coastal city of Latakia.
Sunni Muslim gunmen loyal to the government launched retaliatory attacks against members of the Alawite sect, to which Assad belongs.
Eyewitnesses in Alawite villages recounted scenes of gunmen shooting people, mostly men, in the streets or at their doorsteps.
“Bodies were on the streets,” said one resident from Baniyas, a town severely affected by the violence, news agency AP reported.
UN officials, meanwhile, have voiced their concern over the worsening situation in Syria.
