Syrian security forces yesterday arrested several suspected war criminals in two raids in Latakia province, the coastal heartland of the country's Alawite community and the base of support for former president Bashar Al Assad.
The operations took place in Dweir Baabda village, in the Jableh countryside, where suspects were detained over alleged involvement in abuses during the civil war, the Interior Ministry said in a statement carried by the state-run Sana news agency.
One suspect, Yaman Shahin, was killed after resisting arrest during the operations, it added. A member of a Syrian special forces unit died from injuries suffered during the raids.
Among those arrested was Yusuf Al Hassan, a former field operations commander in Latakia. He was detained in Dweir Baabda and faces accusations of suppressing peaceful protests in Latakia city. Another of those arrested was Ghaith Shahin, a former battalion commander in the 18th Armoured Division, who is accused of involvement in the 2012–2013 shelling of Qusair, the destruction of Palmyra, and overseeing checkpoints between Homs and the Lebanese border.
The ministry said forces also arrested Nizar Shahin, an artillery and missile battalion commander in the 64th Regiment, over alleged war crimes and abuses, including the rape of civilians in Qusair.
Sporadic unrest
Latakia, on Syria’s north-western coast, is a long-standing stronghold of the Assad family and the country’s Alawite minority. The province was the site of sporadic unrest during the civil war and has continued to experience occasional violence and crackdowns since the end of the Assad regime.
In December, security forces arrested 21 people with alleged links to the former government after deadly unrest in the provincial capital prompted authorities to impose a curfew. Hundreds of Alawites were killed in violence in the coastal heartland in March last year.
Despite assurances from Damascus that all communities will be protected, minorities remain wary of the government led by President Ahmad Al Shara.
