Syria: Security forces accused of executing dozens of Alawites

According to a war monitoring organization, Syrian security forces allegedly executed dozens of people belonging to the Alawite minority group in the coastal province of Latakia.

The UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) stated that 162 civilians were killed in "field executions" in the region – the heartland of ousted President Bashar al-Assad, who also belongs to the Alawite sect. The organization also told Agence France-Presse that the dead included 13 women and five children.

Sources in the Syrian Interior Ministry told the country's official news agency, SANA, that "individual violations" had occurred in the coastal region and pledged to stop them. BBC News has not been able to verify claims that the killings were carried out by Syria's new ruling forces.

Syria's new rulers, who overthrew Assad in December, said they are currently launching a military operation in the former president's hometown of Qardaha. In his first statement since the outbreak of violence, the country's interim president, Ahmed Shala, said Syria would hunt down the "remnants" of the ousted Assad regime and bring them to justice. This followed clashes between government forces and Assad-loyalist militants that left more than 70 people dead.

Curfews have been imposed in cities where fighting has broken out, including Homs, Latakia, and Tartus, and the governor of Latakia province said that all electricity supplies in the province had been cut off. Earlier, BBC Verify confirmed two videos showing a body being dragged behind a car in Latakia. A Syrian activist in Latakia told BBC Newsnight that the violence had plunged the Alawite community into a "state of fear." The activist, who did not want to be named, said: "They are very scared, they are in shock. They don't know what to do. There is no government or state ready to help them, to protect them."

The UN Special Envoy for Syria, Geir Pedersen, said in a statement that he was "deeply concerned" about reports of conflict and killings. He called on all parties to "refrain from actions that could further inflame tensions, escalate the conflict, exacerbate the suffering of affected communities, undermine stability in Syria and jeopardize a credible and inclusive political transition." The region is a stronghold of the Alawite minority and a stronghold of the Assad family, who belong to the sect.

Estimates of the death toll in the violence vary, and the BBC has not been able to independently verify the figures. Residents said they had been the target of sectarian violence, and an Alawite woman told BBC Arabic that many Syrians felt "afraid," whether they were in the coastal region or in the capital. She added that "everyone is terrified of the current incitement" and fears they will become "scapegoats."

Turkey and Russia have warned that the worst bloodshed since Assad's overthrow in December threatens stability across the region. Germany urged Syria to avoid "escalating violence" in the aftermath of the conflict. Alawites are an offshoot of Shia Islam and make up about 10% of Syria's population, which is predominantly Sunni. Ian Eickelman contributed reporting.