Accused Individual Claims Syrian Security Tracked Gunmen Behind Alawite Killings

Alleged Attacker Claims Syrian Security Oversaw Armed Civilians During Alawite Killings

Security personnel from the General Security Forces have been deployed in the city of Latakia

One of the men charged in connection with a brutal wave of sectarian violence against Syria's Alawite community has told the BBC that he and other armed civilians were guided and supervised by security forces during their operation.

Identifying himself as Abu Khalid, the man said he traveled to the coastal village of Sanobar on March 7 as a civilian fighter to support efforts against insurgents from the previous regime.

“We were told by the General Security not to touch civilians—just to respond if we were fired upon,” he claimed. He described being part of a large group, monitored to prevent any harm to locals or damage to the area.

Despite those instructions, Abu Khalid filmed himself fatally shooting Mahmoud Yusef Mohammed, a 64-year-old resident, outside his home. Though he maintained that Mahmoud was an armed fighter, BBC-verified footage contradicts his account—showing no weapon and no visible threat.

Military police deny any coordination with Abu Khalid, asserting he acted independently. Human rights groups report that nearly 900 civilians, most of them Alawites, were killed by pro-government forces along the coast in early March.

The Alawite sect, a Shia offshoot, comprises about 10% of Syria’s predominantly Sunni population. The coastal region, a former regime stronghold, had remained largely closed off—until BBC teams accessed Sanobar and interviewed witnesses and officials.

Violence erupted after fighters loyal to ousted president Bashar al-Assad—an Alawite himself—launched deadly strikes on security forces. In response, the Sunni Islamist-led government mobilized militias and military units, but what began as retaliation spiraled into sectarian attacks targeting Alawite civilians.

Sanobar bore the brunt. Around 200 residents were killed in a matter of days. Survivors, mostly women, remain silent out of fear. The village's dead were hastily buried in a mass grave, and many families are still grappling with grief and trauma.

Mahmoud’s body lay outside his modest home for three days. His family, too frightened to retrieve him, hid nearby as armed groups prowled the area. A local farmer and former soldier, Mahmoud had no known involvement in combat.

The UN reports that tens of thousands of people are still displaced as a result of the sectarian violence

Clashes had broken out nearby between former regime forces and government troops, prompting militia reinforcements from across Syria—including foreign fighters. Many groups now accused of killing civilians were nominally under government command but lacked direct oversight.

On the day of Mahmoud’s death, residents of Sanobar heard gunfire throughout the day. Multiple armed factions entered homes, looted, and interrogated families. Survivors recalled that those responsible for the executions wore green uniforms and masks.

One woman recounted how gunmen killed her father and brother after accusing them of being “Alawite pigs,” despite showing civilian ID cards. Mahmoud was last seen leaving shelter to check on his home, concerned about toxic smoke. He never returned.

Video posted online later revealed the chilling moment of his death: Abu Khalid, riding a motorbike, taunts Mahmoud before shooting him multiple times, ignoring his pleas for mercy.

Though Abu Khalid claimed Mahmoud was armed and dangerous, independent analysts found no evidence of a weapon in the video. His demeanor in the footage—jubilant, mocking—undermines claims of self-defense.

In an interview from military police custody in Idlib, Abu Khalid remained unrepentant, saying he believed Mahmoud posed a threat. He justified his actions as part of a lifetime shaped by war and loss, including the 2018 death of his younger brother in an airstrike.

Smoke billows amid clashes between pro-government forces and Assad loyalists in Latakia on March 7

“If this were about revenge, none of them would be alive,” he said.

The attacks of March 6 reignited deep sectarian wounds. According to the Syrian Network for Human Rights (SNHR), pro-Assad forces killed hundreds, including civilians and security personnel, in coordinated assaults. The aftermath saw retaliatory killings by pro-government factions.

The SNHR reported nearly 900 civilians, including over 100 children and women, were killed in the crackdown that followed. Amnesty International documented what it described as deliberate and unlawful attacks on Alawite civilians.

One video from Sanobar showed a fighter chanting “ethnic cleansing” as he moved through the village. Victim lists include pregnant women, children, and disabled individuals.

The line between civilians and insurgents has become a central concern for the new government, which now faces the difficult task of maintaining order while addressing allegations of war crimes.

HTS, the former al-Qaeda affiliate now backing President Ahmed al-Sharaa, has formed the core of the new Syrian army. Despite efforts to build security institutions, many units remain undertrained and ill-equipped.

Turkish-backed militias and other armed groups once aligned with HTS have been implicated in killings, even though they now technically fall under government control. Their presence in Sanobar remains evident through graffiti and witness testimony.

Some footage also shows General Security Force vehicles at the scene of alleged abuses. Amnesty International has called for a thorough investigation.

Mustafa Kunaifati, head of General Security in Latakia, said civilians connected to military personnel committed many of the crimes, though he acknowledged that some of his own officers were involved. He said those individuals were arrested and that forces had acted to protect villagers from rogue factions.

Residents confirmed that General Security intervened in several cases—evacuating families and enabling burials after the violence. One witness said their lives were saved when the unit arrived minutes before Mahmoud was killed.

President Sharaa has pledged accountability. A special investigative committee is reviewing both the initial insurgent attacks and the retaliatory violence that followed. Around 30 arrests have reportedly been made.

Mass killings were reported in cities, towns, and villages along the coastal highway, including the city of Jableh

However, skepticism remains. Critics argue that the broad call for armed support in the wake of the insurgent attack made violence against civilians foreseeable.

Alawite villagers now express a preference for General Security to police their areas—and for other militias to leave.

The events in Sanobar pose a critical test for Syria’s new leadership, particularly in gaining the trust of minorities like Christians, Druze, and Kurds. Whether the government can uphold justice and prevent the repetition of past repression will determine Syria’s path forward.