Reuters: Syrian Security and Defense Officials Implicated in Coastal Massacres

Reuters: Syrian Security and Defense Officials Implicated in Coastal Massacres
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A recent investigative report by Reuters has revealed the alleged involvement of Syria’s General Security Directorate and senior Defense Ministry figures in mass killings that struck the country’s coastal region in March. The report states that around 1,500 Alawite civilians were killed within two days during the massacres, with dozens still missing.

Reuters’ findings point to at least 10 armed factions, including units of foreign fighters now operating under the new Syrian government, as participants in the violence. Roughly half of these groups have faced international sanctions for human rights abuses, including murder, abduction, and sexual violence.

Among the units named are the General Security Directorate — previously the main law enforcement arm of Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham — the elite “400th Division,” and “Osman Brigade.” Other groups, such as the Sultan Suleiman Shah Division and Hamza Division, were also cited as having joined government forces recently.

The report additionally highlights a sharp rise in kidnappings targeting Alawite women since March, with families widely sharing pleas and videos on social media to find their missing daughters. Reuters said its review found no similar reports involving women from other Syrian communities during the same period.