Syria's new govt launches security crackdown amid tensions in coastal area
The governor of Latakia, Muhammad Osman, says the administration is determined to protect civil peace and social harmony, according to a report by SANA.
People walk past members of Community Protection Squads, who coordinate with Hayat Tahrir al Sham (HTS) on keeping security, as they hold a checkpoint in Al Woroud, in Damascus. / Photo: Reuters
Syria's new authorities have launched a security crackdown in a coastal region where 14 policemen were killed a day before, vowing to pursue "remnants" of the ousted Bashar al Assad regime accused of the attack, state media reported.
The violence in Tartus province has marked the deadliest challenge yet to the authorities which swept Assad from power on December 8.
The new administration's security forces launched the operation on Thursday to "control security, stability, and civil peace, and to pursue the remnants of Assad's militias in the woods and hills" in Tartus' rural areas, state news agency SANA reported.
The country’s interim government said earlier that deadly protests in Syria, triggered by claims of damage to a religious shrine, were the result of "provocations" by elements of the deposed Assad regime.
Protests erupted in several areas, including Hama, Homs, Latakia, Tartus, and the towns of Jableh and Banyas, after videos circulating on social media alleged that the shrine of religious figure Abu Abdullah Hasibi in Aleppo had been damaged.
Clashes broke out between demonstrators and security forces in central Homs and western Tartus provinces, resulting in deaths and injuries on both sides, with authorities introducing curfew measures in Homs from 6.00 pm to 8.00 am, according SANA.
Over the past days, security forces affiliated with the interim government had intensified search efforts in several cities, primarily in the provinces of Latakia and Tartus, for former regime officials accused of committing war crimes.
Interior Ministry statement
In a statement, the interim Interior Ministry has said the videos were actually from "old footage from the period when Aleppo was liberated by unknown groups."
"We emphasise that our institutions have been working day and night to protect our properties and religious sites," said the statement by the ministry's Media Office.
"The purpose of circulating these videos again is to sow discord among the Syrian people during this sensitive period," it added.
The statement further noted that in the country's coastal region, certain elements of the deposed regime had taken the opportunity to stage armed attacks against security forces, with casualties among the security personnel.
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