Syrian forces targeted in deadly ambush with Assad loyalists

Syrian officials say 14 of its forces, part of the group which toppled Bashar al Assad’s regime, have died in clashes with supporters of the ousted dictator.

Another 10 members of the security forces from Hayat Tahrir al Sham (HTS) were also injured after being ambushed in northwest Syria, according to Syria’s interior ministry.

They were trying to arrest a former Assad official, accused of issuing execution orders against prisoners.

Since Assad’s fall, dozens of Syrians have been killed in acts of revenge – many from the minority Alawite community, an offshoot of Shiite Islam that Assad belongs to.

In the capital, Damascus, Alawite protesters clashed with Sunni counter-protesters on Wednesday, while similar demonstrations in the city of Homs have prompted a curfew, according to state media.

Reports suggested the curfew was in place for one night, lasting from 6pm Wednesday night through to 8am Thursday morning local time (3pm-5am UK time).

The extent of the recent unrest that led to the imposition of the curfew is currently not clear.

Syria’s new de facto rulers, the HTS group did not respond to a Reuters request for comment.

The group’s leader, Ahmed al Sharaa (previously known by his nom de guerre Abu Mohammed al Jolani), has promised to unite Syria’s many groups and to lead a government that promotes tolerance of all backgrounds and faiths.

Yesterday, he attended a meeting in which several rebel leaders agreed to dissolve their groups and fall under the Syrian defence ministry.

But there has been unrest across the country, including in the capital Damascus, where there were protests after a Christmas tree was set on fire.

Kurdish-led fighters clash with pro-Turkish rebels

Meanwhile, The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights also said on Wednesday that 12 pro-Turkish fighters were killed east of Aleppo during an operation by the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), which are backed by the US.

On Tuesday the SDF announced it had launched a fresh counter-offensive against the Turkish-backed Syrian National Army (SNA) to take back areas it previously controlled near Syria’s northern border.

Clashes between the SDF and the SNA have intensified since the fall of the Assad regime at the start of the month, and the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights says dozens from both sides have been killed.

But Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan has threatened Kurdish-backed groups still operating in Syria’s northern regions.

Erdogan threatens to ‘bury’ Kurdish groups

Ankara has insisted on the disbandment of the Kurdish YPG militia since the fall of the Assad regime at the start of the month.

“The separatist murderers will either bid farewell to their weapons, or they will be buried in Syrian lands along with their weapons,” President Erdogan said today in parliament.

“We will eradicate the terrorist organisation that is trying to weave a wall of blood between us and our Kurdish siblings,” he added.

Read more from Syria:
Syria’s rebel factions agree to dissolve
Protest after Syrian Christmas tree set on fire

Turkey views the Kurdish YPG militia – the main component of the US-allied SDF – as an extension of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) militia.

The PKK is designated a terrorist organisation by Turkey, the US and the EU, and has waged an insurgency against the Turkish state since 1984.

The SDF, which in 2021 was estimated to have some 100,000 members, is not one of the groups which agreed to dissolve and fall under the Syrian defence ministry on Tuesday.