Syrian interim government says 14 personnel killed in ambush

Syria’s new interior minister Mohammed Abdel Rahman says 14 ‘interior ministry personnel’ were killed by what he described as the “remnants of the Assad regime”.

Clashes took place in multiple cities, like the coastal city of Tartus, Homs, and even the capital, Damascus. It’s the most violent and widespread unrest in the country since the removal of long-time autocratic President Bashar al-Assad two weeks ago.

Rahman vowed to crack down on “anyone who dares to undermine” the country’s security, endanger the lives of its citizens or halt its processes of peace and stabilising its future.

On Wednesday, demonstrations took place in the city of Homs, according to state media, and were led by members of the minority Alawite and Shi’ite Muslim communities.

The Alawite protests were apparently in part sparked by an online video showing the burning of an Alawite shrine. The interim authorities insisted the video was old and not a recent incident.

Some protesters called for the release of soldiers from the former Syrian army now imprisoned by the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS). The Syrian Observatory – a UK-based war monitor says at least one protestor was killed and five were wounded in Homs, as HTS forces looked to quell the unrest.

The HTS also imposed a curfew from 6 pm until 8 am local time (8 pm – 10 am CET) in response to the protests.

State media reports say the curfew is only being imposed for one night, but could be renewed if the violence doesn’t cease.

More small demonstrations also took place in other areas, like the city of Tartus, where the majority of Syria’s Alawite minority live, but were not as violent.

Sectarian violence has erupted in bursts since Assad’s ouster but nothing close to the level feared after nearly 14-years of civil war. A civil war that killed an estimated half-a-million people. The war fractured Syria, creating millions of refugees and displacing millions more internally.