Who Are The Alawites Of Syria? Assad Loyalists Being Targeted By Syrian Security Forces

Over 1,000 people have been killed in two days of clashes between Syrian security forces and loyalists of ousted President Bashar al-Assad. T

Scores of Alawites fled their home and took shelter at the Russian air base in Hmeimim, Syria amid violent clashes.

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Over 1,000 people have been killed in two days of clashes between Syrian security forces and loyalists of ousted President Bashar al-Assad and ensuing revenge killing, according to a war monitoring group. 

Among the dead are 745 civilians who were killed mostly in shootings from close distance. Additionally, 125 government security forces and 148 members of military groups affiliated with Assad have also been killed in the clashes said to be one of the deadliest acts of violence since the beginning of the conflict 14 years ago, according to Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR). 

The clashes erupted on Thursday, marking a major escalation in the challenge to the new government in Damascus, three months after insurgents unseated Assad from power, reported the Associated Press. 

A spokesperson for the Syrian Defence Ministry told the country's Sana news agency that the government has re-established control after "treacherous attacks" against its security personnel. 

Who Are The Alawites? 

Alawites are an offshoot sect of Shia Islam and make up around 10 per cent of the population in Syria, a country with a majority of Sunni Muslims. Historically, the Alawites have been concentrated in the coastal regions of Syria, especially Latakia - which has become the flashpoint of the recent clashes - and Tartus provinces. 

The Assad family belonged to this Alawite sect and during their rule, members of the community held significant positions in the military and government.

 Following the ouster of Assad, armed Sunni factions, reportedly loyal to the government, launched revenge killings against the Alawaites, deepening sectarian divide in the country. 

Ali Sheha, a 57-year-old resident of Baniyas who fled with his family and neighbours hours after the violence broke out Friday called the attacks "revenge killings." 

Meanwhile, the new government has blamed the loyalists for an attack against the country's new security forces over the past several weeks.