At least 1,000 people are reported to have been killed in Syria in recent days – many belonging to the Alawite community, the same ethnic group as Syria’s ousted leader Bashar al-Assad.

The UN warns that children, women and entire families are being massacred in Alawite towns and villages and that fathers are being executed in front of their families.

Western media describe the massacres as “clashes” between Syrian security forces loyal to the new Syrian Islamist regime and supporters of ousted President Bashar Assad.

On Sunday, it was reported that 745 civilians were killed along with 125 government soldiers and 148 militants “affiliated with Assad” and a large number of Alawites were executed in or outside their homes in Syria’s coastal region before their homes were set on fire.

In the town of Baniyas, residents testify that heavily armed men arrived and killed people in their shops and homes, allegedly in retaliation for the Alawites’ past support for Assad’s secular rule. Many of the killers were reportedly foreigners.

“Summary executions”

Human rights groups and analysts warn that these appear to be purely ethnic cleansing campaigns, with victims selected on the basis of their ethno-religious affiliation.

– In a number of extremely disturbing instances, entire families – including women, children and individuals hors de combat – were killed, with predominantly Alawite cities and villages targeted in particular, said Thameen Al-Kheetan, spokesperson for the UN Human Rights Office.

– Many of the cases documented were of summary executions. They appear to have been carried out on a sectarian basis… In some cases, men were shot dead in front of their families, he continued.

In the small town of Sanobar, the mayor and his three sons were executed in front of the wife/mother – and the killers threatened to kill the grandchildren too if the family did not give up their gold. In several other incidents, the killers have come by car to smaller communities, searched all the houses, and executed all the men they found.

Murder of Christians

While representatives of the Syrian Islamist regime claim that “no one is above the law” and say they intend to investigate the massacres, they claim that Alawites loyal to Assad are to blame for the killings.

– Today, as we stand at this critical moment, we find ourselves facing a new danger – attempts by remnants of the former regime and their foreign backers to incite new strife and drag our country into a civil war, aiming to divide it and destroy its unity and stability, said Syria’s interim president and former wanted al-Qaeda leader Abu Mohammad al-Julani during a press conference.

Many Alawites have taken refuge in the Russian-controlled Khmeimi airbase and there are reports that drones and tanks have been used to shell towns and villages. Although a large proportion of those killed are believed to belong to the Alawite minority, several Syrian Christians are also reported to have been killed by the jihadists.

A large number of clips are circulating on social media showing Alawites being forced to crawl around, bark like dogs or otherwise humiliate themselves before being tortured or killed. Often, the killers themselves appear to have filmed their abuse and can be heard laughing in some of the videos.

Expected development

The Nordic Times has previously reported on how Syria’s new regime is de facto made up of fundamentalist and militant Islamists with a background in al-Qaeda and the Islamic State.

Although analysts warned early on that mass killings, oppression and repression of ethnic and religious minorities are expected to increase sharply under the new regime, those in power in the West have rather tried to portray Syria’s new regime as a moderate force, a legitimate partner and a positive change compared to the overthrown leader Assad, who represented the Arab socialist secular Baath Party.

In large part, the friendly attitude from the West is seen as a result of the Syrian jihadists’ pledge to open up Syria to foreign exploitation and to become an “open economy”.

– We plan to attract foreign investment and establish partnerships with all countries around the world, said Syria’s foreign minister, for example, during a discussion with notorious globalist Tony Blair at this year’s World Economic Forum in Davos.