Syrian security forces 'oversaw' armed civilians who killed Alawites, accused man says

One of the men accused of taking portion successful a question of sectarian unit against Syria's Alawite number 2 months agone has told the BBC that helium and different equipped civilians who travelled to the country were advised and monitored by authorities forces there.

Abu Khalid said helium had travelled arsenic a civilian combatant to the Mediterranean coastal colony of Sanobar connected 7 March, to assistance conflict erstwhile authorities insurgents.

"The General Security section told america not to harm civilians, but lone to sprout astatine insurgents who changeable astatine us," helium told me.

"There were 8 men with me, but it was a ample group, and the General Security section was overseeing things truthful that no-one would vandalise the colony oregon harm the residents."

He aboriginal filmed himself shooting dormant a 64-year-old colony resident, Mahmoud Yusef Mohammed, astatine the entranceway to his house.

Abu Khalid, who has present been arrested, insisted Mahmoud was an equipped insurgent - but video helium filmed of the incidental does not enactment his account.

Military constabulary told the BBC determination had been nary coordination betwixt information forces and Abu Khalid.

Human rights groups estimation that astir 900 civilians, chiefly Alawites, were killed by pro-government forces crossed Syria's coastal portion successful aboriginal March.

The Alawite sect is an offshoot of Shia Islam and its followers marque up astir 10% of Syria's population, which is bulk Sunni.

Syria's coastal country - a stronghold of the erstwhile authorities - has been mostly sealed off, but a BBC squad gained access, speaking to witnesses and information officials astir what happened successful Sanobar.

The unit came a time aft fighters loyal to the country's overthrown erstwhile President Bashar al-Assad, who is an Alawite, led deadly raids connected authorities information forces.

The caller Sunni Islamist-led authorities had called for enactment from assorted subject units and militia groups to respond to those raids – but that escalated into a question of sectarian choler aimed astatine Alawite civilians.

Witnesses told the BBC that respective antithetic equipped groups had targeted Alawites for summary executions. Some besides said that authorities information forces had battled convulsive and extremist factions to support Alawite villagers from attack.

When the unit on this seashore erupted, the colony of Sanobar was close successful its path. Some 200 radical were wiped retired from this tiny Alawite village, implicit the people of a fewer days successful aboriginal March.

Almost 2 months aft the killings, determination person been nary funerals successful Sanobar.

A wide sedate present squats beside the winding colony road. Hurried burials person cleared the remaining corpses.

This is present a colony of women and secrets. Most survivors are inactive excessively frightened to talk openly but their stories, shared with america privately, are often strikingly similar.

The assemblage of Mahmoud Yousef Mohammed laic extracurricular his elemental breeze-block location successful Sanobar for 3 days aft helium was changeable dead.

His wife, girl and grandchildren, sheltering successful a neighbour's house, were excessively acrophobic to look from hiding and hide him, arsenic equipped groups roamed the village.

His household said Mahmoud was a polite man, known and respected successful the village; a husbandman with a subject background, who sometimes worked arsenic a minibus driver.

His house, connected a quiescent thoroughfare astatine the borderline of the village, stands little than 300m (985ft) from the main road where, connected 6 March, service officers from Syria's erstwhile authorities led co-ordinated attacks connected the country's caller information forces.

For 2 days, authorities forces battled erstwhile authorities fighters, known locally arsenic "filoul" ("remnants"), successful the villages on this coastal highway, calling for enactment from allied militia groups who helped propulsion Bashar al-Assad from powerfulness past year.

An array of equipped supporters responded to the call, including overseas jihadist fighters, civilians and equipped units present nominally portion of the caller Syrian army, but inactive not afloat nether authorities control. All are groups present accused by survivors of civilian executions.

All time connected 7 March, Sanobar residents listened to the sounds of aggravated warring astir the village, arsenic families hid successful their houses.

Then the targeting of civilians began.

"All day, galore groups entered our house," 1 subsister from Sanobar told me. "They weren't from the [military] groups based here, but from Idlib, Aleppo and elsewhere. Some wore camouflage uniforms. But the ones who killed america were wearing greenish uniforms with a mask."

"They stole everything, insulted us, threatened the children," she continued. "The past radical came astir 6pm. They asked, 'Where are the men?' and took my begetter and my member Ali. We begged them not to termination them. They said, 'You're Alawite, pigs,' and changeable them successful beforehand of our eyes."

Some clip that day, Mahmoud stepped extracurricular the gathering helium was sheltering successful with his family. One of his relatives said helium could odor toxic fumes from a occurrence nearby, and wanted to cheque connected his ain house.

He ne'er reappeared.

"We recovered the adjacent greeting that helium had been killed," the comparative told us.

The communicative of what happened to Mahmoud began to look erstwhile a video of his sidesplitting surfaced connected societal media, filmed by the antheral who changeable him.

In the video, Abu Khalid is seen grinning and taunting Mahmoud from the backmost of a motorbike earlier shooting him six times.

To conscionable Abu Khalid, we travelled to Idlib, the heartland of transitional President Ahmed al-Sharaa's Islamist group, Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), which swept Syria's aged authorities from powerfulness past December.

Now successful subject constabulary custody pending an investigation, Abu Khalid shuffled into the room, blinking and stretching arsenic his blindfold and handcuffs were removed.

A young antheral successful camouflage pants, helium seemed keen to talk, explaining that Mahmoud was not a civilian, but an insurgent who was warring successful the colony that day, and had been carrying an 8.5mm-calibre firearm erstwhile helium changeable him.

"I turned the camera connected him and told him to beryllium down," Abu Khalid told me. "He was moving distant and helium wanted to termination me, truthful I changeable him successful the enarthrosis and the leg. When I got closer, I saw him moving his manus arsenic if helium had a weaponry oregon a gun. I was afraid, truthful I killed him."

But the video Abu Khalid filmed of the shooting - its determination and timing verified by the BBC - does not enactment his account.

A erstwhile subordinate of the British peculiar forces confirmed that determination was nary limb disposable connected oregon adjacent Mahmoud astatine immoderate constituent successful the video.

And astatine nary constituent does Abu Khalid inquire the 64-year-old to halt oregon beryllium down - nor does helium look frightened oregon nether threat.

Instead, helium is shown whooping and grinning connected the backmost of the motorbike, earlier calling retired to Mahmoud, "I've caught you, I've caught you! Look astatine the camera!"

He past shoots him 3 times successful speedy succession. Mahmoud falls to his knees wrong the doorway of his house.

"You didn't die?!" Abu Khalid calls out, arsenic helium follows him to the building.

Mahmoud tin beryllium heard begging for his life, earlier Abu Khalid shoots him 3 much times astatine adjacent range.

International instrumentality forbids the sidesplitting of civilians, the injured, oregon disarmed fighters.

Khaled Moussa, from the subject constabulary portion present holding Abu Khalid, said helium had gone to combat successful Sanobar without coordination with the information forces.

"Civilians are not expected to beryllium determination during subject operations," Mr Moussa said. "He made a mistake. He could person captured the person, but alternatively helium killed him."

But Abu Khalid has small regret for what helium did.

When helium cries during our interview, it's not for Mahmoud - oregon adjacent for himself. It's for his small brother, killed successful a weaponry onslaught by President Assad's erstwhile service successful 2018 arsenic his household sat down astatine location to interruption their Ramadan fast.

"He was 8 years old, and I held him portion his psyche near his body," helium told me, earlier tears commencement flowing down his face.

"I was raised during the revolution, and saw thing but injustice, blood, sidesplitting and terror. They disregard everything that happened successful Syria earlier the liberation, and absorption connected the video I filmed."

He tells maine his family's latest casualty was his 17-year-old cousin, killed portion warring insurgents adjacent Sanobar. "He was wholly burned," helium said. "We took him distant successful a integrative bag."

"If I was going for revenge for what they did to us, I wouldn't person near immoderate of them."

The insurgent attacks connected 6 March ripped unfastened sectarian fault-lines that Syria's caller Islamist authorities had tried to insubstantial implicit with promises of tolerance and inclusion.

The Syrian Network for Human Rights (SNHR), an autarkic monitoring group, says erstwhile authorities loyalists killed astatine slightest 446 civilians, including 30 children and women, and much than 170 authorities information forces, astir of them connected 6 March.

Those attacks resurrected deep-seated choler implicit the repressive dictatorship of erstwhile President Assad, with Alawite civilians seen by immoderate arsenic complicit successful the crimes of his authorities - and arsenic portion of the insurgency that followed his fall.

The SNHR says the government's crackdown connected insurgents connected the seashore "escalated into wide and terrible violations", astir of which were "retaliatory and sectarian".

The radical says that pro-government forces and supporters killed astatine slightest 889 civilians, including 114 children and women, successful the days pursuing the insurgent attacks.

Amnesty International has investigated dozens of attacks it says were "deliberate", "unlawful" and targeted astatine Alawite civilians.

One video from Sanobar shows a pro-government combatant marching done the colony chanting, "ethnic cleansing, taste cleansing".

Lists of victims from the village, compiled by section activists, see the names of much than a twelve women and children, including an 11-year-old, a large pistillate and a disabled man.

The subsister who watched gunmen termination her begetter and member said the household showed their killers the men's civilian ID cards to beryllium they hadn't been portion of Assad's army. But it made nary difference; their lone accusation, she said, was that the household were "Alawite pigs".

Separating civilians from insurgents is cardinal to the caller government's program to unafraid the country, and its committedness to support minorities.

But that volition necessitate prosecuting those liable - and proving it tin power its ain subject forces and equipped allies.

Sharaa's HTS radical - erstwhile the section affiliate of al-Qaeda and inactive designated arsenic a violent organisation by the UN, US and UK - formed the backbone of his caller army.

There has been accelerated recruitment to capable the ranks of a caller civilian constabulary and the General Security Forces.

Training has reportedly been shortened and galore units accidental they are under-equipped. One commandant looked wistfully astatine my body-armour and vigor erstwhile we joined them connected a patrol. "We don't person those," helium said.

Turkish-backed militia and jihadist fighters who erstwhile fought alongside HTS to region Bashar al-Assad are among those named by witnesses and quality rights groups arsenic carrying retired summary executions.

In the streets of Sanobar, the names of Turkish-backed units, present supposedly nether authorities control, person been graffitied connected the walls, and the BBC heard respective reports that their men were inactive contiguous successful the village.

Some videos of alleged violations besides look to amusement the beingness of vehicles and uniforms from the authoritative General Security Forces - prompting Amnesty International to telephone for investigation.

The caput of the General Security Forces for the Latakia region, Mustafa Kunaifati, told maine that civilians with friends oregon relatives successful the service were liable for astir of the crimes, but admitted that members of equipped groups had besides been progressive - including what helium called "individual cases" from his ain General Security units.

"It happened," helium said, "and those members were besides arrested. We can't judge thing similar that."

After the erstwhile authorities fighters were expelled and the concern brought nether control, helium said his men "began removing each the rioters from the country and arresting anyone who had harmed civilians".

Several witnesses person confirmed to the BBC that Mr Kunaifati's forces intervened to support them from different equipped groups.

One of Mahmoud's neighbours successful Sanobar told america they evacuated him and his household 30 minutes earlier Mahmoud was killed.

And the witnesser who described the sidesplitting of her begetter and member said the General Security Forces had helped them flight the village, and aboriginal to instrumentality and hide their relatives.

Sharaa has vowed that "no-one volition beryllium supra the law" erstwhile it comes to prosecuting the killings connected the coast.

A peculiar committee is presently investigating some the archetypal 6 March onslaught by insurgents, and the unit by pro-government forces that followed. The BBC understands immoderate 30 radical person been arrested.

But successful a state inactive waiting to spot justness for the crimes of the past, this is simply a delicate moment.

Some person argued that the government's determination to contented a wide telephone for enactment aft the insurgent attacks made unit predictable, adjacent inevitable.

Many Alawite villagers accidental they privation the government's General Security Forces to constabulary their villages, and for different factions, present positioned astatine immoderate checkpoints and bases, to leave.

Two months aft the unit here, authorities information forces are acting arsenic the shield against their ain hard-line allies.

The aboriginal of Sanobar is simply a trial for the aboriginal of Syria, and the country's different minorities - Druze, Christians, Kurds - are watching.

To spot however acold Syria's Islamist authorities tin clasp this wounded state unneurotic without resorting to the repression of the past.