Authorities led by Syria’s new rebels say supporters of ousted President Bashar al-Assad have killed 14 Interior Ministry soldiers in an “ambush” in the west of the country.
They said 10 other soldiers were wounded in fighting on Tuesday near the Mediterranean port of Tartus, a stronghold of Assad’s minority Muslim Alawite sect.
Security forces were ambushed as they tried to arrest a former military officer for his role in the notorious Saidnaya prison near the capital, Damascus, reports said.
Just two weeks ago, Assad’s presidency fell to rebels led by the Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) faction.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR), a UK-based monitoring group, said three “militants” were also killed in the conflict, but it did not disclose their identities.
SOHR added that security forces later reinforced the situation.
In a separate incident, Syrian authorities imposed a nighttime curfew on the central city of Homs, state media reported.
This comes after reports of unrest over a video purportedly showing an attack on an Alawite shrine.
The interior ministry said the footage was old and dated back to the late November rebel offensive on Aleppo, with the violence carried out by an unidentified group.
One demonstrator was killed and five others were injured in Homs, SOHR said.
Demonstrations were also reported in the cities of Tartus, Latakia and Assad’s hometown of Kardaha.
Alawites are an offshoot of Shia Islam to which much of the former regime’s political and military elite belonged, including the Assad family.
The community fears reprisals, with members accused of being responsible for torture and killings in Syria under Assad.
Former officers have refused to hand over their weapons and locals in some towns have said they want to fight back, as appears to be the case in Tartus.
Alawite religious leaders have called for a blanket amnesty for the Alawite sect, but this is unlikely because its members are suspected of committing numerous war crimes.
Tens of thousands of people have been tortured to death in prisons in Syria, and thousands of families are still waiting for answers and justice.
Syrians are calling for justice and a trial for the perpetrators – something Alawites fear.
The HTS-led lightning offensive began in northeastern Syria and swept across the country, ending more than 50 years of Assad family rule.
Assad and his family were forced to flee to Russia.
HTS has since committed to protecting the rights and freedoms of Syria’s many religious and ethnic minorities.
The organization is recognized as a terrorist organization by the United Nations, the United States, the European Union, the United Kingdom and other countries.
Protests over the burning of Christmas trees erupted in the country on Tuesday, sparking fresh calls for new authorities to protect minorities.
Additional reporting by Lina Sinjab in Damascus
