Violent clashes between Syria's government, Assad loyalists left hundreds dead. Here's what to know

Hundreds of radical were killed successful Syria implicit 4 days aft convulsive clashes between the service and loyalists of the deposed president Bashar al-Assad swept its western coastal region.

What began arsenic an ambush connected Syrian information patrol by Assad loyalists brought havoc to respective cities and towns connected the coast.

The attack sparked the worst unit Syria has seen since the extremity of 13 years of struggle successful the state and three months after the Assad authorities was overthrown in an violative by absorption fighters led by the Sunni-Islamist radical Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, oregon HTS.

Here's what we cognize truthful acold astir the attacks and wherever things presently basal successful the region.

How did the unit erupt?

The unit unfolded on Thursday, aft a astonishment onslaught by gunmen from the Alawite assemblage connected a constabulary patrol adjacent the larboard metropolis of Latakia spiraled into wide clashes crossed Syria's coastal region.

The attacks — which appeared to beryllium co-ordinated — were a large escalation and a situation to the caller authorities successful Damascus, wherever the erstwhile insurgents present successful powerfulness person pledged to unite Syria aft much than 50 years nether the Assad dynasty.

In their ambush, the equipped pro-Assad fighters overwhelmed authorities information forces and aboriginal took power of Qardaha, Assad's hometown, arsenic Damascus scrambled to bring successful reinforcements.

The bulk of the colonisation successful the coastal cities are members of the ousted president's Alawite sect, an offshoot of Shia Islam.

The Alawites previously formed the halfway constituency of Assad's authorities successful the Sunni-majority country, linking the assemblage to the regime's brutal regularisation implicit Syria, successful the eyes of its opponents. But galore Alawites said that they suffered similar different Syrians nether the regularisation of Assad and his father, Hafez al-Assad.

Eyewitness reports and videos from the coastal region showed houses successful respective neighbourhoods acceptable connected occurrence and bloodied bodies laid connected the streets. Many residents said they were excessively acrophobic to permission their homes.

The authorities poured reinforcements to coastal cities including Latakia, Banias, Tartous and Jableh, to crush what it described arsenic a deadly, well-planned and premeditated battle by remnants of the Assad regime.

On Monday, the authorities said it had ended its subject cognition successful Latakia and Tartous.

Syria's interim president Ahmed al-Sharaa later acknowledged that immoderate equipped groups had entered without anterior co-ordination with the defence ministry.

The Syria Campaign and the Syrian Network for Human Rights (SNHR) said Saturday that some information forces and pro-Assad gunmen were "carrying retired wide executions and systematic killings."

Who was targeted?

Despite authorities calling for an extremity to the sectarian incitement, the clashes turned deadly, and galore civilians were killed.

Between Thursday and Monday, astir 779 radical were killed, according to the SNHR.

The SNHR told CBC News successful a connection that astatine slightest 383 radical were killed by remnants of the Assad regime. 

Of those 383 people, 172 were members of the General Security Forces and 211 were civilians. 

CBC News could not independently verify these numbers.

Meanwhile, equipped forces — composed of subject factions, equipped section residents (both Syrian and foreign) and members of the wide information forces — were liable for the deaths of astatine slightest 396 people, according to SNHR.

"Distinguishing betwixt civilians and disarmed members of the Assad authorities has proven peculiarly challenging, arsenic galore of them were dressed successful civilian clothing," the enactment said. 

The SNHR besides noted that its decease tolls exclude "combat-related" fatalities among the Assad loyalists, "as specified deaths are not classified arsenic violations of planetary law."

CBC News's verification squad has verified a video posted connected Saturday by the Syrian Coast Observatory connected Telegram showing men successful Public Security Forces azygous shooting astatine unarmed radical successful civilian clothes. Five bodies of radical killed were shown connected video.

The UN quality rights bureau said Tuesday that full families including women and children were killed arsenic portion of a bid of sectarian killings by the service against an insurgency by Assad loyalists.

How has the caller authorities responded?

Defence Ministry spokesperson Hassan Abdel Ghani said Sunday that information forces person restored power of the portion and volition proceed pursuing leaders of the galvanized insurgency.

Four radical were arrested Tuesday by the Public Security Department for allegedly committing illegal and bloody violations against civilians successful the region, according to Syria's authorities quality bureau SANA.

On Monday, Sharaa told Reuters that helium could not yet accidental whether forces from Syria's Defence Ministry — which has incorporated erstwhile rebel factions nether 1 operation — were progressive successful the sectarian killings.

"Syria is simply a authorities of law. The instrumentality volition instrumentality its people connected all," helium told Reuters successful an interview.

"We fought to support the oppressed, and we won't judge that immoderate humor beryllium shed unjustly, oregon goes without punishment oregon accountability, adjacent among those closest to us."

Sharaa blamed pro-Assad groups backed by foreigners for triggering the bloodshed but acknowledged that revenge killings had followed.

Sharaa, appealing to Syrians and the planetary assemblage successful an code implicit the weekend, called for accountability for anyone who harms civilians and mistreats prisoners and said said Syria volition not beryllium dragged into civilian war. 

WATCH | Hundreds successful Syria killed successful deadly clashes: 

The Syrian fact-finding committee investigating sectarian killings said it would question the apprehension and prosecution of immoderate perpetrators involved.

"No 1 is supra the law, the committee volition relay each the results to the entity that launched it, the presidency, and the judiciary," the committee's spokesperson Yasser Farhan said successful a televised quality league Tuesday.

The committee was preparing lists of witnesses to interrogation and imaginable perpetrators, and would notation immoderate suspects with capable grounds against them to the judiciary, Farhan added.

What has happened since?

Several demonstrations were held successful Syria pursuing the onslaught of violence.

Syrians gathered Tuesday successful Latakia to show against the caller wide killings.

"One, one, one. The Syrian radical are one," demonstrators chanted successful videos retired of Latakia, calling for information successful the portion and for extortion from the authorities against sectarian violence.

The Syria Campaign shared a connection connected Instagram Tuesday pursuing the events. 

"Our hearts interruption for each the families who mislaid loved ones to [the] horrific massacres," it said, adding that galore are inactive incapable to hide their loved ones portion others are fly their homes successful fearfulness for their lives. 

"Indifference equals complicity. Speak up against these atrocities and request accountability and justness for all," the connection said.

Since Assad was ousted, Sharaa has pledged to tally Syria successful an inclusive way. 

While galore Syrians believed the Alawites were favoured nether Assad, who had included galore elder bureaucrats and subject officers, thousands have continued to telephone for unity among each sects since the caller interim authorities was formed. 

The UN exile bureau said successful a connection that 6,078 Syrians person arrived successful astir a twelve villages successful bluish Lebanon's Akkar state aft fleeing the warring successful Syria's coastal area, according to section authorities.