Syria’s Ministry of Defence announced on Monday the end of military operations against the militias loyal to the regime of Bashar al-Assad in the provinces of Latakia and Tartus, on the country’s Mediterranean coast, after several days of fighting that have left nearly 1,500 dead, according to independent organisations.
In a statement released by the official Syrian news agency SANA and published by numerous media outlets, Syrian Defence Ministry spokesman Hassan Abdul Ghani stated that Syrian security forces had wiped out the ‘regime remnants’ in Latakia and Tartus: ‘Having achieved this, we announce the end of the military operation,’ said Ghani, who praised the “success of our forces … in achieving all the objectives set”, being able to ’absorb the attacks of the remnants of the toppled regime and its officers.’
Violent fighting broke out last week after an ambush carried out by elements of the former regime against Syrian security forces. The fighting quickly spread to the coastal provinces of Latakia and Tartus, where the majority of the population are Alawites, a minority to which Assad belonged. According to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, some 1,500 people have died in the clashes in the region, including hundreds of Alawite civilians.
The end of the fighting in Syria came as high-level delegations from Turkey, Jordan, Syria and Iraq met on Sunday in the Jordanian capital, Amman, where they agreed to coordinate their efforts to combat the presence of Daesh and reaffirmed their support for the new Syrian government. In a common statement, the participating countries declared their support for the ‘brotherly Syrian people in their efforts to rebuild their homeland on foundations that ensure Syria’s security, stability, sovereignty and territorial integrity, while safeguarding the rights and safety of all its citizens.’ The statement also condemned any external interference that threatens the peace, security and sovereignty of Syria, in a clear reference to Israel.
The fighting against those loyal to the Assad regime has exposed the fragility of the new order established in Syria led by its interim president, the Islamist Ahmed al-Sharaa, who on Sunday called for peace and unity in the country and promised to punish those who have committed excesses against the civilian population in the operations. ‘We must preserve unity and civil peace as much as possible. God willing, we will be able to live together in this country,’ Al-Sharaa said from Damascus, where there were peaceful protests against sectarian fighting and the killing of civilians in Latakia and Tartus.
VOTE
EDITORIAL TEAM
🧿 About us
.
Edited and reviewed by:
Pablo Gómez is a specialist in Turkey and has been editor-in-chief of Hispanatolia since 2011. He has been analysing current affairs and geopolitics in Turkey and the surrounding region since 2006.
…
📣 Your ADVERTISING on Hispanatolia
.
🤗 HELP US WITH A DONATION:
💗 Paypal
