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EXCLUSIVE: Survivors of Syrian government massacres recount tales of ‘death, destruction’

Civilians in Syria’s coastal cities and towns are suffering from severe PTSD and live in fear of a new wave of sectarian killings

News Desk

Survivors of the massacres committed by Syrian government troops against Alawite civilians on the country’s coast earlier this month described their traumatic experiences to The Cradle in an interview published on 27 March. 

Weeks after the massacres, civilians in coastal cities such as Tartous and Latakia remain gripped by fear that Damascus’s forces may pursue them again. 

“We woke up to the sound of gunfire and screaming. We didn't know what was happening. I saw my neighbors being killed in front of their homes with my own eyes, and I could do nothing but hide,” survivor Abu Mahmoud, from the Latakia countryside, told The Cradle. 

“I could hear the cries of children, but the sound would soon fade ... they were killing everyone. When the noises finally stopped, I emerged from my hiding place to find my village reduced to ashes. The living were few, and death filled the air,” he added. 

“I fled with my children into a nearby forest. We walked for hours without food or water. The gunfire echoed behind us, as if death was chasing us,” said Umm Khaled, who is also a survivor. “When I returned after days, I found my home burned down and my family buried under the rubble. I had nothing left. I lost my family, my home, my life as I knew it. Since that day, I no longer feel alive.”

Anonymous psychiatrist ‘MA,’ who has been working with survivors of the massacres, told The Cradle that people are suffering from severe PTSD and are living in fear. 

“Children who witnessed these atrocities suffer from deep psychological trauma. Some have lost their ability to speak, while others live in complete isolation. Many are experiencing persistent nightmares, and some refuse to eat or interact with others. We are trying to help them, but the wounds are deeper than anyone can imagine,” the psychiatrist said. “The loss of entire homes and villages has led to the collapse of local communities, making psychological and social rehabilitation even more challenging.”

Anonymous human rights activist ‘SA’ stressed that “true peace cannot be built without justice,” adding that “those responsible for these crimes must be held accountable, not just for the victims but to prevent such atrocities from happening again.”

Syrian authorities announced earlier this month that an investigative committee has been formed to probe the events that took place between 6 March and 10 March. Despite this, none of the results have been made public as of yet, and the killings have continued. 

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) reported last week that 72 people, including civilians, were killed in a period of 24 hours by “armed groups affiliated with the General Security and Syrian military factions” in several areas of Syria.

“Impunity is what allows crimes against humanity to continue," ‘SA’ affirmed to The Cradle.

The massacres took place after an armed uprising launched by militants affiliated with Syria’s former army.

During a widescale security operation to quell the uprising, the Syrian Military Operations Department – consisting of numerous extremist factions who have been incorporated into the country’s new army – carried out a massive campaign of executions.

Militants went door to door killing civilians, including women and children. According to the SOHR, at least 1,500 people were killed, most of them Alawites.

Unofficial estimates say the number could actually be much higher. Over 20,000 Syrians have fled to neighboring Lebanon in fear. 

Syria's security and military forces are dominated by members of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) – formerly Al-Qaeda’s branch in Syria – as well as fighters from what was known as the Syrian National Army (SNA), a Turkish proxy formed in 2017.

The SNA groups, which were incorporated into the Syrian army and security apparatus after the fall of former president Bashar al-Assad’s government, are known to have scores of ex-ISIS fighters and commanders within their ranks.

Syria’s transitional President Ahmad al-Sharaahimself was an Al-Qaeda chief and before that a member of the Islamic State of Iraq (ISI), the group which turned into ISIS.