Residents of the Syria's Alawite heartland have begun trickling back to their homes after fleeing sectarian killings in the past 10 days, witnesses said on Sunday, but fears still grip the coastal areas of a repetition of the mass killings that sparked international condemnation and calls for the new government to protect the country's minorities.
At least 1,400 civilians, mostly Alawites, were killed after the government launched an offensive on March 6 to spread control throughout the west coast, ancestral home to the minority. The attacking forces were led by Hayat Tahrir Al Sham, the religious-political group that was instrumental in overthrowing president Bashar Al Assad on December 8.
Witnesses in the coastal cities of Latakia and Baniyas, mixed between Alawites and Sunnis, told The National HTS-led security forces have in the past 48 hours accompanied dozens of Alawite civilians back to their districts. The offensive, which involved arbitrary executions, looting and arson, prompted thousands of Alawites to flee. Most headed for the highlands, Lebanon and to the Russian Hmeimim airbase, a relic of an era when Moscow was dominant in Syria.
"There is shortage of transportation because so many cars and buses were stolen," said an Alawite resident of Baniyas. He said HTS had put up numerous barriers, partly guarded by foreign fighters, on the main road from Baniyas to the Alawite mountains, a main destination of the displaced.
Many in the Alawite areas of Baniyas have run out of money and food, although one bakery in the Qusour area has been providing bread free of charge, he said.
"We have been through a catastrophe, and they [HTS] are still humiliating us," he said, pointing out that Alawites are being asked at road blocks about their sect, with reports of abductions and disappearances continuing.
"No one dares venture outside their home, except perhaps in the morning," he said. "Baniyas is a ghost city."
An engineer who lives in Latakia said that he went to work on Sunday, for the first time in ten days, at a building material company on the road south of the Russian Hmeimim airbase. HTS had placed at the entrance of the city cars that were stolen and recovered for their owners to identify them. "There were some microbuses on the road with people coming back from Hmeimim," he said.
There was no immediate information on whether any of the estimated 10,000 Alawites who fled to Lebanon this month have gone back.
Syria is majority Sunni. Out of its 20 million population in 2010, the year before the civil war, Alawites numbered an estimated one million people. But the sect, an offshoot of Shiite Islam, had dominated power in Syria for the past six decades until Mr Assad was ousted on December 8. HTS, now in control of the country, was once linked to Al Qaeda. Among its ranks are thousands of foreign fighters who have traditionally spearheaded its offensive operations.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio blamed “radical Islamist terrorists” for the mass killings in the west coast area. He said Syrian authorities "must hold the perpetrators of these massacres against Syria’s minority communities accountable”.
Other minorities have also been stung by the campaign. On Thursday, Sheikh Hikmat Al Hijri, spiritual leader of the Druze Unitarian community, criticised the new authorities in Damascus, calling the government "extremist, wanted men". Despite open channels with the UN and many European countries, HTS, and its chief, Syrian leader Ahmad Al Shara, remain listed as terrorists by Washington, the UN and the EU.
Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week
Sonchiriya
Director: Abhishek Chaubey
Producer: RSVP Movies, Azure Entertainment
Cast: Sushant Singh Rajput, Manoj Bajpayee, Ashutosh Rana, Bhumi Pednekar, Ranvir Shorey
Rating: 3/5
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
What can victims do?
Always use only regulated platforms
Stop all transactions and communication on suspicion
Save all evidence (screenshots, chat logs, transaction IDs)
Report to local authorities
Warn others to prevent further harm
Courtesy: Crystal Intelligence
Lexus LX700h specs
Engine: 3.4-litre twin-turbo V6 plus supplementary electric motor
Power: 464hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 790Nm from 2,000-3,600rpm
Transmission: 10-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 11.7L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh590,000
Jetour T1 specs
Engine: 2-litre turbocharged
Power: 254hp
Torque: 390Nm
Price: From Dh126,000
Available: Now
Results
Light Flyweight (49kg): Mirzakhmedov Nodirjon (UZB) beat Daniyal Sabit (KAZ) by points 5-0.
Flyweight (52kg): Zoirov Shakhobidin (UZB) beat Amit Panghol (IND) 3-2.
Bantamweight (56kg): Kharkhuu Enkh-Amar (MGL) beat Mirazizbek Mirzahalilov (UZB) 3-2.
Lightweight (60kg): Erdenebat Tsendbaatar (MGL) beat Daniyal Shahbakhsh (IRI) 5-0.
Light Welterweight (64kg): Baatarsukh Chinzorig (MGL) beat Shiva Thapa (IND) 3-2.
Welterweight (69kg): Bobo-Usmon Baturov (UZB) beat Ablaikhan Zhussupov (KAZ) RSC round-1.
Middleweight (75kg): Jafarov Saidjamshid (UZB) beat Abilkhan Amankul (KAZ) 4-1.
Light Heavyweight (81kg): Ruzmetov Dilshodbek (UZB) beat Meysam Gheshlaghi (IRI) 3-2.
Heavyweight (91kg): Sanjeet (IND) beat Vassiliy Levit (KAZ) 4-1.
Super Heavyweight ( 91kg): Jalolov Bakhodir (UZB) beat Kamshibek Kunkabayev (KAZ) 5-0.
MATCH INFO
World Cup qualifier
Thailand 2 (Dangda 26', Panya 51')
UAE 1 (Mabkhout 45 2')
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%3Cp%3EEncourage%20innovation%20in%20the%20metaverse%20field%20and%20boost%20economic%20contribution%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3EDevelop%20outstanding%20talents%20through%20education%20and%20training%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3EDevelop%20applications%20and%20the%20way%20they%20are%20used%20in%20Dubai's%20government%20institutions%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3EAdopt%2C%20expand%20and%20promote%20secure%20platforms%20globally%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3EDevelop%20the%20infrastructure%20and%20regulations%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
MATCH INFO
Fixture: Thailand v UAE, Tuesday, 4pm (UAE)
TV: Abu Dhabi Sports
Landfill in numbers
• Landfill gas is composed of 50 per cent methane
• Methane is 28 times more harmful than Co2 in terms of global warming
• 11 million total tonnes of waste are being generated annually in Abu Dhabi
• 18,000 tonnes per year of hazardous and medical waste is produced in Abu Dhabi emirate per year
• 20,000 litres of cooking oil produced in Abu Dhabi’s cafeterias and restaurants every day is thrown away
• 50 per cent of Abu Dhabi’s waste is from construction and demolition
Sole survivors
- Cecelia Crocker was on board Northwest Airlines Flight 255 in 1987 when it crashed in Detroit, killing 154 people, including her parents and brother. The plane had hit a light pole on take off
- George Lamson Jr, from Minnesota, was on a Galaxy Airlines flight that crashed in Reno in 1985, killing 68 people. His entire seat was launched out of the plane
- Bahia Bakari, then 12, survived when a Yemenia Airways flight crashed near the Comoros in 2009, killing 152. She was found clinging to wreckage after floating in the ocean for 13 hours.
- Jim Polehinke was the co-pilot and sole survivor of a 2006 Comair flight that crashed in Lexington, Kentucky, killing 49.
CONFIRMED%20LINE-UP
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The Bio
Favourite holiday destination: Either Kazakhstan or Montenegro. I’ve been involved in events in both countries and they are just stunning.
Favourite book: I am a huge of Robin Cook’s medical thrillers, which I suppose is quite apt right now. My mother introduced me to them back home in New Zealand.
Favourite film or television programme: Forrest Gump is my favourite film, that’s never been up for debate. I love watching repeats of Mash as well.
Inspiration: My late father moulded me into the man I am today. I would also say disappointment and sadness are great motivators. There are times when events have brought me to my knees but it has also made me determined not to let them get the better of me.
Our family matters legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Dark Souls: Remastered
Developer: From Software (remaster by QLOC)
Publisher: Namco Bandai
Price: Dh199
Day 3, Abu Dhabi Test: At a glance
Moment of the day Just three balls remained in an exhausting day for Sri Lanka’s bowlers when they were afforded some belated cheer. Nuwan Pradeep, unrewarded in 15 overs to that point, let slip a seemingly innocuous delivery down the legside. Babar Azam feathered it behind, and Niroshan Dickwella dived to make a fine catch.
Stat of the day - 2.56 Shan Masood and Sami Aslam are the 16th opening partnership Pakistan have had in Tests in the past five years. That turnover at the top of the order – a new pair every 2.56 Test matches on average – is by far the fastest rate among the leading Test sides. Masood and Aslam put on 114 in their first alliance in Abu Dhabi.
The verdict Even by the normal standards of Test cricket in the UAE, this has been slow going. Pakistan’s run-rate of 2.38 per over is the lowest they have managed in a Test match in this country. With just 14 wickets having fallen in three days so far, it is difficult to see 26 dropping to bring about a result over the next two.
The specs
Engine: 1.5-litre turbo
Power: 181hp
Torque: 230Nm
Transmission: 6-speed automatic
Starting price: Dh79,000
On sale: Now
