'They're waiting for death': Dubai’s Syrian residents speak to family back home enduring bloodshed

A Dubai resident has described the terror her family felt while under attack in Syria after hundreds of members of the minority Alawite community were killed in the worst violence since the toppling of the Assad regime three months ago. The woman, who declined to give her name, said she had spoken on the phone with relatives living in areas along the Mediterranean devastated by sectarian attacks that have killed more than 1,300 people, including more than 970 civilians most of whom were Alawites, since Thursday. “I’m from the same region of Bashar Al Assad, my family lives in the Alawite area and my aunties, sisters and brothers are all very scared,” she told The National in an interview. “They came together to stay, they sat together in the same flat. They were waiting for death. I have seen too many videos. Why kill so many people? Why kill the kids? My family thought they would die. My auntie asked me to read the Quran for them and I have been reading every day.” Other Syrians in the UAE told of videos shared by relatives of entire families shot inside their apartments and outside buildings they tried to flee from in coastal areas of Tartous and Latakia. The regions are strongholds of support for deposed president Assad who was also from the Alawite minority sect. The Syrian presidency said it had formed a committee to investigate the deaths. Ahmad Al Shara, the country’s president and leader of Hayat Tahrir Al Sham, said his government would “hold accountable, firmly and without leniency, anyone who was involved in the bloodshed of civilians … or who overstepped the powers of the state.” The Dubai resident hoped the new president would end the cycle of violence as Alawite families flee to Lebanon. “We hope he will stop this, we hope there is peace,” she said. “Sunni or Alawite – we are Syrian, we can all live together. People are so scared because there is too much killing. Some people have run to Lebanon but after Lebanon they don’t know where to go. Most people cannot leave Syria, they cannot go anywhere. This is their home.” This is the worst violence since the fall of the Assad regime three months ago. The killings appear to have been sparked by gun attacks on pro-government forces by factions loyal to the deposed Assad dynasty, leading to reports of deaths among the troops. Syrians in the UAE strongly believe there will be lasting peace. “Nobody from any side wants more blood to be shed. We have had enough. Nobody wants more instability,” said Fayez Maarrawi, who moved with his family to Dubai in 2002. “People want peace. Everybody wants to work to contribute to Syria. People are keen to go back to a normal life, to build a new Syria after 14 years.” Syrian citizens say that only peace can end the country's culture of revenge . “Now a committee has been appointed to investigate and we hope the situation will stabilise,” said Mr Maarrawi, 56, who works in the technology sector. “Unfortunately, the revenge culture is not strange to many segments but we are confident this violence will end for good.” Dubai resident Mohammad Al Masri, 32, called for strong measures against the perpetrators. “The bloodshed is alarming and worse days may come if precautionary measures are not taken,” he said. “All Syrians should condemn the killing of innocent people regardless of their religion or sect. What happened ended the happiness we had after the fall of the regime.” The Syrian citizen who works as an engineer in Dubai joined in the calls for unity. “We want to have peace and be united to build our country,” he said. “We must forget the past for a better future. There should be accountability for the people who committed the killing in the coastal areas.”

'They're waiting for death': Dubai’s Syrian residents speak to family back home enduring bloodshed

Community in the UAE fears for relatives' safety after sectarian killing of more than 1,300 people, mainly from the Alawite minority, since last week