Kurdistan24 Journalist Faces Peril as Syrian Forces Exchange Fire
The incident, which unfolded on a major road leading into Tartous, underscores the ongoing instability and complex power struggles in Syria’s coastal region, where military and security forces are engaged in an intense crackdown on former regime loyalists.
ERBIL (Kurdistan24) – Anwar Abdullatif, a Kurdistan24 correspondent in Syria, was caught in an ambush by armed remnants of Bashar al-Assad’s former regime and forces linked to the Syrian Ministry of Defense in Tartous.
The incident, which unfolded on a major road leading into Tartous, underscores the ongoing instability and complex power struggles in Syria’s coastal region, where military and security forces are engaged in an intense crackdown on former regime loyalists.
According to initial reports, a convoy of Syrian Ministry of Defense forces came under attack by armed elements still loyal to the former Assad regime. The armed group, consisting of remnants of the old Syrian army, targeted the convoy as it moved along the Tartous road.
In response, Ministry of Defense troops returned fire, leading to an intense exchange of gunfire. The military convoy’s commander reportedly instructed Abdullatif and his journalistic team to take cover to ensure their safety amidst the escalating violence.
This ambush comes at a time of heightened military operations in Syria’s coastal cities. The Syrian interim government has recently intensified security measures, with the Ministries of Defense and Interior launching large-scale military campaigns to reassert control over areas where former regime loyalists continue to operate.
According to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR), government forces have successfully imposed their control over Baniyas and Jableh after fierce battles with remnants of the former regime’s army.
The Syrian military’s recent operations have been concentrated in Latakia, Tartous, and their surrounding areas, with significant reinforcements arriving from Homs and Idlib. Military and security forces, including heavy artillery and machine-gun-equipped personnel, have been conducting sweeping operations around these cities and key highways, attempting to root out armed factions resisting government control.
Since the beginning of the security campaign, at least 71 people have been killed in clashes between military and security forces on one side and local armed groups on the other.
The casualties include 35 members of the Ministry of Defense and Interior Affairs, 32 gunmen affiliated with the former regime army, and four civilians.
The intense fighting has also left dozens wounded, with reports of missing individuals and extrajudicial executions of captured combatants.
The ambush that caught Abdullatif occurred amid ongoing clashes and retaliatory attacks by former regime fighters who have established strongholds in the northern neighborhoods of Baniyas and along major highways, including the Tartous-Homs and Baniyas-Jableh routes.
Military convoys moving along these roads have increasingly become targets of coordinated assaults, raising concerns about the security situation in areas previously considered stable under Assad’s rule.
For journalists like Abdullatif, reporting from Syria remains a perilous endeavor. Media professionals continue to face extreme risks, including targeted attacks, kidnappings, and crossfire incidents.
As security forces attempt to consolidate control over the Syrian coastline, journalists embedded in the region remain vulnerable to sudden flare-ups of violence.
