Syria Vows Probe into Sweida Violations
Syria’s Ministry of Defense pledges to investigate "grave violations" in Sweida and punish perpetrators. A separate committee accuses "remnants of the Assad regime" of killing over 1,400 people in a pre-planned attack on the Syrian coast.
ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – Syria’s Ministry of Defense has announced a high-level investigation into “shocking and grave violations” in Sweida, while a separate fact-finding committee has accused “remnants of the Assad regime” of killing over 1,400 people in a pre-planned plot along the country's coast.
In a series of statements posted to social media, the Syrian Ministry of Defense’s Department of Media and Communication announced that Minister of Defense, Major General Murhaf Abu Qasra, is personally overseeing a response to reports of violations committed by an "unknown group wearing military uniform" in the city of Sweida.
The ministry stated that a committee has been formed to investigate the incidents and determine the affiliation and background of the perpetrators. This action follows what the ministry described as "strict directives" that prohibit any military formations not under its official command from entering the area of operations.
The ministry vowed that "the harshest penalties will be imposed against the individuals who committed the violations" once they are identified. In a direct quote attributed to the Defense Minister, the department stated: "There will be no tolerance for any of the perpetrators of the violations, even if they are affiliated with the Ministry of Defense."
While launching the probe, the ministry also noted that it had "confirmed in previous statements that many regional groups were present in the city of Sweida and carried out retaliatory operations there." It assured that the new investigation will include "everyone who appeared in the shocking and horrifying reports," with results to be presented upon the committee’s conclusion.
The ministry’s announcement comes as a separate body released damning findings on violence elsewhere in the country.
On Tuesday, Yasser Farhan, spokesperson for the Committee for Investigation and Fact-Finding in the Syrian coastal region, announced in a press conference that "more than 1,420 people were killed in March in the Latakia and Tartus provinces."
Farhan reported that the committee visited 33 crime scenes, gathered 938 witness statements, and met with 23 officials over four months of work.
He stated that on March 6, "remnants of the Assad regime" attacked Syrian government forces with heavy and medium weapons, which resulted in the deaths of 238 Syrian soldiers and officers in Hama, Tartus, and Latakia.
"The committee has identified 165 individuals accused of these crimes, all of whom are affiliated with the Assad regime," Farhan stated, adding that they "initially surrounded the cities and attempted to sever the western coast of Syria from the rest of the country, having planned everything in advance."
According to the spokesperson, the plot involved searching homes, committing acts of sexual violence against civilians, and, on March 7, burning citizens' homes.
"After gathering information, we found that 1,426 people were killed by militants. We have the names of the deceased, and most of them are civilians," Farhan concluded.
