Syria’s new rebel-led authorities say supporters of ousted President Bashar al-Assad have killed 14 interior ministry troops in an “ambush” in the west of the country.
They say 10 other troops were wounded in the fighting on Tuesday near the Mediterranean port of Tartous, a stronghold of Assad’s minority Alawite Muslim sect.
Reports say the security forces were ambushed as they tried to arrest a former officer in connection to his role at the notorious Saydnaya prison, close to the capital, Damascus.
Just over two weeks ago, Assad’s presidency fell to rebel forces led by the Islamist Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) faction.
The UK-based monitoring group Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) said three “armed men”, which it did not identify, were also killed in the clashes.
The SOHR added that the security forces later brought in reinforcements.
In a separate development, the Syrian authorities imposed an overnight curfew in the central city of Homs, state media reported.
Reports say this followed unrest over a video purportedly showing an attack on an Alawite shrine.
The interior ministry said the footage was old, dating back to a rebel offensive on Aleppo in late November, and the violence was carried out by unknown groups.
The SOHR said one demonstrator was killed and five wounded in Homs.
Demonstrations were also reported in areas including the cities of Tartous and Latakia, and Assad’s hometown of Qardaha.
Alawites are an offshoot of Shia Islam to which many of the former regime’s political and military elite belonged, including Assad’s family.
The community is fearful of revenge, with members blamed for the torture and killing in Syria under Assad.
