Syria’s new rebel-led authorities say supporters of ousted President Bashar al-Assad killed 14 Interior Ministry soldiers in an “ambush” in the west of the country.
They say 10 other soldiers were wounded in Tuesday’s fighting near the Mediterranean port of Tartous, a stronghold of Assad’s minority Alawite Muslim sect.
According to reports, security forces were ambushed while trying to arrest a former officer in connection with his role in the notorious Saydnaya prison near the capital, Damascus.
Just over two weeks ago, Assad’s presidency fell to rebel forces led by the Islamist faction Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS).
The UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) said three “armed men”, whom it did not identify, were also killed in the clashes.
The SOHR added that security forces then brought in reinforcements.
Separately, Syrian authorities imposed a nighttime curfew in the central city of Homs, state media reported.
Reports say this follows unrest over a video purportedly showing an attack on an Alawite shrine.
The Interior Ministry said the images were old, dating back to a rebel offensive on Aleppo in late November, and that the violence was carried out by unknown groups.
The SOHR said one protester was killed and five injured in Homs.
Protests were also reported in areas including the cities of Tartus and Latakia, as well as Assad’s hometown of Qardaha.
The Alawites are an offshoot of Shiite Islam to which many members of the political and military elite of the old regime belonged, including Assad’s family.
The community fears revenge, with its members accused of being responsible for torture and murders committed in Syria under Assad.
Former officers refuse to surrender their weapons and residents of some towns suggest they want to fight back, which appears to have been the case in Tartus.
Alawite religious leaders are calling for a blanket amnesty for Alawites – but this is unlikely due to the numerous alleged war crimes committed by their members.
Tens of thousands of people have been tortured to death in Syrian prisons, with thousands of families still waiting for answers and justice.
The Syrians are demanding justice and trial for those responsible – which is precisely what worries members of the Alawites.
The HTS’s blitzkrieg offensive, which started in northeastern Syria and spread across the country, ended more than 50 years of Assad’s rule.
Assad and his family were forced to flee to Russia.
HTS has since promised to protect the rights and freedoms of many religious and ethnic minorities in Syria.
The group is designated as a terrorist organization by the UN, US, EU, UK and others.
On Tuesday, protests broke out across the country due to a Christmas tree firesparking new calls for new authorities to protect minorities.
