AP
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At least three people were killed and dozens injured in clashes between demonstrators from the Alawite religious minority and counter-protesters on the Syrian coast on Sunday, health authorities said.
The clashes came two days after a bomb exploded during prayers at an Alawite mosque in Homs, killing eight people and injuring 18 others.
Thousands of protesters gathered in places such as Latakia and the coastal cities of Tartus. Officials said preliminary investigations indicate an explosive device was planted inside a mosque in Homs, but authorities have not yet named a suspect in Friday’s bombing. The funeral of the deceased was held on Saturday.
A little-known group calling itself Saraya Ansar al-Sunna claimed responsibility for the attack in a statement posted on its Telegram channel, saying it targeted members of the Alawite sect, an offshoot of Shiite Islam that hardliners consider apostates.
Sunday’s demonstration was called by Ghazal Ghazal, an Alawite emir living outside Syria who heads a group called the Supreme Council of Alawite Islam in Syria and the Diaspora.
In Latakia, an Associated Press photographer saw pro-government counter-demonstrators throwing stones at Alawite demonstrators, while a group of protesters beat counter-protesters who crossed their lines. Security forces fired into the air in an attempt to separate and disperse the two sides. A number of protesters were injured in the scuffle, but it was not immediately clear how many.
Syrian state television reported that someone threw a grenade at a police station in the Tartus region, injuring two members of the security forces, and that a security forces vehicle was set on fire in Latakia.
State news agency SANA later reported that a member of the security forces had been killed by gunfire. Local health authorities said three people were killed and 60 injured.
The country has experienced several waves of sectarian violence since former President Bashar al-Assad was ousted in a surprise rebel offensive in December 2024, ending nearly 14 years of civil war. Assad, an Alawite, fled the country to Russia.
In March, an ambush by Assad supporters against security forces sparked days of violence that left hundreds of people dead, most of them Alawites. Although the situation has calmed down since then, Alawites have been the target of sporadic sectarian attacks. They also complain of discrimination against them in the civil service and of Alawite youth who have been detained without charge since the fall of the Assad regime.
Under the Assad dynasty, Alawites were overrepresented in government jobs, the military, and security forces.
Government officials condemned Friday’s attack and vowed to hold the perpetrators accountable, but have not yet announced any arrests.
