14 Syrian Security Forces Killed in Pro-Assad Ambush

Above: Fighters affiliated with Syria's new administration check people's identification at a makeshift checkpoint on Dec. 26, 2024. Image copyright: Anwar Amro/AFP via Getty Images

The Facts

  • Fourteen interior ministry personnel were killed and ten others wounded in an ambush by Assad loyalists in Syria's western Tartus province while attempting to arrest a former regime officer, the transitional government said on Thursday.

  • The security forces were targeting Mohammed Kanjo Hassan, a former officer accused of issuing death sentences and arbitrary judgments against thousands of prisoners at the notorious Saydnaya prison.


The Spin

Narrative A

The new government is working to maintain security and bring justice to those responsible for past crimes, while protecting minority rights and establishing a stable transition of power. The arrest attempt was part of legitimate efforts to hold accountable those responsible for atrocities in Syria's notorious prison system.

Narrative B

The Alawite community faces collective punishment and revenge violence, with their religious sites being attacked and community members being targeted. The new authorities are failing to protect religious minorities and are conducting arbitrary arrests of former regime members.


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