SDF’s Abdi urges al-Sharaa to hold Syria’s coastal offenders accountable
QAMISHLI, Syria (North Press) – Mazloum Abdi, Commander-in-Chief of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), on Sunday called on Syria’s interim president, Ahmad al-Sharaa, to hold perpetrators of violence in Syria’s coastal cities accountable.
In written comments to Reuters, Mazloum Abdi said al-Sharaa “must hold the perpetrators of communal violence in Syria’s coastal areas to account.”
Abdi also accused the Turkish-backed Syrian armed factions of “being primarily behind the killings” in the coastal region of Syria.
Abdi pointed out that al-Sharaa “must intervene to halt ‘massacres’,” adding factions “supported by Turkey and Islamic extremists” were chiefly responsible.
He called on Syria’s interim president to “reconsider the method of forming the new Syrian army and the behaviour of the armed factions,” saying some of them were exploiting their role in the army “to create sectarian conflicts and settle internal scores.”
On March 6, intense clashes erupted in Syria’s Latakia Governorate between the General Security forces of the caretaker government and pro-Assad insurgents, particularly in areas like Jableh.
The violence, marked by coordinated attacks and retaliatory airstrikes, resulted in over 1,000 deaths, including approximately 745 civilians, many from the Alawite community.
The conflict has fueled mass displacement and deepened sectarian tensions, posing a major challenge to the new government’s stabilization efforts.