Forces loyal to Damascus have ended a military operation against supporters of former Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in the west of the country, Syrian media reported on Monday.
“We are paving the way for the return of normal life and the restoration of security and stability,” the local TV channel quoted defence ministry spokesman Hassan Abdul Ghani as saying.
Hassan Abdul Ghani noted that the security forces will cooperate with the committee, whose formation was announced the day before by Syrian President-in-Transition Ahmed al-Sharaa, to clarify the circumstances of what happened. Ghani added that security forces will continue to fight the remnants of the former Syrian administration.
Earlier, local media reported that clashes broke out last Thursday between law enforcement forces and Assad supporters in the cities of Latakia and Tartus. After that, a curfew was imposed there. Later, Syrian Defence Ministry troops entered Tartus province to help local security forces confront Assad supporters.
According to some reports, the death toll could exceed 1,000, with civilians from the minority Alawite community among the dead.
Meanwhile, Russia and the US have requested closed consultations of the UN Security Council in connection with the violence against residents of western Syria.
