BEIRUT: Syrian rebel commander Hassan Abdel Ghani sought to reassure religious minorities on Saturday, after Islamist-led fighters snatched key cities and swathes of territory from government control.
His comments come as rebels sought to advance into Syria’s third city of Homs, after their alliance led by the Islamist Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) launched an offensive last week.
AdvertisementThey seized key urban centres in days, including second city Aleppo, home to a Christian minority, as well as Hama, with nearby towns home to members of the Ismaili sect. Hassan Abdel Ghani
Homs is also home to a sizeable Alawite minority, who share President Bashar al-Assad’s faith. HTS’s precursor Al-Nusra Front, which was linked to Al-Qaeda, had carried out deadly attacks on Alawites there in the early days of Syria’s war.
SPONSORED CONTENT Shell Sabah Deepwater Production Manager Earns Unsung Hero Award Daily Express had the opportunity to interview Musti whose story reflects the power of determination and resilience. Read more Now, after seizing areas where “different religious sects and minorities” live, Abdel Ghani said in a statement on Telegram: “We ask that all sects be reassured... for the era of sectarianism and tyranny has gone away forever”.
“It has become clear to everyone that our forces have proven their discipline on the field under the directives and orders of our leadership,” said Abdel Ghani, a spokesman for the HTS-led alliance.
Advertisement (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});Last week, HTS leader Abu Mohammed al-Jolani urged his fighters to “calm the concerns of our people, from all communities”, in a statement on Telegram.
Jolani also called on the residents of Mahardeh, a predominantly Christian town in central Syria, not to flee as his fighters attacked nearby Hama.
Advertisement (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});Syria’s Christian community has generally supported the Assad government since the start of the civil war in 2011, with the president positioning himself as a protector of minorities.
Minorities suffered when the jihadist Islamic State (IS) group overran large parts of Syria.
Homs is a strategic city linking the capital Damascus to the Syrian coast of Latakia and Tartus—the stronghold of Assad’s Alawite minority.
His comments seeking to reassure minorities came as government forces managed to prevent rebels from advancing into Homs city after they had reached its outskirts, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights war monitor said.
Early Saturday, Syria’s army said it was “beginning to regain control in Homs and Hama provinces in the face of terrorist organisations”.
Rami Abdel Rahman, who heads the Britain-based Observatory, said that government forces had brought “large reinforcements” near Homs city, while Russia and Syria launched strikes and artillery shelling on rebels in the northern Homs countryside.
Since Friday, Russian and Syrian strikes near Homs killed 21 civilians, including five children, the Observatory said.
On Friday, Abdel Ghani had said battles were “ongoing on several fronts in the countrysides of Hama and Homs and in southern Syria to liberate our land from tyranny and secure safe areas so the displaced can return home”.
Syria rebels say they have begun encircling the capital Damascus but Syria says army did not withdraw from areas near Damascus.
