Rubio condemns Syria's Islamist 'terrorists' for Alawite massacre

WASHINGTON,— U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio issued a strong condemnation on Sunday against “radical Islamist terrorists” responsible for the recent killings of minority groups in western Syria, calling for accountability from the country’s interim authorities.

In a statement, Rubio condemned the violence, describing it as a series of “massacres” carried out by “radical Islamist terrorists, including foreign jihadis” who targeted various ethnic and religious communities in Syria.

The Secretary of State reaffirmed the United States’ support for Syria’s minorities, particularly its Christian, Druze, Alawite, and Kurdish populations.

Rubio stated, “The United States expresses its full support for Syria’s religious and ethnic minorities and extends heartfelt condolences to the victims and their loved ones.” He also called on Syria’s interim government to ensure those responsible for the killings are brought to justice.

According to reports, violence against these minorities escalated following attacks by reportedly gunmen loyal to former President Bashar al-Assad. The gunmen, affiliated with Assad’s Alawite sect, clashed with new security forces.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a prominent war monitor, reported that at least 745 Alawite civilians were killed in the Latakia and Tartus provinces by security forces and their allies.

Interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa, a leader of the Sunni Islamist group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), which played a role in the offensive that ousted Assad, has called for unity and national reconciliation following the killings.

Sharaa, who also goes by Abu Mohammed al-Golani, has a controversial past involving ties to al-Qaeda and ISIS before he established HTS, which later rebranded itself to distance from al-Qaeda.

The U.S. previously engaged with Sharaa’s administration under former President Joe Biden, but U.S. officials emphasized that any further normalization of relations would be contingent on ensuring protections for Syria’s minority groups.

While the Trump administration had less involvement in Syria and focused on combating ISIS, it had also significantly reduced aid to organizations assisting civilians in the country. Notably, the U.S. did not join the United Kingdom in announcing any easing of sanctions on the Assad regime earlier this week.

(With files from AFP)