Syria's Massacres of Christians, Alawites, Druze, and Shi'as...

Sheri Laizer | Exclusive to iKurd.net

Syria’s Massacres of Christians, Alawites, Druze, and Shi’as by Saraya Ansar al- Sunna: Former Hayat Tahrir al-Sham and Hurras al-Din fighters committed to IS vision

SARAYA ANSAR AL-SUNNAH (Squadrons of the Supporters of the Sunna’) RESPONSIBLE FOR THE SUICIDE BOMBING AT MAR ELIAS CHURCH AND SECTARIAN MASSACRES OF CHRISTIANS, ALAWITES, DRUZE AND SHI’A

Condemning the former leadership of HTS and Ahmed al-Shara’a the group is pledged to reinforce jihadist ideology through attacks commensurate with the vision of ISIS and Al Qaeda.

Saraya Ansar al-Sunnah (Squadrons of the Supporters of the Sunna’) claimed responsibility for the massacre in Mar Elias church, in Damascus, on Sunday June 22, 2025. It is an offshoot of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham that currently controls Syria and preaches the same ideology and message as ISIS. Its emblem reads “And fight all the idolaters.”

Led by ex-HTS militant and former HTS recruitment chief, Abu Aisha al-Shami, who formally announced the group on February 1, 2025, and opposing all ‘idolaters’ – this means jihad against Shi’a, Alawites, Druze, Christians and others. The group is responsible for the massacres of Alawites and Assad loyalists on the Syrian coast recently. The leader appointed Abu Fath al-Shami as first Mufti and leader of its Shari’a wing on 27 May 2025. 1

Researcher Aymenn J. al-Tamimi, successfully accessed and interviewed him. He writes on Aymenn’s Monstrous Publications Substack site, (a paid subscriber site) that Saraya’s spokesman told him the group’s origins lay in an HTS recruitment office at the time the Salafi faction operated recruitment in Assad government -controlled areas of Syria and particularly in its loyal strongholds. The split in the faction was cemented after the government fell and the recruitment office chief, none other than the Saraya leader, Abu Aisha al-Shami, called on affiliates to cease supporting HTS altogether over its erroneous ways having deviated from Shari’a law and accepting manmade institutions. He had then announced the existence of Saraya Ansar al-Sunna’. He said it was formed of two former HTS leading cadres and from Hurras al-Din, the Al Qaeda affiliate in Syria. It now labels HTS as apostate.

Aymenn, quoting from the Arabic text published in the original copied on his site, translated the full statement that included the group condemning the restriction on Sunni proselytising in the area of the Mar Elias church, saying, “the martyrdom operative brother Muhammad Zayn al-Abidin (Abu Othman- may God accept him) proceeded to blow up the Mar Elias church in the Dweila neighbourhood in Damascus city, killing and wounding dozens. We also declare that what the Golani government has published is untrue, a fabrication with no evidence to support it, and does not have weight in the mind’s balance. Indeed, it is pathetic belittling of the minds of the people of al-Sham, and a desperate attempt to disseminate delusion at a time when the one who is deceived has become rare…”

In the further interview with Saraya’s leader, he was told:

We declare takfir on the Golani government with clearness and not in a hidden way. We disavow it openly and not in a secret way. We have given a detailed explanation of its apostasy and we have given evidence and proof for its disbelief in various places and articles of great importance, published on our official accounts for whoever wants the truth and intends to seek it…

Our position on the Christians is the position of truth and not arbitrary whim, the requirement of the law and not the whims of men: Islam and guidance, or jizya that is to be paid, or a sword to be sharpened and imposed. 2

Saraya disagrees with HTS for failing to enforce its vision of Islamic law. The moderate image HTS has sought to project since taking power after toppling the Syrian government is at odds with its Salafi beginnings and the path chosen by the splinter group. Sham & Islamic State.3 It disavows direct links with ISIS in terms of any pledge made.

Saraya Ansar al-Sunnah has vowed to escalate attacks across Syria and in the northern Lebanese city of Tripoli – where it previously claimed to be active and which has a majority Sunni population with some Alawites and Hezbollah supporters present that also led to armed clashes in the past. It may also have carried out the execution of Hezbollah captives as well killing 10 civilians in Hama and others in Homs – once home to the Muslim Brotherhood that led to government massacres under Hafiz al-Assad in 1982. Saraya currently functions clandestinely on the basis of cells. 4

The nom-de guerre, Abu Aisha al-Shami, derives from an ISIS fighter killed in Iraq in a suicide bombing outside Mosul against (Shi’a dominated) government forces on November 20, 2016. 5 The name of the newly announced First Mufti, Abu al-Fath al-Shami is also a pseudonym. HTS has been declared an enemy target.

Think tank analyst, director of the Middle East Institute, Charles Lister, who also has a Substack account linked with Aymenn’s page claimed on X that the splinter faction is appealing on two main agendas: anti-HTS and in using extremist rhetoric against religious minorities. He states they had in fact first established themselves back in June 2024 before the fall of the Assad government. 6 That aligns with Aymenn’s sources and reference to the HTS recruitment office.

Several other commentators also note that Al Shara’a’s meeting with Trump in Riyadh has deepened the divide and reactivated radical recruitment, particularly as he also indicates some willingness to accommodate Israel. This divergence from the jihadist path was condemned in the interview carried out by Aymenn as cited from above, and also by cleric Abu Muhammed al-Maqdisi and Iraq-based Abu Abdullah al-Shami, among others. 7

ISIS regrouping

Syrian Kurdish forces launch security sweep, arrests ISIS members in al-Hol camp, Rojava, March 28, 2021. Photo: ANHA

ISIS is regrouping. Playing upon the lack of unity between Damascus and the SDF -controlled areas of north and east Syria, the so-called autonomous AANES region, clashes have continued with losses among ISIS fighters and the Kurdish fighters of the YPG. The latter still control the al-Hol and al-Roj camps long that have so-long contained ISIS families.

Turkish President Erdogan’s proposal, seemingly backed by Donald Trump, of handing control of these camps over to Al-Sharaa and the HTS government would be like handing charge of the chicken coup to the fox.

Many defections from HTS to the radicalised groups can occur.

IS militants active

Syrian Kurdish forces arrest Islamic State jihadists in al-Hol camp for ISIS families, Syrian Kurdistan, Rojava, April 2021. Photo: ANF

IS operatives have been arrested from al-Hol camp as recently as June 2025 following on the back of a major sweep carried out there by the SDF and previously with the Coalition in winter 2024.

In a recent statement the SDF’s media centre published the following announcement, useful to reproduce in full:

“On Saturday, May 31, our SDF’s military operations teams (TOL), with the participation of the International Coalition Forces, conducted a precise security operation inside al-Hol Camp. The operation targeted an ISIS security operative named Saleh Ali Salman Ali, aka “Abu Khairallah” and “Abu Awab,” an Iraqi national.

The captured terrorist had previously taken part in several battles alongside the terrorist organization against the Iraqi army. Following ISIS’ defeat in Iraq, he fled to Syria and entered al-Hol Camp under the guise of being a refugee. Once inside the camp, he resumed his terrorist activities as a security operative for ISIS, recruiting young men and providing ISIS with detailed intelligence on the camp and the movements of its cells within it.

Syrian Kurdish SDF YPG security forces at the al-Hol camp — Syrian Kurdish SDF/YPG security forces al-Hol camp which houses thousands of relatives of Islamic State ISIS fighters, Hasaka, Syrian Kurdistan (Rojava), September 2022. Photo: SDF press

Our SDF forces reaffirm their commitment to continuing security and military operations against ISIS until its cells are fully dismantled and the conditions that sustain its terrorist activities are eradicated. We will not allow any party to undermine the security and stability of our region and its people.” 9

Captured ISIS members have regularly disclosed details of Turkish material support in the past including medical treatment, access to jihadist controlled territory, money transfers and equipment. The November 2024 sweep resulted in the arrest of more than 79 ISIS militants that were enjoying tribal support in the Jazira canton.

Medya News had reported in its piece of 1 November 2024, Captured ISIS fighters reveal Turkish support network as al-Hol operation concludes.

“All the equipment was reaching us through the areas of Aleppo, Azaz, Tal Abyad and Ain Issa, from Turkey, even the wounded ISIS were transferred to Turkish hospitals for treatment,” said Barq Fawaz Suhail, a captured ISIS media operative. He cited the case of an Iraqi militant named Abu Farouk al-Ansari who received treatment in Turkey before returning to ISIS.

Another detainee, Hussein Hanoush Khalaf al-Ubaidi, who managed ISIS family payments, confirmed receiving funds through Turkish-controlled territories. Both militants acknowledged ongoing ISIS attempts to reorganise inside and outside al-Hol camp.” 10

This was in the same period as Saraya Ansar al-Sunna split from Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham shortly before the Syrian government was toppled on December 7, 2024.

1 https://x.com/Mucagcebe/status/1927387971696607447
2 https://www.aymennaltamimi.com/p/saraya-ansar-al-sunna-interview
3 https://www.aymennaltamimi.com/p/saraya-ansar-al-sunna-and-the-damascus
4 https://english.aawsat.com/features/5149953-angry-groups-emerge-and-fade-syria-terror-cells-or-shadows
5 https://historica.fandom.com/wiki/Abu_Aishah_ash-Shami
6 https://x.com/Charles_Lister/status/1937517166724567202
7 https://english.aawsat.com/features/5149953-angry-groups-emerge-and-fade-syria-terror-cells-or-shadows
8 https://medyanews.net/captured-isis-fighters-reveal-turkish-support-network-as-al-hol-operation-concludes/
9 https://hawarnews.com/en/sdf-arrests-isis-mercenary-inside-al-hol-camp
10 https://medyanews.net/captured-isis-fighters-reveal-turkish-support-network-as-al-hol-operation-concludes/

Sheri Laizer, a Middle East and North African expert specialist and well known commentator on the Kurdish issue. She is a senior contributing writer for iKurd.net. More about Sheri Laizer see below.

The opinions are those of the writer and do not necessarily represent the views of iKurd.net or its editors.