BRUSSELS, Mar 9: The European Union (EU) condemned attacks on the security forces of the interim Syrian government, attributing them to supporters of former President Bashar Assad, and called for the protection of the civilian population of Syria, the European External Action Service said in a statement.
“The European Union strongly condemns the recent attacks, reportedly by pro-Assad elements, on interim government forces in the coastal areas of Syria and all violence against civilians. Civilians have to be protected in all circumstances in full respect of international humanitarian law,” the statement says.
The EU also called on external forces to respect the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Syria.
Last Thursday, violent clashes broke out in the Syrian provinces of Latakia and Tartus between Syrian security forces and armed groups opposing the new government in Damascus. On Friday night, additional army and Interior Ministry units arrived in Tartus and Latakia, and the army used combat helicopters. Local authorities imposed a curfew amid the escalation. Syrian transitional President Ahmed Sharaa called on armed groups in Latakia and Tartus to lay down their arms. The country’s defence ministry announced the closure of roads leading to coastal Syria.
The pro-Western Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR, a non-governmental organization) claims that 745 civilians have been killed in coastal Syria in recent days.
Syria’s armed opposition captured Damascus on December 8, 2024. Bashar Assad stepped down as Syrian president and left the country for Russia, where he was granted asylum. Mohammed al-Bashir, who ran the Idlib-based administration formed by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham and other opposition groups, was named the interim prime minister. He later announced that an interim government had been formed and would remain in place until March 2025. In January, Ahmed Sharaa, the leader of the new Syrian administration, was declared transitional president. (UNI)
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