Rebuilding Security in New Syria: Year 2, Week 13
Tracking the spread of new security forces and security incidents in post-Assad Syria from March 2 to March 8
Announcements of security deployments mostly in western Syria, with an emphasis on the minority regions. This weekly update is intended to provide base level data for more holistic research into the rebuilding of the security and governance structures of post-Assad Syria. Direct links to primary sources are provided throughout.
Violent incidents dropped this week following several weeks of near daily killings and attacks, mostly in Homs city. Several men were killed in Homs city and its countryside, as well as a rare murder of an Alawi man in Damascus city. At the same time, ISIS attacks continue in eastern and northern Syria with more than five soldiers left dead. Multiple attempted ISIS operations were also thwarted, including a car bombing in southern Damascus. Government security and intelligence operations appear to have grown substantially in eastern Syria this week, with numerous reports of arrests and deployments across Raqqa and Deir Ez Zor.
Aleppo governorate saw a series of violent incidents late this week, including the murder of a family of four in Aleppo city and the killing of a young girl in southern Aleppo as a result of failed tribal mediation. Tensions in eastern Aleppo also exploded on March 7, when displaced Arab residents of Shuyukh clashed with General Security and SDF forces. This issue, detailed below, remains unresolved and likely to escalate without outside intervention.