Rebuilding Security in New Syria: Year 2, Week 28
Tracking the spread of new security forces and security incidents in post-Assad Syria from June 15 to June 21
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.
This week began with two more days of transitional justice protests across Sunni communities in central Syria, continuing on from the mass protests that began on June 14. In Damascus city, the protests turned to mob attacks against the Alawi-majority neighborhood of Mezzeh, and in Palmyra the protests turned violent when ex-regime members fired on demonstrators. However, unlike June 14, there were no deaths during the protests on either of these day. In response, the government conducted a sweeping arrest campaign of dozens of ex-regime Sunni fighters in Aleppo, Idlib, Homs, and Dara’a. Another half-dozen senior officers were also arrested across the country throughout the week. Meanwhile, ISIS conducted several low-level attacks in eastern Aleppo, Raqqa, and Hasakah