Rebuilding Security in New Syria: Year 2, Week 4

Tracking the spread of new security forces and security incidents in post-Assad Syria from December 29 to January 4

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.

• Aleppo and Idlib

• Damascus

• Coast

• Homs

• Hama

This week saw significant security operations in the coast, a continuation of the tensions last week both before and during the December 27 protests, with more than one arrest operation per day on average. It was also the second week in a row with a major ISIS attack, this time involving a suicide bomber and gunman attempting to target a church in Aleppo city. However, security forces were able to protect the church, with the bomber detonating himself at a checkpoint killing one police officer.

Meanwhile, targeted and sectarian killings were widespread this week in Damascus, Homs, and Hama. In total, ten Sunni, Alawi, and Shia men were killed by gunmen. Some killings were explicitly linked to past involvement in regime forces, others appeared targeted but with unclear motivations, while at least two were random sectarian-motivated murders conducted by semi-nomadic Bedouins.