Rebuilding Security in New Syria: Year 2, Week 14
Tracking the spread of new security forces and security incidents in post-Assad Syria from March 9 to March 15
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 in Syria continue to be centered in the Homs governorate, though still not to the degree seen earlier this year. This week saw tensions rise in western Homs, where security operations targeting Sunni smuggling and criminal groups triggered an attack against the local security station. A vigilante killing was also conducted in rural Hama, the first in a long time.
Meanwhile, significant steps were taken this week in the northeast integration deal, including the deployment of Ministry of Interior forces to half a dozen new checkpoints in Hasakah. The new Assistant Minister of Defense for the Eastern Regions was also appointed this week, triggering widespread protests across Raqqa, Hasakah, and Aleppo.
The Ministry of Interior continued to expand this week, with new cadet graduations in both Idlib and Latakia and the opening of the Women’s Police Institute in Damascus.