“Ansar al-Sunna” issues death threats against minorities in Tartous countryside

Leaflets bearing the name “Ansar al-Sunna Brigade” spread on social media in the city of Safita in the Tartous countryside, threatening members of the Alawite and Christian communities.

These leaflets appeared in Safita, a city that includes Alawite families as well as Christian residents.

The distributed leaflets were signed by a group calling itself “Ansar al-Sunna” and contained inciting language targeting members of both communities, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

According to the available information, the leaflets directly threatened to target any celebrations marking the first anniversary of the fall of the Ba'ath regime that are expected to take place in the next two days. They also hinted at carrying out suicide bombings aimed at members of these religious communities.

The group claimed that these communities, along with other Syrian components, have no right to celebrate the fall of the regime, alleging that they are “more disbelieving than the polytheists.”

These leaflets sparked widespread concern among Syrians and raised fears of a resurgence of sectarian rhetoric that threatens civil peace, with such rhetoric reaching an extremely dangerous level that requires serious action to prevent the country from sliding into further escalation or renewed violence.

a.k

ANHA