Growing influence of “Ansar al-Sunna” mercenaries in Syria: overt checkpoints in Hama countryside

Areas of western rural Hama under the control of Syria’s Interim Government are witnessing an alarming escalation in crimes and sectarian practices targeting members of the Alawite community, in the context of the spread of extremist armed groups, foremost among them the group known as “Ansar al-Sunna,” which according to local sources operates under the umbrella of the Interim Government or with its direct complicity.

According to accounts from residents of the Rasafa area and surrounding villages in western rural Hama, a security checkpoint affiliated with “Ansar al-Sunna” is openly practicing sectarian discrimination. Civilians are stopped and interrogated about their religious affiliation, then subjected to insults and derogatory language against Alawites, in addition to carrying out arbitrary arrests that specifically target them.

Residents confirm that these practices have become systematic and ongoing, rather than isolated incidents.

Locals also point out that the pace of violations has escalated markedly following the March massacres last year, which were committed by Interim Government forces. They stress that they have not felt safe or stable since that time, amid the absence of any accountability or deterrent measures against those responsible.

In the same context, residents of western rural Hama express growing fears over the increasing dominance of “Ansar al-Sunna,” a mercenary group that has, over recent months, carried out a series of deadly attacks with a clear sectarian character.

The group first gained widespread attention on 22 June, when it claimed responsibility for a suicide bombing inside the Mar Elias Church in Damascus, which resulted in the killing of 25 people.

It also claimed a deadly attack on 26 December last year targeting the Imam Ali bin Abi Talib Mosque in the predominantly Alawite Wadi al-Dhahab neighborhood of Homs, killing eight people. In its statements, the group pledged to continue attacks against those it describes as “infidels and apostates,” further heightening fears among Syria’s religious and sectarian minorities.

A review of “Ansar al-Sunna” accounts on the Telegram application, followed by thousands of users, shows that the group was founded in June under the leadership of a person known as “Abu Aisha al-Shami,” and includes among its ranks former commanders and fighters from Hayat Tahrir al-Sham.

In addition to attacks on places of worship, the group has claimed responsibility for assassination operations targeting individuals, as well as for setting fire to large areas of forest in Syria’s coastal region areas predominantly inhabited by the Alawite community during last summer.

Today, residents of western rural Hama are appealing to the international community and human rights organizations for urgent intervention to put an end to what they describe as “organized sectarian discrimination,” and to ensure the protection of civilians regardless of their affiliations. They warn that these violations threaten the social fabric of the country and push Syria toward further division and instability.

ANHA