ISTANBUL

Sixteen members of the General Security Administration were killed or wounded Thursday in rural Latakia, northwestern Syria, following attacks by armed groups described as remnants of former leader Bashar al-Assad’s forces, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported.

Syria’s state-run news agency SANA cited a security source as saying that groups affiliated with Assad’s militias targeted Defense Ministry personnel and vehicles near Beit Ana in Latakia, killing one soldier and injuring others.

While SANA did not provide an official casualty count, the Syrian Observatory published a report confirming 16 casualties without offering further details.

According to the security source, the attackers also fired on ambulances attempting to evacuate the wounded, SANA reported.

Following the arrival of reinforcements, the militants took up positions in Beit Ana and directly engaged security forces, the source added.

SANA quoted another security official as saying that pro-Assad militants attacked a General Security Administration checkpoint near Jableh in Latakia, also targeting civilian vehicles.

“Our forces have now established a security cordon around the remnants of Assad’s militias and outlawed gangs in the villages of Beit Ana and Daliyah,” the official said.

He added that the armed groups clashing with security forces in Latakia “were formerly loyal to warlord Suheil al-Hassan, accused of committing mass atrocities against Syrians.”

Meanwhile, SANA reported that Al Jazeera photographer Riyad Al-Hussein was injured after being directly targeted by Assad remnants while covering events in Jableh.

In a statement later, Syria’s Interior Ministry quoted Latakia’s security chief, Lt. Col. Mustafa Knaifati, who described the attack as a premeditated assault.

“Multiple groups of Assad remnants launched coordinated attacks on our security posts and checkpoints,” Knaifati said on the ministry’s Telegram channel.

He added that security patrols were also ambushed in Jableh and its outskirts, resulting in multiple casualties, though he did not provide an exact toll.

“Even government buildings and public and private property were not spared, as pro-Assad militants vandalized public infrastructure in and around Jableh,” he said.

Knaifati said that security forces across Latakia had been fully mobilized and managed to absorb the initial attack in rural Jableh, though clashes were still ongoing inside the city.

He added that reinforcements had arrived from other provinces, along with additional military support from the Defense Ministry.

“We assure our people that we have contained this treacherous attack and will work to eliminate these groups, restore stability and protect public and private property,” he added.

Following these developments, the General Security Administration in Tartus, western Syria, announced a citywide curfew on Thursday set to remain in effect until Friday morning, citing “security directives and necessary precautions to ensure public safety.”

“A general curfew will be imposed from 10:00 p.m. today until 10:00 a.m. Friday, March 7, 2025,” the administration said in a statement.

Since the fall of Bashar al-Assad’s regime, military authorities have opened reconciliation centers for former regime loyalists to surrender their weapons. However, some factions have refused to comply, leading to clashes in multiple provinces.

Assad, Syria’s leader for nearly 25 years, fled to Russia on Dec. 8, ending the Baath Party’s regime, which had been in power since 1963.

Ahmed al-Sharaa, who led anti-regime forces to oust Assad, was declared president for a transitional period on Jan. 29.