Il Nuovo Postiglione - 340 Alawite civilians killed by Syrian security forces, allies: monitor

Restoring security has been one of the most complex tasks for Syria's new authorities, installed after Islamist-led forces ousted Assad -- himself an Alawite -- in a lightning offensive in December.

They are now facing their fiercest attacks yet by members of the Assad clan's Alawite minority and have launched a major counter-operation in the ethnic group's Mediterranean heartland.

Deadly clashes on Thursday triggered the security operation, after previous tensions in the area.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported on Saturday that "340 Alawite civilians were killed in the coastal regions of Syria and the Latakia mountains by security forces and allied groups" since then.

The Observatory indicated they were killed in "executions" carried out by security personnel or pro-government fighters and accompanied by "looting of homes and properties".

The civilian deaths bring the overall toll to 553 people, including 93 members of the new government's security forces and 120 pro-Assad fighters, data from the Observatory shows.

The killings followed clashes sparked by the arrest of a wanted individual by security forces in a predominantly Alawite village, the Observatory reported.

The monitor said there had been a "relative return to calm" in the region on Saturday, but that security forces were continuing sweeping operations and deploying reinforcements.

Early on Saturday, state news agency SANA reported that the security forces had repelled an "attack by remnants of the ousted regime" on the national hospital in the coastal city of Latakia.

- Call to surrender -

In an address on Friday, Syria's interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa urged the insurgents to "lay down your weapons and surrender before it's too late".

Western powers and Syria's neighbours have emphasised the need for unity in the new Syria, which is seeking funds for reconstructing a nation ravaged by years of civil war under Assad.

The coastal region has been gripped by fears of reprisals against Alawites for the Assad family's brutal rule, which included widespread torture and disappearances.

The Britain-based Observatory has reported multiple "massacres" in recent days, with women and children among the dead.

"The vast majority of the victims were summarily executed by elements affiliated to the Ministry of Defence and the Interior," the rights group said on Friday.

The Observatory and activists released footage showing dozens of bodies in civilian clothing piled outside a house, with blood stains nearby and women wailing.

Other videos appeared to show men in military garb shooting people at close range.

AFP could not independently verify the images.

He called on all sides to refrain from actions which could "destabilise Syria, and jeopardise a credible and inclusive political transition".

Aron Lund of the Century International think tank said the violence was "a bad omen".

The new government lacks the tools, incentives and local base of support to engage with disgruntled Alawites, he said.

"All they have is repressive power, and a lot of that... is made up of jihadist zealots who think Alawites are enemies of God."

E.Scozzafava--INP