Haider, a 25-year-old survivor of the 7 March massacres in Syria's coastal villages, fled his family's home after hiding in an attic as gunmen searched for more victims. He returned to find 11 relatives dead, including his brother and cousin. The attacks, which killed over 1,100 people, targeted the Alawite minority in northwest Syria, triggered by a coordinated assault on government forces by fighters loyal to the ousted President Bashar al-Assad.
Unlike many victims' families, Haider knows his family's killers: they filmed themselves and posted the video on Facebook. Syria's interior ministry said the men were arrested, but at least one remains active online. 'I just want security,' Haider said, expressing fear that perpetrators are still at large.
President Ahmad al-Sharaa established a fact-finding committee, initially due to report in early April, but granted an additional three months. A source close to the committee warned the investigation could take 'years', citing the UN tribunal for Lebanon, which took 15 years to reach a verdict on the killing of Rafic Hariri.
The committee faces challenges from a flood of fake videos and pictures, and witnesses struggle to identify attackers among dozens of militias. Human rights groups point to Turkish-backed militias, such as the Sultan Suleiman Shah brigade, as responsible for most of the nearly 900 civilian deaths on the coast. Civilians from two villages told the Guardian they were attacked by members of that brigade, though the claims could not be independently verified.
The brigade's leader, Mohammed al-Jassem, known as Abu Amsha, denied harming civilians, saying his group only cleared highways and avoided deeper areas. For victims like Haider, the delay leaves them in constant fear. 'They said that after a month everyone would be held accountable. But so far nothing has happened,' he said.
