The looming genocides of Kurds, Alawites and Christians by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham “Rebels” in Syria
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The Kurdish, Alawite and Christian minorities of Syria face massacres, forced displacements and the complete erasure of their identities and livelihoods following the December 2024 overthrow of Bashar Al-Assad’s government in Syria at the hands of the U.S. designated terrorist organization, Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS). The ensuing jubilation in mainstream western media outlets, which have been working diligently to rebrand this consortium of former Al-Qaeda, Jabhat Al-Nusra and ISIS terrorists as “Syrian rebels” in the cynical pursuit of a proxy war against Iran and Russia, while ignoring the very real and imminent danger these terrorist groups pose to the peoples in Syria, will result in another genocide and mass displacement of the Kurds, Christians, Alawites and Druze.
Hayat Tahrir al- Sham, and it’s ideological brethren found in Al-Qaeda and ISIS have lengthy track records of targeting minority populations, particularly Kurds, Alawites and Christians, with violence aimed at terrorizing and eradicating these communities:
- Forced Displacement and attacks on Kurds:
In areas where HTS has clashed with Kurdish forces or entered Kurdish-majority towns, Kurdish civilians have been forced to flee under threat of violence and murder. HTS has destroyed homes, confiscated property, and forced entire Kurdish families to abandon their ancestral lands. Alongside other Islamist Turkish-backed factions, HTS has participated in campaigns that resulted in the widespread displacement of Kurds, especially in areas surrounding and in Afrin. - Discrimination and Abductions of Christians:
Christian villages in Idlib and surrounding areas saw their populations dwindle dramatically under Hayat Tahrir al- Sham control due to threats of violence, forced conversions, and the imposition of discriminatory laws. HTS has systematically targeted Christians in areas under its control, seizing homes and properties. Ancient Christian Armenian churches in Idlib province have been desecrated and used as military facilities, a direct violation of cultural preservation norms. - Massacres of Alawites:
During the Syrian Civil War, HTS and its predecessor Jabhat al-Nusra engaged in mass killings of Alawites in villages they captured. In 2013, an infamous massacre occurred in Latakia province, where hundreds of Alawite civilians were killed, including women, children, and the elderly, in a campaign widely condemned as ethnic cleansing. It should be noted that Bashar Al-Assad also belongs to the Alawite community and as such, the Alawites will face particularly harsh conditions under HTS rule.
In order to prevent future genocide and subjugation of Kurds, Christians, Alawites and Druze, the US must back the establishment of an independent Kurdish led regional government in the northeast of Syria akin to the Kurdistan Regional Government in northern Iraq. The Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) has stood as a bulwark of religious tolerance and minority rights in the region. The US cannot allow Turkey to create a Sunni extremist puppet state in Syria composed of terrorists from Hayat Tahrir-al Sham, Al-Qaeda and ISIS. No amount of corporate rebranding or generously positive coverage in American media will change the nature of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham and the “Syrian National Army” which is entirely armed and funded by Turkey.
