Syria president calls for unity |

LATAKIA, SYRIA:

Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa called for national unity and peace on Sunday amid a growing international backlash following the killing of Alawite civilians in the worst violence since the overthrow of Bashar al-Assad.

United Nations rights chief Volker Turk said the killings “must cease immediately”, while the Arab League, the United Nations, the United States and other governments have condemned the violence. The presidency announced on Telegram that an “independent committee” had been formed to “investigate the violations against civilians and identify those responsible for them”, who would face the courts.

Clashes between the new security forces and loyalists of the former government erupted on Thursday in the heartland of the Alawite minority to which Assad belongs and have since escalated into reported mass killings.

Speaking from a mosque in Damascus, Sharaa said: “We must preserve national unity (and) civil peace as much as possible and, God willing, we will be able to live together in this country.”