Syria\u2019s interim president, Ahmad al-Sharaa, called for national unity Sunday, describing the outbreak of violence between government forces and supporters of ousted former President Bashar al-Assad as \u201cexpected challenges.\u201d <\/p>\n
Hundreds of people have reportedly been killed, with eyewitnesses accusing government supporters of carrying out execution-style killings. <\/p>\n
\u201cWhat is happening in the country are expected challenges. We must preserve national unity and civil peace in the country,\u201d Sharaa said at a mosque in Damascus he said he used to pray at two decades ago. <\/p>\n
\u201cWe are capable of living together in this country, as much as we can,\u201d he added. <\/p>\n
The clashes have killed at least 311 people in Syria since Thursday, according the UK-based independent monitoring group the Syrian Network for Human Rights (SNHR), which warned the actual death toll could be much higher. <\/p>\n
Militants loyal to Assad have killed a further 147 people \u2013 26 civilians and 121 security forces, SNHR\u2019s director Fadel Abdul Ghani said. <\/p>\n
The ongoing clashes are the worst outbreak of violence since Assad \u2013 a member of the minority Alawite sect \u2013 was toppled in December by Sunni Islamist militants who sought to reshape the country\u2019s political and sectarian order. <\/p>\n
Latakia and Tartous on the Mediterranean coast are areas where support among Syrian Alawites for Assad was strong. Alawites \u2013 some 10% of the population \u2013 were prominent in the Assad regime, and while many Alawites have surrendered their weapons since December, many others have not. <\/p>\n
The latest surge in violence highlights the challenges Syria\u2019s new regime faces in appeasing disenfranchised groups, especially those that remain heavily armed. <\/p>\n<\/p>\n
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