Early in the civil war, sparked by a crackdown on democracy protests in 2011, Homs was dubbed the “capital of the revolution” by activists who dreamt of a Syria free from Assad’s rule.
The crackdown was especially brutal in Homs, home to a sizeable Alawite minority, as districts were besieged and fighting ravaged its historical centre, where the bloodiest sectarian violence occurred.
Today, videos circulating online show gunmen rounding up men in Homs and ordering them to crouch and bark.
AFP could not verify all the videos but spoke to Mahmud Abu Ali, an HTS member from Homs who filmed himself ordering men to bark.
He said the people in the video were accused of belonging to pro-Assad militias who “committed massacres” in Homs during the war.
“I wanted to relieve the anger I felt on behalf of all those people killed,” the 21-year-old said, adding the dead included his parents and siblings.
‘Tired of war’
Abu Yusuf, an HTS official involved in security sweeps, said forces had found three weapons depots and “dozens of wanted people”.
Authorities said the five-day operation ended Monday, but Abu Yusuf said searches were ongoing as districts “have still not been completely cleansed of regime remnants”.
“We want security and safety for all: Sunnis, Alawites, Christians, everyone,” he said, denying reports of violations.
