Rebuilding Security in New Syria: Week 4

Tracking the spread of new security forces and security incidents in post-Assad Syria, December 30-January 5

Announcements of security deployments mostly in western Syria, with an emphasis on the minority regions. Content is categorized as deployment, crime, statement, arrest, operation. This weekly update is intended to provide base level data for more holistic research into the rebuilding of the security and governance structures of post-Assad Syria. Direct links to primary sources provided throughout. Any events missed in previous weeks will be added to subsequent publications.

• Aleppo

• Damascus

• Coast

• Homs

• Hama

The first rounds of settlement for ex-regime elements ended on December 31, though centers continued to operate in many communities and will re-open soon in others. Following this initial round, General Security forces launched widescale operations to detain un-reconciled fighters and men who did not hand in their weapons. The largest of these operations has been going on in the cities of Homs and Aleppo.

This week’s edition focuses heavily on the Salamiyah countryside, which has seen a substantial expansion in security presence over the past two weeks. Several older posts have been added providing context on the local commanders put in charge in rural Alawi villages across the region. Security forces have likewise begun establishing a permanent presence in parts of the Tartous and western Homs countrysides.