Five killed in militant raid on Alawite village in Syria

Five people, including one child, were killed after terrorists attacked an Alawite village near the city of Hama in central Syria, the Al Watan newspaper reported.

According to the newspaper, five more village residents were wounded and taken to hospitals.

Following the incident, the Hama governorate police department imposed a ban on carrying weapons in public places.

The Alawites are a religious minority that makes up roughly 12% of Syria’s population. They reside mostly in Syria’s northwestern coastal regions, predominantly in the Latakia and Tartus provinces.

 The family of Syria’s former President Bashar Assad belongs to the Alawite community and when he and his father, Hafez, ruled the country Alawites enjoyed privileged positions in Syrian society, occupying senior command posts in the army and law enforcement structures.