Over 1,300 Syrians have been killed in the last 72 hours

Read Time:2 Minute, 26 Second

Report of the deaths of dozens of civilians in a three-day clash between government and rebel forces in Syria, according to a monitoring group

Hundreds of people were killed in three days of fighting in Syria between the government and rebel forces, according to a war monitoring group.

Information Ministry officials, responding to the allegations of killing civilians, said that they rejected “undocumented allegations accusing government forces of committing violations.” But they also said the government was committed to conducting comprehensive investigations and would hold to account those found to have harmed civilians.

“The Syrian government confirms that its forces operate according to strict standards that respect international humanitarian law and are keen to protect civilians during their operations,” a ministry statement said.

The country’s worst violence since the fall of the Assad regime was experienced in the conflict. It’s also the biggest test for Syria’s new government since it has assumed power.

The government responded to the initial attack on Thursday by deploying thousands of security forces and soldiers from other parts of the country to the restive coast. The forces wanted to get back control of a number of towns and villages that were taken over by the armed men.

The official on the coast is not authorized to speak to the reporters but he said that the government forces used helicopter with machine guns on Thursday around the mountainside. The helicopters were deployed to areas where armed Assad loyalists were stationed, the official added.

The New York Times verified a video that appears to show government fighters dropping crudely made bombs from the rear of a helicopter. A spokesman for the government in Latakia did not respond to a request for comment about the video.

A clash between armed forces in Latakia, Syria, blamed on the Alawite community of Assad’s supporters

The Alawite community does not represent the Alawite people, according to the human rights group.

The new government is led by the rebel group responsible for ousting the Assad regime, Hayat Tahrir al-Sham. The promise of protection for minorities made by the group’s leader and Syria’s interim president has proved difficult because the government does not have a police force or army.

Alawite leaders said their community around Latakia and Tartus have been the target of attacks for weeks, ever since the Assad regime was overthrown, NPR previously reported.

The Alawite community of Assad’s supporters was characterized by the Observatory as the motivation for many of the killings. The human rights group also reported burning of homes and forced displacement, worsened by the absence of international intervention.

The fighting broke out on Thursday near the coast after reports that Alawite gunmen ambushed and killed 16 government forces in the coastal province of Latakia.

The Observatory’s reports indicated that the casualties were mostly caused by people fighting on both sides. The civilian death toll went up as the clash went on.