Islamist rebels hit Assad’s hometown in Revenge Foray

Islamist rebels have rocked Bashar al-Assad’s hometown, Al Qerdaha in coastal Latakia province by Grad missiles, activists said.

Ahrar Al sham movement, Islamic Front unit, and Al Qaeda affliated, Al Nusra Front declare that it is launching “Revenge Foray”, against Assad's army positions in Latakia Province in response to last month’s mass killing of civilians by the Syrian military’s airstrikes in and near Aleppo.

 Grad missiles stormed also Alawite villages of Al Bahlouliya, Dam Sarkho, Al Da’tour, Al Basseh, Sukra, Jourin, Al Safkoun, Al Qerama, Besnada, Sakoubin, Ein Al Beida, Mashqita, Al Omroniya and many others.

In October 2013, Human Rights Watch (HRW) reported on atrocities committed against civilians by rebel forces in Latakia province. The U.S.-based watchdog group said that as many as 190 civilians were killed by extremist forces and another 200 taken hostage in August, most of them from President Bashar al-Assad’s Alawite minority.

HRW said about 20 opposition groups took part in the offensive. Of those, five – Jabhat al-Nusra, the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIS), Jaysh al-Muhajirin wa al-Ansar, Ahrar al-Sham and Suqour al-Izzt – were involved in the attacks on civilians. It was unclear whether to what extent, if any, the moderate Free Syrian Army played a role, though Gen. Salim Idris of the Free Syrian Army’s Western-backed Supreme Military Council said in August that fighters under his command participated in the assault. 

More than 130,000 people have been killed since the beginning of the conflict in Syria nearly three years ago, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said .

In a new tally, the group said 130,433 people have been killed since the conflict began in March 2011, including 46,266 civilians.