(Zaman Alwasl)- As radical Islamic State group inflicts humiliating defeats on Bashar al-Assad’s armed forces east Syria, pro-regime activists’ rage has been sparking through social media, turning their anger on Assad’s military leadership.
The execution of scores of Syrian soldiers taken captive by IS at an air base in Raqqa province has triggered unusually harsh social media criticism of the Damascus government by people who have taken its side in the civil war, Reuters said.
Some, including one of Assad's cousins, have called for the resignation of the defense minister, blaming him for the loss of the Tabqa air base that represented the government's last foothold in a province otherwise controlled by Islamic State.
With the flow of information from Syria greatly restricted, it is not possible to gauge how widely such sentiment is felt. And it is not the first time the Syrian government has faced criticism from its supporters during the three-year conflict.
But it points to a potential pressure point for Assad, who draws support from minority groups including his own Alawite community for whom Islamic State is an existential threat.
"I demand the resignation of the minister of defense, the chief of staff, the air force commander, the minister of information, and whoever is responsible for the fall of the Tabqa military airport," Duraid al-Assad, the cousin of Bashar al-Assad, wrote on his Facebook page.
‘Weinun’ (Where are they) is the newly hashtag by Assad’s cyber activists after ‘Overfull’ to express their fears and concerns.
Ahmed al-Ahmed, Syrian writer from the Alawite sect, said on Facebook, “for who we should die, our sons are not puppets and they are not for sale or slaughter.”
Footage subsequently released on YouTube and broadcast by Arab news channels showed Islamic State fighters executing scores of Syrian soldiers after forcing them to march in the desert in nothing but their underwear.
Islamic State said it had killed 250 soldiers taken captive at the air base.
"They captured 250 soldiers in Tabqa and are saying they have executed them. Oh, you officials, and you leaders, how could you sacrifice 250 soldiers like that?" said one comment posted on a pro-Assad Facebook page by someone whose user name - "Cub of Assad" - indicated strong pro-government sympathies.
Alawites living near the coast are worried by both Islamic State and recent attempts by al Qaeda's Syrian arm, the Nusra Front, to advance closer to their areas, said an anti-Assad Alawite who lives near the coast, speaking via Skype.
"The Alawite community is afraid. People here are angry. They're upset that the government abandoned those soldiers. They are also worried now that the battles are coming so close," said the activist contacted via the internet who spoke on condition of anonymity because of fears for his safety.
Some analysts argue that even if there is dissent in the Alawite community, the threat posed by Islamic State will bind it more tightly together rather than cause divisions. (With Reuters)
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