5 troops from Assad's hometown killed near Damascus

(Zaman Al Wasl)- At least 5 troops from Bashar al-Assad’s hometown al-Qerdaha have been killed near Damascus, Zaman Al Wasl reporter said.

The death toll of Alawite troops loyal to Assad has been escalated recently for two major reasons, activists said.

The first was due to the withdrawal of Iraqi Shiite militias from Syria to fight in Iraq since the Islamic State militant group (IS) has controlled swathes of territory in the sect-torn country.

The second comes as a result of attacking Alawite villages in neighboring province of Hama.

In relevant context, Zaman al-Wasl has obtained a detailed list by the names of regime’s slain troops, mostly Alawites, who were killed two weeks ago by IS in Tabqa airbase, east of the city of Raqqa.

The 226-name list included 51 top officers most of them from coastal area.

Meanwhile, Reuters reported rise of Alawites fears especially 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.