The murder and abduction of religious minorities in Syria has accelerated in the wake of self-appointed President Ahmad al-Sharaa’s speech at the UN General Assembly in New York late last month, The Cradle reported.

During his speech, al-Sharaa, also known as Abu Muhammad al-Jolani, pledged to protect Alawite, Druze, Christian, and Ismaili minorities, vowing: “I promise to bring anyone whose hands are tainted with the blood of Syrian people to justice.”  

Yet a wave of sectarian killings and kidnappings followed his return. On 4 October, a 14-year-old girl disappeared in Latakia just weeks after being rescued from a previous abduction.

Days earlier, 34-year-old Mary Ali Hassan vanished in Hama, while the body of engineer Majd Khalil was found in Daraa after his arrest by internal security forces. In Latakia, Shia resident Farid Yasser Haj Mousa was killed after kidnappers failed to secure a ransom.

Other incidents included the murder of Mahmoud Khneiseh in Hama, the shooting of two Christian brothers in Homs’ Valley of the Christians, and the abduction of dozens of Alawite women and girls since January, according to Amnesty International.

Massacres have also targeted minorities on a larger scale: in March, at least 1,500 Alawite civilians were killed on the Syrian coast, and four months later, 167 Druze civilians were executed in Suwayda, according to SOHR.

Amnesty International has stated: “The authorities in Syria have repeatedly promised to build a Syria for all Syrians, yet they are failing to stop abductions and kidnappings … to effectively investigate and to prosecute those responsible.”