Kurdish NGO to send aid to violence-hit Alawite regions in west Syria

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - A humanitarian organization linked to the Kurdish-led administration in northeast Syria (Rojava) announced on Sunday that it is preparing an aid convoy to the Alawite-majority regions in west Syria, which recently witnessed deadly violence.

The Kurdish Red Crescent stated, “We have begun preparing a humanitarian aid convoy…to our people on the Syrian [west] coast” and “will make sure the convoy reaches the affected areas as quickly as possible,” adding that, “We wish peace for our people on the coast and throughout [Syria].”

The Qamishli-based organization, associated with the Democratic Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (DAANES), is registered in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq and licensed by the Rojava authorities. Since its establishment in 2012, it has become one of the largest local humanitarian actors, delivering aid to conflict-affected communities across Syria.

In early March, loyalists of ousted Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad launched an attack on security forces affiliated with the new Syrian leadership in the Alawite-majority western regions.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported that around 1,500 people, mostly Alawites, have been killed in the violence, attributed to government or government-affiliated forces.

The escalating violence has drawn widespread condemnation from Western and regional powers, as well as human rights organizations.