 |
| Two rebel fighters celebrate after the overthrow of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad | Photo: Reuters |
Fourteen interior ministry officials were killed and 10 others wounded in an ambush by forces loyal to ousted President Bashar al-Assad in western Syria, the country's new rebel-led administration said.
The administration said the attack took place near the Syrian Mediterranean port of Tartus on Tuesday.
According to reports published in various media outlets, security forces were ambushed while trying to arrest a former official of the Assad government on charges of torture of prisoners at the notorious Sednaya prison near the Syrian capital, Damascus.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR), a UK-based war monitor, said three attackers were also killed in clashes with security forces. Security forces have been beefed up since the attack.
Just two weeks ago, the Syrian government of dictator Bashar al-Assad was toppled by a massive offensive led by the Islamist rebel group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS). The rebels first launched the offensive in the northeast of the country, before spreading across the country.
Assad fled to Russia amid a wave of rebel attacks, ending the Assad family's half-century rule. HTS, which has since taken power in Syria, has pledged to protect the rights and freedoms of the country's religious and ethnic minorities.
The United Nations, the United States, the United Kingdom, the European Union, and others have designated HTS as a terrorist organization.