Syria’s new rulers try to contain growing tensions involving Assad loyalists

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• Lisa Desjardins:

  Unrest is brewing in Syria's coastal plains, home to the fallen Assad family's Alawite sect. Earlier this week, a group of regime loyalists staged an ambush on the now-governing rebel forces, killing 14.

  With the Islamic Shia Alawite sect making up only 10 percent of the population, local officials are trying to keep tensions from boiling over.

  Simona Foltyn reports from the coastal town of Latakia.

• Simona Foltyn:

  A show of force in the city of Latakia in the heartland of Bashar al-Assad's Alawite sect. These Sunni fighters are from Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham, or HTS, the rebels turned rulers of Syria.

  They are part of General Security, a heavily armed police force whose job it is to secure areas retaken from Assad's forces. The former government was quickly toppled, but scores of loyalists remain on the run.

  These patrols deploy every night in an effort to consolidate control over the city of Latakia, which used to be Assad's bastion of support. And the situation here remains quite tense.

  Assad's enablers are often arrested on these missions. Abu Ayoub leads these sensitive operations and didn't want to reveal his face, nor his real name.

  Abu Ayoub, Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham General Security (through interpreter): We arrest them immediately, so that there's no sabotage and panic. We're working with the people to arrest them and bring them to account.

  We're following up on any tips and act on anything that threatens our security, people and lands. God willing, we will deal with it.

• Simona Foltyn:

  Abu Ayoub's men are treading a fine line. On the one hand, they must heed people's calls for justice and arrest those with blood on their hands. At the same time, they must shield the Alawite minority from arbitrary retaliation.

  Already, videos of revenge attacks have stoked fears that sectarian tensions are beginning to spiral out of control. In this video, a Sunni fighter appears to threaten the Alawite community, calling them Shabiha, the word for Assad's shadowy militia.

• Man (through interpreter):

  To the Alawite Shabiha in Latakia, the land is not yours. Either you defect or we will rip you apart.

• Simona Foltyn:

  We couldn't independently verify the man's affiliation, but showed the video to Abu Ayoub.

• Abu Ayoub (through interpreter):

  This is individual behavior. Maybe he doesn't even belong to any faction.

• Simona Foltyn:

  The commander is adamant that HTS General Security is not responsible for acts of sectarian violence.

• Abu Ayoub (through interpreter):

  There are some criminals who try to spread panic among the people so that it reflects poorly on us. They say we have come to kill the people here, take the people's houses and wealth. But it's not like that. To the contrary, we're trying to ensure people can live in safety so that they feel reassured.

• Simona Foltyn:

  Despite these efforts, tensions are boiling over.

  (GUNFIRE)

• Simona Foltyn:

  One night, gunfire echoed through Latakia's streets, spreading fear of escalation. The next morning, we found dozens of spent bullet casings scattered across the square in the Azhari neighborhood. A restaurant was ransacked in the attack.

  Its manager, Nabih Badour, told us it all began when fighters cursed a man for being Alawite.

• Nabih Badour, Restaurant Manager (through interpreter):

  The problem began when they asked a young man on the street, "Are you Sunni or Alawite?" He said he was Alawite. They said, "Screw you and the Alawites."

• Simona Foltyn:

  An altercation followed, and, minutes later, a heavily armed force stormed the restaurant.

• Nabih Badour(through interpreter):

  After five minutes they came with machine guns, with live bullets. They entered the restaurant. They arrested three people, covered their heads and packed them into cars. We tried to ask who they were, but it was forbidden to speak. They put them in cars and took them.

• Simona Foltyn:

  This is one of the men taken into custody. He asked us to hide his identity, in fear of retribution.

• Man (through interpreter):

  At gunpoint, they took us out of the cafe. They beat us. They blindfolded us and made us lie down, face to the ground. They beat us and called us pigs.

• Simona Foltyn:

  A slur used for Assad's supporters. He was then taken to a base for a few hours, accused of selling alcohol and drugs, and questioned about his sectarian identity. Bruised, humiliated and angry, he no longer feels safe in his own city.

• MAN (through interpreter):

  We are a minority, and we are being targeted. They are always provoking us and coming at us. After what I saw yesterday, the way they came and pointed their guns at us, the way they insulted and beat us, I don't feel safe at all.

• Simona Foltyn:

  Witnesses we spoke to pinned the blame on HTS General Security. And, before long, that's exactly who turned up to mend the rifts.

  While we were reporting, a commander arrive to assess the aftermath and offer compensation. We were granted permission to film the meeting.

  Rasheed Al Ahmed, Commander, Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham General Security (through interpreter): Whoever did this doesn't belong to us. There are people who use the name of General Security and do things in our name. We have arrested those responsible and we will bear the cost of what happened at the cafeteria.

• Simona Foltyn:

  The crowd listened politely, but it's clear that many here eye their new rulers with apprehension. With every new security breach, the window of opportunity to build trust is closing.

  Pleas for cooperation may soon fall on deaf ears.

• Rasheed Al Ahmed (through interpreter):

  We don't want what happened yesterday to be repeated. Any armed groups you see that's not the police or General Security, please notify us.

• Simona Foltyn:

  We couldn't independently confirm who carried out the specific attack, whether or not the transgression came from within HTS' own ranks. The incident raises questions whether Syria's new authorities can impose order.

• Rasheed Al Ahmed (through interpreter):

  After the fall of the regime, many civilians took hold of the weapons in the city, and they dressed in military clothes, and they are exploiting the security situation and speaking on behalf of the military factions.

• Simona Foltyn:

  Rebel authorities want to get these weapons off the street, and they want it to happen fast, before elements of the former government can mount an insurgency. They have offered a general amnesty to former soldiers and policemen.

  Hundreds line up every morning as part of a demobilization process. They patiently wait their turn for a chance at being absolved of the regime's crimes. The process runs like a well-oiled machine. Names are recorded, photos taken, old I.D.s and weapons confiscated.

• Khaled Ahmed, Police Officer (through interpreter):

  The applicants come here. We receive the weapon. We write down the type of and the serial number of the weapon.

• Simona Foltyn:

  The names are entered into a database. The men then receive a new temporary I.D. card, confirming their dismissal from the former security forces. It allows them to move freely through checkpoints. Anyone who doesn't voluntarily submit to this process could potentially become a wanted man.

• Mahmoud Abdelhai, Police Officer (through interpreter):

  Whoever doesn't come to take the temporary I.D. bears the responsibility for that decision. Maybe he has perpetrated crimes and is hiding from being pursued by authorities. So we advise anyone who hasn't committed crimes to do the settlement.

• Simona Foltyn:

  But temporary I.D. card holders are still subject to investigation. The more complicated process of separating war criminals from ordinary foot soldiers has yet to begin.

• Mahmoud Abdelhai (through interpreter):

  Every person who has proven to have committed crimes against the Syrian people will be punished.

• Simona Foltyn:

  Only a few Alawites benefited from Assad's rule. The majority were deliberately pushed into abject poverty, which left them with little choice but to join the security forces to feed their families.

  Tens of thousands of men who used to work for the former security forces have been left without a job and without an income. They have come here to clear their names, in hope of being reappointed to their former positions. But what will happen to them remains very much uncertain.

  Many here see their dismissal as an injustice, one they expect to be rectified.

  Qahtan Salameh served as a doctor in the police for more than 20 years and wants his job back.

• Qahtan Salameh, Former Police Officer (through interpreter):

  We want to rebuild our country, of course. We were technicians. We had nothing to do with military operations. We were doctors. We remained far from these matters.

• Simona Foltyn:

  HTS is short on manpower and desperately needs to boost its ranks to secure and govern the country. But vetting former regime members will take time, a luxury the new government does not have.

  For the "PBS News Hour," I'm Simona Foltyn in Latakia, Syria.