Suleiman Kamel Salem, 24, was kidnapped while working as a night watchman at a poultry farm in the village of Qabu al-Awamiya, before his body was found on the side of a road in the Houla region.
The countryside of Homs in western Syria has witnessed a new killing targeting a youth from the Alawite sect, following his abduction from his workplace and relocation to an unknown destination. The incident brings renewed attention to growing concerns regarding the kidnapping and killing of civilians from minority groups across various Syrian regions.
According to local sources, 24-year-old Suleiman Kamel Salem was killed after being kidnapped yesterday evening by an armed group that came from the Houla region while he was working as a night watchman at a poultry farm in the village of Qabu al-Awamiya.
The sources reported that the group took Salem toward the Houla region before killing him and leaving his body on the side of a road. They noted that the same group had previously targeted the owner of the poultry farm in an attempted kidnapping.
Prior to Salem’s death, according to the same sources, there was an attempt to target the farm’s owner, Shawkat Al-Mohammad, who had managed to escape from the assailants earlier.
The incident occurs within a security context that continues to record killings and kidnappings targeting civilians, particularly members of the Alawite sect in Homs governorate. According to a recent report by the European Union Agency for Asylum (EUAA), targeted killings, often carried out by unknown gunmen, constituted one of the most prominent security trends in Homs governorate, with Alawites among the most targeted groups. The report also pointed to ongoing incidents of harassment, kidnapping, killing, mistreatment, and displacement affecting Alawite civilians in Homs, Hama, and other areas since the violence the country experienced in March 2025.
In the same context, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) has documented the killing of 100 members of the Alawite sect in sectarian-motivated crimes across several Syrian governorates since the beginning of 2026. This includes 53 individuals in Homs governorate alone, according to a toll published on August 17, 2026. The Observatory has called for uncovering the circumstances of these crimes and holding those responsible accountable.
Human rights reports have also indicated that killings and kidnappings of minority members, including Alawites, have continued following the fall of the former regime. This comes amid difficulties in determining the motives behind some attacks, given the overlap between retaliatory acts linked to the previous period and assaults suspected to be driven by sectarian motives.
Human rights organizations point to the continuation of disappearances and killings, particularly among religious and ethnic minorities, calling for urgent measures to be taken and ensuring the accountability of any party proven to be involved in violations affecting the right to liberty and personal security.
Note: This text is translated from the original Arabic version… Read the Arabic version:Click here
