TUNIS, March 10. /TASS/. Syria's interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa has confirmed in an interview with Reuters the information about the death of 200 members of the security forces in clashes with armed supporters of former Syrian leader Bashar Assad in the west of the country.

According to the news agency, al-Sharaa "said 200 members of the security forces had been killed in the unrest, while declining to say the overall death toll pending an investigation, which will be conducted by an independent committee." The day before, the president formed a seven-member independent committee to find out the causes of the escalating violence in the coastal provinces, investigate the crimes and bring those responsible to justice.

The Syrian leader promised that all those involved in the crimes committed during the days of clashes against civilians, most of whom belong to the Alawite community, would be punished. "Syria is a state of law. The law will take its course on all," Reuters quoted the president as saying. "We fought to defend the oppressed, and we won't accept that any blood be shed unjustly, or goes without punishment or accountability, even among those closest to us," al-Sharaa emphasized.

On March 6, clashes broke out in the governorates of Latakia, Tartus and Homs between the security forces under the new Syrian authorities and supporters of former President Bashar Assad. The fiercest fighting took place in the town of Jebla, home to the Alawites, a religious minority to which the Assad family belongs. The authorities sent army units and armored vehicles to the abovementioned governorates, and curfews were imposed in major cities. On March 8, Syria's interim government sent additional army forces to the coastal areas to restore security there and suppress resistance by armed men supporting the former president.

On March 10, the Defense Ministry announced the end of the operation in the country's coastal provinces and the neutralization of pro-Assad militias that posed a security threat.