Syria struggles to unify armed factions; violence persists

Recent violence in northwestern Syria has highlighted the government's weak control over armed groups. This month, sectarian killings of civilians occurred after insurgents attacked government forces, resulting in hundreds of deaths. The new president aims to unify various armed factions into a national army. However, the recent violence shows that this goal is far from being achieved, as government forces struggled to manage both their own troops and other armed groups. The violence primarily affected Alawite civilians, a minority linked to the previous regime. The current government and security forces are largely composed of Sunni Muslims, leading to tensions and retaliatory attacks against Alawites.