His remarks targeting civilians in Nusayri had drawn backlash: This time he said 'it is counter-terrorism'

Following the collapse of the Assad administration in Syria, the jihadist Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) forces, which seized control in Damascus, carried out attacks against the local population living in the coastal region. The massacres carried out in regions with dense Alawite populations, such as Latakia, Tartus, and Daraa, under the guise of "operations against Assad regime elements," drew reactions from the international community.

CHP Chairman Özgür Özel condemned the attacks on Alawite civilians and called on the government, emphasizing that action must be taken to stop the attacks. However, Yeni Şafak columnist İsmail Kılıçarslan, known for his proximity to the government, drew backlash by using scandalous expressions regarding Alawites.

Targeting Alawites under HTS attack, Kılıçarslan used the term "Nusayri terrorists" and wrote the following:

"Nusayris are being killed not because of their religious beliefs, but as a result of their subservience to imperialism, and because they are still base enough to kill civilians in Syria."

HE DID NOT STEP BACK DESPITE THE BACKLASH

No investigation has been launched into Kılıçarslan, who denied the massacres against Alawites in Syria and targeted the Alawite community. Following this, instead of stepping back, he further hardened his statements.

In an interview with Nisa Nur Çavuşoğlu from Yeni Şafak, Kılıçarslan claimed his words were taken out of context and characterized the deaths of Alawites as counter-terrorism. He stated:

"Yes, Nusayris are being killed in the region. About 400 Nusayris have been killed; 200 of them were armed, and 200 were unarmed. The reason for their killing is not that they are Nusayri, but that they are in cooperation with imperialism and want to cause unrest in Syria. Therefore, this is not a massacre; this is a counter-terrorism process."

The United States, the European Union, and the UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights had announced that civilians were being killed in the region and documented the massacres. Despite this, Kılıçarslan continued to defend the attacks.

Refusing to step back in the face of the backlash, Kılıçarslan took his statements even further by comparing deaths in Syria. Targeting CHP members, secularists, and Alawites, he used the following expressions:

"A father was asked, 'Should we kill you or your son?' The father said, 'Kill me, do not harm my son.' But they killed his son just to make the father suffer more. We have seen such massacres in Syria. For 13 years, we have been unable to convince our secularists that those in Syria are being subjected to genocide. CHP members, political Alawites, and some secular types do not want to see the truth."

News Source: 12punto