Syria: Islamic jihadis have murdered over 600 Alawites, Druze, Murshidis, Ismailis, and Christians since January 1
Hayat Tahrir al-Sham is an avowedly Islamic group. It aims to implement Islamic law. And it is brutal and violent toward those whom it considers unbelievers and heretical Muslims.
“Kill them wherever you find them.” — Qur’an 2:191
“Kill them wherever you find them.” — Qur’an 4:89
“Kill them wherever you find them.” — Qur’an 4:91
“Kill the polytheists wherever you find them.” — Qur’an 9:5
“Muhammad is the messenger of Allah. And those with him are ruthless against the unbelievers and merciful among themselves.” — Qur’an 48:29
Hundreds of Syrians killed in sectarian attacks since start of 2026
The Cradle, April 25, 2026:
Since the beginning of the year, nearly 400 Syrians have become victims of sectarian-motivated killings in the governorates of Hama and Homs, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) reported on 24 April, as the country’s minority religious groups continue to be targeted by militants affiliated with the government in Damascus.
Overall, some 614 Syrians suffered violent deaths since the start of 2026, as part of a “widening circle of violence and insecurity in various parts of the country,” SOHR stated.
Of those 614 killings in Hama and Homs, some 387 have resulted from “sectarian affiliation.” Both Hama and Homs governorates have mixed populations of Alawites and Sunnis.
Since ousting the government of Bashar al-Assad in December 2024, self-proclaimed President Ahmad al-Sharaa, a former Al-Qaeda commander, has filled the country’s security forces with Sunni extremists from the ranks of his militant group, Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), an offshoot of ISIS.
Sharaa’s security forces and affiliated extremist factions have primarily targeted the Alawite religious minority, whom they blame for supporting Assad and whom they view as apostates deserving to be killed and their property taken, based on the religious ideology of the medieval Islamic scholar Ibn Taymiyyah.
Nevertheless, Sharaa’s forces have also targeted Syria’s other minority groups, such as the Druze, Murshidis, Ismailis, and Christians.
“The methods of violence include summary executions and shootings carried out by unknown gunmen targeting former security and military figures, as well as civilians, amid clear indications of revenge and, in some cases, sectarian motives,” SOHR noted.
“These operations are causing panic among the population, as many feel unsafe while moving around the city streets or even within their neighborhoods,” the rights monitor added.
Among the victims this year are 28 women and 14 children.
The SOHR warned that these incidents form a systematic pattern threatening the stability and security of the country, and called on Syrian authorities to strengthen investigation efforts, hold those involved accountable, and protect civilians from the ongoing cycle of violence.
The killings follow a familiar pattern. Unknown gunmen on motorcycles enter Alawite neighborhoods, opening fire on unsuspecting men, women, and children as they sit on their balconies, walk or play in the streets, or work in their shops…
Gunmen kill at least 29 in northeast Nigeria after targeting young people at football pitch
Gunmen killed at least 29 people in an hours-long attack in Nigeria's northeastern Adamawa state, local authorities said, burning homes and places of worship and opening fire on people watching a football match. Nigeria continues to struggle with armed attacks by jihadists and armed criminal gangs.
Gunmen have killed at least 29 people in northeastern Nigeria, a state governor said Monday, with locals saying the attackers targeted young people gathered at a football pitch, the latest bout of deadly unrest in Africa's most populous nation.
The attack on Sunday occurred in Adamawa state, which borders Cameroon and is a hotspot for violence by jihadists and local criminal gangs. Communal violence over land is also rife in the state.
The latest attack comes as Nigeria's security crisis is increasingly under scrutiny – both abroad and at home as general elections are less than a year away.
Governor Ahmadu Umaru Fintiri visited the scene of the Sunday attack and "confirmed that no fewer than 29 people were killed in a deadly attack on Guyaku community in Gombi Local Government Area", his spokesman said in a post on social media.
Locals also gave a similar toll.
Watch moreArmed gangs behind killings, kidnappings in Nigeria
Resident Philip Agabus told AFP that the attack occurred when "our people converged at a football pitch in Guyaku community ... [and] were attacked by insurgents who entered with guns and began shooting randomly".
The dead were "youths, including some ladies that were watching football", another local, Joshua Usman, said.
"They also burnt places of worship, houses and motorcycles," added Usman.
The state governor's office wrote that "the attackers operated for several hours, killing dozens of residents, burning places of worship, and destroying property including motorcycles", citing a local community leader, Aggrey Ali.
Local television showed footage of a burned church and several charred motor cycles.
The governor blamed the Boko Haram militants who are active in the northeast of Nigeria.
But a rival group, the Islamic State's West Africa Province (ISWAP) claimed responsibility for the attack, saying it "killed at least 25 ... Christians", and "torched a church and nearly 100 motorcycles", in a statement reported by the SITE monitoring group.
Fintiri condemned the attack, saying "it will not go unpunished" while he vowed "intensifying security operations immediately to restore peace".
Since 2009, the jihadist insurgency in Nigeria, led primarily by Boko Haram and its rival faction, the ISWAP, has left tens of thousands of people dead and millions displaced in the country's northeast, according to the United Nations.
The jihadist conflict has spread to neighbouring Niger, Chad and Cameroon.
Nigeria is now looking to the United States for technical and training support for its troops fighting the jihadists after a resurgence of violence strained relationships between the two countries.
US President Donald Trump said last October that Christianity was facing an "existential threat" in the West African nation. Security experts say that both Muslim and Christian communities are targeted by armed groups.
Read moreTrump threatens Nigeria with military action, escalating claims of Christian persecution
A separate attack occurred Sunday in a another district more 100 kilometres away which a local community blamed on communal clashes over farmland disputes in several villages in Lamurde area.
"Lives were lost, properties were also lost," Bulus Daniel, local government council chairman for Lamurde area told AFP.
(FRANCE 24 with AFP)
Nigeria: Muslims murder eleven people and burn homes in late night jihad attack on remote village
“Make ready for them all that you can of force and of warhorses, so that by them you may strike terror in the enemy of Allah and your enemy…” — Qur’an 8:60
The point of striking terror in the enemies of Allah is to frighten them into vacating their land, so that the domains of Islam expand.
Islamic militants kill 11 people and burn homes in late night attack in Nigeria, local officials say
by Haruna Umar, Independent, April 22, 2026:
Islamic militants attacked a remote village in northeastern Nigeria overnight, killing 11 people and leaving two critically injured, local officials said Wednesday. It was the latest violence in Africa’s most populous country that has long been battling a complex security crisis.
The attack took place late on Tuesday in Pubagu, a community in a remote area on the fringes of Sambisa forest in Borno state, the epicenter of Nigeria’s long fight against an Islamic insurgency. Villagers said they buried the victims on Wednesday and attributed the attack to the extremist Boko Haram group….
Among the most prominent Islamic militant groups active in Nigeria are Boko Haram and its breakaway faction, affiliated with the Islamic State group and is known as Islamic State West Africa Province, or ISWAP. There is also the IS-linked Lakurawa, as well as other “bandit” groups that specialize in kidnapping for ransom and illegal mining.
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