Syrian Interior Ministry: Special Committee Concludes Investigation into “Kidnapping of Women in the Coast”

Welat TV – Erbil

The spokesperson for the Syrian Ministry of Interior, Noraddin al-Baba, announced that the special committee directly assigned by the minister has completed its investigation into the reports of “women being kidnapped in Syria’s coastal region,” following months of close monitoring and fieldwork.

In a statement carried by SANA on Wednesday, October 29, 2025, al-Baba said that the ministry will soon hold a press conference to present parts of the findings and reassure public opinion.

A Reuters report published last June had indicated a series of kidnappings of young women across the provinces of Tartous, Latakia, and Hama, where abductors demanded ransom payments and threatened to kill the hostages if their families failed to comply.

The report noted that the incidents increased following the fall of the Assad regime, adding that the perpetrators remain unknown, exploiting the ongoing security vacuum in the country.

Following a security operation launched by the Syrian General Security Directorate in the coastal region last March — targeting what it described as “remnants of the regime” and involving participation from local armed factions — Reuters documented dozens of messages and videos posted online by families of missing women, many of whom belonged to the Alawite community.

According to statistics cited in the report, 33 cases of kidnapped women and girls aged between 16 and 39 were documented, all from Alawite backgrounds. Families reported receiving ransom demands, death threats, and cases of trafficking, sparking widespread concern among Alawite communities over what many fears to be targeted abductions.

The Interior Ministry’s announcement comes amid growing public anxiety and debate across several Syrian provinces over increasing reports of missing women in recent months.