Three Christians killed in Anaz, Syria, sparking outrage and election boycott in Wadi al-Nasara. Gunmen fired 30 bullets, fled to Al-Hosn. Tensions rise.
Newsroom (02/10/2025, Gaudium Press ) Three young Christian men were shot dead in a brazen attack in the village of Anaz, a western suburb of Homs, on Tuesday, October 1, 2025, deepening tensions in Syria’s predominantly Christian Wadi al-Nasara region. The assailants, unidentified gunmen on a motorcycle, fired at least 30 bullets in front of the Mukhtar’s office before fleeing toward the village of Al-Hosn via Al-Dabbaghah Road, according to local witnesses and the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR).
The cold-blooded killings have ignited widespread anger in the Valley of the Christians, a region known for its relative stability during Syria’s protracted conflict. Murhaf al-Naasan, head of the transitional government’s security forces in Homs, condemned the attack and vowed to hunt down the perpetrators. “The relevant authorities have isolated the area and are working to arrest those responsible and bring them to justice,” al-Naasan said, urging residents to remain calm and avoid rumors. He suggested the attack aimed to destabilize Syria’s fragile transition under interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa and sow fear ahead of parliamentary elections scheduled for October 5.
The SOHR, a UK-based monitoring group, reported that one of the victims had been sued by residents of Al-Hosn but was acquitted two days prior due to lack of evidence. The attackers reportedly took refuge in Al-Hosn, raising suspicions of retaliatory motives, though no clear motive has been confirmed.
In response, local political leaders in Wadi al-Nasara announced a boycott of the upcoming elections, withdrawing all candidates in protest. Schools were shuttered, and many residents abstained from work, joining a general strike called by community groups to condemn the violence. The killings follow a recent assault on Syriac Catholic prelate Father Michel Naaman, who was robbed at gunpoint outside his home, losing a gold cross among other items.
The violence underscores the precarious state of Syria’s “new” government under al-Sharaa, a former al-Qaeda-affiliated leader of Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS). Despite gaining legitimacy through a recent meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump in Riyadh and ongoing talks with Israel, al-Sharaa has struggled to deliver on promises of stability and timely elections. The SOHR has documented 1,070 murders in Syria since early 2025, including 32 women and 21 children, with Christians, Alawites, and Druze among the targeted groups.
As investigations continue, the killings in Anaz highlight the challenges facing al-Sharaa’s administration in uniting a fractured nation and restoring security, leaving communities like Wadi al-Nasara grappling with grief and uncertainty.
- Raju Hasmukh with files from Asianews.it
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