ERBIL, Kurdistan Region of Iraq – The UK on Friday imposed sanctions on several individuals and organizations accused of committing violence against Syrian civilians, including Turkey-backed armed groups and commanders linked to the March massacres against the Alawites.

In a statement, the UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) said it was targeting “individuals involved in the coastal violence earlier this year,” to hold perpetrators of the human rights abuses accountable.

“Accountability and justice for all Syrians is vital to ensure a successful and sustainable political settlement in Syria,” the statement cited Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper as saying.

The sanctions target three Turkey-backed Syrian factions: Sultan Murad, Sultan Suleiman Shah, and Hamza divisions, who were purportedly involved in the armed aggression in March against the Alawite population in the Syrian coast that led to at least 1,400 deaths, most of them Alawite citizens.

The Sultan Suleiman Shah and Hamza divisions, colloquially called the Amshat and the Hamzat, have a strong tie to Turkey and are regarded as Ankara’s proxy forces. They have been accused by the UN of extrajudicial executions, looting, and sexual and ethnic violence, particularly against Alawites and Kurds.

Sultan Murad division is similarly Ankara-backed. The Turkmen rebel group is widely known for abuses committed in Afrin and Sari Kani, where a war monitor accused it of seizing thousands of olive trees following Ankara’s 2018 invasion.

Despite their pro-government stance, the divisions enjoy a level of authority outside of the Damascus government, as they remain financially and logistically tied to Ankara and committed to serve its interests. They have been previously sanctioned by the US and the EU over war crime allegations.

The move comes amid the British government's efforts at lifting some economic sanctions on Damascus in order to aid the country in its post-war reconstruction following the fall of the Baath regime.

In October, the UK removed the now-dissolved rebel group Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) from its list of proscribed terrorist organizations, opening the path for greater cooperation with the current Syrian establishment. The HTS led the December 2024 rebel offensive which toppled Bashar al-Assad, and its membership have now taken up the key decision-making roles in the government.

The UK reiterated its commitment to “working with the Syrian Government to support the country’s economic recovery and deliver for a Syria that recognises the voices and needs of all citizens.”

The Friday sanctions also extend to perpetrators of Assad-era violence, including two military officials and two businessmen who served the former regime and facilitated the crackdown on opposition entities.