Six young men from the Alawite sect were kidnapped while traveling from Damascus to the city of Aleppo to work in areas under the control of the temporary authority “Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham,” after contact with them was cut off on the morning of Thursday, 18 December 2025, on the road connecting Homs and Aleppo.
According to circulating information, the six young men set off on the morning of Thursday, 18 December 2025, from the al-Abbasiyyin area in Damascus toward the city of Aleppo. Their last documented contact was at 10:30 a.m., when they reported having reached the entrance to the city of Homs. Subsequently, contact with them was completely lost on the outskirts of Homs.
The kidnapped young men are from the Alawite sect, all residents of al-Wuroud neighborhood in Damascus. They were compelled to travel in search of job opportunities at one of the factories in the city of Aleppo due to the deterioration of living conditions.
Names and ages of the victims:
Ali Ahmad Salloum (30 years)
Ibrahim Waseem Salhab (22 years)
Mustafa Ali Samir (29 years)
Mohammad Nidal Raya (18 years)
Abdul Hadi Ismail (17 years)
Haider Deeb (18 years)
Later, the kidnapped young men appeared in a video clip in which the person filming described them as “Alawite captives.” It was not possible to verify the circumstances of the filming or its exact date.
This incident comes amid the deterioration of living conditions and the increase in security risks on inter-provincial roads, which pushes young men to travel in search of job opportunities and exposes them to grave violations, including kidnapping and detention outside the framework of the law.
These events reflect a worrying escalation in incidents of kidnapping and physical assault against civilians, particularly members of religious and sectarian minorities, and the continued state of impunity in areas under the control of the temporary authorities.
