Hundreds of people were killed in Syria over four days after violent clashes between the army and loyalists of the deposed president Bashar al-Assad swept its western coastal region.

Syria’s government has ended a security operation in the country’s western coastal region, home to loyalists of former leader Bashar al-Assad, the Ministry of Defence in Damascus reported. Spokesperson Hassan Abdul Ghani made the announcement on Monday,

Assad’s downfall would be a chance to come together and heal the wounds of the victims’ families. It was not to be. The regime had left roots too deep and the new rulers failed to learn the lessons of our neighbors.