GENEVA (Reuters) -War crimes were likely committed by both members of interim government forces and fighters loyal to Syria's former rulers during a major outbreak of sectarian violence in Syria's coastal areas that culminated in a series of March massacres, a U.N. team of investigators found in a report on Thursday.
Some 1,400 people, mainly civilians, were reported killed during the violence that primarily targeted Alawi communities, and reports of violations continue, according to a report by the U.N. Syria Commission of Inquiry.
The incidents in the coastal region were the worst violence to hit Syria since the fall of President Bashar al-Assad last year, prompting the interim government to name a fact-finding committee.
(Reporting by Emma Farge and Olivia Le Poidevin; Editing by Miranda Murray)
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