section_path: Violence and massacres/March/16 March
section_name: 16 March
paragraph_text: 16 March
  
  On 16 March, SOHR said that five bodies were found with traces of gunfire in the countryside of Tartus and Homs, presumed to be civilian victims of field executions.
  
  SOHR reported that sources told it that Russian forces agreed to bury three bodies at the Khmeimim base. One body was believed to be of a man who had been shot on Khmeimim Bridge; the two others were believed to be those of a woman and her daughter, struck by a drone in their car as they attempted to escape from ongoing violence near a shop towards the refuge of the Khmeimim base. All three bodies reportedly remained out in the open for at least two days until they were able to be brought to the base.
  
  SOHR reported that Syrian government authorities dispatched transportation to relocate Alawite families taking refuge at the Russia-controlled Khmeimim base back to their houses. However, the families refused evacuation, citing their profound distrust of government authorities following what they described as genocidal actions against their communities and the lack of adequate protection guarantees. Many families expressed their fear of becoming victimized by continued violence upon return to their home regions, amid reports of continued targeting of civilians in the Baniyas countryside and nearby regions. Displaced persons at the base reportedly experienced severe shortages of food supplies, essential living necessities, and medical equipment and services.
  
  SOHR reported that a document had circulated that appeared to be the Russian base operators' request to displaced persons to leave due to the return of peace; the SOHR said the document was inauthentic, and that civilians hold told it the Russian had given a free choice of whether to stay or leave, and that the base operators were continuing to provide aid.
  
  Residents of Damascus called for Syrian government forces to reveal what happened to nineteen Alawite civilians who had been arrested on 7 March in the Anaza neighborhood of Qadam, Damascus, amid infractions committed against civilians and their residences in the area. Rumors spread that they had been executed, leading to concerns that their bodies could be secretly disposed of by security forces.