70 killed in clashes between govt forces, Assad loyalists in Syria

The clashes are the worst since Assad was removed from power in early December by insurgent groups led by the Islamist Hayat Tahrir al-Sham

Latakia: Clashes between Syrian security forces and gunmen loyal to former President Bashar Assad in the country’s coastal region have left more than 70 people dead and an area outside government control, a war monitor said on Friday.

Government forces sent major reinforcements overnight to the cities of Latakia and Tartus as well as nearby towns and villages that are the heartland of the minority Alawite sect and a base of support for Assad, to try to get the situation under control.

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The clashes are the worst since Assad was removed from power in early December by insurgent groups led by the Islamist Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, or HTS. Since Assad’s fall, there have been some sectarian attacks against members of his minority Alawite sect. These incidents have occurred despite the fact that officially the new authorities have said they are against collective punishment or sectarian vengeance.

On Friday morning, large numbers of troops were deployed in Latakia and no civilians were seen in the street as a curfew that was imposed in the city and other coastal areas remains in force. Members of the security force said there were some clashes in one of the city’s neighbourhoods but most of the city was calm and under government control.

The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a war monitor, said that since the clashes began on Thursday, 35 members of government forces, 32 fighters loyal to Assad and four civilians have been killed.

The Observatory’s chief Rami Abdurrahman said the outskirts of the coastal towns of Baniyas and Jableh are still under the control of Assad loyalists. He added that Assad’s hometown of Qardaha and many Alawite villages nearby are also outside government control.

A Qardaha resident told via text messages that the situation “is very bad”. The resident, who asked that his name not be made public for safety reasons, said government forces are firing with heavy machine guns on residential areas in Qardaha.

Another resident said that they have not been able to leave their homes since Thursday afternoon because of the intensity of the shooting.

Abdurrahman said the clashes began when a security force tried to detain a wanted person near Jableh and was ambushed by Assad loyalists. Syria’s conflict that began in March 2011 has left more than half a million people dead and millions displaced.