Rights group: 21 dead in Syrian port city of Latakia

[News_Editor]

Rights group: 21 dead in Syrian port city of Latakia

2011-08-15 02:12:40 GMT+7 (ICT)

DAMASCUS (BNO NEWS) -- At least 21 people were killed on Sunday after the Syrian military launched a deadly assault on the northwestern port city of Latakia as the government intensifies its crackdown on protesters, an opposition human rights group said.

The London-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said tens of people were injured when naval forces shelled the city and security forces opened fire in residential neighborhoods, according to CNN. The group's president, Rami Abdel Rahman, said Syrian gunboats shelled at least one neighborhood in Latakia.

"These are small residential neighborhoods so mass organized resistance is difficult. Some people are trying to protect their homes but the streets are dominated by Syrian security forces and their weapons," Rahman said.

Forces were using medium-range weapons and machine guns in some neighborhoods, according to the observatory group. The opposition group, however, was unable to verify the number of casualties and attributed the accounts to eyewitness reports.

Sunday's attack is the latest in a series of military actions to target protesters calling for the ouster of President Bashar al-Assad. Latakia has been a flashpoint in the Syrian uprising that began in March with mass protests.

In mid-March, pro-democracy demonstrations began in Syria and have continued across the country, which has been ruled by the Baath Party since 1963. Protesters are demanding the ouster of President Bashar al-Assad, who took over from his father in 2000.

Human rights groups have said that more than 2,000 people have died since the government crackdown on protesters began in mid-March and tens of thousands have been arrested. Global campaign group Avaaz said earlier that almost 3,000 people have also been forcibly disappeared.

Assad previously said that the recent events in the country are a conspiracy against national unity. The Syrian government has repeatedly claimed that the violent acts have been instigated by terrorists who use military uniforms and weaponry to pose as soldiers while attacking citizens.

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