Loyalists to the ousted regime of Bashar al-Assad have attacked police officers in Syria’s Tartus countryside, killing 14 officers and wounding 10 others. The attack was the first major retaliation against the new rulers of Syria.
The victims died during an “ambush” by forces loyal to Assad’s regime, according to the transitional administration. Police were attempting to arrest a former Assad official accused of issuing execution orders against prisoners at the time of the assault.
Syria’s security forces launched an operation in response to the attack, and several arrests have been made in connection with the clashes. The protests are the largest by the Alawite minority since Assad’s fall earlier this month.
Thousands of demonstrators took part in the protests in Tartus and nearby Latakia, both strongholds for the Alawite minority. One demonstrator was killed and five others wounded during the clashes.
The attacks come as Syria’s new Islamist rulers try to assure religious and ethnic minorities that their rights will be upheld. The transitional authorities have sought to reassure these groups that they would be protected under their rule.
However, the violence highlights the challenges facing the administration that came to power two weeks ago after rebel groups launched a lightning offensive against Assad’s regime.
Source: https://www.yahoo.com/news/syrian-protester-killed-video-showing-215732350.html