Syrian naval vessels, ground troops attack port of Latakia

Monday, August 15, 2011

At least nineteen people have been killed in two days of attacks by the Syrian Navy and ground forces on the northern port city of Latakia, say human rights activists.

The crackdown in the city began on Saturday, a day after several thousand people staged protests against the government. An estimated twenty tanks and other armored vehicles, as well as at least two navy vessels, were reported to be firing on the city. A witness told Reuters that they can "see the silhouettes of two grey vessels. They are firing their guns and the impact is landing on al-Ramleh, al-Filistini and al-Shaab neighbourhoods."

According to state television, however, there has not been any weapons fire from navy ships, and the government has previously stated it is moving only against terrorists and others who are responsible for instigating dissent among Syrian citizens.

The total death toll is unclear, with at least two and as many as five people reported dead on Saturday and estimates of the death toll on Sunday ranging from at least nineteen, according to the BBC, to at least 25, according to Al Jazeera.

Have an opinion on this story? Share it!

Sources

"Syria unrest: 'Deadly military attack' on Latakia port" — BBC News Online, August 14, 2011
"Syrian 'warships shell port city of Latakia'" — Al Jazeera, August 14, 2011

Share this:

This page is archived, and is no longer publicly editable.

Articles presented on Wikinews reflect the specific time at which they were written and published, and do not attempt to encompass events or knowledge which occur or become known after their publication.

Got a correction? Add the template {{editprotected}} to the talk page along with your corrections, and it will be brought to the attention of the administrators.

Please note that due to our archival policy, we will not alter or update the content of articles that are archived, but will only accept requests to make grammatical and formatting corrections.

Note that some listed sources or external links may no longer be available online due to age.