“Gunfire, Helicopter Strikes…” 70 Killed as Syrian Forces and Pro-Assad Militias Clash in Latakia

Syrian forces loyal to the new government engaged in heavy fighting with remnants of the ousted Assad regime in the country’s northwest. Over 70 people were killed in Syria in clashes between government forces and pro-Assad militants, a war monitor said on March 7.The fighting initially started in the Mediterranean coastal province of Latakia, the heartland of Assad’s Alawite minority. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) said that many Syrian government forces were killed in bloody ambushes.Fighting on March 6 between government forces and Assad loyalists had killed 48 people in the coastal town of Jableh and adjacent villages, as per SOHR. The war monitor described them as “the most violent . attacks against the new authorities since Assad was toppled” in DecemberPro-Assad fighters killed 16 security personnel while 28 fighters aligned with the ousted president and four civilians were also killed, the Observatory said. The UK-based war monitor had earlier reported “strikes launched by Syrian helicopters on armed men in the village of Beit Ana.” n18oc_world n18oc_crux0:00 INTRODUCTION2:15 “LAY DOWN YOUR WEAPONS OR…” ASSAD LOYALISTS WARNED4:04 ASSAD’S “FAVOURITE SOLDIER” ORCHESTRATED SYRIA CLASHES? 5:34 SYRIA ARRESTS ASSAD-ERA FORMER INTEL CHIEF