Clashes erupted on Syria’s coast between protesters from the Alawite religious minority and counter-demonstrators. The clashes resulted in the killing of at least four people and injuring dozens of others, the health officials said.
The clashes followed two days after a bombing at an Alawite mosque in the city of Homs that claimed the lives of at least eight people and wounded 18 others during prayers. The protestors gathered in the coastal cities of Latakia and Tartous.
It has been stated by the officials and updated by the AP news that the preliminary investigations reveal that explosive devices were put inside the mosque in Homs; however, no public identification has been suspected by the authorities yet.
An Associated Press photographer in Latakia witnessed pro-government counterprotesters hurling stones at Alawite demonstrators, while a group of protesters assaulted a counterdemonstrator who crossed over to their side. Security forces intervened to separate the two groups, firing shots into the air in an effort to disperse the crowd.
The AP news updated that the two members of the security forces were also wounded in the area of Tartous, and cars of security forces were also set ablaze in Latakia. Meanwhile, as reported by the news agency SANA, a member of the security forces was killed.
In March, an ambush by Assad loyalists on security forces sparked days of violence that killed hundreds, the majority of them Alawites. Although tensions later eased, Alawites have continued to face sporadic sectarian attacks. Community members have also reported discrimination in public employment since Assad’s fall, along with the detention of young Alawite men without formal charges.
