Deadly clashes at alawite protest in Syria
Gunfire during latakia rally kills three and wounds dozens
Three people were killed and more than 40 wounded after protests by Alawite demonstrators in Syria’s coastal Latakia province descended into gunfire and chaos, local authorities said. Thousands had gathered in Azhari Square to demand decentralization and the release of Alawite prisoners when shots were heard from an unidentified location and security forces fired into the air, witnesses and a reporters said. Officials did not specify whether all casualties occurred in Latakia city or also in other towns where protests took place.
The rally, called by the head of the Supreme Alawite Islamic Council, drew chants for federalism and appeals for dignity and protection, with demonstrators invoking models such as Germany and the United Arab Emirates. Rescue efforts were visible as protesters carried wounded people away on foot amid the confusion. The province’s media office distributed a written statement confirming the toll but giving limited detail on the source of the gunfire.
The unrest follows a string of recent sectarian incidents that have heightened fears in Alawite areas since the overthrow of Bashar al-Assad by a Sunni-led rebel offensive last year. Earlier violence this week included a bombing at an Alawite mosque in Homs that killed eight people, and months earlier more than 1,000 Alawites were reported killed after a failed pro-Assad insurrection sparked reprisal attacks. A similar Latakia demonstration in November was rapidly broken up by security forces after clashes with rival pro-government protesters.
Security deployments increased across affected coastal towns as authorities sought to restore order and investigations were announced into the violence. Local officials urged calm and warned against actions that could inflame sectarian tensions in a country still grappling with the aftermath of civil war. Community leaders preparing funerals for the dead called for restraint and dialogue, warning that further escalation could deepen divisions in a region that has seen intermittent outbreaks of targeted violence against minority communities.
