Activists and eyewitnesses on Sunday said Syrian army units have deployed in key areas of a port city rocked by protests, unrest and acts of vandalism. They told The Associated Press that troops in army vehicles entered Latakia at night following a day of violence and chaos in which protesters and the government accused each other of violence and incitement.
The Syrian authorities on Saturday accused armed groups of attacking people in the city, adding at least two people were killed by rooftop snipers. Protesters accused government forces of opening fire on protesters.
Sources in the city said that after Friday prayer clashes broke out between the supporters of President Bashar Assad and pro-democracy protesters. According to them, two police cars were set on fire. In addition, the mob broke into the Commercial Bank of Syria and tried to rob three ATM machines. A number of traders has guarded their shops to avoid any possible acts of looting and public chaos.
