Villagers near Latakia Syria fear impending massacre

[Barrack-Obummer]

The army of Syria's president Bashar al-Assad is following in Latakia a pattern similar to what preceded the recent horrific massacre in Houla that killed 108 people, half of them children. Syrian forces attacked the Sunni-dominated protest hub with helicopter gunships, tanks and gunfire on Tuesday, destroying half the homes in the residential neighborhood. If the Houla pattern continues, then Assad will send in his gangs of "Shabiha" thugs to go from house to house, and exterminate all the Sunni men, women and children.

Fighting between Syrian forces and rebel fighters also flared elsewhere around the country, claiming at least 23 lives, as key Syrian allies Russia and China discussed the fate of a faltering U.N.-backed peace plan to end violence in the country.

Activists speaking to The Daily Star from the Haffeh village near Latakia said Syrian forces bombarded the Sunni-dominated protest hub with helicopter gunships, tanks and gunfire from 7 a.m. By late afternoon, they said the area was surrounded, and they feared an onslaught by regime supporters from surrounding Alawite villages.

Abu Mohammad al-Latikani said half the houses in Haffeh had been destroyed by the bombardment and civilians were having difficulty removing corpses from the rubble. He said activists had identified at least 17 people killed.

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