Damascus, April 11: Several Syrian people, including nine security forces, have been killed in the latest round of violence in Syria, reports say.
The Syrian soldiers — including two officers — were killed and several others were left injured when a convoy of security forces was ambushed by “an armed group” near the northwestern coastal town of Banias on Sunday, Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA) reports.
“At 16 p.m. on Sunday, an armed forces’ unit was moving on Lattakia-Tartous highway at Banias when it came under attack when it walked into an ambush set by an armed group,” an unnamed official source told SANA.
“The rising number of casualties is due to armed groups opening fire on ambulances, [and] preventing them from reaching and aiding the injured,” the source added.
AFP news agency also quoted witnesses as saying on Monday that at least four people were killed and 17 others wounded during clashes between security forces and protesters near a mosque in Banias.
Anti-government protests demanding governmental reform have been held in several Syrian cities over the past weeks. Dozens of people have been killed during the protests.
The opposition accuses security forces of being behind the killings. The Syrian government, however, refutes the accusation and puts the blame on armed gangs and agitators backed by foreign powers — especially Israel — for the unrest and the bloodshed.
——–Agencies