Syrian Crisis,Syrian military shells town on coast
Syrian
government forces shelled a vulnerable Sunni community in a coastal province
dominated by President Bashar Assad's Alawite sect on Saturday, activists said,
raising fears that residents of the isolated town could face mass killings by
pro-Damascus militias. Two Syrian rights groups said shelling of the town of
al-Mitras began at dawn, killing six people. The town lies near two other Sunni
Muslim towns of Bayda and Banias. Rights groups charge that regime supporters
killed at least 248 people in those two communities in May. Syria's civil war
has cleaved along the country's sectarian patchwork. Sunnis dominate the
revolt, while Christians and other Muslim sects have mostly stood behind the
regime. Another Syrian activist who goes by the name of Abu al-Waleed said
there were negotiations underway to hand over rebel fighters in exchange for
regime forces promising not to allow harm to come to civilians. Also in Syria,
the government raised the price of gasoline and transportation in its latest
wartime austerity move, a step likely to increase hardship for many Syrians
already suffering from the economic consequences of civil war. The conflict has
shattered Syria's economy, killed more than 100,000 people and forced over 2
million from their homes.
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