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| Syria-Lebanon-Iran |
| Syrian rebels take coastal village in Assad heartland |
| 2014-03-26 |
| Syriaâs opposition fighters seized a Mediterranean coastal village on Tuesday as they pushed to consolidate their presence in a key regime bastion near the Turkish border, a monitoring group said. The capture of Samra in Latakia province comes a day after rebels seeking to topple President Bashar Al Assad seized the area around Kasab, the last government-held crossing post with Turkey. In retaliation, the army pounded rebel positions in the northwestern coastal province, heartland of Assadâs Alawi sect and scene of fierce fighting since Friday, said the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. Rebels including Al Nusra Front âtook control of Samra village in Latakia province early on Tuesday,â said Observatory director Rami Abdel Rahman. âFierce fighting has raged on in the outskirts of the village,â he said. Samra is located in a valley near the Turkish border, and gives the rebels access to the sea. Latakia is important because of its location on the coast, and because it is the heartland of both the Assad clan and the Alawi sect. Losing it would be a tough blow for the regime, said Latakia activist Omar Al Jeblawi. âThe area is so strategic to the regime, that whenever fighting does break out in Latakia, the army pulls back from other areas in order to redeploy here,â he told AFP. According to Jeblawi âthousands of opposition fightersâ have deployed in the Latakia region in recent days. âThe advances are quick. And the takeover of Kasab was only the beginning of the road to liberating Latakia.â A security source in Damascus denied that Samra fell saying âfierce fightingâ was still under way. âThe Syrian army is completely in control... of the mountainsâ overlooking Samra. It is impossible (for the rebels) to take over the area,â the source said. |
| Posted by:Steve White |