AMMAN: Syrian security forces stormed Tuesday a town near the flashpoint coastal city of Banias and the sound of gunfire was heard, rights activists in contact with people in the town said. They said Syrian secret police and soldiers were surrounding the town of Baida, 10 km south of Banias. People from the town took part in a protest in Banias on Saturday where they carried empty white coffins in sympathy with an estimated 200 people killed in pro-democracy protests in Syria. One activist said that some residents of Baida, which is near the Mediteranean coast, had weapons and it appeared that an armed confrontation erupted. “Ambulances are trying to get into Baida. There are wounded,” the activist said. A resident of Banias who had been in touch with people in Baida said mobile phone connections were cut, a regular tactic of Syrian security forces before going into urban areas. Armored vehicles entered Baida and soldiers “opened fire haphazardly”, the Banias resident said, adding that young men were being dragged out of their homes and arrested. Syrian security forces have deployed more heavily in coastal areas following pro-democracy protests and killings by irregulars loyal to Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad, known as ‘Al-Shabbiha', in the city of Banias on Sunday.
