A Syrian army officer was killed and several soldiers were injured when gunmen ambushed their vehicle in the coastal oil hub of Banias, where tanks were deployed to contain protests spreading across the country, state television reported, citing unidentified people.
Tanks had moved into the city, whose oil terminal is the
nation’s main export point, according to Al Arabiya and Associated Press
reports.
Three people were killed and dozens were injured in
Banias today, Syrian state television reported, citing a nurse in a hospital in
the city.
Syria, where President Bashar al-Assad’s Baath party has
been in power since 1963, is the latest Middle Eastern country hit by a wave of
uprisings that ousted longtime rulers in Egypt and Tunisia, and sparked armed
conflict in Libya. Assad has issued a number of decrees granting more freedoms
amid ongoing protests demanding political change.
Assad reiterated that Syria is on course for “comprehensive
reform,” the state-run Syrian Arab News Agency reported today. Foreign Minister
Walid Al-Muallem said the country was attempting to meet popular demands
according to a program for economic, political and judicial reform.
Muallem accused “saboteurs” of infiltrating
demonstrations and firing on protesters and security forces to instigate
violence, SANA said. Syrian authorities will adopt measures to guarantee the
security, stability and safety of the country, he said.
Rights groups, including Amnesty International and Human
Rights Watch, have reported dozens of deaths in Syria’s unrest and blamed
authorities for the use of excessive force.
The protests in Syria have been the strongest challenge
to Assad’s rule since he inherited power from his father in 2000. Weeks of
unrest led to the resignation of the government and the appointment of
ex-Agriculture Minister Adel Safar on April 3 as the prime minister tasked with
forming a new Cabinet.
