Lattakia, Syrian Coast, (SANA) – The citizens and families of the people wounded and martyred in Lattakia province said the attacks launched on Sunday by the armed groups against the people and the security forces members and their attempts of creating chaos and terrorizing citizens in the city stress the objective standing behind them which is aimed at targeting Syria, its national unity, security and stability and inciting sedition within its social fabric.
In different statments to SANA correspondent, the citizens pointed out that the call for realizing certain requests does not at all correspond with messing with the internal security and stability.
They stressed that the citizens of Lattakia are quite alert to the objectives of those standing behind triggering vandalism events and attacking public and private properties.
Nafez Salman, father of the martyr Alaa who was killed on Friday, told SANA that his son was shot several times by armed criminals in his chest, belly and head, and that his body was mutilated with knives.
Alaa's uncle said the number of citizens and security forces members who were killed by the armed gangs provides a message to the misleading media which draw a different untrue image of the events overlooking the intimidation and vandalism the citizens are being subjected to.
Maksim Rihan, a fire brigade member, said in a statement to SANA that, while doing his job, he was attacked by a number of young men and stabbed in several parts of his body.
He added that the attackers also assaulted the fire brigade team throwing stones at them.
Muhand Allan, a security forces member, who was shot by the gang, said that he and his fellow members in vain tried to talk to and contain the attackers, who launched an assault against them with arms, sharp tools and stones wounding a number of the security forces members.
Sinan Blouk Bashi, a public bus driver who was wounded and admitted to al-Assad University Hospital, said he was shot in his neck by one of the gunmen who seized the rooftops of buildings in one of the attacked sites while he was rescuing a wounded fellow citizen.
Samir Badr, from a neighborhood in Lattakia, pointed out that the citizens, particularly the young men, gathered into groups in neighborhoods across the city and were able to grasp ten people who were moving from one place to another inciting citizens to get into clashes, and handed them in to the security forces.
Owners of shops and firms who witnessed the last night events stressed that the acts of vandalism including destroying public and private properties, spreading chaos, crushing cars and attacking citizens reveal the size of the plot aimed at creating unrest and confusion in Syria.
Citizens stressed adherence to their unity, affirming that the suspicious calls spread across the city will not shake their security and co-existence, and promising to respond to all those threatening the atmosphere of stability and security in the country.
"An armed gang attempted yesterday evening to set the National Hospital in Lattakia on fire," Director of Lattakia Health Department Muhammed Shreitah said in a statement to SANA, adding that a number of armed individuals climbed up the hospital fence, got into its square and fully destroyed three ambulance vehicles, attacking their staff before the hospital cadres, citizens and security forces were able to hold them back from the hospital.
In Jablah, around 25 km from Lattakia, people called upon each other to put an end to those attempting to arouse sedition among citizens, trying to raise the youth's awareness of the foreign plots aimed at targeting Syria's security and dividing its people.
An official source said the attacks of armed gangs on the people and neighborhoods of Lattakia over the past two days led to the martyrdom of ten people including security forces members and citizens and the killing two persons of the armed groups.
The source added that about two hundred people, most of whom are from the security forces, were wounded in these attacks, pointing out that the armed gangs attacked private and public properties and service institutions, broke shops, stormed some houses and terrorized citizens in their homes.
The source mentioned that the armed groups also attacked the National Hospital in the city and smashed a number of ambulances and assaulted the medical crews in.
People of Lattakia in all neighborhoods and regions cooperated with the security forces and gave information about places of the armed gangs, which helped in arresting a number of them.
The source noted that investigation with those persons is underway to find out their motives and backgrounds.
Earlier, armed groups seized rooftops in some districts of Lattakia on Saturday, opening fire at passers-by, citizens and security forces personnel terrorizing peoples there.
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