Syria Unrest Spread to Latakia, Other Cities

Syria security forces killed between two and six people in Latakia on Saturday in the second consecutive day of protests the coastal Syrian city.  On Friday, Syrian soldiers reportedly opened fire on demonstrators in at least six cities killing some 15 as mass demonstrations that began in the southern city of Deraa last week spread across the country. Reports emerging from Syria, one of the most media-insular countries in the region, indicate that as many as 100 protesters have been already killed by security forces.  Bouthaina Shaaban, a senior adviser to President Bashar Al-Assad, said the government was "the target of a project to sow sectarian strife to compromise Syria and [its] unique coexistence model." Assad pledged on Thursday to consider granting more freedom and lifting emergency laws dating back to 1963, but the announcement failed to dampen the protests.