BEIRUT: Syrian security forces, cracking down on opposition strongholds in the city of Latakia, herded thousands of people into a stadium after taking away their identification cards and mobile phones, activists said.
Iranian snipers have also been deployed, a former member of the secret police said.
The officer, speaking on condition of anonymity, said he had beaten prisoners and fired on protesters in Damascus
At times during the past two months he was aware of Iranian troops – a fact confirmed by senior officers – alongside his team in the Syrian capital.
”We knew they were from Iran because we were not allowed to speak to them and they were kept well away from us,” he told London’s Telegraph newspaper.
His account confirmed other reports that Syria has turned to its closest ally for help in putting down the protests directed at the Assad family’s 41 years in power.
Forces loyal to the regime of the President, Bashar al-Assad, continued hammering opposition strongholds in Latakia, the country’s main port city, especially in the district of Ramleh, which has been pummelled with tank, gunboat and automatic weapons fire following the large anti-government demonstrations that broke out on Friday.
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