Three dead in Alawite protests on Syrian coast

LATAKIA, (Syria): Three people were killed on Sunday when protests in Syria’s Alawite heartland of Latakia spiralled into gunfire and other violence, according to the province’s media office.

Syria has been rocked by several episodes of sectarian bloodshed since longtime leader Bashar al-Assad, who hails from the Muslim Alawite minority, was ousted by a rebel offensive last year and replaced by a Sunni-led government.

Thousands of Alawite protesters gathered on Sunday in Azhari Square in Latakia city to demand a decentralized political system in Syria and the release of thousands of Alawite prisoners.