Syria orders troops into coastal city as accusations fly

  Großansicht des Bildes mit der Bildunterschrift: Protesters want an end to the autocratic regime Syrian troops have deployed in the city of Latakia where gunmen and gangs are reported to have killed ۱۵ people. Pro-democracy campaigners blame the violence on the government, which in turn blames foreign intervention. Syrian security forces on Sunday entered the coastal city of Latakia, where officials claimed that ۱۵ people had died in a campaign of terror. Bildunterschrift: Großansicht des Bildes mit der Bildunterschrift:  Deraa has become a focal point for protestsThe killings are the latest in a wave of violence to hit the country with official figures on Sunday putting the death toll at ۳۰ while pro-democracy demonstrators claimed the figure stood at ۱۲۶. The regime of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, which is under unprecedented pressure amid pro-democracy demonstrations, claims it has deployed troops in a bid to stop violence by foreign-backed "armed groups" seeking to create instability.

"  Großansicht des Bildes mit der Bildunterschrift: Protesters want an end to the autocratic regime Syrian troops have deployed in the city of Latakia where gunmen and gangs are reported to have killed ۱۵ people"Protesters say that the violence, by rooftop snipers and street gangs armed with knives, is being carried out at the behest of security forces. Assad, who has yet to make a direct address to the Syrian people since the protests began on March 15, had been expected to make a television address on Sunday evening, but he failed to appear. Plan to lift emergency rule The authoritarian regime had announced a series of reforms on Thursday, including the release of activists detained during the recent unrest. On Sunday, it announced a plan to bring emergency rule - in force since ۱۹۶۳ - to an end. Bildunterschrift: Großansicht des Bildes mit der Bildunterschrift:  Ashton called for the emergency rule law to be liftedA day earlier the European Union's foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton had called for the emergency law to be lifted and the violence to stop.

Witnesses reported that major cities appeared calm on Sunday, while several hundred men held a sit-in at the Omari Mosque in the southern city of Deraa. Activists say more than ۱۰۰ people were killed in a government crackdown in Deraa on Wednesday. While that town has become a focus of the protests, deaths have also been reported in other cities including nearby Sanamein and the Syrian capital, Damascus. The Baath Party has been in power in Syria for almost ۵۰ years, with Assad in control for the last ۱۱ following the death of his father, Hafez al-Assad. Author: Richard Connor (AFP, Reuters)Editor: Rob Turner .