Syrian gunboats fire on coastal city; 10 killed

Syrian gunboats firing heavy machine guns pounded impoverished districts of Latakia on Sunday, killing at least 10 people in a renewed assault on the Mediterranean coastal city, activists said.As the gunships blasted waterfront districts, ground troops backed by tanks and security agents stormed several neighborhoods. The sharp crackle of machine-gun fire and loud explosions could be heard across the city.The intense operations in Latakia, a key port city once known as a summer tourist draw, are part of a brutal government crackdown on several Syrian cities meant to root out protesters demanding the ouster of President Bashar Assad.Latakia has a potentially explosive sectarian mix. Sunnis, which are a majority in Syria, live in the citys urban core, while Assads minority Alawite sect, an offshoot of Shiite Islam, populates villages on the citys outskirts, along with small minorities of Christians, ethnic Turks and other groups.The attacks on predominantly Sunni areas of Latakia, a city with a population of more than 600,000, raised concerns of sectarian bloodshed in a country that has already seen an alarming rise in sectarian tensions since the start of the uprisings.On Saturday, at least 20 tanks and armored personnel carriers rolled into the citys al-Ramel district amid intense gunfire that sent many residents fleeing the area. Activists said at least two people were killed.