BEIRUT: The head of the opposition-in-exile made a rare trip to Latakia province in Syria Tuesday, as violence claimed the lives of dozens of people around the country including at least 20 children, a leading monitoring group said.
Syria National Coalition President Ahmad Jarba met with rebels fighting Assad’s troops in the coastal province, including the recently captured Armenian town of Kasab.
Assad’s family hails from Latakia, the scene of a fierce 11-day battle in which rebel groups including the Al-Qaeda-linked Nusra Front have made significant gains. So far, they’ve captured a border crossing with Turkey and a tiny slice of the coast that gives them access to the Mediterranean Sea.
In addition to Kasab, Jarba also toured Latakia’s rebel-held mountainous areas of Jabal al-Turkmen and Jabal al-Akrad, meeting with rebel commanders to assess the “latest plans and needs for the battle on the coast,” the coalition said.