Clashes in Syria between government forces and Assad loyalists kill more than 200
apnews.com
A war monitor says two days of clashes between Syrian security forces and gunmen loyal to former President Bashar Assad have left more than 200 people dead.

Nearly 200 people have been killed since the fighting broke out, according to the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. In addition to 69 killed in the villages, the dead include at least 50 members of Syria’s government forces and 45 fighters loyal to Assad. The civil war that has been raging in Syria since March 2011 has left more than half a million people dead and millions displaced.

The most recent clashes began when government forces tried to detain a wanted person near the coastal city of Jableh on Thursday and were ambushed by Assad loyalists, according to the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.