Syrian rebels seize villages in Latakia

Syrian opposition fighters have captured four Alawite villages in the Syrian coastal town of Latakia on Monday, activists said. Rebels have been battling regime forces in the predominantly Alawite region since Sunday, when it took government outposts in the Jabal al-Akrad hills eastern Latakia, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) said. The SOHR said at least 32 government troops and militiamen and 19 rebels, among them foreign fighters, were killed on Sunday. Latakia, which is majority Alawite, is a key strategic town as it offers access to the coast. The takeover of the villages is also significant because Latakia has largely been under regime control for the past two years.