Syria ends military operation against Assad-linked gunmen in coastal region

Smoke rises from a factory hit during clashes by Syrian security forces and gunmen loyal to former president Bashar Assad (Omar Albam/AP)

Syria’s interim government has announced the end of a military operation against insurgents loyal to ousted president Bashar Assad and his family in the worst fighting since the end of the 13-year civil war in December.

The defence ministry’s announcement comes after a surprise attack by gunmen from the Alawite community on a police patrol near the port city of Latakia on Thursday spiralled into widespread clashes across Syria’s coastal region, during which monitoring groups said hundreds of civilians were killed.