New government steps up pursuit of Assad loyalists

Syria's new administration has stepped up its campaign to track down and arrest members of the ousted Assad dictatorship, signaling that it would act with a heavy hand against people who it claims are challenging its ability to impose law and order.

Sana, the state-run Syrian news agency, reported on Dec 28 that "a number of remnants of the Assad militias" had been arrested in the coastal Latakia region in western Syria.

Weapons and ammunition were confiscated, the report added.

The new administration, which has tried to assert authority over Syria since an alliance of rebels toppled president Bashar al-Assad three weeks ago, has indicated that pursuing loyalists of the Assad dictatorship, who are undermining its authority, is a top priority.