A man who was shot in the chest by gunmen loyal to President Bashar al-Assad in Banias this week died of his wounds on Saturday, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said. Osama al-Sheikha, 40, was among a group of men who were carrying sticks and guarding a mosque in Banias on Sunday following mass protests against Assad's 11-year rule when the loyalists, known as "al-shabbiha", fired at them with AK-47 rifles from speeding cars, the Observatory and witnesses said.