Syria forces fire 'nail bombs' as masses protest

from Europe News:

Syria forces fire 'nail bombs' as masses protest

Herald Sun 17 January 2012


SYRIAN forces were accused of firing nail bombs to disperse protesters as tens of thousands flooded the streets across the country in a bid to make their voices heard by Arab monitors.

The protesters called for the overthrow and prosecution of President Bashar al-Assad, whose autocratic regime has been blamed for the deaths of more than 5,000 people since pro-reform protests erupted in March.

Activists urged the Arab monitors, who this week started a mission to oversee an Arab League plan to end the bloodshed, to do more to protect civilians from regime forces which they said killed another 25 civilians yesterday.

"We urge you to make a clear distinction between the assassin and the victim," activists of the Syrian Revolution 2011 said on their Facebook page.

"Our revolution which was launched nine months ago is peaceful," they said.

The United Nations said it expected Syrian authorities to grant unfettered access to the hard-won Arab observer mission to which they only agreed after weeks of prevarication.

"It is critical that the observer mission be given unhindered access and full cooperation by the government of Syria, and that its independence and impartiality be fully preserved," UN spokesman Martin Nesirky said.

According to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, monitors visited Idlib, Hama, Daraa and the Homs neighbourhood of Baba Amro yesterday.

State television said they also went to Hama and spoke to wounded people in a government hospital.

The mission has been the focus of controversy, with some opposition members unhappy with the choice of veteran Sudanese military intelligence officer General Mohammed Ahmed Mustafa al-Dabi to head it.

General Dabi this week ruffled feathers by saying Syrian authorities were so far co-operating with the mission and by describing his visit to Homs as "good".

"The observers must remain in the cities they visit to protect civilians," said prominent human rights lawyer Haytham Maleh, who is a member of the main opposition umbrella group, the Syrian National Council.

Mr Maleh told Arab news channels that the Arab League must increase the number of monitors to ensure they can verify Mr Assad's regime was implementing all the terms of the bloc's plan to end the violence.

These included the withdrawal of troops from all towns and cities that had been the focus of disturbances, protecting civilians, and the release of detainees, as well as opening a dialogue with the opposition.

About 66 monitors are in Syria but there are plans to deploy between 150 and 200 observers.

Reporters Without Borders said the mission must visit journalists and bloggers being held by the regime and, in a statement, provided a "non-exhaustive" list of about 15 journalists it believed were in detention.

The media rights group said it was relieved by the reported release of a blogger who had been held since October 14, but said the observers must "interview those who have been freed after months in detention or else this mission will be just a sham".

Yesterday's dead included at least 23 civilians killed as security forces opened fire to disperse protesters, and two more killed along with two army deserters n an ambush by government troops, a watchdog said.

Huge demonstrations rocked northwestern Idlib province and Douma, a Damascus suburb where protesters clashed with security forces who fired "nail bombs" to disperse them, the Observatory said.

At least 24 protesters were hurt when security forces fired "nail bombs to disperse tens of thousands of demonstrators in Douma", the Britain-based watchdog said, adding that protesters "hurled stones" in retaliation.

The report could not be independently verified.

Security forces also fired "stun grenades and tear gas" in Douma as 60,000-70,000 demonstrators headed to city hall, which the Arab observers visited on Thursday.

It was the "biggest" demonstration in the restive suburb since the uprising began in March, the Observatory said.

The watchdog said that one demonstator was killed in a Damascus suburb without specifying where.

In Idlib province, which borders Turkey, more than 250,000 protesters took the streets, according to the watchdog.

Four demonstrators were reportedly killed when security forces used live ammunition and tear gas to disperse tens of thousands who gathered.

In Daraa province, south of Damascus and cradle of the pro-democracy protests, five civilians were shot dead when security forces opened fire on a crowd.

In the oil-rich tribal stronghold of Deir Ezzor in the east, one protester was shot dead.

In the central region, seven more were killed in Hama and six in Homs, all protest flashpoints, the Observatory said.

Five members of the security forces were also killed in the Homs region by army deserters, the watchdog said.

In Tal Kalakh, on the Lebanese border, two civilians and two deserters died in an ambush by government troops, it said.


Posted January 17th, 2012 by pk