From Homeland Security Newswire:
Syrian updateAssad intensifies crackdown
Published 9 May 2011
The Syrian government has intensified its crackdown on anti-government protesters over the last three days: more and more cities have been cut off from power, phone, and Internet connection, and have been surrounded by tanks and troops to prevent people from coming or leaving; a vast, nation-wide campaign of arrests and disappearances, carried out by the secret police, has so far resulted in hundreds being taken from their homes or place of employment to destinations unknown; the army has now began to use live rounds not only against demonstrators, but also against participants in funeral processions for those killed; so far, 580 civilians and about 100 soldiers and police have been killed
Funerals are more and more likely of drawing fire // Source: timesofummah.com
The Syrian government has intensified its crackdown on anti-government protesters over the last three days. The government of Basher al Assad has taken three parallel steps:
•More and more cities have been cut off from power, phone, and Internet connection, and have been surrounded by tanks and troops to prevent people from coming or leaving
•A vast, nation-wide campaign of arrests and disappearances, carried out by the secret police, has so far resulted in hundreds being taken from their homes or place of employment to destinations unknown
•The army has now began to use live rounds not only against demonstrators, but also against participants in funeral processions for those killed
In all, more than 580 civilians have so far been killed — including two children, one 10 that other 12, who were killed by the army over the weekend.
The government says that more than 100 soldiers and police have been killed as well, and Fox News quotes the Syrian official news agency SANA to say that Syrian authorities have seized sophisticated weapons and that the army is still hunting down “armed terrorist groups” across the country, including in the city of Banias.
These assertions by the government offer a window into a little-mentioned aspect of the popular unrest in Syria: Some groups in the anti-government camp are being helped by Saudi Arabia and Jordan, two Sunni Arab nations long at odds with the pro-Iranian tilt of the Alawite regime in Syria.
One of the unstated strategic goals of Saudi Arabia has long been the toppling of the minority Alawite regime so that the majority Sunni population of Syria could come to rule the country. The Saudis have looked askance at Syria’s close relationship with Iran, and the material and military help Syria has provided the Shi’a movement Hezbollah in Lebanon – help which has now made Hezbollah to dominant political and military force in Lebanon.
The latest developments on the ground:
•The weekend saw a major crackdown in the coastal city of Banias. Fox News that water, electricity, and nearly all forms of communication to Banias have been cut since troops in tanks and armored vehicles rolled in and sealed off the city on Saturday. Six people have been reported killed, and more than 200 arrested
•The Banias operation follows a large-scale military operation in the southern city off Daraa. About fifty residents were killed in an 11-day siege there.
•The city if Homs is sealed off by tanks and soldiers, and telephone service has been cut. The BBC reports that heavy machine-gun fire and shelling were heard on the streets.
Syrian updateAssad intensifies crackdown
Published 9 May 2011
The Syrian government has intensified its crackdown on anti-government protesters over the last three days: more and more cities have been cut off from power, phone, and Internet connection, and have been surrounded by tanks and troops to prevent people from coming or leaving; a vast, nation-wide campaign of arrests and disappearances, carried out by the secret police, has so far resulted in hundreds being taken from their homes or place of employment to destinations unknown; the army has now began to use live rounds not only against demonstrators, but also against participants in funeral processions for those killed; so far, 580 civilians and about 100 soldiers and police have been killed
Funerals are more and more likely of drawing fire // Source: timesofummah.com
The Syrian government has intensified its crackdown on anti-government protesters over the last three days. The government of Basher al Assad has taken three parallel steps:
•More and more cities have been cut off from power, phone, and Internet connection, and have been surrounded by tanks and troops to prevent people from coming or leaving
•A vast, nation-wide campaign of arrests and disappearances, carried out by the secret police, has so far resulted in hundreds being taken from their homes or place of employment to destinations unknown
•The army has now began to use live rounds not only against demonstrators, but also against participants in funeral processions for those killed
In all, more than 580 civilians have so far been killed — including two children, one 10 that other 12, who were killed by the army over the weekend.
The government says that more than 100 soldiers and police have been killed as well, and Fox News quotes the Syrian official news agency SANA to say that Syrian authorities have seized sophisticated weapons and that the army is still hunting down “armed terrorist groups” across the country, including in the city of Banias.
These assertions by the government offer a window into a little-mentioned aspect of the popular unrest in Syria: Some groups in the anti-government camp are being helped by Saudi Arabia and Jordan, two Sunni Arab nations long at odds with the pro-Iranian tilt of the Alawite regime in Syria.
One of the unstated strategic goals of Saudi Arabia has long been the toppling of the minority Alawite regime so that the majority Sunni population of Syria could come to rule the country. The Saudis have looked askance at Syria’s close relationship with Iran, and the material and military help Syria has provided the Shi’a movement Hezbollah in Lebanon – help which has now made Hezbollah to dominant political and military force in Lebanon.
The latest developments on the ground:
•The weekend saw a major crackdown in the coastal city of Banias. Fox News that water, electricity, and nearly all forms of communication to Banias have been cut since troops in tanks and armored vehicles rolled in and sealed off the city on Saturday. Six people have been reported killed, and more than 200 arrested
•The Banias operation follows a large-scale military operation in the southern city off Daraa. About fifty residents were killed in an 11-day siege there.
•The city if Homs is sealed off by tanks and soldiers, and telephone service has been cut. The BBC reports that heavy machine-gun fire and shelling were heard on the streets.
No comments:
Post a Comment