Syrian forces enter more protest hubs
Syria: Syria’s army sent tanks and troops early Thursday into
another two towns as it pursued its crackdown on protests against the
authoritarian regime of President Bashar al-Assad, rights activists
said.
The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said in a
statement tanks, troop carriers and buses transporting security force
members sped into Saraqeb in northwestern Idlib province around 7.30 am
(0430 GMT).
“Shooting was heard soon afterwards in the town, where protests
demanding the fall of the regime have been staged every day after the
evening (Muslim) prayers,” the statement said.
On Wednesday, an AFP journalist saw dozens of soldiers stream out of
Ariha in the south of Idlib province, which borders Turkey.
A Syrian military source said the troops were pulling out of Ariha
after succeeding in their mission “to hunt down saboteurs and armed
groups at the request of Idlib’s residents.”
Damascus blames “armed terrorist groups” for fomenting a popular
uprising in Syria that has been ruthlessly suppressed by the security
forces. The crackdown has claimed more than 2,000 lives since mid-March
according to rights groups.
Further south, in the central province of Homs, columns of tanks
entered Qusayr early on Thursday, a rights activist in the town said,
reached by telephone.
“Residents fled into the fields and all communications have been cut
with the town,” the activist said.
On Wednesday, UN Assistant Secretary-General Oscar Fernandez-Taranco
briefed the 15-member Security Council behind closed doors about events
in Syria in the week since the council called for an “immediate” halt to
the violence. AFP |