Posts Tagged ‘ Syria ’

"At least two rocket-propelled grenades hit a building belonging to the ruling Baath party in Damascus on Sunday, residents said, in the first insurgent attack reported inside the Syrian capital since an eight-month uprising began against President Bashar Assad. 'Security police blocked off the square where the Baath's Damascus branch is located. But I saw smoke rising from the building and fire trucks around it,' one witness, who declined to be named, told Reuters." (11/20/11)

"Army defectors ambushed dozens of Syrian troops and regime forces gunned down civilians during one of the bloodiest days of the 8-month-old uprising, which appeared Tuesday to be spiraling out of President Bashar Assad’s control. Up to 90 people were killed in a gruesome wave of violence Monday, activists said." (11/15/11)

"Syrian activists say an eight-year-old girl is among the latest 21 casualties of President Bashar al-Assad's campaign to crush anti-government protests. ... Syrian authorities, who blame armed gangs and Islamist militants for the bloodshed, agreed to an Arab League plan on 2 November to withdraw from restive cities, set political prisoners free and start talks with the opposition. But, since then, the UN says that at least 60 people have been reported killed -- many in Homs." (11/10/11)

"Troops and militiamen loyal to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad moved into a residential district of Homs after six days of tank bombardment that killed scores of people and wounded hundreds in the hotbed of unrest, residents and activists said on Monday. Since a military crackdown on Homs to suppress protests and an emerging insurgency against President Bashar al-Assad intensified last week, least 100 civilians have been killed, mostly from tank fire into the Bab Amro district, they said, amid a growing Arab and Western outcry over rising casualties."

"Under intense pressure from Arab states, Syria has signed a pact to pull its armed forces from the streets, release political prisoners and engage with opposition groups after seven months of unrest that has ravaged the strategically situated nation and unsettled the entire region. On the surface, the move appears to be a major concession from an increasingly isolated President Bashar Assad, who has been the target of international condemnation and sanctions." (11/02/11)

"Syrians aiming to write a new constitution for the strife-torn country will meet for the first time on Monday, the state news agency reported Sunday after a weekend of intense violence. President Bashar al-Assad earlier this month announced the formation of a committee to draft a new constitution within four months, the Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA) reported at the time." (10/30/11)

"According to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, 31 people were killed around the country in clashes between government and opposition forces on Sunday. While not yet formally recognized as a new regime, the opposition Syrian National Council is sending representatives to Turkey and basking in the applause of EU member states." (10/10/11)

"Syria's foreign minister warned the international community Sunday not to recognize a new umbrella council formed by the opposition, threatening 'tough measures' against any country that does so. Foreign Minister Walid al-Moallem did not specify what measures Damascus might take. But he went on to say that countries that do not protect Syrian missions could find their own embassies treated in the same way." (10/09/11)

"Syrian dissidents on Sunday formally established a broad-based national council designed to overthrow President Bashar Assad's regime, which they accused of pushing the country to the brink of civil war. Syrians took to the streets in celebration, singing and dancing." (10/02/11)

"Syrian forces shot dead at least six villagers and two rebel soldiers on Monday, in a sweep of countryside north of the city of Homs, one of the most defiant regions in pro-democracy protests, activists and residents said. Syria's ruling elite, from the country's Alawite minority sect, have intensified military assaults in the last few weeks to stop a six-month uprising that has triggered increasing defections among the mostly Sunni rank and file military." (09/20/11)

"Syrian authorities pursuing a crackdown against President Bashar Assad's critics banned three prominent opposition figures from leaving the country Sunday, and security forces killed two people and arrested several others in northern Syria, activists said. Michel Kilo, Loay Hussein and Fayez Sara were on their way to neighboring Lebanon to take part in a televised panel discussion when they were told by Syrian immigration authorities at the border that they were prohibited from leaving out of concern for their safety in Lebanon." (08/29/11)

"Syrian troops detained scores of people in Damascus and the coastal city of Latakia in overnight raids as President Bashar Assad’s regime tried to forcefully end a five-month uprising, activists said Wednesday. Assad dramatically escalated his crackdown on the five-month-old uprising since the start of the holy month of Ramadan in August, killing hundreds and detaining thousands." (08/17/11)

"More than 5,000 Palestinian refugees have fled a camp in the besieged Syrian city of Latakia after President Bashar Assad's forces shelled the city during a broad military assault to root out dissent, the U.N. said Monday. UNRWA, the U.N. agency that aids Palestinian refugees, said the Palestinians fled after Latakia came under fire from gunboats cruising off the coast and ground troops attacking the city over the weekend." (08/15/11)

"Tens of thousands of Syrian protesters shouted for President Bashar Assad's death Friday in a dramatic escalation of their rage and frustration, defying bullets and rooftop snipers after more than a week of intensified military assaults on rebellious cities, activists and witnesses said. Security forces killed at least 14 protesters, according to human rights groups." (08/13/11)

"Syria's tanks withdrew Wednesday from the center of the western city of Hama and were positioned on the city's periphery, more than a week after security forces besieged the center of anti-government sentiment, an activist said. Syrian army units left central Hama 'after restoring the security and stability to the city that have been through tough times due to the acts of killings, terrorizing and sabotage that were done by the armed terrorists groups,' the state-run Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA) said Wednesday." (08/10/11)