Dissident Groups Clash with Syrian Army
إقرأ هذا الخبر بالعربية
Syrian troops and armed dissidents clashed in two towns on Thursday, with at least 14 people killed, as the EU announced sanctions on a key Syrian bank in protest at its deadly crackdown on dissent.
In the first clash reported by the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights five people were killed in Banash town in Idlib province in the northwest.
"The Syrian army backed by tanks and armored troop carriers launched an assault this morning on the town of Banash and clashes took place with armed men who were apparently dissidents," the rights group said.
Five people, including three armed men, were killed during the military operations, it said, adding that the army also launched an attack on Taum village, to the east.
"Several houses were partly destroyed and people were wounded... while the noise of heavy machineguns and explosions could be heard in several parts of the town and ambulances seen racing through the streets," it said.
In the southern province of Daraa, armed men -- also apparent defectors -- killed nine soldiers, one of them an officer, the Observatory said.
It said 25 civilians were arrested, including 12 members of one family.
In Brussels, the European Union decided to freeze the assets of the Commercial Bank of Syria, in a new set of sanctions over the regime's brutal crackdown on protesters, diplomats said.
"Today's decision is a direct consequence of the appalling and brutal campaign the Syrian regime is waging against its own people," said EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton.
In London, the Foreign Office summoned the Syrian ambassador to London over alleged intimidation of exiled activists, Foreign Secretary William Hague said.
"The Syrian ambassador was summoned to the Foreign Office this morning and told that any harassment or intimidation of Syrians in our country is unacceptable and will not be tolerated," Hague told parliament.
Rights groups meanwhile reported further raids on Thursday against anti-Assad protestors.
The Local Coordination Committees, which act as umbrella groups for protesters seeking to bring down the president, said soldiers and security forces also carried out a raid on Homs in central Syria.
Heavy gunfire could be heard.
Security forces have set up checkpoints and made more than 50 arrests during raids in Qusair, near the city of Homs, the Observatory said.
On Wednesday, thousands of Syrians who back the president rallied in the center of Damascus to show support for the regime which has faced seven months of anti-Assad protests.
In apparent response to the loyalist rally, anti-regime protests erupted in Idlib, in the port of Latakia, Homs, Deir al-Zour in the east, Daraa and near Damascus, the Observatory said.
On Wednesday, a court in the capital freed on bail prominent dissident Walid al-Bunni, who was arrested in August, his lawyer Michel Shammas said.
"The Damascus court of appeals on Wednesday freed opposition figure Walid al-Bunni in exchange for a bail of 1,150 Syrian pounds ($23). He will be tried later for inciting (anti-regime) demonstrations and sectarianism," he said.
Bunni was detained on August 6 along with his two sons, who were released shortly afterwards.
According to the United Nations, the regime's crackdown on protests that began in mid-March has resulted in the deaths of more than 2,900 people.
Syrian authorities blame gangs of armed terrorists for the bloodshed.
13 October 2011, 17:52
05
There were no armed gangs in the beginning. Now parts of the army is breaking away for not wanting to murder innocent protesters. It is time to give them anti-tank weapons, and shoulder fired anti-aircraft weapons. This will allow them to defend an area and quicken the fall of ASSad.
13 October 2011, 19:32
02
monopoly of arms is finished?
sodeko= daraa
shiah/ainremmaneh= homs
tehwitah= deir el zour.....so sad
13 October 2011, 20:24
60
Those dissident Sunni Salafis will face the same fate as the Christian Zionists in Lebanon who dared to stand up to the brave Syrian Army .
14 October 2011, 00:24
02
The free Syrians should march even untensifying their protests and frquencies, total Civil disobedience will see the regime falling aprt even faster, the free Syrians should never lose faith, there is no turning back the Criminal will be dethroned and he along with his criminal regime members will face the Syrian people's justice for all their forty year of Genocidal rule in Syria, Lebanon, and the Middle East, the end is very near indeed... The free world stands firmly with the free Syrians and they will get what they need to clean up their country from the Filth of Assad and Hezbollah...
14 October 2011, 03:26
02
WE must support our brothers and sisters in bilad al sham since we are one people in two lands, We must send our brave citizen brothers that are heroes of freedom any and every ammunition we can afford to support them the same way as the afghan people stood up against the Russian Army. The Iranian and Syrian regimes are the true Zionist terrorist regimes that try to assassinate Saudis in the US same fashion they did in Lebanon and same fashion the Mossad assassinated the Palestinian figures in Dubai and Europe.
14 October 2011, 11:24
40
le phenicien....please register your nickname so that we know when you write and when not
and as for the zionist information war department claiming there are no gangs, those trucks full of your uzi are for kindergarden?
14 October 2011, 13:11
03
nice mowaten... you gob the syrian propaganda pretty well. tell us, why does your camp support the bahrein uprisal, the egyptian uprisal and so on but you deny syrian people to do the same?
what do you gain from having the assad system in place? are you paid by them?....
for your knowledge maher el assad you beloved brother has smuggled 10000 rifles in syria , he bought them from god knows who in lebanon to arm his disgusied shabbiha... and i wouldn t be surprised if the regime would do a terroritst bombing in damascus to throw the blame on the opposition...
you pity those policemen but you don t pity women who were tortured you don t pity the children killed(probably from armed gangs!), you don t pity the people tortured or killed in the hospitals!
you are a shame, no wonder you belong to M8, you praise death more than life...
14 October 2011, 14:55
01
"a salafi sponsored rebellion"?
funny!!!!
when have you seen on syrian tv salafis demonstrating in the streets? the majority are just citizens... this arguments is fabricated by the regime of damascus to brainwash people... just like hitler who said all the miseries in europe were due to jews... the regime is desperate and they are doing all they can to discredit the revolution!
are salafis leading the opposition that held a conference in turkey?
you should stop your propaganda and be more intelligent than that, i know you can! except if you gain from the syrian regime
oh! by the way you didn t answer : what will you gain from the assad regime? you forgot all the massacres they did in lebanon and just for that reason if you were a true patriot you should rejoice yourself of justice being done! of all the lebanese martyrs killed by the syrian who are getting revenged now!
open your eyes mowaten and inform yourself better
14 October 2011, 14:59
01
and when you say egypt and bahrein revolts are not the same: typical double standards of M8 !!
i see in all these revolts a minority which is fed up with living under the dictatorship of a happy few leading the countries...
the SAME applies to syria, like it or not...
it clearly shows that you are biased and only support the people s right when it goes with the propaganda of iran or syria...
if you were a true supporters of justice you d stand up with all the peoples revolting against dictature!
i support all these revolutions be it in bahrein or in syria because they are the expression of oppressed people!! but you????
no , it depends on the point of view of teheran or damascus....
14 October 2011, 15:19
02
just ask yourself why people did that....
then salafis are maybe trying to gain profits in this revolt just like they try to do in tunisia or egypt!!
the people started that revolt not the salafis... stop that propaganda of yours;
so you think the regime of assad is a good democratic regime? you don t understand why people are rebelling against their beloved dictator?
for your knowledge what was the arguments of the americans to justify the dictatorships in arab countries? the same you are using!!! they waved the threat of the muslim extremists!!
it seems that you forget that the youth of today aspires to somethg else than religious extremism which is out of date at the time of internet and facebook!
the salafis are just trying to catch the train and lead it but they will fail because the people rejects islamic extremism in their vast majority..
only you still uses the US argument of "leave the dictator in place or muslim radicals will take its place!!!!"
14 October 2011, 15:20
01
concerning aoun you forgot that he used to shout everywhere that lebanon will never be able to have good relations with damascus till the assad regime is in place!!!!
he also said that the drama in lebanon was that even the most honest lebanese politician had to comply with the demands of the syrians otherwise they got assassinated, you d have done better i m sure...
short memory syndrom huh????
14 October 2011, 15:40
01
oh yes the audit!!!
remember your aoun also said that the syrians were responsible for the thefts in lebanon and that they brought the system of corruption to lebanon to better lead it!! he accused the syrian of millions of dollars going to damascus...
now he is licking the boots of a regime he yesterday called terrorist and accusing the only M14 for all that to better serve the hezb he also called a group of terrorits yesterday...
short memory syndrom yes indeed you have...
wait and see the chaos syria and hezb is about to bring to lebanon to divert the attention from syria and the STL, your beloved master champs of freedom and stability!
14 October 2011, 17:44
00
the problem with you M8 is that you throw the blame only on one man whereas you forget that M8 leaders or politicians also stole money...
you want us to believe that only M14 are corrupted and thefts without looking in your own camp... don t forget that M8 members were also part of the gvts! you should also ask yourself how can some M8 politicians had nothing and now a fortune...by a miracle of the Holy Spirit?
so if you seek justice i hope you d ask for ALL politicians who stole from the gvt to go to jail not only M14 members....plenty of M8 will join them in jail!
that is what annoys me with M8 , their double standards... do as we say but don t do as we do!!!
