Shelling kills 18 in cradle of Syrian uprising
Source: Agencies |
June 10, 2012, Sunday
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EIGHTEEN people, including 12 women and children, were killed yesterday by shelling in the Syrian town of Daraa, where the uprising against President Bahsar al-Assad erupted 15 months ago, activists said.
Fighting was also reported in Homs and Damascus.
The latest escalations in different parts of Syria are another blow to international envoy Kofi Annan's peace plan, which aims to end the country's bloodletting.
Annan brokered a cease-fire that went into effect on April 12 but has since been violated hundreds of times and never properly took hold.
The UN said several weeks ago that at least 9,000 people have been killed since the crisis began in March last year, while activists say the violence has claimed the lives of more than 13,000 people.
Damascus resident and activist Maath al-Shami said clashes between rebels and troops in the city's neighborhoods of Qaboun and Barzeh lasted until about 1:30 am yesterday.
On Friday, government troops clashed with rebels from the Free Syrian Army in the Kfar Souseh district of Damascus in some of the worst fighting yet in the capital. The clashes were a clear sign that the group has succeeded in taking its fight to the regime's base of power.
Since the start of the uprising, Damascus had been relatively quiet compared with other Syrian cities. The capital and the northern city of Aleppo, the country's largest, are under the firm grip of Assad's security forces.
"Yesterday was a turning point in the conflict," said al-Shami via Skype. "There were clashes in Damascus that lasted hours. The battle is in Damascus now."
Al-Shami added that troops shelled Qaboun and Barzeh with tanks until after midnight Friday, adding that at least four people were killed.
To the south, in Daraa, the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said 18 people were killed in shelling. The observatory and Local Coordination Committees said that dozens of people were also wounded in the shelling early yesterday.
A Daraa-based activist, Adel al-Omari, said the shelling of the city's Mahata area began randomly and lasted until after midnight. "People were taken by surprise while in their homes," said al-Omari, adding that regime targeted the neighborhood with mortars.
Fighting was also reported in Homs and Damascus.
The latest escalations in different parts of Syria are another blow to international envoy Kofi Annan's peace plan, which aims to end the country's bloodletting.
Annan brokered a cease-fire that went into effect on April 12 but has since been violated hundreds of times and never properly took hold.
The UN said several weeks ago that at least 9,000 people have been killed since the crisis began in March last year, while activists say the violence has claimed the lives of more than 13,000 people.
Damascus resident and activist Maath al-Shami said clashes between rebels and troops in the city's neighborhoods of Qaboun and Barzeh lasted until about 1:30 am yesterday.
On Friday, government troops clashed with rebels from the Free Syrian Army in the Kfar Souseh district of Damascus in some of the worst fighting yet in the capital. The clashes were a clear sign that the group has succeeded in taking its fight to the regime's base of power.
Since the start of the uprising, Damascus had been relatively quiet compared with other Syrian cities. The capital and the northern city of Aleppo, the country's largest, are under the firm grip of Assad's security forces.
"Yesterday was a turning point in the conflict," said al-Shami via Skype. "There were clashes in Damascus that lasted hours. The battle is in Damascus now."
Al-Shami added that troops shelled Qaboun and Barzeh with tanks until after midnight Friday, adding that at least four people were killed.
To the south, in Daraa, the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said 18 people were killed in shelling. The observatory and Local Coordination Committees said that dozens of people were also wounded in the shelling early yesterday.
A Daraa-based activist, Adel al-Omari, said the shelling of the city's Mahata area began randomly and lasted until after midnight. "People were taken by surprise while in their homes," said al-Omari, adding that regime targeted the neighborhood with mortars.
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