Strife-hit Syrians flee to Lebanon
Source: Agencies |
June 26, 2011, Sunday
|
Print Edition
Print Edition
HUNDREDS of Syrians, some with gunshot wounds, have crossed into neighboring Lebanon in search of a refuge from the growing violence in their homeland, a Lebanese security official said yesterday.
Most arriving at the border came shortly after Syrian security forces opened fire on anti-government protesters across Syria on Friday. Syrian activists said 20 people were killed, including two children aged 12 and 13.
The Local Coordination Committees, a group tracking the Syria protests, said most of the deaths occurred in the Barzeh neighborhood of the capital, Damascus, and in the suburb of al-Kaswa. Others died when security forces opened fire in the central city of Homs, sending residents fleeing to the Lebanese border 30 kilometers away.
The Syrian opposition says some 1,400 people have been killed as the government has cracked down on a movement demanding an end to four decades of Assad family rule - a popular uprising renewed each Friday after weekly Muslim prayers.
The violence has prompted thousands of Syrians to seek a safe haven in neighboring countries. Up to 1,000 crossed on Friday and overnight into northern Lebanon's Akkar region, near Wadi Khaled, a Lebanese official said.
Border village
Most crossed into the border village of Kneiseh from the Syrian village of al-Quseir, where Syrian activists said security forces fired on protesters on Friday
At least six Syrians with gunshot wounds were among the arrivals, the official said. The wounded were being treated at Akkar hospitals.
The new arrivals join thousands of others who fled to Lebanon in May and early June, most during the Syrian military's crackdown on the border town of Talkalakh, a few minutes' walk from Lebanon's Wadi Khaled.
Unlike the earlier exodus, when the displaced Syrians camped out on the Lebanese side of the border, many new arrivals were staying with relatives or elsewhere in Beirut, the Lebanese official said.
The military's recent sweep through northwestern Syria, where armed resistance flared in early June, also has sent more than 11,700 refugees fleeing across the border to refugee camps in Turkey.
Defying government guns, thousands of Syrian protesters poured down city streets on Friday to press demands for President Bashar al-Assad's ouster. "Our revolution is strong! Assad has lost legitimacy!" a YouTube video showed protesters chanting on Friday in Zabadani, a suburb of Damascus, the capital.
Such reports on the protests and violence are difficult to verify independently, since Syria has barred foreign correspondents from the country and restricted reporting by local journalists.
Most arriving at the border came shortly after Syrian security forces opened fire on anti-government protesters across Syria on Friday. Syrian activists said 20 people were killed, including two children aged 12 and 13.
The Local Coordination Committees, a group tracking the Syria protests, said most of the deaths occurred in the Barzeh neighborhood of the capital, Damascus, and in the suburb of al-Kaswa. Others died when security forces opened fire in the central city of Homs, sending residents fleeing to the Lebanese border 30 kilometers away.
The Syrian opposition says some 1,400 people have been killed as the government has cracked down on a movement demanding an end to four decades of Assad family rule - a popular uprising renewed each Friday after weekly Muslim prayers.
The violence has prompted thousands of Syrians to seek a safe haven in neighboring countries. Up to 1,000 crossed on Friday and overnight into northern Lebanon's Akkar region, near Wadi Khaled, a Lebanese official said.
Border village
Most crossed into the border village of Kneiseh from the Syrian village of al-Quseir, where Syrian activists said security forces fired on protesters on Friday
At least six Syrians with gunshot wounds were among the arrivals, the official said. The wounded were being treated at Akkar hospitals.
The new arrivals join thousands of others who fled to Lebanon in May and early June, most during the Syrian military's crackdown on the border town of Talkalakh, a few minutes' walk from Lebanon's Wadi Khaled.
Unlike the earlier exodus, when the displaced Syrians camped out on the Lebanese side of the border, many new arrivals were staying with relatives or elsewhere in Beirut, the Lebanese official said.
The military's recent sweep through northwestern Syria, where armed resistance flared in early June, also has sent more than 11,700 refugees fleeing across the border to refugee camps in Turkey.
Defying government guns, thousands of Syrian protesters poured down city streets on Friday to press demands for President Bashar al-Assad's ouster. "Our revolution is strong! Assad has lost legitimacy!" a YouTube video showed protesters chanting on Friday in Zabadani, a suburb of Damascus, the capital.
Such reports on the protests and violence are difficult to verify independently, since Syria has barred foreign correspondents from the country and restricted reporting by local journalists.
- About Us
- |
- Terms of Use
- |
-
RSS - |
- Privacy Policy
- |
- Contact Us
- |
- Shanghai Call Center: 962288
- |
- Tip-off hotline: 52920043
- 沪ICP证：沪ICP备05050403号-1
- |
- 互联网新闻信息服务许可证：31120180004
- |
- 网络视听许可证：0909346
- |
- 广播电视节目制作许可证：沪字第354号
- |
- 增值电信业务经营许可证：沪B2-20120012
Copyright © 1999- Shanghai Daily. All rights reserved.Preferably viewed with Internet Explorer 8 or newer browsers.
