Syria calls killing of 7 at TV station a 'massacre'
Source: Agencies |
June 28, 2012, Thursday
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Gunmen raided the headquarters of a pro-government Syrian TV station early yesterday, killing seven employees, kidnapping others and demolishing buildings, officials said. The government blamed terrorists and described the killings as a "massacre."
An Associated Press photographer who visited the Al-Ikhbariya station's compound said five portable buildings used for offices and studios had collapsed, with blood on the floor and wooden partitions still on fire. Some walls had bullet holes.
Al-Ikhbariya is privately owned but strongly supports President Bashar Assad's goverment. Pro-government journalists have been attacked on several previous occasions during the country's 15-month uprising.
"What happened today is a massacre," Information Minister Omran al-Zoebi told reporters. He blamed terrorists - which is the same word the government uses for rebels. Rebels have denied that they target the media.
Al-Zoebi, the information minister, said gunmen stormed Al-Ikhbariya's compound in the town of Drousha, about 20 kilometers south of the capital Damascus, and detonated explosives.
He said the attackers killed seven people and kidnapped others. In comments broadcast on state-run Syrian TV, he said the killings amounted to "a massacre against the freedom of the press."
Most news organizations in Syria are either state-run or private bodies that carry the government's point of view. Most of the private TV stations and newspapers are owned by politicians or wealthy businessmen who have close links to the regime.
An employee at the station said several other staffers were wounded in the attack, which happened just before 4am local time. He said the gunmen kidnapped him along with several station guards. He was released but the guards were not.
The employee, who did not give his name for fear of repercussions, said the gunmen drove him about 200 meters away, then he heard the explosion from the station being demolished.
"I was terrified when they blindfolded me and took me away," the man said by telephone.
Earlier this month, two Al-Ikhbariya employees were shot and seriously wounded by gunmen in the northwestern town of Haffa while covering clashes between government troops and insurgents.
Activists reported violence throughout Syria yesterday. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, an activist network, reported that rebels on Tuesday were able to shoot down a helicopter gunship in Idlib province. Amateur videos showed a helicopter burning in a field but the group's report could not be independently confirmed.
An Associated Press photographer who visited the Al-Ikhbariya station's compound said five portable buildings used for offices and studios had collapsed, with blood on the floor and wooden partitions still on fire. Some walls had bullet holes.
Al-Ikhbariya is privately owned but strongly supports President Bashar Assad's goverment. Pro-government journalists have been attacked on several previous occasions during the country's 15-month uprising.
"What happened today is a massacre," Information Minister Omran al-Zoebi told reporters. He blamed terrorists - which is the same word the government uses for rebels. Rebels have denied that they target the media.
Al-Zoebi, the information minister, said gunmen stormed Al-Ikhbariya's compound in the town of Drousha, about 20 kilometers south of the capital Damascus, and detonated explosives.
He said the attackers killed seven people and kidnapped others. In comments broadcast on state-run Syrian TV, he said the killings amounted to "a massacre against the freedom of the press."
Most news organizations in Syria are either state-run or private bodies that carry the government's point of view. Most of the private TV stations and newspapers are owned by politicians or wealthy businessmen who have close links to the regime.
An employee at the station said several other staffers were wounded in the attack, which happened just before 4am local time. He said the gunmen kidnapped him along with several station guards. He was released but the guards were not.
The employee, who did not give his name for fear of repercussions, said the gunmen drove him about 200 meters away, then he heard the explosion from the station being demolished.
"I was terrified when they blindfolded me and took me away," the man said by telephone.
Earlier this month, two Al-Ikhbariya employees were shot and seriously wounded by gunmen in the northwestern town of Haffa while covering clashes between government troops and insurgents.
Activists reported violence throughout Syria yesterday. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, an activist network, reported that rebels on Tuesday were able to shoot down a helicopter gunship in Idlib province. Amateur videos showed a helicopter burning in a field but the group's report could not be independently confirmed.
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