Middle East
'House-to-house raids' in Syrian cities
Protest organisers and participants targeted in overnight raids, activists say,
as gunfire reported near Damascus.
Last Modified: 09 May 2011 14:07
Syria's army has vowed to hunt down and arrest opponents of the country's
president, Bashar al-Assad [Al Jazeera]
The Syrian government is continuing its weeks-long crackdown on anti-government
demonstrations, arresting opponents and deploying troops in protest hubs.
Rami Abdul-Rahman, director of the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, said
security forces were carrying out house-to-house raids targeting demonstration
organisers and participants.
He said Monday's raids were focused in the central city of Homs, the coastal
city of Baniyas, some suburbs of the capital, Damascus, and villages around the
southern flashpoint city of Deraa.
Another activist said gunfire was heard in the town of Moadamiya, just west of
the capital, Damascus, as troops carried out arrests.
Live Blog Syria
Al Jazeera is unable to independently verify reports of arrests and gunfire
because of restrictions on reporting in Syria.
In a sign that the government shows no sign of folding, Bashar al-Assad,
Syria's president, was quoted as saying in comments published on Monday that
"the current crisis... will be overcome".
Assad, whose departure from office is one of the protesters' key aims, said a
process of administrative, political and media reforms were continuing.
The report, in the private daily Al-Watan, which is close to the government,
did not elaborate but said Assad made the comments while receiving a local
delegation on Sunday.
Rights campaigners say about 250 people have been arrested in Baniyas since
Saturday, including Anas al-Ayrout, a Muslim cleric considered the head of the
dissent movement in the city.
Firas Khaddam, a nephew of former Vice President Abdul-Halim Khaddam, was also
detained, Abdul-Rahman said. The older Khaddam, living in exile since he left
Syria in 2005, has expressed support for the banned Muslim Brotherhood and
called for the overthrow of the regime.
Sectarian scare
The military said on Sunday that six soldiers, including three officers, were
killed in clashes as the army pursued "armed terrorist groups" in Homs, Baniyas
and near Deraa.
A posting by The Damascus News Network, a pro-government page on Facebook, said
calm had been restored in Baniyas after the army removed the "Takfiri tumour",
referring to what is being described by some commentators as a violent offshoot
of the Salafist movement.
"Al-Ayrout and his collaborators were arrested. The arrested terrorists were
gathered into the Municipal Stadium due to their big number," the posting
continued.
View a larger map of protest flashpoints around Damascus (The location of the
parliament is marked in red as a reference)
Syrian officials and state-run media have tried to portray Baniyas as a hotbed
of Islamic extremists to justify the crackdown there. Al-Watan said "armed
groups" had used heavy weapons and mortar rounds against the army.
Syria is home to many different ethnic and religious groups, and some analysts
say the government is trying to ignite fear among the people that if the
government falls, the country will be thrown into sectarian unrest.
In the eastern city of Deir al-Zour, a witness said Syrian forces killed at
least two unarmed demonstrators on Sunday when they opened fire on a night
rally.
"There are two bodies on the ground and no one can reach them. There is still
gunfire and people are fleeing the scene," the witness told Reuters from the
Old Airport district of the tribal city.
Activists also said about a dozen unarmed protesters, including a 12-year-old
child, had been killed by security forces when troops entered Homs early on
Sunday.
Syria has banned foreign media and restricted access for reporters to many
parts of the country, making it difficult to confirm witness accounts of the
violence.
Meanwhile, concerns remain for the welfare of Dorothy Parvaz, an Al Jazeera
journalist, who has not been heard from since she arrived in the capital,
Damascus, on April 29.
Source:
Al Jazeera and agencies
------------------------------------
Post message: [email protected]
Subscribe : [email protected]
Unsubscribe : [email protected]
List owner : [email protected]
Homepage : http://proletar.8m.com/Yahoo! Groups Links
<*> To visit your group on the web, go to:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/proletar/
<*> Your email settings:
Individual Email | Traditional
<*> To change settings online go to:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/proletar/join
(Yahoo! ID required)
<*> To change settings via email:
[email protected]
[email protected]
<*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to:
[email protected]
<*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to:
http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
