Thursday 28 June 2012

Syrian Observatory for Human Rights: More than 180 Syrians killed on Thursday 28/6/2012

117 is the final number of civilian martyrs documented by the SOHR in Syria (Thursday 28/6/2012), documentation includes name and reason of death.

-In Homs 25 civilians were killed. 12 civilians were killed in the town of Alhusun, 4 of them are fighters from armed opposition groups who were killed during clashes when regime forces raided the town, one of them is a child who was killed by the bombardment on the town. Ahlam Khalid Imad, a lecturer at the Baath university, was also killed in the town; Ahlam and her father, mother and 3 nephews were shot and killed inside her home in al-Husun. 2 civilians were killed by the bombardment on Talbiseh town, reef Homs. A civilian was killed in the Jouret Alshayah neighbourhood by mortar shells. A civilian died of earlier wounds in al-Qusair. A rebel fighter was killed by the bombardment on Alboueida Alsharqieh, reef Alqusair. A fighter was killed in the Alkhaldieh neighbourhood. 2 rebel fighters were killed by an ambush near al-Houla. A child was killed by the bombardment of the town of Ghento. 4 civilians were killed by gunfire in the Bayyada neighbourhood of Homs, their bodies are lying on the street due to the unceasing gunfire outside.

-In Deir Izzor province 13 civilians were killed. 11 were killed by gun shots, bombardment and clashes that several neighbourhoods in Deir Izzor witnessed, the martyred included a woman and a child. 2 civilians were killed by the gunfire and bombardment in al-Sheheel, Reef Deir Izzor.

-In Dera’a province 12 civilians were killed. 2 were killed, after midnight Wednesday-Thursday, by bombardment on the Al-Hirak town, reef Dera’a. A civilian was shot by sniper fire on the Jasem town. A civilian, from Nawa, was killed under torture after being detained. 2 rebel fighters were killed by clashes in the town of Shajara. A civilian died of wounds he received by sniper fire in Dera’a al-Balad. A civilian was killed by the bombardment of al-Ghara al-Gharbiya. 4 civilians were killed in Da’el, Reef Dera’a, by the regime’s nightly bombardment and gunfire.

-In Reef Dimashq province 42 civilians were killed. A civilian was killed by bombardment on the Hamourieh town. A civilian was killed in the A’rbin town that witnessed clashes and regime forces’ gunshots. 3 civilians were killed in the city of Dareyya, 2 were killed by direct fire from syrian forces, 1 was killed by sniper fire. A civilian’s body was found near the town of Deir al-Asafeer, it had marks inflicted by torture. 36 people have been killed in Douma, and its surrounding area, by the gunfire and bombardment; The martyrs include 4 women and a family of 5, 3 were children; 1 was a rebel fighter.

-In Dimashq province 2 civilians were killed. A woman was shot by sniper fire, and a civilian was killed under torture after being detained in the neighbourhood of Alhajar Alaswad.

-In Idlib province 8 civilians were killed. 3 fighters, including a commander, were shot during clashes in the Khan Shaykhoun town during by regime forces. A civilian was shot by regime forces near the town of Ma’aret Alnu’man. A civilian was killed when regime forces shot at his car in Deir Sanbal. 3 civilians were killed in the towns of Beinin, Tel Kreisan and Ma’ar Beleit, which are witnessing clashes between rebel fighters and Syrian troops.

-In Aleppo province 5 civilians were killed. 1 civilian was killed by wounds he received days earlier when security forces fired at a protest in the Salaheddine neighbourhood of Aleppo. A woman was killed by pro-regime gunfire in the town of Tukkad, Reef Aleppo. 3 civilians were killed in the town of al-Atarib, which is witnessing gunfire and bombardment.

– In Hama province 10 were killed. A sheikh, Mohammed Nour Zanzoul, was killed by security and shabiha fire in the al-Arba’een neighbourhood of Hama. In Reef Hama a woman was killed from wounds she received by a bomb-shell in Qastoun. A teen was killed by excessive torture, he was taken away yesterday by regime forces near al-Hamra village. A family of 6, including 3 children, were killed by the bombardment of the al-Asharna village. A civilian, from al-Latamneh, was killed by security services in the al-Habeet area of Idlib.

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A defected soldier was killed by clashes in the city of Douma, Reef Dimashq. Another soldier was killed by an ambush set up for him, and other rebels, near al-Houla, Reef Homs. the bodies of 3 defected soldiers were found, they appear to have been killed during clashes with regime forces in the town of Kafar Shams, Reef Dera’a.

2 civilians were killed when the car-bomb they were in went off in the Yarmouk camp, Damascus.

At least 58 members of the Syrian armed forces were killed. A lieutenant and 3 soldiers were killed by an ambush set up for them by armed rebel forces in A’rbeen, reef Dimashq. 2 officers and a soldier were killed when their car was attacked on the Homs-Tartous road. A lieutenant colonel and 51 soldiers were killed during clashes in the provinces of Deir Izzor, Dera’a, Homs, Idlib, Aleppo, Hama and Reef Dimashq.

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NOW! Lebanon
[local time]  22:07 Syrian President Bashar al-Assad said in an interview on Iranian state television on Thursday that he believed Western and some regional countries were playing a role in supporting the uprising against his regime.
 21:45 Thursday’s death toll in Syria has increased to 104 people, Al-Jazeera television quoted the Syrian Network for Human Rights as saying.
 21:33 The United States said Thursday that President Bashar al-Assad bore responsibility for the bulk of violence in Syria after bombings by presumed regime opponents in the heart of Damascus.
 21:09 Syrian forces on Thursday shelled the Latakia towns of Doreen and Salma, the General Commission of the Syrian Revolution said.
 20:28 Al-Jazeera television is broadcasting live footage of an anti-regime protest in Kfar Soussa in Damascus.
 20:17 Turkey will take steps “with determination” and “within international law” after Syria downed one of its military jets over the eastern Mediterranean, its top security council said Thursday.
 20:10 UN-Arab League envoy Kofi Annan will demand “irreversible” steps by President Bashar al-Assad and the Syrian opposition to end the country’s conflict, according to a copy of his transition plan obtained by AFP.
 20:09 Syrian forces on Thursday shelled Harasta, Misraba and Douma near Damascus, the General Commission of the Syrian Revolution said.
 19:57 The United Nations doubled its appeal for aid funds on Thursday to help thousands of refugees fleeing the violence in Syria, the majority of whom are women and children.
 19:24 The Free Syrian Army said Thursday that it shot down a Syrian regime helicopter in Saraqeb, Al-Arabiya television reported.
 19:03 Israel began sending reinforcements to its border with Syria over concerns that “terrorist groups are planning a cross-border attack in the Golan Heights,” Israeli daily Jerusalem Post reported on Thursday.
 18:53 The Red Cross said workers were again prevented from reaching the sick and wounded in Homs on Wednesday in breach of an agreement with rival sides to allow access to the needy.
 18:38 US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton arrived in Saint Petersburg on Thursday ahead of talks on the Syrian crisis with her Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov.
 18:27 Violence killed at least 69 people, including 38 civilians, in Syria on Thursday after one of the bloodiest days of the 15-month revolt left nearly 150 dead, a human rights watchdog said.
 18:08 Fifteen members defected from the Civil Defense Forces in Deir az-Zour on Thursday, Al-Jazeera television quoted activists as saying.
 17:55 Senior officials from countries taking part in international talks on Syria will meet on Friday in Geneva, a spokesperson for peace envoy Kofi Annan said.
 17:18  A member of the Syrian Revolutionary Council told Al-Jazeera television that Syrian forces killed nine members of a family—including a 90-year old grandmother and other family members including children—who were seeking shelter in Douma.
 17:00 French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius will meet the head of the opposition Syrian National Council, Abdel Basset Sayda, on Friday before international talks in Geneva on Syria’s conflict, the ministry said.
 16:17 The death toll in Syria reached 60 people on Thursday, Al-Arabiya quoted activists as saying.
 16:15 A top NATO general on Thursday said the alliance would take no military action in either Syria or Iran until all political means to find a solution were exhausted.
 15:35 Violence killed at least 21 people, including 11 civilians, in Syria on Thursday after one of the bloodiest days of the 15-month revolt left nearly 150 dead, a human rights watchdog said.
 13:37 French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius will take part in this weekend’s talks in Geneva on the conflict in Syria, his ministry said on Thursday.
 13:16 Two bombs exploded outside the Palace of Justice in central Damascus on Thursday, state television reported, without giving any immediate word on any casualties.
 13:09 An explosion hit the car park of the Justice Palace in Al-Marja in central Damascus, AFP reported.
 12:40 The opposition Syrian National Council said on Thursday that it will not join any interim government until President Bashar al-Assad quits after diplomats said peace envoy Kofi Annan was pushing the idea.
 12:34 Turkey has sent missile batteries, tanks and troops to the border with Syria as a “security corridor,” almost a week after the Syrian downing of a Turkish military jet, media reports said Thursday.
 12:04 Russia said it was a “mistake” to exclude Iran from the Geneva Syria talks, AFP reported.
 12:01 Russia said Thursday it backed a political transition in Syria but rejected Western pressure to call for the exit of President Bashar al-Assad, ahead of international talks on ending the spiraling conflict.
 11:59 Russia said that President Bashar al-Assad’s fate must be decided by Syrian national dialogue, AFP reported.
 11:57 Syria clearly needs a “transitional period,” AFP quoted Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov as saying.
 11:56 Russia said that there was no final agreement on UN-Arab League envoy Kofi Annan’s transition plan for Syria, AFP reported.
 11:41 Russia said it would support changes in Syria which help national unity and reform, AFP quoted Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov as saying.
 11:02 Syrian security forces killed 19 people on Thursday, Al-Jazeera reported.
 9:20 An explosion was reported on Thursday in the Damascus neighborhood of Rokeneddine, Al-Arabiya quoted activists as saying.
 8:00 MORNING LEADER: Peace envoy Kofi Annan is proposing a transitional government for Syria including members from both sides of the country’s war, diplomats said Wednesday.

…

BBC: Blasts rock main Damascus court

Explosions rock the main court in Syria’s capital, Damascus, in what appears to be a symbolic strike at the heart of the authority of President Assad.

State TV blamed rebel fighters for the attack, which correspondents say was a symbolic strike at the heart of the authority of President Bashar al-Assad.

Violence across the country on Thursday left 21 people dead, activists said.

Meanwhile, Turkey has begun deploying rocket launchers and anti-aircraft guns along its border with Syria after the downing of a Turkish military jet.

‘Devastation’

Witnesses in Damascus reported loud explosions and plumes of black smoke from the car park of the palace of justice – Syria’s highest court complex.

State TV broadcast pictures of burning cars after what it called “terrorist explosions”.

Janine di Giovanni, a Western journalist in Damascus who was at the site immediately, said there was “a devastation of wrecked, charred cars – five or six – and the police were putting out the fires of it and trying to detonate what they said was another bomb”.

The BBC’s Jim Muir, in neighbouring Beirut, says Arabic stations were reporting the use of “sticky bombs” that are attached to the undersides of vehicles.

He says that, although militarily insignificant, this is an attack that clearly has a psychological effect.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights group said at least 21 people were killed elsewhere in Syria on Thursday.

It said seven people were killed as troops tackled rebel fighters in the Damascus suburb of Douma.

The Observatory said other deadly clashes took place in Harak, south of Damascus, in the town of Irbin, and in Deir al-Zour in the east.

It said four rebel fighters were killed in the central province of Homs and another in the north-western province of Idlib.

The scale of casualties cannot be verified independently as Syria severely restricts journalists’ freedom of movement.

The UN says at least 10,000 people have been killed since pro-democracy protests began in March 2011. In June, the Syrian government reported that 6,947 Syrians had died, including at least 3,211 civilians and 2,566 security forces personnel.

Meanwhile, the UN refugee agency (UNHCR) has doubled its forecast for the number of people who will flee the violence in Syria this year to 185,000.

The number of refugees has doubled to 96,000 since March, forcing the UN and its partner organisations to redraw their plans.

They are now appealing for $193m (£124m) to provide support to the refugees in neighbouring states, more than twice the $84m they sought in March.

‘Military element’

Earlier, Turkey began moving columns of military vehicles to the Syrian border, close to where the jet was brought down by the Syrian armed forces. The two pilots are still missing.

Syria said the Turkish F-4 Phantom plane was brought down in Syrian waters by anti-aircraft fire with a maximum range of 2.5km, but Ankara says it was hit in international waters by a heat-seeking or laser-guided missile.

Turkey’s decision to reinforce its border with Syria comes two days after Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan announced a change in terms of its military engagement.

He told parliament that Syria was a “clear and present threat” and any “military element” that approached the Turkish border from Syria would be treated as a threat and a military target.

However, on Thursday, Gen Knud Bartels, chairman of Nato’s military committee, stressed: “No military actions by Nato will be taken, neither in Syria or Iran, until all political means to achieve a political solution are used.”

Diplomatic moves are continuing ahead of a key UN-backed meeting on Syria in Geneva on Saturday.

US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has said there is hope of progress if all the participants fully back UN and Arab League special envoy Kofi Annan’s peace plan and proposals for political transition.

However, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Thursday it had not agreed to Mr Annan’s plan, which would call for President Assad to step down in favour of a national unity government.

“We are not supporting and will not support any external meddling,” Mr Lavrov said. “External players must not dictate… to Syrians.”

He also said leaving Iran out of the Geneva meeting was “a mistake”.

Analysis

Jim Muir BBC News, Beirut

Official television was quickly on the scene in Damascus and broadcast pictures of cars engulfed in flames and smoke.

It quoted Arabic satellite stations as saying the explosions were caused by “sticky” bombs, explosives which are attached with adhesives to the undersides of vehicles and then detonated.

That would be consistent with the state television pictures, which did not seem to show major structural damage to nearby buildings.

An attack like this right in the heart of the capital during working hours, though militarily insignificant, clearly has a psychological effect.

Together with the storming of a pro-government television station in the suburbs just the day before, it reinforces the impression that the conflict is moving ever closer to the centre of state power.

Turkey sends anti-aircraft guns to Syrian border: www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-18622140 – Turkey deploys anti-aircraft guns along its border with Syria; meanwhile, explosions are reported outside court …

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REUTERS:  Syrian city of Homs evacuation fails again: ICRC: GENEVA – Efforts to evacuate civilians and wounded from the battered Syrian city of Homs failed again when a rescue team could not enter affected areas, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) said on Thursday…

Clinton in Russia to face off on Annan Syria plan: SAINT PETERSBURG – U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton sought to raise pressure on Russia on Thursday ahead of a crucial meeting on the Syria crisis, saying all countries involved must back international mediator Kofi Annan’s detailed plan for a political transition.

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Guardian: Russia attacks ‘meddling’ on eve of Syrian crisis talks in Geneva