The troops of General Maher al-Assad, brother of Syrian President Bashar Assad, prepare the impending assault against the besieged town of Jisr Shughur, northwest of the country. His goal, announced this morning by Syrian state television, is to "restore security" in the rebel enclave, surrounded by several days by soldiers of the regime after heavy fighting.
The fear that the military assault is triggered within hours there has suddenly increased flow of people fleeing the fighting toward the border with Turkey. The northwestern city is being besieged by the hour deserted. The government in Ankara announced yesterday that at least 2,400 refugees had been welcomed Syrian camp Crescent.
But many others have been installed in homes of relatives in the Turkish province of Hatay, which until 1938 was under Syrian sovereignty, reports Enric González. There is abundant evidence that some military units have defected to Shughur Jisr to join the opposition and fight against their former comrades in arms.
Following these alleged defections have occurred clashes that have killed at least 120 people died, mostly police and military, the Syrian government announced earlier this week. However, the Asad regime blames the deaths on armed opposition groups. The democratic revolt broke out in Syria in early March and despite the strenuous efforts of the regime to silence, has been gaining popularity and spreading to major cities of Syria.
Since the conflict began, the Syrian regime has banned foreign journalists and has applied strict censorship on local media, making it impossible to verify on the spot the real situation in the country. The pressure on the Syrian dictatorship has increased with the presentation to the Security Council a draft UN resolution condemning sponsored by the Governments of France and the UK.
The diplomatic initiative has little chance to succeed because of opposition from Russia and China, traditional allies of the Syrian regime.
The fear that the military assault is triggered within hours there has suddenly increased flow of people fleeing the fighting toward the border with Turkey. The northwestern city is being besieged by the hour deserted. The government in Ankara announced yesterday that at least 2,400 refugees had been welcomed Syrian camp Crescent.
But many others have been installed in homes of relatives in the Turkish province of Hatay, which until 1938 was under Syrian sovereignty, reports Enric González. There is abundant evidence that some military units have defected to Shughur Jisr to join the opposition and fight against their former comrades in arms.
Following these alleged defections have occurred clashes that have killed at least 120 people died, mostly police and military, the Syrian government announced earlier this week. However, the Asad regime blames the deaths on armed opposition groups. The democratic revolt broke out in Syria in early March and despite the strenuous efforts of the regime to silence, has been gaining popularity and spreading to major cities of Syria.
Since the conflict began, the Syrian regime has banned foreign journalists and has applied strict censorship on local media, making it impossible to verify on the spot the real situation in the country. The pressure on the Syrian dictatorship has increased with the presentation to the Security Council a draft UN resolution condemning sponsored by the Governments of France and the UK.
The diplomatic initiative has little chance to succeed because of opposition from Russia and China, traditional allies of the Syrian regime.
- Syria: secret agents 'led massacre in Jisr al-Shughur' (09/06/2011)
- Has Syria's peaceful uprising turned into an insurrection? (09/06/2011)
- Nearly 2,000 Syrians flee to Turkey (09/06/2011)
- More than 1,000 Syrians cross border into Turkey (09/06/2011)
- Fleeing violence, Syrian refugees warn of potential massacre (09/06/2011)
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