Skip to main content

Syria protests continue and crackdown latest news

Anti-government protesters continue to take to the streets across Syria, despite reports of deaths and arrests as the military cracks down on demonstrators.

Rallies were staged in several locations after night prayers on Tuesday, including in Homs, Albu Kamal near the Iraqi border, Binnish in the north and in some Damascus suburbs.

Meanwhile, the Local Co-ordination Committees (LCC), an activist network, reported that at least two people had been killed in the coastal city of Latakia, where the military kept up an assault for the fourth straight day. One of the victims was a 13-year-old boy shot dead by a sniper, they said.


Rights group Avaaz said it had the names of nine people killed in the city, but the death toll was not confirmed by other activists, who said 36 people have been killed there since Saturday.

A resident of the al-Ramel al-Janoubi neighbourhood, who called himself Ismail, told Al Jazeera earlier in the day that gunboats and tanks had used in the assault. He said snipers were stationed around the city, shooting at anyone who ventured into the streets.

"What's happening is really severe ... The moment they see anything moving they will shoot it," he said.

Troops raided and destroyed houses in several neighbourhoods while gunfire could be heard, residents said.

"The heavy machine gun fire and bullets were intense in areas of Latakia, Ramel, Masbah al-Shaab and Ain Tamra for more than three hours," said the UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR).

The group said soldiers raided the Sqanturi area and made dozens of arrests.

'Waking up to gunfire'

"We have become used to sleeping and waking up to the sound of gunfire every day. The shooting usually comes from security forces based on rooftops of the surrounding schools," Yamam Alsham, from Al-Slaibeh suburb, told the AFP news agency.

The UN agency that aids Palestinian refugees in Latakia said that thousands of refugees have fled their camp which reportedly came under fire after President Bashar al-Assad's forces began shelling the city.


Regional powers have turned up the pressure on Assad

"A forgotten population has become a disappeared population because we have no idea of the whereabouts of as many as 10,000 refugees who fled Latakia over the last few days,'' said UNRWA spokesman Chris Gunness.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

ellie goulding singing at the Royal Wedding

In a recent interview to Standard Magazine singer Ellie Goulding talks about her encounter to the royal couple and how they invited her to sing at their wedding. The forces aligned neatly in May for this episode: Osama bin Laden's death had been announced five days earlier; the show started strong with Fred Armisen as bin Laden and later had Jason Sudeikis as Satan, I've had my real rock'n'roll phase and I don't want to go back to it because I wasn't in a good place then.  I didn't realise where I was heading. And I didn't realise I'd end up here.' In 2011 she will take on her first American tour after the American release of Bright Lights and see the release of her collaboration with Tinie Tempah when his single “Wonderman” is released. And that's my dark side, I suppose, and I have to accept it will never fully leave me. The 24-year-old singer was introduced to the couple in May 2010 after her performance at the Radio 1'...

Film Star Rami Reddy passes away

Film actor Rami Reddy, known for playing the role of a villain in Telugu and Hindi films, passed away in Hyderabad on Thursday. Rami Reddy became popular with his role in Ankusam. He acted in as many as 250 films in Telugu, Tamil, Kannada, Hindi, Malayalam and Bhojpuri. The final rites would be carried out at Punjagutta crematorium in Hyderabad Thursday evening. Reddy, who was undergoing treatment for the past couple of weeks, died at a private hospital in Secunderabad at around 11 a.m. on Thursday morning. He is survived by two daughters and a son. The final rites would be conducted at Punjagutta crematorium here this evening. Hailing from Chittoor district of Andhra Pradesh, Reddy started his career as a journalist before entering the film industry. Rami Reddy became popular with his role in Ankusam. He acted in as many as 250 films in Telugu, Tamil, Kannada, Hindi, Malayalam and Bhojpuri. The final rites would be conducted at Punjagutta crematorium here this evening...

kristin cavallari's win

Former reality star ,Kristin Cavallari, who wowed in a glass bikini during Swim Week, is swinging single again. Why? Because Chicago Bears quarterback Jay Cutler, 28, called off their engagement, E! News confirmed. The possible reason: cold feet. Instead of going through his rep, Cutler let his Facebook status do the talking when he changed his relationship from "engaged" to "single" Sunday night. Cutler then took fans to task who tried to console him by bad-mouthing Cavallari and making snide remarks about his performance on the football field.As RadarOnline.com has been reporting, Cavallari and Chicago Bears star Jay Cutler called off their wedding plans late last week. The pair had already selected the date and venue for the big day when Jay pulled the plug.The source goes on to explain: "Cutler watched Cavallari strut down the catwalk in a Mercedes Benz Fashion week event, while he was texting Haley Higgins AT THE SAME TIME. She went through his phone late...