Week (74) From : 19/05 - 25/05        Last Update : 05-19
Wednesday, April 11,2012

Avaaz: No sign of ceasefire as Assad’s forces continue brutal assault on Syrian towns

No sign of ceasefire as Assad’s forces continue brutal assault on Syrian towns
  • Severe shortage of food and medicines in Homs
  • Violence sparks mass internal displacement
  • 342 confirmed dead in Idlib province in the past 10 days

Military operations continued unabated in towns and cities across Syria today – with heavy fighting reported between the regular army and FSA forces, especially in Daraa and Idlib. A range of citizen journalists and activists in various areas of the country told Avaaz they had not seen any attempt by the regime to pull back troops ahead of Kofi Annan’s Thursday deadline.

Avaaz believes the violence has now created hundreds of thousands of internally displaced civilians who are fleeing the worst-hit areas, particularly Homs. One activist in Homs, who asked to remain anonymous, told Avaaz via Skype: “There is a severe shortage of medicine and food, but most importantly Homs is suffering from lack of human beings.”

HOMS
Homs continued today to be heavily bombarded by regime forces, especially in the neighbourhoods of Khaldiya; Jouret Shiyah and Alaqarabees. Homs citizen journalist ‘Yazn’ told Avaaz: “Dozens of rockets rained down on the city of Homs causing severe damage to residential buildings and infrastructure. A number of buildings have been burned down and many others destroyed by shells.”

Snipers shooting at anyone, bodies left in the street
Government snipers are deployed across the city and are shooting at anything that moves. Bodies of slain civilians are left dumped in the street: some have lain there for over 15 days in the centre of the city.

Internal displacement
The majority of residents having fled in some areas of Homs. One activist said: “So many of the residents have fled and the few that remain risk death every day. The effects of the bombing are everywhere. Homs resembles a World War II city.”
Some neighbourhoods like Baba Amro and Karam Zaitoun are almost entirely empty. Only around 5% of their inhabitants remain. Internally displaced refugees are hard to track now. The town of Deir Bealbeh, with a population of 40,000, is described by those who recently visited as a ghost town.
Some people fled to Damascus, others to neighbouring villages (including 50,000 in Deir Atieh) or risked landmines to cross the border into Lebanon, Turkey, Iraq and Jordan. Baby formula is not always available, doctors are scarce, field hospitals (like Khaldieh and Jub Jandali) have been completely destroyed. Many people have no access to bread or basic medicine. In the past 10 days, 279 have been killed in Homs (22 children, 29 women).
Avaaz has confirmed the death of 15 people in Bab al-Hood district. They attempted to flee the neighbourhood two weeks ago during heavy shelling by the army. They were shot dead by snipers as they came out of the neighbourhood and their bodies are still lying where they fell. No one is able to reach them due to the ongoing shelling, according to residents.

A Syrian Red Crescent car arrived to the neighbourhood of Bab al-Hood yesterday and urged residents to flee immediately, promising to help with transportation. Residents said the Red Crescent left without transporting the dead bodies still lying in the streets.

18 bodies discovered
The people of Kasara in Deir Baalba today discovered 18 bodies belonging to young men from the neighbourhood. They had been arrested and taken to a warehouse where they were subjected to severe torture before being executed. Their bodies were then set on fire.

ZABADANI
The army has been bombing the Wadi Barada area today, killing at least three civilians, Avaaz has confirmed. Eyewitnesses said the bombing began suddenly and violently this morning. The army targeted residential houses before raiding the area with armoured vehicles.
Regime tanks are still inside the city and dozens of new checkpoints have been set up, according to Avaaz citizen journalists.

IDLIB
342 civilians have been confirmed as killed in violence in Idlib province in the past 10 days.

Clashes erupted between elements of the regular army and the FSA in the village of Arab Saeed and Kastan. The clashes were sparked when security forces attacked the village, shooting heavily and indiscriminately. The FSA responded, leading to the death of a defected lieutenant. The regular army continued to bomb the town of Alsermanyah and but there are no reported casualties.
A defected soldier was killed today during clashes. He was fleeing towards the refugee camps on the Turkish border, when regime troops caught him and killed him on the spot.  Mount Zawaya and Khan Sheikhoun continue to be subjected to heavy shelling, and the region is experiencing heavy internal displacement.

Civilians fleeing

Activists report a rapidly increasing number of people fleeing from Idlib city to rural villages in the province. They then flee mostly to Turkey and only few go to Aleppo for fear of being targeted by the army and shabeha. If the road to Turkey was more porous many more would flee, residents say. But landmines and army attacks along the way are preventing any larger scale evacuation. 
LATEST VERIFIED FOOTAGE

Armoured vehicles roaming Alqarabees neighbourhood in Homs
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n9cvT0ceStk

Army tank shooting in Alaqrabees
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vcdzIrE39Pc&feature=youtu.be

Shooting in Alaqrabees
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4QI6Mqbnvg4

Homs, Jouret Shiyah, heavy shelling of houses
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yDlq5wv-KRk

Homs, Jouret Shiyah
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_UoVzWZ8caI

Rockets fall on Khalidiya neighbourhood in the city of Homs
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m_oaWQV-Jts

Bombing the eastern mountain in Zabadani
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aoAlUY3VI7w&feature=youtu.be

Concentration of army tanks in the city of Zabadani
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jiVfKi_Xwj8&feature=youtu.be

A child being inspected in the city of Daraa
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q5MLo2LdOC8&feature=youtu.be

A student demonstration in the city of Aleppo
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QQt6t9JvOs4&feature=youtu.be

Videos from Idlib today – including targeting of children:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rIGuzds3f2g&list=UUMu0ZGJXFYkMLb9IYWL8Wug&index=52&feature=plcp

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1APdfEkIeVE&list=UUMu0ZGJXFYkMLb9IYWL8Wug&index=116&feature=plcp

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vmeAYvgJxjM&list=UUMu0ZGJXFYkMLb9IYWL8Wug&index=128&feature=plcp

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=psYBcZGwQEs&list=UUMu0ZGJXFYkMLb9IYWL8Wug&index=138&feature=plcp

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3kHtNgszJBY&context=C4b0563fADvjVQa1PpcFO-S8TaUX9ZKmWF_iU8r10G2OmV9nGht6E=


ENDS

For further information or requests for interviews, please contact Will Davies on+44 7855419901 or will@avaaz.org
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