Syrian troops storm Damascus suburb

27 Jan 2012, 5:58 am   -   Source: AAP
Share This

Syrian troops have rounded people up in house-to-house raids in a Damascus suburb, as the 10-month-old uprising inches ever closer to the capital.

Syrian troops have stormed a suburb of Damascus, rounding people up in house-to-house raids and clashing with army defectors, as the 10-month-old uprising inches ever closer to the capital.

Even as the fighting raged in Douma, tens of thousands of backers of President Bashar al-Assad poured into the streets just 16 kilometres away in downtown Damascus in a show of support for his embattled regime.

Similar pro-regime rallies were held in other cities on Thursday, even as the bloodshed continued elsewhere - offering a sign of the deep divisions over the country's deadly revolt.

The offensive against Douma came two days after Syrian Foreign Minister Walid al-Moallem said his government will continue with the "security solution" to end the crisis.

It was the latest evidence that the Assad regime was rejecting pressure to stop the bloody crackdown, and the Arab League was powerless to curb it.

Just days after pulling out of the suburb of Douma following intense clashes with anti-regime fighters, government troops pushed back early on Thursday from all directions, meeting some resistance from army defectors, activists said.

"A fierce battle is taking place, and troops are shelling areas with heavy machine gun fire," said activist Mohammed al-Saeed, a Douma resident. "People are hiding in their homes as special prayers are blaring from mosques loudspeakers."

The British-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said at least 200 people were detained on Thursday in Douma.

"They are entering homes, searching cars and stopping people in the streets to check identity cards," al-Saeed said. "There is very little movement in the streets, and nobody is allowed to leave or enter Douma."

The suburb has become a focus of tension in recent months, with large protests against Assad crushed by security forces.

The Syrian uprising began in March last year with largely peaceful anti-government protests, but it has grown increasingly militarised in recent months as frustrated regime opponents and army defectors arm themselves and fight back against government forces.

The government crackdown has killed more than 5400 people since March, according to estimates from the United Nations.

In Cairo, Arab League chief Nabil Elaraby told reporters he and the prime minister of Qatar would leave for New York on Saturday to brief the UN Security Council on the latest Arab plan to end the crisis in Syria. He said their talks are designed to enlist the support of the council for the Arab peace plan.

The plan is a two-month transition to a unity government and includes Assad handing over his powers. Syria has hotly rejected it as intervention in its internal affairs.

Despite the calls from some Arab states for decisive action from the UN, that prospect appears unlikely because Russia, a strong Syrian ally, has opposed moves like sanctions.

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon condemned the killing of a Red Crescent official in Syria and offered condolences to the family.

Attackers are said to have targeted a vehicle that Abdulrazak Jbero was riding in, which was clearly marked with the Red Crescent emblem.

Ban called on the Syrian government to investigate the crime and bring those responsible to justice.

  • Follow us: 
  • Follow us on Facebook
  • Follow us on Twitter
  • Follow us on Youtube