Syrian army rebels ambush troops in Hama

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Thirteen people were killed in Syria’s Hama province on Wednesday when troops fired on a car and provoked a reprisal ambush, activists said, the latest bloodshed in a nine-month-old uprising against President Bashar al-Assad.

The British-based Syrian Organisation for Human Rights said army deserters ambushed a convoy of four military jeeps, killing eight soldiers, in response to the army attack on a car which killed five people.

The United Nations says more than 5,000 people have died in Assad’s crackdown on protests that erupted in the southern city of Deraa in March, inspired by Arab uprisings elsewhere.

Assad, 46, whose minority Alawite family has held power in majority Sunni Muslim Syria for four decades, faces the most serious challenge to his rule from the turmoil.

The demonstrations started with peaceful calls for reform but burgeoned into demands for Assad’s overthrow. A growing armed insurgency has since fuelled fears of civil war.

The Syrian government says more than 1,100 members of the army, police and security services have been killed. State media give daily reports of military funerals as well as frequent clashes with armed groups and discoveries of explosives.

The United States and France, which blame Assad’s forces for the violence, have urged the United Nations Security Council to respond to the mounting death toll.

But Syria still has international allies. Russia and China have blocked Western efforts to secure Security Council condemnation of Damascus and on Wednesday its closest regional ally Iran sent signals of support this week.

State news agency SANA reported the visiting Iranian minister for urban development and roads, Ali Nikzad, as saying his country would stand by Syria “and support its economy and its stances facing the great conspiracy targeting it.”

SANA said Nikzad’s visit to Damascus followed the endorsement by Iran’s parliament on Tuesday of a free trade agreement between the two countries.

IRAN SUPPORT CRUCIAL

Iranian economic support could be crucial for Syria, facing sanctions from the United States, European Union, neighboring Turkey and the Arab League. Syria’s economy has already been hit by a collapse in tourism and oil revenues, falling trade, a weakening currency and a halt in foreign investments.

Despite the worsening economic crisis and a growing number of army defections, mainly among Sunni conscripts, Assad still has the loyalty of most of the army. Unlike in Libya, the rebels have secured neither high-level defections from the military or government, nor do they fully control any territory.

The city of Homs, about 150 km (95 miles) north of Damascus, is the main centre of opposition to Assad. United Nations human rights chief Navi Pillay said on Monday there were “extremely alarming” reports of a troop buildup around Homs which might signal an imminent assault on the city.

Briefing the U.N. Security Council, she said the 5,000 people killed in Syria include civilians, army defectors and those executed for refusing to shoot civilians, but not soldiers or security personnel killed by opposition forces.

In Washington, State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland said on Tuesday: “We think it’s high time for the U.N. to act. We thought it was when (Russia) vetoed, and we think it is all the more necessary now.”

The violence spilled over into Lebanon on Wednesday when residents said Syrian soldiers crossed the frontier into the Bekaa Valley and fired at local shepherds, wounding two of them.

A media rights group said on Tuesday Syrian authorities had charged U.S.-born Syrian blogger Razan Ghazzawi, who was arrested as she tried to leave for Jordan last week, with seeking to incite sectarian strife.

Reuters

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44 responses to “Syrian army rebels ambush troops in Hama”

  1. josephphdman Avatar
    josephphdman

    those iranian liers keep saying its conspiracy against syria , which is true there is a conspiracy but against the syrian people by iran and there partners the alawite minorities , they have ruled and opressed and killed and murdered 100,s of thousands of syrian sunniss over the past 50 years , this regeme family had robbed the country oil and gas money in the billions  while most syrian people live on 200 dollars per month , this is the conspiracy it is an iranian conspiracy agaisnt the syrian people by using the alawite in syria as atool . it is a conspiracy by iran when they send thosand of mullah to kill syrian protesters demonstrating peacefully and unarmed in the streets of syria . it is obvious that iran goal is to dominate the entire middleeast and make it a shia,s empire , they started with syria ,hezbollah,and hamas ,now they have iraq , and if the us leave the region the shia,s groups will invade saudi arabia, kwait jordan and egypt , which consist of mostly sunni,s , they will rule them against there will by shia,s empire iran .that is iran,s conspiracy against the arab countries. they have killed 2 millions arab iraquis , why woul,dnt they do the same in syria or egypt or elsewhere !!!

  2.  Avatar

    those iranian liers keep saying its conspiracy against syria , which is true there is a conspiracy but against the syrian people by iran and minorities alawite , they have ruled and opressed and killed and murdered t100,s of thousands of syrian sunniss over the past 50 years , the rgeme family had robbed the country oil and gas money in the billions  while most syrian people live on 200 dollars per month , this is the conspiracy it is an iranian conspiracy agaisnt the syrian people by using the alawite in syria as atool .

  3. Obama and Arab Allies eye no fly zone that could paralyze Syrian Military:

    Under the plan, the United States would supply fuel, weapons and intelligence to maintain the no-fly zone. The sources said Turkish and Arab fighter-jets would challenge the Syrian Air Force as well as monitor Assad’s ground forces. Assad was believed to have control of no more than 40,000 soldiers, who comprised the army’s 4th Armored Division and the Republican Guards. “The Syrian military can be paralyzed in less than 24 hours,” a European source told the Kuwaiti daily Al Rai Al Aam. World News Tribune

    1. josephphdman Avatar
      josephphdman

      they need a no fly zone there is no other way to save the syrian people from beiing slaughtered by this regeme
      a no flyzone should have been imposed like yesterday  , the clock is ticking time is running out , do it now why wait save the 1000,s of innocent syrians people who are been slained every day. 

  4. Obama and Arab Allies eye no fly zone that could paralyze Syrian Military:

    Under the plan, the United States would supply fuel, weapons and intelligence to maintain the no-fly zone. The sources said Turkish and Arab fighter-jets would challenge the Syrian Air Force as well as monitor Assad’s ground forces. Assad was believed to have control of no more than 40,000 soldiers, who comprised the army’s 4th Armored Division and the Republican Guards. “The Syrian military can be paralyzed in less than 24 hours,” a European source told the Kuwaiti daily Al Rai Al Aam. World News Tribune

    1.  Avatar

      they need a no fly zone there is no other way to save the syrian people from beiing slaughtered by this regeme
      a no flyzone should have been imposed like yesterday  , the clock is ticking time is running out , do it now why wait save the 1000,s of innocent syrians people who are been slained every day. 

  5. A FORMER senior diplomat yesterday became one of the most senior Syrian regime insiders to openly denounce the government of President Bashar al-Assad, calling on the international community to protect civilians.
    Mohammad Bassam Imadi, previously Syria’s ambassador to Sweden, fled to Turkey with his family 10 days ago. He told The Times that many inside the Syrian government secretly wanted Mr Assad to fall.
    “People even high up aren’t loyal to the government, but they can’t do anything,” he said. “They are scared for their lives and families. I have so many friends who have said this to me.”
    The Times UK; Australian Newspaper websites, etc….

  6. A FORMER senior diplomat yesterday became one of the most senior Syrian regime insiders to openly denounce the government of President Bashar al-Assad, calling on the international community to protect civilians.
    Mohammad Bassam Imadi, previously Syria’s ambassador to Sweden, fled to Turkey with his family 10 days ago. He told The Times that many inside the Syrian government secretly wanted Mr Assad to fall.
    “People even high up aren’t loyal to the government, but they can’t do anything,” he said. “They are scared for their lives and families. I have so many friends who have said this to me.”
    The Times UK; Australian Newspaper websites, etc….

  7. A FORMER senior diplomat yesterday became one of the most senior Syrian regime insiders to openly denounce the government of President Bashar al-Assad, calling on the international community to protect civilians.
    Mohammad Bassam Imadi, previously Syria’s ambassador to Sweden, fled to Turkey with his family 10 days ago. He told The Times that many inside the Syrian government secretly wanted Mr Assad to fall.
    “People even high up aren’t loyal to the government, but they can’t do anything,” he said. “They are scared for their lives and families. I have so many friends who have said this to me.”
    The Times UK; Australian Newspaper websites, etc….

  8. Alawite political figure speaks out against sectarian violenceGulf News

  9. Alawite political figure speaks out against sectarian violenceGulf News

  10. In unsettling times, Syria’s Christians walk a tightrope
    france24.com

  11. In unsettling times, Syria’s Christians walk a tightrope
    france24 website

  12. In unsettling times, Syria’s Christians walk a tightrope
    france24 website

  13. Israeli officials say Assad is doomed

    Washington Post

  14. Israeli officials say Assad is doomed

    Washington Post

  15. Syrian government like ‘dead men walking’: U.S. State Department
    Canadian Newspaper “National Post”

  16. Syrian government like ‘dead men walking’: U.S. State Department
    Canadian Newspaper “National Post”

  17. Syrian government like ‘dead men walking’: U.S. State Department
    Canadian Newspaper “National Post”

  18. Should the world intervene in Syria?(CNN) — Pressure is growing for world leaders to respond to Syria’s brutal crackdown on anti-regime protests. 

  19. Should the world intervene in Syria?(CNN) — Pressure is growing for world leaders to respond to Syria’s brutal crackdown on anti-regime protests. 

    1.  Avatar

      Well, you sure filled that page CS … 

      1. Hey, you want to bring the motherfxxker down or what? The more we get the word out, about the truth, versus what SANA is feeding those poor Syrian people, the faster the Syrian Slaughter will stop, the quicker Bashar the Butcher, will be gone…..

      2. Hey, you want to bring the motherfxxker down or what? The more we get the word out, about the truth, versus what SANA is feeding those poor Syrian people, the faster the Syrian Slaughter will stop, the quicker Bashar the Butcher, will be gone…..

        1.  Avatar

          Sorry CS. 😉 Was just thinking you could have put all those ‘western thinking’ headlines in one article … hehe.
          And we know SANA is a government rag … but do Syrians see the others? And would they believe them anyway? After all, everything is a ‘western imperialist plot’, isnt it?  😉

      3. I could not reply to your “reply” below…so here you go…you’re right, I could have put them all in one posting, but what happened, my friend, was that everytime I posted something, I kept on finding more, and it just went on and on, but next time, I will search, read, and post them all, in one posting…:) He’s on his way out…..there are things going on here in America, that are finally getting the ball rolling to arm the “defector’s”, and even the “playing” field…(hate the word, “playing”, as it’s used in this context, because this is not a game, of course, but am sure you know what I mean….:)

        1.  Avatar

          Yah … I know what you mean. A poor game all around, for sure, and all are losers in a large sense when drilling the quarterback seems the main object. But then, it’s his game isn’t it?

        2.  Avatar

          Yah … I know what you mean. A poor game all around, for sure, and all are losers in a large sense when drilling the quarterback seems the main object. But then, it’s his game isn’t it?

  20. Leborigine Avatar

    Karma – Thats all I can say!

  21.  Avatar

    Karma – Thats all I can say!

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