Syrian forces hunted for insurgents in the central region of Homs on Monday to crush armed resistance that is emerging after six months of protests against Pressident Bashar al-Assad's rule The crackdown came a day after Syrian opposition groups meeting in Istanbul urged international action to stop what they called indiscriminate killings of civilians by the authorities.
Local activists said a military operation was now focused on Talbiseh near Homs, 150 km (94 miles) north of Damascus, after security forces entered the nearby town of Rastan, which lies on the highway between the capital and the northern city of Aleppo.
For about a week, tank- and helicopter-backed troops had battled insurgents and army deserters in Rastan, in the most sustained fighting since Syria's uprising began in March. The official Syrian news agency said on Saturday government forces had regained control of the town.
"Tank fire targeted Talbiseh this morning and communications remain cut. The town was key in supplying Rastan and now it is being punished for that," one activist said. "House to house arrests are continuing in the area for the second day." Armed insurgents, mostly in the central Homs region and the north-western province of Idlib, have been so far outgunned. While some Assad opponents have taken up arms, others are still staging demonstrations against his 11-year rule. Night protests erupted on Sunday in several districts of Homs, where a crowd in the Khalidiya district shouted, "Homs is free."
Comments
Comments are closed for this article.