40 Killed Across Syria in Deadliest Friday Demonstrations Since May
By NADA BAKRI
Published: October 28, 2011
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BEIRUT, Lebanon — Syrian security forces killed at least 40 people on Friday during antigovernment demonstrations across the country, according to human rights activists, as the government of President Bashar al-Assad intensified a brutal military crackdown that has failed over eight months to extinguish a popular uprising.
Most of the deaths occurred in central Syria, the most restive region in the country, with 21 people killed in Homs and 14 in Hama. Both cities are at the front line of the uprising against the leadership of Mr. Assad and have witnessed mass destruction, arrests and killings since demonstrations broke out. Over all, the United Nations estimates that 3,000 people have been killed since demonstrations began.
The large number of people killed, the most on any Friday since May 6, when 36 demonstrators were shot dead, demonstrated the government’s rejection of international pressure to end the violence, and a determination to rely exclusively on force to silence the sustained challenge to four decades of Assad family rule. Friday — the day of prayer and rest for Muslims — has become the day of protest across Syria, and the Arab world, since the outbreak of popular calls for change.
“They are killing intentionally; they are killing to send a message that they are still in control,” said Omar Idlibi, an activist with the Local Coordination Committees, who lives in Lebanon. “They are committing political suicide. The killings won’t solve the crisis but could lead to international intervention.”
Protesters who took to the streets after noon prayers repeated an earlier demand for protection from the international community in demonstrations labeled “Friday of no-fly zone.”
A United Nations-mandated no-fly zone over Libya — and a sustained bombing campaign by NATO — helped bring down the government of Col. Muammar el-Qaddafi. Although many Syrian opposition leaders refuse any military intervention, protesters have been pleading for several weeks during their demonstrations for the international community to intervene.
The Syrian National Council, the most prominent opposition gathering, has also called for international protection, though it did not explicitly call for a military intervention.
Along with the street protests, a group of military defectors calling itself the Free Syrian Army has been trying to organize an armed insurgency against the government. With its leaders in camps in Turkey, the group has taken responsibility for several attacks against Syrian security forces. “We call on the international community to impose a no-fly zone so that the Free Syrian Army can function with greater freedom,” a post read on a Facebook page that says it is the official page of the “Syrian revolution.”
In Homs, activists said that security forces loyal to the government attacked the city and villages surrounding it, shooting randomly at people. Mohammad, an activist reached by phone, said that armed troops turned a train station into a military base, shooting at anyone who approached it. A resident who asked to remain anonymous for fear of reprisal said armed men also roamed some streets in the city on motorbikes, firing at people.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a watchdog group operating in exile, said that around 20,000 people marched in the neighborhood of Balaa in Homs, calling for the ouster of Mr. Assad.
Activists with the Local Coordination Committees also said that three people were killed in the southern town of Dara’a and two in the town of Saraqeb in the northwestern province of Idlib, near Turkey.
Security forces also arrested 40 people who were demonstrating in the neighborhood of Barzeh in Damascus, which has remained largely quiet since the uprising started.
Activists also reported clashes between army troops and defectors in Hama.
In Qusayr, a village on the Lebanese-Syrian border, activists reported hearing heavy gunfire and at least five loud explosions when security forces tried to break up crowds of demonstrators coming out of mosques.
Troops also raided a town in the northwest called Kafruma, arresting 13 people, including a woman and her 12-year-old son.
Hwaida Saad contributed reporting.
By NADA BAKRI
Published: October 28, 2011
=================================================
BEIRUT, Lebanon — Syrian security forces killed at least 40 people on Friday during antigovernment demonstrations across the country, according to human rights activists, as the government of President Bashar al-Assad intensified a brutal military crackdown that has failed over eight months to extinguish a popular uprising.
Most of the deaths occurred in central Syria, the most restive region in the country, with 21 people killed in Homs and 14 in Hama. Both cities are at the front line of the uprising against the leadership of Mr. Assad and have witnessed mass destruction, arrests and killings since demonstrations broke out. Over all, the United Nations estimates that 3,000 people have been killed since demonstrations began.
The large number of people killed, the most on any Friday since May 6, when 36 demonstrators were shot dead, demonstrated the government’s rejection of international pressure to end the violence, and a determination to rely exclusively on force to silence the sustained challenge to four decades of Assad family rule. Friday — the day of prayer and rest for Muslims — has become the day of protest across Syria, and the Arab world, since the outbreak of popular calls for change.
“They are killing intentionally; they are killing to send a message that they are still in control,” said Omar Idlibi, an activist with the Local Coordination Committees, who lives in Lebanon. “They are committing political suicide. The killings won’t solve the crisis but could lead to international intervention.”
Protesters who took to the streets after noon prayers repeated an earlier demand for protection from the international community in demonstrations labeled “Friday of no-fly zone.”
A United Nations-mandated no-fly zone over Libya — and a sustained bombing campaign by NATO — helped bring down the government of Col. Muammar el-Qaddafi. Although many Syrian opposition leaders refuse any military intervention, protesters have been pleading for several weeks during their demonstrations for the international community to intervene.
The Syrian National Council, the most prominent opposition gathering, has also called for international protection, though it did not explicitly call for a military intervention.
Along with the street protests, a group of military defectors calling itself the Free Syrian Army has been trying to organize an armed insurgency against the government. With its leaders in camps in Turkey, the group has taken responsibility for several attacks against Syrian security forces. “We call on the international community to impose a no-fly zone so that the Free Syrian Army can function with greater freedom,” a post read on a Facebook page that says it is the official page of the “Syrian revolution.”
In Homs, activists said that security forces loyal to the government attacked the city and villages surrounding it, shooting randomly at people. Mohammad, an activist reached by phone, said that armed troops turned a train station into a military base, shooting at anyone who approached it. A resident who asked to remain anonymous for fear of reprisal said armed men also roamed some streets in the city on motorbikes, firing at people.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a watchdog group operating in exile, said that around 20,000 people marched in the neighborhood of Balaa in Homs, calling for the ouster of Mr. Assad.
Activists with the Local Coordination Committees also said that three people were killed in the southern town of Dara’a and two in the town of Saraqeb in the northwestern province of Idlib, near Turkey.
Security forces also arrested 40 people who were demonstrating in the neighborhood of Barzeh in Damascus, which has remained largely quiet since the uprising started.
Activists also reported clashes between army troops and defectors in Hama.
In Qusayr, a village on the Lebanese-Syrian border, activists reported hearing heavy gunfire and at least five loud explosions when security forces tried to break up crowds of demonstrators coming out of mosques.
Troops also raided a town in the northwest called Kafruma, arresting 13 people, including a woman and her 12-year-old son.
Hwaida Saad contributed reporting.
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nytimes.com/2011/10/29/world/middleeast/40-killed-in-syria-in-deadliest-friday-protests-since-may.html
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