Syrian forces tighten grip on restive central, northern areas
GREETINGS,
Syrian forces tighten grip on restive central, northern areas
SOURCE: monstersandcritics
Cairo – Syrian government forces tightened their grip on restive central and northern areas Sunday, as the crackdown on pro-democracy activists killed at least 20 people, according to activists.
In the northern province of Idlib, nine people were killed as army forces encircled all villages near the Turkish border.
Troops set up barriers and launched arbitrary arrest raids to prevent many families from fleeing the area, the Local Coordination Committees (LCC) said online.
The crackdown intensified after two judicial officials were killed in the province earlier in the day. Idlib Prosecutor General Nidal Ghazal and Judge Mohammed Zyada were shot dead when an ‘armed terrorist group’ shot at the car transporting them to work, according to the official SANA news agency.
Nine others were killed in the central flashpoint province of Homs, where restive areas have been bombarded by government forces for two weeks.
Two others were killed in the eastern Deir al-Zour area and the southern Daraa province, the LCC added.
In the capital Damascus, a funeral for protester Samer al-Khatib was held amid tight security in al-Mezza area. Al-Khatib was killed on Saturday during a funeral procession protesters held for those killed by government crackdown.
Anti-government protesters have usually turned funeral procession into demonstrations calling for the ouster of President Bashar al-Assad.
Security forces fired shots in the air to disperse women who gathered for a protest against the arrest of a young man in Damascus, the LCC added.
Authorities have repeatedly blamed ‘terrorist groups’, allegedly financed by Arab and Western countries, for the violence in the country that has entered an eleventh month.
State media last week reported that a director of a military hospital was killed by unknown gunmen outside his home in the capital Damascus……MORE HERE
