Regime
Targets UN Directors, and Commits A Massacre in
Hama
kl:12,08 21|05|2012 Sawtalkurd
Top Stories
- An explosion occurred near a convoy of the UN observers’ mission director, General Robert Mood, and UN under-secretary-general, Herve Ladsous, in the Damascus suburb of Douma.
- Syrian Interior Minister Muhammad Shaar and Deputy Vice President Major Hasan Turkmani refuted the news of their assassination along with several other security chiefs.
- Canada imposed new sanctions on the Assad regime by banning exports of luxury items to Syria, and imposing financial sanctions against additional companies and six individuals.
Top Videos
- Rastan, Homs: Assad’s forces continue its barbaric shelling of the town resulting in several casualties including children, P2, P3
- Souran, Hama: Funeral procession of the fallen heroes who were killed in a horrible massacre committed by Assad’s forces, P2, P3, P4
- Bait Tima, Damascus Suburb: Assad’s forces open fire at a funeral
Summary of Events
An explosion occurred near a convoy of the UN observers’ mission director, General Robert Mood, and UN under-secretary-general and Head of the Department of Peacekeeping, Herve Ladsous, in the Damascus suburb of Douma. The convoy was held back by a Syrian army checkpoint for a few moments then allowed to proceed when an explosion took place a few blocks from the location. Immediately following the incident, the UN convoy withdrew and left the area. In the meantime, UN observers visited the city of Rastan in the province of Homs. Security forced shelled the city after the observers departed. Assad’s forces also opened heavy fire at demonstrators who went out to greet the observers in the town of Qalat Madiq in the province of Hama.
Syrian interior minister Muhammad Shaar and deputy vice-president Major Hasan Turkmani refuted the news of their assassination along with other security directors, including Minister of Defence, Asef Chawkat, Deputy Chief of Staff, and National Security Director. The opposition’s military council for Damascus and its suburbs had earlier announced the execution of a successful attack that resulted in the death and injury of several chiefs who were part of the crisis management cell, tasked with ending the revolution.
Assad’s forces killed at least 63 people today; 39 fell as the city of Soran in the province of Hama was shelled. Meanwhile, the regime’s violations to the ceasefire continued, as its forces swept and burnt farms in the village of Kawkab in the province of Hama amid heavy fire, opened heavy fire in the city of Qasir in the province of Homs, opened heavy fire at a family in the city of Atareb in the province of Aleppo killing all of its members, shelled the village of Bedama in the province of Idlib, and opened heavy fire in the city of Boukamal in the province of Deir Azzour.
In the capital, sporadic heavy firing by regime forces was heard in several central neighbourhoods including Kafarsouseh. Regime forces also opened heavy fire in the suburb of Bait Taima, shelled the suburbs of Douma and Hamouriya, and besieged the suburb of Menin. Additionally, they conducted arbitrary arrests and sweeps and clashed with the revolutionaries in the suburb of Harasta. As for the province of Daraa, regime forces opened heavy fire at demonstrations in the towns of Dael and Jassem and raided the village of Adwan and the town of Tesil amid heavy fire and arbitrary arrests.
Meanwhile, peaceful demonstrations continued to go out daily all across the country, particularly at Aleppo University.
Canada imposed new sanctions against the Assad regime by banning the exports of luxury items to Syria and imposing financial sanctions against a new list of companies and six individuals. The sanctions included a ban on financial transactions and a freeze of assets of Altoun group, Syrian Tobacco Co and their management, Syrian state-Television, and the governor of the Central Bank of Syria Adib Mayaleh.