Syria updateViolence in Syria continues to spread

Published 16 June 2011

The violence in Syria spread, as thousands escape to Turkey seeking refuge; over the weekend Turkey contemplated the idea of sending its military to occupy a small area inside Syria and turn it into a safe haven protected by the Turkish Army, but was talked out of it by the United States; Turkey has now accepted more than 8,000 fleeing Syrians; Syria has closed off an area near the eastern town of al-Boukamal, on the Iraqi frontier; the area was a smuggling corridor for insurgents and weapons into Iraq in the 2000s, and the Syrian government was upset that the area was now used to smuggle arms into Syria to help the anti-government protesters; the number of civilians killed has reached 1,400, and the number of arrested now stands at 10,000

Protesters carry wounded away for medical attention // Source: akhbaralarab.net

Here is the latest on the situation in Syria, based on reports in Fox News, the BBC, and the New York Times.

  • Tens of thousands took to the streets in the central city of Hama to show solidarity with victims of the regime’s military crackdown. In 1982, Basher al Assad’s father, Hafez, ordered the indiscriminate shelling of the city to suppress a Muslim Brotherhood rebellion. Between 20,000 and 40,000 were killed.
  • More than 1,400 Syrians have died so far in the 3-month old unrest, and more than 10,000 have been detained
  • Units loyal to the Assad family have sealed off strategic areas in the north and east of the country.
  • The Jisr al-Shughour, the site of an attack by armed rebels on the regime’s security forces (more than 120 soldiers were killed in the attack) was isolated from the outside world.
  • Hundreds were felling the neighboring town of Maaret al-Numan on Wednesday, as security forces intermittently shelled the area.
  • Army units were surrounding the eastern town of al-Boukamal, near the Iraqi frontier. The area was a smuggling corridor for insurgents and weapons into Iraq in the 2000s, and the Syrian government is now worried that the area will be used to smuggle arms into Syria.
  • About 8,000 Syrians have crossed the border into Turkey in search of refuge.
  • Reports suggest that the Turkish military was planning an excursion into Syria. The purpose was to establish a Turkish control over a small area near to border so that Syrian refugees could have a safe haven inside Syria, protected by the Turkish military. The United States urged Turkey not to go ahead with the plan, and Turkey is now allowing Syrians to cross into Turkey.
  • An AP reporter on a government-organized trip to Jisr al-Shughour was shown a mass grave there Wednesday. The government said the bodies in the grave were those of 120 security personnel killed by armed rebels a few days ago.
  • A UN report on the situation in Syria harshly criticizes the government, citing “the excessive use of force in quelling demonstrators, arbitrary detentions, summary executions, torture.”