A day after President Obama announced the US would recognize Syrian opposition as the official government of the country, the current government began firing ballistic missiles at citizens and rebel forces. Continue reading
Tag Archives: Syria
Syrian Rebels Capture Major Military Base
Syrian rebels overran opposition at a base 15 miles west of Aleppo. The assault reportedly had been lead by Islamic militants.
The rebels reportedly gained access to anti-aircraft guns and other military weaponry, giving them a significant advantage in the battle for the largest city in the country. Videos posted online showed rebels taking control of a tank. Continue reading
Government Attack On School Kills 29 In Damascus
Syrian rebels reported that a government mortar attack hit a school outside of Damascus today killing 28 students and their teacher.
Government forces have been intensifying attacks as rebels have gained ground in the eastern parts of the capital. A BBC correspondent reported that the city is essentially “under siege.” Continue reading
Over 2.5 Million Syrians Displaced By Civil War
The Syrian Arab Red Crescent relief organization has released figures with the United Nations showing that over 2.5 million civilians have been displaced in the country since the start of the nation’s civil war.
UN refugee agency spokeswoman Melissa Fleming said the group’s estimate was “very conservative” and said because of people on the run or in hiding it’s impossible to guess the actual number of people displaced by the war. Continue reading
Syria Accused Of Using Cluster Bombs
Human Rights Watch has reported that Syrian government forces are dropping Russian-made cluster bombs on populated areas in an attempt to destroy rebel forces.
Cluster bombs are banned by 77 countries because of the threat they pose to civilian populations in war zones. For example, if a cluster bomb does not completely detonate upon impact, the remaining bombs can act as land mines and explode when picked up or stepped on. Continue reading
Aleppo’s Main Square Bombed
In what the BBC described as rebel forces “aiming to cause the biggest psychological as well as physical blow to state presence in” Aleppo, many buildings in the city’s main square were leveled in bomb attacks Wednesday.
At least 33 people were killed in the assault. Continue reading
Syria Chemical Weapons On The Move
The Syrian army is moving their chemical weapons for what is being called “security reasons” by U.S. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta.
Panetta believes all the weapons caches are still under military control.
“We’ve continued to monitor,” Panetta told CNN. “We are working with countries in the region to ensure that we have the best information possible.” Continue reading
Syrian Civil War Sees Bloodiest Day
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights is reporting that Wednesday marked the bloodiest day of the 18-month-old civil war with 305 people killed in the fighting. SOHR reported that 199 of the dead were civilians.
“If we count the unidentified bodies [which are not counted in official totals,] the figure will be much higher,” Rami Abdel Rahman of SOHR told the BBC. Continue reading
Government Torture of Children Reported in Syria
The charity “Save The Children” is reporting cases of horrific abuse of children by the Syrian government as the civil war in the nation continues to rage.
The group has called on the United Nations to step in and increase its presence on the ground in hopes it would quell the violence. Continue reading
Children Killed By Government Airstrikes In Syria
Three children from one family are among the eight dead in air strikes in the city of Aleppo, Syria. Activists are reporting that the government is engaging in a bombardment campaign against civilian areas of the city.
The UN has listed the death toll as more than 20,000 in Syria since March 2011. Activists have put the death toll at near 30,000 adding that 40 people died on Monday from government assaults. Continue reading
