Syria (and Beyond) Live Coverage: Fighting Escalates in Aleppo and Damascus
Saturday, September 8, 2012 at 11:16 | Scott Lucas in EA Middle East and Turkey, Middle East and Iran Claimed footage of Free Syrian Army fighters inside the Hanano army barracks in Aleppo in Syria
See also Bahrain Video Discussion: The Conflict and the Regime's Public-Relations Effort
Egypt Feature: Who Speaks for the Workers?
Friday's Syria (and Beyond) Live Coverage: The Shelling Returns to Damascus
2020 GMT: Syria. The Local Coordination Committees report 172 people have been killed by security forces today, including 89 in Aleppo Province, 55 in Damascus and its suburbs, and 14 in Daraa Province.
State news agency SANA reports amnesty for "227 persons who were misled into getting involved in the recent events [and] whose hands are clean of the Syrians' blood...after pledging to not bear arms again".
According to SANA, some of those released said that they turned themselves in after realizing the scope of the conspiracy targeting Syria in implementation of foreign agendas".
1640 GMT: Syria. A witness and opposition activists say a main water pipe in Aleppo has been damaged by fire from regime helicopters, causing a water shortage amid a growing humanitarian crisis.
A Syrian official blamed insurgent sabotage.
The opposition Syrian Observatory for Human Rights and Local Coordinating Committees reported that water flooded into the neighbourhoods of Al Midan and Bustan al-Basha in north Aleppo.
Meanwhile, an insurgentt brigade was trying to cut off food, water, and ammunition to a contingent of soldiers the Al Mudahami security building in Al Midan, said activist Majed Abdulnoor.
The United Nations refugee agency said this weekend that the number of people in need of assistance inside the country had doubled since July to 2.5 million.
1633 GMT: Bahrain. Education International has expressed concern over the fate of detained teacher unionists Mahdi Abu Deeb and Jalila Al Salman, who face an appeal hearing tomorrow.
In September 2011, a military court sentenced Abu Deeb to 10 years in prison and Al Salman to 3 years.
“EI reiterates its appeal to the Bahraini authorities to ensure the application of international human rights standards, including the right to a fair trial, freedom of expression and peaceful assembly”, said General Secretary Fred van Leeuwen.
1628 GMT: Syria. Activist Abu Yasser al-Shami said that people have fled the Yarmouk refugee camp after Syrian troops entered this morning, following days of shelling.
"Assad's forces stormed al-Basel hospital...and arrested many of the injured civilians," he claimed.
1622 GMT: Syria. Back from a Saturday break to find the Local Coordination Committees claiming 148 people killed by security forces today, more than 40 by aerial shelling. Of these, 77 were slain in Aleppo Province and 47 in Damascus and its suburbs.
1225 GMT: Syria. The Local Coordination Committees report 47 people slain by security forces today, including 28 in Damascus and its suburbs.
Among the total is a claim of 15 people executed in Douma.
1205 GMT: Bahrain. Writing for Ceasefire magazine, John Lubbock critiques the regime's recent record on human rights, including the imprisonment of activist Nabeel Rajab:
Nabeel was given a three year jail term a few weeks ago for “inciting illegal protests” and has been in and out of jail on various tenuous charges such as insulting the people of Muharraq island, which were later dropped. Bahrain’s Penal Code, an incredibly vague document which can be put to all sorts of repressive purposes, was clearly criticised by the BICI [Bahrain Independent Commission of Inquiry] report, though its recommendations neglected to call for the reform of these laws.
A number of different articles in the code have been used by the authorities in the various charges brought against Rajab. When he was initially accused of insulting a public body, Article 216 was used. This states that "a person shall be liable for imprisonment or payment of a fine if he offends, by any method of expression the National Assembly, or other constitutional institutions, the army, law courts, authorities or government agencies".
The charges, related to illegal gathering, then used Articles 178-80, which prescribe a penalty of up to 2 years for any gathering of more than 5 people which is intended to ‘undermine public security’. Since the government very rarely issues permits for public protests and tries to keep them away from the capital, almost anyone who makes a political statement in public could theoretically receive a two year prison sentence. Article 165, which is notoriously vague and referred to a number of times in the BICI report, was also used, and states that "a prison sentence shall be passed against any person who expressly incites others to develop hatred or hostility towards the system of government".
1150 GMT: Yemen. The commander of a tribal militia fighting insurgents in southern Yemen has survived an assassination attempt.
Abdul Latif al-Sayed, a commander with the Popular Committees which helped the government oust the Islamist group Ansar al-Sharia from southern towns after a year-long occupation, was ambushed on a road in Abyan Province on Friday.
1145 GMT: Syria and Lebanon. The spokesman of the al-Meqdad clan has said that a Turkish hostage and four Syrians held by the family are missing after Lebanese soldiers raided an area where they were allegedly held.
Maher al-Meqdad said he knew nothing on the whereabouts of Turkish national Aydin Tekin and four Syrians, kidnapped by the clan last month in response to the abduction of a relative by insurgents in Syria.
1132 GMT: Syria. The Turkish daily Today's Zaman, citing "local intelligence sources" in Hatay Province in southern Turkey on the border with Syria, claim the Turkish Peoples' Liberation Party-Front (THKP-C Acilciler) is recruiting Arab Alevi youth to fight in the Syrian army.
The leader of the THKP-C, Mihraç Ural, is accused by Ankara of setting up an armed group in Syria called the Revolutionary People's Army to fight for President Assad. He is also blamed for a demonstration in Hatay in Sunday when about 1000 people supported the Syrian regime.
Hatay has a population of 500,000 Alevis.
1128 GMT: Syria. Activists, supported by video, claim that fighting continues near the Hanano army base in Aleppo.
1059 GMT: Syria. Iraq's Ministry of Interior claim that four rockets fired from Syria landed on the Iraqi town of al-Qaim near a refugee centre, killing a 4-year-old girl.
The Ministry declared, "Although Iraq has taken a neutral position in the Syrian conflict ... our brave forces are ready to respond in case (of) repetition of such attack."
1055 GMT: Syria. Electronic Intifada claims:
Palestinian refugees fleeing to Lebanon from Syria are only permitted to stay for one week; after that, they have to renew their permits which cost $33 for each person above the age of 10. The fee, as little as it may be, is difficult to come up with in a place like Lebanon where Palestinians are banned from work.
1035 GMT: Syria. Military officials and witnesses have said that regime troops, backed by tanks and helicopters, have repelled insurgents after a 20-hour battle at the Hanano military base in east Aleppo.
"There are a lot of victims on both sides," a witness said. A military official said soldiers destroyed six armoured vehicles used by insurgents to transport weapons seized in the barracks.
The Hanano base serves as a weapons storage depot, a conscript recruitment center and also houses the headquarters of the local branch of the military police and anti-riot police.
Insurgents have posted a video of weapons they claim to have taken from the base.
1015 GMT: Syria. Claimed footage of detained men found by insurgents as they occupied the Hanano army base in Aleppo --- activists claim they are troops who were imprisoned when refused to fight the opposition:
Syrian military sources have insisted to a journalist from Iran's Press TV reporter that they still control the facility.
0725 GMT: Syria. The Cluster Munition Coalition claims regime forces have almost certainly used cluster bombs.
The CMC said it had collected pictures and footage from Syrian activists showing fragments of cluster munitions at least two sites. Stephen Goose of the CMC and Human Rights Watch told reporters, "We think the evidence is compelling that the Syrian government forces have used cluster munitions."
The Brown Moses blog has posted information and pictures of the possible use of cluster bombs.
0718 GMT: Syria. Members of the Al Farouk Brigade claim they have killed the leader of an extremist group alleged to have kidnapped two European journalists in July.
Abu Muhammad al Shami al Absi and his fighters attracted international notice after two photographers, one Dutch and one British, were freed by other insurgents after being held for a week. The journalists said several of their captors spoke English with British accents.
0715 GMT: Egypt. The Muslim Brotherhood's website sets the priority for the international travel of one of its members, President Morsi:
Dr. Yasser Ali, Egypt’s Presidential spokesman, affirmed that President Mohamed Morsi’s European tour in Belgium and Italy towards the end of next week is mainly aimed at attracting international investment to set up projects in Egypt.
"These investments will create more job opportunities in Egypt."
The tour also aims to promote relations between Egypt and the European Union, and to assure Europe and the whole world that Egypt’s new political administration is determined to protect and facilitate investment.
In a statement, the Presidential spokesman further said, "President Morsi will explain to European officials the concrete steps Egypt has taken in areas of political, administrative and economic reform.
0555 GMT: Syria. US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov have met today on the sidelines of an Asia-Pacific summit in the Russian port of Vladivostok.
No details of the talks emerged, as Clinton and Lavrov signed an agreement to expand cooperation in the Antarctic between scientists and rescue missions.
0545 GMT: Syria. Last night, as we discussed the day's developments, James Miller looked ahead:
Free Syrian Army hammering regime in Aleppo today. Expect to see lots of airstrikes tomorrow, after the regime has a chance to figure out what hit them.
Prediction: 150 civilians dead today, 200-300 civilians dead tomorrow.
"Today we are raiding the Hanano military base because there are a lot of army soldiers, snipers and shabiha [pro-regime] mercenaries there," says Abu Omar, a field commander....
"Several brigades are taking part in this offensive," he told AFP, standing in a covered alley way.
Fighting escalated in the city of Aleppo when opposition fighters launched an attack against a military base while war planes and artillery pounded areas under their control.
Commander Omar says the goal of the new offensive is to liberate Hanano, cut strategic supply lines and put a stop to shelling attacks that have caused high civilian casualties in the commercial city.
FSA media coordinator Abdullah Yasser says the assault aims to take down one of three main positions used by the army to shell rebel-held areas concentrated in the east of Aleppo.
"Hanano is one of the main places from which they are shooting so taking it over could be a turning point for us," he tells AFP.
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