Syrian forces pursued a deadly crackdown on anti-regime dissent Wednesday, killing 11 people in a "vengeance" raid near Damascus and arresting hundreds outside the capital, activists said. The latest violence came as some 200 Syrian youth activists opened a four-day meeting in Istanbul, to discuss ways of improving co-ordination among groups seeking to topple President Bashar al-Assad.
The dawn raid targeted Kanaker, a town of 250,000 people west of Damascus, Ammar Qorabi, head of the National Organisation for Human Rights, told AFP in Nicosia. "The security forces entered homes at dawn on Wednesday and during the operation 11 people were shot dead and more than 250 arrested," said Qorabi, providing AFP with the names of the victims.
"A bulldozer and army tanks" backed the operations, while 11 vehicles were used to whisk away those arrested, namely people aged between 15 and 40, he said, adding that electricity, water and the Internet were cut. Qorabi said the raid was an "act of vengeance" because Kanaker residents had provided supplies to the southern town of Daraa, epicentre of more than four months of anti-regime protests.
Comments
Comments are closed.