corporate entertainment company: 'Heavy fighting' over Syrian town

Tuesday, June 14, 2011

'Heavy fighting' over Syrian town

Syrian troops in village near Jisr al-Shughour - 11 June

Troops have been in the area of Jisr al-Shughour for several days

Syrian government forces have advanced into the northern town of Jisr al-Shughour, as part of a widespread government crackdown, reports say.

Witnesses reported gunfire and and houses alight, as troops moved in after a 24-hour bombardment.

The government says it is trying to restore order after it claimed 120 security personnel had been killed.

But residents say the dead were killed after a mutiny and fighting between the security forces.

The government advance sent more people fleeing towards the Turkish border, to join more than 4,000 who have already crossed.

US officials say Syria's crackdown has created a humanitarian crisis, and called for the International Committee for the Red Cross (ICRC) to be given access to the north.

On the Turkish side two camps are already full of refugees and a third is filling up rapidly.

There is a need for food, tents, blankets and mattresses, but medical supplies are in particularly in demand to cope with large numbers of wounded.

Activists and residents say troops bombarded Jisr al-Shughour for 24 hours then began to move in.

Analysis

This is the latest camp to be constructed by the Turkish authorities. They've got two camps already which were overflowing. Three days ago the governor of this province came through this area, saw these fields here which he thought were very suitable for a potential camp and just ordered it to be done.

And within a couple of days they've put it together. It's the Red Crescent that's done this. They've got the capacity here, they reckon, with this camp and a few other sites they've identified, to get 5,000 people homed here if they need to.

It's been a rapid effort - sewage lines have gone in, water, gravel has gone down so they can drive vehicles between the tents. It's a big logistical exercise, and already this one's beginning to fill up.

"Tanks came from the south after shelling randomly and sending volleys of machinegun fire all over the town," one resident told Reuters news agency.

There are reports that the troops are part of an elite unit commanded by President Bashar al-Assad's younger brother Maher.

The BBC's Jim Muir, in neighbouring Beirut, says there are reports of members of the feared Shabiha militia group fighting alongside the soldiers.

It is not clear how much resistance the army is facing in the town, our correspondent adds, with so many people having fled.

"There are only a few people left. I escaped on my motorcycle through dirt tracks in the hills," one man told Reuters.

Syria has prevented most foreign journalists, including those from the BBC, from entering the country, making it difficult to independently verify reports from there.

State media said two command groups of armed organisations had been detained, and others killed or wounded.

One account said some of those who tried to flee towards Turkey were intercepted, while others were shot and killed.

On Saturday witnesses described homes being bulldozed in nearby villages and crops and fields burnt and uprooted.

Violence has also been reported in the nearby town of Maarat al-Numan, with armed men attacking the courthouse, police station and strategic fuel depot.

Meanwhile there are continuing but unverifiable reports of army defections, with the latest saying that an officer and 50 men had changed sides rather than fire on civilians in Jisr al-Shughour.

Protests against President Bashar al-Assad began in March and have spread across the country.

Rights groups say hundreds of people have been killed and there are reports the army has been using aircraft to open fire on people.