RSS Feed
February 25th, 2012 
FAKE NEWS for the Zionist agenda
They might also have been concerned about the destination of any evacuation. A
government hospital in Homs was believed to have been the first port of call
for those taken out of Baba Amr by the Red Crescent.
Highly sensitive negotiations were under way between the ICRC and the Damascus
regime to secure the evacuation not only of the journalists but of all
casualties requiring treatment.
Between 20,000 and 30,000 people live in Baba Amr, where conditions are
steadily worsening. The wounded are often afraid to seek treatment at
government hospitals — even when these facilities can be reached — because
the Syrian authorities routinely screen patients and arrest any suspected of
opposing President Bashar al-Assad’s government.
Sean Maguire, a spokesman for the Red Cross in London, said the population of
Baba Amr was in “grave humanitarian need and the situation is deteriorating
by the hour”. He added: “Those in need include the injured journalists, but
are certainly not limited to them.”
Yesterday’s evacuation operation was, he said, being conducted “with the
agreement of the authorities”.
While the Syrian Red Crescent had been allowed into Baba Amr, it was unclear
whether entry had also been granted to the ICRC, which has been excluded
from the district for the past six months. There were suggestions that ICRC
vehicles were stopped at a regime checkpoint, while those from the Red
Crescent were allowed to proceed.
Eric Chevallier, the French Ambassador to Syria, returned to Damascus more
than two weeks after being recalled to Paris “for consultations”. He had
planned to go personally to Homs to bring out Mr Conroy and Miss Bouvier and
recover the two bodies, but the authorities denied him permission. Alain
Juppe, the French foreign minister, said the ICRC was negotiating with the
governor of Homs “to make this [evacuation] happen as quickly as possible”.
The delicate negotiations coincided with accusations that government forces
had carried out one of the bloodiest attacks of the conflict. According to
opposition activists, Mr Assad’s soldiers raided the village of Halfiya in
Hama province, lining 18 of its inhabitants against a wall and shooting
them.
Five children were said to be among the dead, the youngest of whom was 10
months old, executed along with their parents. There was no independent
confirmation of the claims, although activists posted video footage showing
the corpses of the children and four adults being wrapped in blankets.
The attacks came a day after between seven and 13 members of another family
were allegedly killed in a similar fashion in Kfartoun, also in Hama
province. The family shared the same surname as Riad al-Asaad, the commander
of the rebel Free Syrian Army.
The two incidents suggest that government forces have adopted a new strategy
of civilian reprisals, at least in Hama. While the motive for the attacks
remains unclear, rebel forces have been known to hide in farming villages
after attacking army checkpoints and convoys. Other opposition strongholds
also came under attack on Friday.
In a further sign of how the Arab world was turning on Mr Assad, the
leadership of the militant group Hamas in Gaza announced that it was
supporting the opposition.
Hamas has long been seen as a key element in an anti-Western alliance led by
Iran and Syria, and has had its headquarters in Damascus. It is now said to
be looking for an alternative base.
Related posts:
Views: 0
Posted in 
Tags: 
