Syrian Troops Kill 6 in Anti-Protest Raids
BEIRUT, Lebanon — Syrian security forces mounted violent raids on neighborhoods in Homs, the restive central Syrian city,juicy couture outlet on Wednesday, hunting for a group of soldiers who defected to the opposition early in the day, activists said. They estimated that more than 20 people had been killed in those raids and other clashes.
Syrian troops also raided a village in Qamishli, in northeastern Syria along the border with Turkey, in a hunt for Mohammed Adnan al-Bakkour, a senior official who went over to the opposition. Mr. Bakkour resigned last week as attorney general of Hama, a province in central Syria, in protest of the brutal crackdown against pro-democracy activists since the popular uprising against President Bashar al-Assad started in mid-March.
Across Syria, residents and activists have reported the defection of hundreds of soldiers from the mostly Sunni army, which is led by officers from the minority Alawite sect, to which Mr. Assad belongs. All told, the activists estimate, about 700 soldiers have gone over to the opposition since mid-March. Scores more have reportedly been killed for refusing to shoot at unarmed protesters, and others have simply deserted and gone into hiding.
Activists hope that the defections will weaken the army and eventually help in getting rid of Mr. Assad. But other observers noted that the deserters were mainly low in rank and were not numerous enough yet to significantly weaken the army.
Activists said that at least 17 people had been killed in Homs, known as the “capital of the revolution,” as uniformed and plainclothes security forces combed the city on foot and in military vehicles, looking for 13 soldiers and an officer who deserted early Wednesday to join the uprising, political and human rights activists said.
Witnesses said the defectors had been stationed in Diwan al-Bustan, a Christian neighborhood in Homs, and that soon after their defection they tried to block all entrances to the area using their military vehicles. The effort did not succeed in keeping government forces out, and gun battles raged in the neighborhood later in the day.
Residents of Rastan, a nearby town, posted video images on YouTube that appeared to show 12 defecting soldiers in military fatigues on the balcony of a commercial building, being cheered and applauded by protesters.
“We will be one hand to bring down Bashar and every traitor,” one soldier was heard to say in the video.
Residents of Homs said the situation was tense on Wednesday, with checkpoints set up on major highways, major intersections and the entrances to the city. Soldiers and plainclothes forces loyal to the government of Mr. Assad were heavily deployed, and residents said snipers posted on the rooftops of government buildings and public schools were firing at pedestrians and cars.
Most banks remained closed, and many business owners said they could not reach their offices on Wednesday morning because troops were not letting residents through roadblocks. Many residents said they were fleeing the city.
“People are not leaving their houses today, as there is gunfire and shooting throughout the city,” said Um Nader, a Homs resident. “People are being shot, and bodies were dumped around streets.”
Activists also reported violence in Hama, where they said one person had been killed by security forces, and in the northern province of Idlib, where they said two had died.
In an effort to convey the concerns of fellow Arab states about the crackdown in Syria, the secretary general of the Arab League, Nabil el-Araby, said he would visit Damascus on Saturday. Arab foreign ministers are scheduled to meet next week on the issue.
Mr. Araby was originally scheduled to visit on Wednesday, but Syria delayed the visit without giving an explanation. Opposition figures said the postponement was prompted by Mr. Araby’s past meetings with Syrian opposition figures.
The Arab League last monthurged Damascus to end its military crackdown on pro-democracy activists and protesters. More than 2,200 people have been killed in the uprising, according to the United Nations.
The Syrian government has put the blame for the unrest on criminals and foreign provocateurs who it said were killing large numbers of soldiers and police officers.
On Tuesday, the United Nations secretary general, Ban Ki-moon, condemned the violence in the strongest remarks yet against the Syrian leadership and called on Mr. Assad to take “bold and decisive measures before it’s too late.”
The American ambassador in Damascus, Robert Ford, said that although members of Syria’s security forces had died during protests, the number of protesters who had been killed was much greater. With a “clear preponderance of arms and force,” Mr. Ford said, the Syrian government “bears the responsibility for the violence.”
“We support the right of Syrians to protest peacefully,” he said. “Peaceful protesters are not ‘terrorists.’ ”
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