Reply #7: Wave of deaths, arrests as ICRC visits Syria

[pinboy3niner]

By ELIZABETH A. KENNEDY - Associated Press | AP – 31 mins ago.


BEIRUT (AP) — Syria saw a wave of violence and arrests Sunday as the head of the International Committee of the Red Cross visited Damascus to address issues including caring for the wounded and access to detainees during the government's crackdown on a 5-month-old uprising.

Activists reported military operations and sweeping arrests in flash point areas including Idlib near the Turkish border and the eastern city of Deir el-Zour. There were reports of deaths, but numbers were unclear.

The state-run news agency reported that nine people were killed in central Syria in an ambush by armed groups in central Syria. The report, which could not be confirmed, said the victims were six soldiers and three civilians.

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The U.N. estimates some 2,200 people have been killed since March as protesters take to the streets every week, despite the near-certainty that they will face a barrage of bullets and sniper fire by security forces. The regime is in no imminent danger of collapse, leading to concerns violence will escalate in coming weeks and months.

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http://news.yahoo.com/wave-deaths-arrests-icrc-visits-syria-133128323.html

Both CNN and The Guardian are reporting figures for the number of protesters killed and wounded by security forces:

On Sunday, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said four people were killed in the province of Adlib and three others were killed in the village of Tahtaiya by security forces pursuing wanted activists.

The opposition group also a person from city of Suraqib who was detained for 20 days died in detention after being tortured.

And it claimed that at least 15 people were wounded in the city of Homs due to heavy gunfire by security forces who started a security and military operation on Saturday evening.

Another opposition group, the Local Coordination Committees of Syria, said eight were killed in Adlib, four in Hama province, and one each in the provinces of Homs and Damascus.

http://www.cnn.com/2011/WORLD/meast/09/04/syria.unrest/index.html

Red Cross chief visits Syria as killings continue

Jakob Kellenberger to meet Bashar al-Assad after activist network reports 14 more deaths and gang attacks military bus

Nour Ali guardian.co.uk, Sunday 4 September 2011 16.42 BST


The deaths of several protesters and security personnel were reported in Syria on Sunday as the head of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) visited Damascus to seek access to activists arrested during the five-and-a-half-month uprising.


At least 14 people were shot dead across Syria, including in suburbs of the capital and the western cities of Homs and Hama, according to the Local Co-ordination Committees, an activist network.


A journalist, Amer Mattar, was among a wave of reported arrests that spread from the capital to the northern port city of Latakia and to Deir Ezzor, near the Iraqi border.


The government said nine people were killed when an "armed gang" opened fire with machine guns at a military bus in central Syria. The state news agency Sana said six soldiers and three civilians had died.


The report could not be confirmed, but activists say there have been limited cases of retaliatory killings in areas subjected to the most brutal crackdowns.

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http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/sep/04/red-cross-chief-visits-syria