Wednesday, November 16, 2011

DTN News - SYRIA UNREST: Syrian Army Defectors Attack Base Near Damascus

Defense News:
DTN News - SYRIA UNREST: Syrian Army Defectors Attack Base Near Damascus
(NSI News Source Info) TORONTO, Canada - November 16, 2011: Syrian army defectors said they launched several attacks Wednesday on President Bashar Assad's military bases near the capital Damascus, including one on a Syrian intelligence facility — the latest in stepped-up assaults by the renegade troops targeting the regime's forces.

The Free Syrian Army said in a statement that its main attack in the early hours Wednesday targeted a compound run by the Air Force Intelligence in the Damascus suburb of Harasta. The renegade group said the other attacks targeted military checkpoints in the Damascus suburbs of Douma, Qaboun and Arabeen and Saqba.

The claim of the attacks could not be independently confirmed and the Free Syrian Army released no details about the fighting or possible casualties.

The Syrian government has largely sealed off the country, barring most foreign journalists and preventing independent reporting. But details gathered by activist groups and witnesses, along with the amateur videos, have become key channels of information.

The attacks near Damascus are rare, and clashes between defectors and troops have in the past been concentrated in the northwestern province of Idlib and central region of Homs and the southern province of Daraa.

The attacks come two days after defectors killed 34 of Assad's soldiers and members of the security in Daraa, on what was one of the bloodiest days of the 8-month-old uprising.

The U.N. says that more than 3,500 people have been killed since Assad launched a crackdown on the protesters in mid-March.

A Syrian opposition figure said the attack in Harasta was carried out by defectors who broke into three groups and attacked the compound from three sides with automatic rifles and rocket-propelled-grenades. He added that the administrative building was damaged and the attackers made sure not to hit a nearby building where detainees were being held.

The opposition figure, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss military operations, said all the defectors' troops returned safely to their point of origin. He quoted residents in the area as saying that ambulances rushed to the military compound after the attack.

Also Wednesday, the British-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said four people, including three defectors, were killed in the central province of Hama after they were ambushed by troops loyal to Assad.

The Local Coordination Committees, another activist group said three people have been so far killed on Wednesday, two in Idlib and one in the Damascus suburb of Zabadani.


SYRIA DEFECTORS 'ATTACK MILITARY BASE IN HARASTA'

BBC News - ‎21 minutes ago‎
Syrian army defectors have attacked a major military base near Damascus, Syrian opposition groups say. Parts of the Air Force Intelligence building in Harasta were reported to have been destroyed in the attack, but there were no reports of casualties. ...

TURKEY SAYS MAY REVIEW ELECTRICITY SUPPLIES TO SYRIA

Reuters - ‎1 hour ago‎
ANKARA (Reuters) - Turkey kept up pressure on its one-time ally Syria Tuesday, warning President Bashar al-Assad his government was on a "knife-edge" and saying it may review its supplies of electricity to Damascus if it does not ...

ARAB LEAGUE FOREIGN MINISTERS TO FORMALIZE SUSPENSION OF SYRIA AS BLOODY ...

Washington Post - ‎1 hour ago‎
RABAT, Morocco — Foreign ministers from the 22-member Arab League are expected to formalize their weekend decision to suspend Syria for refusing to end its bloody crackdown against anti-government protesters. Arab League foreign ministers gathering ...

SYRIAN ARMY DEFECTORS ATTACK SECURITY COMPLEX

ABC Online - ‎1 hour ago‎
Syrian army defectors have attacked an intelligence complex on the edge of Damascus, the first such reported assault on a major security facility in the eight-month uprising against president Bashar al-Assad, activists said. Members of the Free Syrian ...

SYRIAN ARMY DEFECTORS CLAIM THEY HAVE ATTACKED SEVERAL ARMY POSTS NEAR DAMASCUS

Washington Post - ‎1 hour ago‎
BEIRUT — Syrian army defectors said they launched several attacks Wednesday on President Bashar Assad's military bases near the capital Damascus, including one on a Syrian intelligence facility — the latest in stepped-up assaults by the renegade troops ...

SYRIAN ARMY DEFECTORS ATTACK INTELLIGENCE BASE NEAR DAMASCUS

The Guardian - ‎2 hours ago‎
Syrian army defectors have attacked a string of military bases in Damascus, including an intelligence complex on the outskirts of the capital, in the first such reported assault on a major security facility in the eight-month uprising against President ...

MIKATI DENIES DECISION AT ARAB LEAGUE TAKEN WITHOUT DELIBERATION

The Daily Star - ‎11 minutes ago‎
BEIRUT: Prime Minister Najib Mikati Wednesday denied reports that Foreign Affairs Minister Adnan Mansour acted alone when he voted against suspending Syria's membership of the Arab League. “The Lebanese decision at the Cairo meeting was taken after ...

ARAB LEAGUE OPENS TALKS WITH ASSAD'S FOES

Montreal Gazette - ‎2 hours ago‎
Bashar Assad has lost almost all his allies in his battle to retain power, although Russia remains as a friendly power. The Arab League, stung into action by months of bloodshed in Syria, ...

MAJOR ATTACK ON SYRIAN MILITARY BASE

ABC Online - ‎2 hours ago‎
MARK COLVIN: Reports are emerging that rebel soldiers in Damascus have staged a major assault on a Syrian military intelligence base. If confirmed it would be the first assault on a major security facility during the 8 month uprising. ...


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*This article is being posted from Toronto, Canada By DTN News ~ Defense-Technology News

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