Assad sends thousands of troops to end clashes in his hometown

Syrian Revolution News Round- up / Day 568 – Assad sent thousands of troops to Latakia in order bring stability back and end clashes in his home city of Aleppo as scores of Alawite militiamen were killed and many more were injured as heavy fighting continued between pro and anti-Assad militias in his home city of Kerdaha and the Sport City of Latakia province.

Regime forces fiercely bombarded the suburbs of Damascus using mortars, rocket launchers, heavy artillery and helicopter gunships, killing at least 58 civilians, including 22 in the town of Douma and 16 in the town of Harasta while many more died in the towns of Maliha, Kafarbatna and Abada. Regime forces also murdered dozen more people in the Damascus suburbs of Daraya, Qtaifeh, Qatana and Saqba.

Massive explosion shocked the neighbourhood of Fahama in central Damascus followed by heavy clashes between regime forces and rebel fighters that also spread to the area of Mashroo Dumar. Meanwhile, regime forces shelled the neighbourhood of Jobar and the groves between Kafarsouseh and Qadam in the southern part of the capital. The regime also resumed detonating and demolishing residential buildings in the neighbourhoods of Barzeh, Qabun and Tadamon.

Activists said that at least 15 unidentified civilians were killed “execution style” in the neighbourhood of Jamiyat Zahera in the city of Aleppo. In the meantime, the fight for the city continued in several neighbourhoods between the rebel fighters and regime forces who used their heavy artillery and fighter jets in bombarding the neighbourhoods of Nerab, Sukari, Owayja, Kalaseh, Bustan Qaser and Sakhour as well as the provincial towns of al-Bab, Daret Ezza, Deir Hafer, Khan Asal, Hretan and Kafar Halab causing several deaths and injuries while destroying dozens of residential buildings. Regime forces also launched a massive offensive in the neighbourhood of Tariq al-Sad in the city of Daraa as well as in the Refugee Camp killing at least 29 civilians, most of them killed “execution style”.

In the meantime, regime forces resumed their fierce and indiscriminate shelling of densely populated areas throughout the country, leaving scores of civilians dead and wounded while destroying dozens of houses. They shelled the neighbourhoods of Waer, Qarabi and Qosour in the city of Homs as well as its provincial towns of Rastan, Talbiseh, Ghanto and Qosyar. They also shelled the Hama suburbs of Salamiya and Sahl al-Ghab as well as the Daraa suburbs of Tafas and Lajat.

They heavily bombarded the city of Deir Azzour and its provincial towns of Boukamal, Shahil and Mohasan, in addition to the Idlib suburbs of Mahambel, Kafarnabel, Taftanaz and Jabal Azzawiya. They also shelled the Latakia suburbs of Khadra, Bait Awan, Helweh, Bakas and Shirqaf as well as the Raqa subursb of Tabaqa, Tal Abyad and Beir Mehesen in addition to the villages of Jubata Khashab and Tarnajeh in the province of Qunaitera.