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NIGHT OF THE GENERALS : Paul Conroy describes "pure, systematic slaughter of civilians"
03-Mar-2012
The bombardment of Homs will be judged by history as a massacre comparable to Rwanda or Srebrenica, says a British photographer injured in the attacks. (Also read : 'The enforcer' who heads Syria’s dreaded army division (France 24))
Paul Conroy:describes 'slaughterhouse' in Homs will be the next Srebrenica or Rwanda:
Paul Conroy::Homs is comparable to Srebrenica or Rwanda:
Paul Conroy on CNN with Anderson Cooper:
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CORROBORATED EVIDENCE OF MAN SLAUGHTER
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Marie Colvin last report:
Journalist Marie Colvin in one of her last reports from Syria. She was a great journalist and an amazing person. Killed while covering the plight of the people of Homs Syria.
A Syrian activist says the fighting will not stop until either Assad is gone or the activists are all dead.
Paul Conroy: Homs comparable to Srebrenica and Rwanda (bbc)
The bombardment of Homs will be judged by history as a massacre comparable to Rwanda or Srebrenica, says a British photographer injured in the attacks.Paul Conroy, 47, told BBC's Newsnight he had witnessed "a systematic slaughter of the civilian population".
In all his experience of war zones, he had never seen anything on this level, he said, and in 10 years, the world would be "wringing its hands" in shame.
Journalist Marie Colvin, killed in the shelling, was "the best of the best".
"I don't know anyone who had her tenacity and bravery," he said of his Sunday Times colleague.
Mr Conroy, who was smuggled to Lebanon by Syrian rebels, paid tribute to the "heroes" who helped him escape, but he feared for their safety and for all the Syrian people.
"We left behind what I fear is going to be the next Rwanda, the next Srebrenica."
The bombing of Baba Amr - the rebel district of Homs which has received the brunt of the Syrian authorities' attacks - is indiscriminate, he said.
"There are no military targets, it's pure and systematic slaughter of a civilian population. The only reason those shells are going in are to eliminate the people and buildings of Baba Amr."
Conroy spent days stranded in Baba Amr with shrapnel wounds picked up in a rocket attack that killed Colvin and French journalist Remi Ochlik.
Speaking from his hospital bed in London, Conroy described conditions in Homs as catastrophic, with people living in "bombed-out wrecks" and "waiting to die".
The next phase in the conflict will not be televised but it will happen, he said.
Urging the international community to act, he said that when Baba Amr fell, the regime would turn to other areas.
"When Baba Amr is finished, and I think it's almost there now, we've watched it happen, they're going to move on, they're going to move into the countryside, the towns and there will be no witnesses," he said.
"Women, children, old men, young people will just cease to exist, they will cease to exist and in 10 years we will have an investigation and people will say 'how did this happen?'"
Conroy, originally from Liverpool but now living in Devon, said the moment his building was hit was "was traumatic, instant chaos".
"A few shells had hit the house and the final shell that killed Marie and Remi, my friend, everything went black, I felt a huge pressure in my leg... I realised it was bad, stuck a tourniquet on and essentially tried to crawl out the house where I found Marie."
He said they were taken to a field hospital which was "a living room and a kitchen table essentially," where doctors had limited supplies.
The building was taking direct hits in intense shelling which lasted 14 hours a day, he said.
"It was intense to start with but as the week went on we were living minute-by-minute in that room, literally you could hear the shells coming in.
"We also had the medics coming in saying 'We've just lost another 10 men, another five children,' so while we were in this situation we were getting daily, hourly, minute-by-minute reports of the slaughter outside, which was quite un-nerving."
Meanwhile, the International Committee of the Red Cross said it had received the bodies of Colvin and Ochlik, and taken them to Damascus.
The Red Cross said on Saturday it will try again to be allowed access to the devastated Baba Amr district of the Syrian city of Homs, after being blocked on Friday.
It said it was "unacceptable" that its seven-lorry convoy had been stopped.
There have been reports of revenge killings and summary executions by Syrian forces since rebel fighters pulled out of Baba Amr on Thursday.How many have died?
- Uprising began a year ago with peaceful protests
- UN estimates more than 7,500 people killed
- Syria says at least 1,345 members of the security forces have been killed
- It puts the number of civilians killed at 2,493
More Here :
Syria toll passes 7,500, UN says (bbc)
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THE NIGHT OF THE SYRIAN GENERALS
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Recommended Reading:As head of the Syrian Army’s elite Fourth Division, Maher al-Assad (left) has a reputation for ruthlessness. He's also President Bashar al-Assad's (right) younger brother - and in Syria, presidential younger brothers often play the heavy.
'The enforcer' who heads Syria’s dreaded army division (France 24)The Night of the Generals:
Homs’ Long Night of the Generals Has Indeed Only Just Begun …
Related Blog:
WANTED: Did Nazi Criminal Alois Brunner train Syria’s Security Forces ?
Other Related Blogs on Syria :
Syrian Protestors Burn IRI Flag
NIAC Ambassador Majid Rafizadeh: Appeasement with Iran But Sanctions & intervention on Syria?
IN DENIAL: Barbara Walters' Interview with Syria's President Bashar al-Assad
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Syrians use YouTube as sword, shield
by Darius Kadivar on Thu Mar 15, 2012 03:25 AM PDTSyrians use YouTube as sword, shield (CNN) By Joe Sterling,
(CNN) -- Syrian forces stormed the town of Douma this week, fired at the home of activist Mahmoud Saab, wounded the father of two and then hanged him from the balcony of his home.
Activists reported this grisly act by word of mouth and e-mail. But they took one more step.
They released a shaky, 42-second video showing his body dangling from a damaged building caught in the crossfire of war. The video appeared to be shot surreptitiously, from a narrow urban space where the cameraman couldn't be spotted.
It's one of thousands of videos that Syrian activists have uploaded or smuggled out of the country to document the actions of Bashar al-Assad's regime -- vilified by governments and people across the globe for its fierce crackdown on protesters.
STORY HIGHLIGHTS
Assad tightens grip as Syria marks one year of turmoil
by Darius Kadivar on Thu Mar 15, 2012 01:19 AM PDTAssad tightens grip as Syria marks one year of turmoil (France 24)
Syria's bloody uprising against President Bashar al-Assad enters its second year on Thursday with the country still mired in violence and few signs of progress on the diplomatic front.Saudi Arabia closes embassy, recalls staff from Syria
by Darius Kadivar on Thu Mar 15, 2012 01:18 AM PDTSaudi Arabia closes embassy, recalls staff from Syria (France 24)
Saudi Arabia said Wednesday that it has closed its embassy in Damascus and withdrawn all diplomats and other personnel. The Gulf Cooperation Council states, including Saudi Arabia, agreed to recall their envoys from Syria in early February.exclusive video: Syria’s sniper alleys
by Darius Kadivar on Wed Mar 14, 2012 07:28 AM PDTFRANCE 24 exclusive video: Syria’s sniper alleys
Reporting from the western Syrian city of Al-Qusayr near Homs, FRANCE 24’s reporters find a city terrorised by snipers in the second part of our exclusive coverage from inside Syria.Syria troops 'take northern city'
by Darius Kadivar on Wed Mar 14, 2012 05:59 AM PDTSyrian government forces take control of the north-western city of Idlib, after days of clashes with rebel fighters, opposition activists say.
Syria troops 'take northern city' (bbc)
Syrians routinely tortured in detention, says Amnesty
by Darius Kadivar on Wed Mar 14, 2012 02:36 AM PDTDetainees in Syria's prisons are routinely and systematically tortured in what amounts to crimes against humanity, says Amnesty International.
Syrians 'tortured' in detention (bbc)
Syrian opposition calls for international military intervention
by Darius Kadivar on Tue Mar 13, 2012 04:02 PM PDTSyrian opposition calls for international military intervention (CNN, VIDEO)
STORY HIGHLIGHTSUnited Nations (CNN) -- The opposition Syrian National Council called Monday for urgent military intervention on the part of the international community to help halt the grinding violence and protect civilians.
The SNC, an umbrella group that represents the opposition abroad, also demanded a no-fly zone across Syria and a "speedy operation" to arm the Free Syrian Army, a group of fighters made up primarily of defectors from forces loyal to President Bashar al-Assad.
"Sympathy messages are no longer enough. ... What is needed is actions on (the) ground and decisions and measures against Assad's gangs," the group said in a statement after a meeting in Turkey.
Its demands came as diplomatic efforts to resolve the yearlong Syrian conflict faltered.Syrian troops caught in ambush
by Darius Kadivar on Tue Mar 13, 2012 03:59 PM PDTSyrian troops caught in ambush (CNN, VIDEO)
A Syrian opposition group says 12 Syrian troops were killed by rebels in an ambush. CNN's Nick Paton Walsh reports.
Syria: Footage shows rebels stepping up Idlib campaign
by Darius Kadivar on Tue Mar 13, 2012 03:57 PM PDTIdlib rebels lay explosivesWatch (BBC, VIDEO)
Fighting is reportedly continuing in and around the Syrian city of Idlib, close to the border with Turkey.
Opposition groups say at least ten government soldiers were killed in an ambush by rebel fighters, and at least four civilians died in shelling by the Syrian army.
Footage shows the Free Syrian Army on Sunday trying to hold off a government offensive in Idlib by laying down explosives.
JOKE: Syria's Assad calls parliamentary elections for May 7
by Darius Kadivar on Tue Mar 13, 2012 02:25 PM PDTSyria's Assad calls parliamentary elections for May 7 (France 24)
Syrian President Bashar al-Assad called Tuesday for parliamentary elections to be held on May 7 under a new constitution adopted in February even as monitors reported more deaths in a continuing crackdown on anti-regime dissent.exclusive video: Syria's rebels underground
by Darius Kadivar on Tue Mar 13, 2012 11:10 AM PDTFRANCE 24 exclusive video: Syria's rebels underground
FRANCE 24 broadcasts exclusive coverage of the uprising in Syria from the town of al-Qusayr, where fighters from the rebel Syrian Liberation Army wait in fear for the next onslaught by President Bashar al-Assad’s forcesSyria unrest 'displaces 230,000'
by Darius Kadivar on Tue Mar 13, 2012 10:03 AM PDTArabs seek neutral Syria inquiry (bbc)
Jonathan HeadBBC News, Hatay, Turkey-Syria border
Around 100 to 200 people a day are crossing the border, bringing with them harrowing stories of their escape. The Syrian army has been besieging the city of Idlib, not far across the border from here, for the past three days.
They are also moving from village to village, pretty much destroying each one and forcing the people there to flee. The numbers of refugees would probably be higher if it wasn't so difficult to get across the border, because of the minefields and numbers of Syrian soldiers in the area.
We have seen people who have lost their limbs because of the mines. The refugee camps here are well run, but have become very crowded. Some people have been here for 10 months now.
The Turkish authorities are having to make plans for a much bigger influx of refugees.
Arabs seek 'neutral' Syria inquiry
by Darius Kadivar on Tue Mar 13, 2012 09:59 AM PDTArabs seek neutral Syria inquiry (bbc)
The Arab League calls for a neutral investigation into crimes conducted during the Syrian regime's bloody crackdown on an anti-government uprisingWomen play central role in Syria uprising
by Darius Kadivar on Tue Mar 13, 2012 09:47 AM PDTMaya, a Syrian activist who uses a pseudonym, was arrested at her first demonstration at the start of the protests against President Bashar al-Assad.
Social revolution (bbc)
Syria 'laying border landmines'
by Darius Kadivar on Tue Mar 13, 2012 06:05 AM PDTSyria 'laying border landmines' (bbc)
Human Rights Watch says Syria has laid hundreds of landmines on its borders with Lebanon and Turkey, along routes used by refugees.Western powers, UN urge Syria to end bloodshed
by Darius Kadivar on Mon Mar 12, 2012 06:15 PM PDTWestern powers, UN urge Syria to end bloodshed (France 24)
The United States, France, Britain and the UN reiterated calls Monday for Syria to end its bloody crackdown on anti-regime unrest as French Foreign Minister Alain Juppé urged Russia and China to stop hampering Security Council action.New York funeral for Homs reporter Marie Colvin
by Darius Kadivar on Mon Mar 12, 2012 05:55 PM PDTFuneral for Homs reporter Colvin (bbc)
The funeral of veteran war reporter Marie Colvin has taken place in her hometown of Oyster Bay, New York.
The US correspondent was killed alongside French photographer Remi Ochlik when a shell hit the building where she was sheltering in the Syrian city of Homs.
The 56-year-old, who covered conflicts from Chechnya to the Arab Spring, was remembered for her fearlessness.
The priest praised her for being "a voice to the voiceless".
The service, at St Dominic's Roman Catholic Church, was attended by senior figures from her newspaper, The Sunday Times, including media mogul Rupert Murdoch, who owns the publication.
Under fire with Free Syrian Army
by Darius Kadivar on Mon Mar 12, 2012 11:15 AM PDTUnder fire with Free Syrian Army (BBC, VIDEO)
Over four months the BBC's Paul Wood and cameraman Fred Scott were smuggled in and out of Syria to report on the country's struggle for democracy.
In February they met a group of rebel fighters near Homs - the toughest centre of resistance to the country's police state.
The rebels were preparing to attack an army base, but many of them had only recently defected from the Syrian Army.
And the men they were attacking in the base had until recently been their comrades in arms.
William Hague: UN has failed on Syria
by Darius Kadivar on Mon Mar 12, 2012 11:04 AM PDTHague: UN has failed (BBC, VIDEO)
The UN has so far failed in relation to the crisis in Syria, but must not stop making efforts to try and end the bloodshed, British Foreign Secretary William Hague has said.
Speaking ahead of a meeting he is hosting at the Security Council, Mr Hague said "straight talking" was needed to agree a resolution calling for humanitarian access and an end to violence.
US urges 'united voice' on Syria
by Darius Kadivar on Mon Mar 12, 2012 11:01 AM PDTUS urges 'united voice' on Syria (bbc)
The US secretary of state and UN secretary general urge the international community to stand united on Syria, as violence against civilians continues.
45 women and children 'stabbed', then 'burned' in Homs
by Darius Kadivar on Mon Mar 12, 2012 03:41 AM PDTHoms 'massacre' kills women, children (cnn, VIDEO)
STORY HIGHLIGHTS
Syria National Council: Assad inciting racial hatred
by Darius Kadivar on Sun Mar 11, 2012 10:36 AM PDTAssad 'inciting hated' (BBC, VIDEO)
Syria's president is "working every single day to incite hatred" and "seeking to create ethnic and religious differences between communities", a senior member of the opposition has claimed.
Dr Bassma Kodmani, from the Syrian National Council, was speaking as UN-Arab League envoy Kofi Annan was to begin a second round of talks with President Bashar al-Assad in Damascus.
In an interview with the BBC's Andrew Marr, she also said that the president had to stand down as a "first condition" of any negotiations between the government and opposition figures.
Annan 'optimistic' over Syria
by Darius Kadivar on Sun Mar 11, 2012 10:33 AM PDTEnvoy Kofi Annan says he is optimistic after more talks with the Syrian leader, but admits there is no deal yet to end the bloodshed.
Annan 'optimistic' over Syria (bbc)
Syrian refugees pour into Lebanon
by Darius Kadivar on Sat Mar 10, 2012 04:52 PM PSTSyrian refugees pour into Lebanon (CNN, VIDEO)
CNN's Nic Robertson hears traumatic stories from refugees who have fled to Lebanon from Syria.
Satellite images of damage in Syria
by Darius Kadivar on Sat Mar 10, 2012 04:50 PM PSTSatellite images of damage in Syria (bbc)
This illustrated satellite image shows areas of concentrated building damage and artillery craters in Homs, Syria.
Family or country ? a dilemma for Syria's revolutionaries
by Darius Kadivar on Sat Mar 10, 2012 01:33 PM PSTFight or flight? (bbc)
The rebellion in Syria has forced many ordinary people to grapple with new and ordinary dilemmas - such as whether to put country before friends and even family.
She was drinking Guinness in a bar in Dubai - a Syrian revolutionary on a weekend break, taking time out in the five-star hotels.
Small and smiley, she fizzed with energy as she spoke of the battles on the streets.
She stood out amidst the languorous, slightly drunk expats - mostly men - downing their scotch and beers with half an eye on the rugby match showing on a screen the size of a house.
"I go to protests every day but my husband is more cautious," she said.
"He holds back. We just got married. I thought I knew him but now... I hope I live with him for 40 years and we have children. Maybe. Maybe. But I am not sure any more. I don't know what to do."
A revolutionary dilemma. Here is another.
Again a young Syrian on a trip to Dubai. "For months now I have been in Syria, constantly active on the streets taking pictures and putting them online," she told me.Arab League and Russia rule out intervention in Syria
by Darius Kadivar on Sat Mar 10, 2012 08:44 AM PSTArab League and Russia rule out intervention in Syria (France 24)
Russian and Arab League ministers agreed on Saturday there should be no foreign intervention in Syria. After the meeting in Cairo, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov (pictured) said delegates wanted an "end to the violence whatever its source".
'Terrorists' are preventing peace, Assad tells Annan
by Darius Kadivar on Sat Mar 10, 2012 08:39 AM PST'Terrorists' are preventing peace, Assad tells Annan (France 24)
Syrian President Bashar al-Assad warned the UN-Arab League envoy Kofi Annan on Saturday that peace efforts would end in failure as long as “terrorist groups” remain active in the country. Assad did promise to back any “honest” bid to end the crisis.Assad talks 'waste of time' say's opposition
by Darius Kadivar on Sat Mar 10, 2012 08:35 AM PSTAssad talks 'waste of time' (BBC, AUDIO)
The former UN chief Kofi Annan is meeting Syria's Bashar Al-Assad this morning. He has said he wants to urge President Assad to stop fighting and seek a political solution to what is happening in the country.
Dr Bassma Kodmani, a senior member of the opposition Syrian National Council, says he hopes the mediation is based on clear terms. He believes however that it would be a "waste of time" to try and get Assad to cooperate.
Sir Malcolm Rifkind, a former foreign secretary, agrees that it probably is going to turn out to be a waste of time. We have to hope Kofi Annan makes progress, he says, but in the meantime the international community must explore new ways to bring maximum pressure on the Assad regime.
He believes that a solution could lie in all countries bordering Syria closing their airspace over the country and its borders.
Annan's talks with Assad
by Darius Kadivar on Sat Mar 10, 2012 08:32 AM PSTAnnan's talks with Assad (VIDEO, BBC)
UN-Arab League envoy Kofi Annan has been holding talks with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad after arriving in Damascus on a peace mission.
Mr Annan has said he hopes his visit will lead to a ceasefire, but there are reports the Syrian army is continuing to bombard the city of Idlib.
The BBC's Lina Sinjab reports from Damascus on President Assad's response.