20 Dead in Religious Clash Between Buddhists and Muslims in Myanmar

By Irving Feng
Impunity Watch Reporter, Asia

MEIKHTILA, Myanmar – Myanmar declared a state of emergency on Friday and imposed martial law in four districts, including the city of Meikhtila, after violence broke out between Buddhists and Muslims.

Riot police attempt to restore calm and control in Meikhtila. (Photo courtesy of Reuters)

A police report said the clash between the two religious groups started after a Buddhist couple had an argument with a Muslim gold shop owner.  The argument took a turn for the worse and sparked an eruption of violence involving hundreds of people.

At least twenty people have been killed so far and dozens more have been wounded.  One of the casualties was a Buddhist monk.  Thousands of other bystanders have been displaced from their homes due to the conflict and two camps have been set up to house the victims.

Mobs of Buddhists marched through Meikhtila’s Muslim districts with torches burning down Muslim homes and other establishments.  Myanmar’s state run television reported mosques burning in Yamethin along with 50 more homes.  Mosques and other Muslim buildings in Lewei and Naypyitaw were also set on fire.

Local residents in the affected cities and districts had complained that there were not enough local police forces to quell the unrest.  Myanmar President Thein Sein sent in national military forces to take charge of security.  An overnight curfew was also imposed to improve safety for the citizens.

Ethnic and religious tensions had been simmering underneath the surface of Myanmar’s communities during 49 years of military rule which ceased in March of 2011.  The military rule had quashed all dissent and kept conflicts in check.  The fledgling democracy is now challenged with the task of unifying one of Asia’s most ethnically diverse countries.

Myanmar is largely Buddhist; however, roughly 5 percent of the 60 million residents are Muslim.  Historically, there are well established and long standing Muslims communities in Yangon and Mandalay, two of Myanmar’s largest cities.

This most recent outbreak of violence is similar to the conflict between Rahkine Buddhists and Muslim Rohingya last year in western Myanmar that affected and displaced more than 100,000 residents.  Human rights groups had warned that the western conflict could spread to other parts of the country.

In a separate incident last year, Buddhist monks held rallies against Muslims in the central part of Myanmar near the city of Mandalay.  The current conflict is described by locals as “unpredictable and dangerous.”

Many residents of Meikhtila, where the fighting was the worse, do not feel safe in their own communities.  An estimated 6000 residents have already fled their homes, including 1200 Muslims and have taken refuge at a police station and a large event stadium.

For further information, please see:

Charlotte Observer – Buddhists-Muslims violence spreads in Myanmar – 24 March 2013

Tulsa World News – Sectarian violence kills 20 in Myanmar; state of emergency declared – 23 March 2013

Reuters – Myanmar riots stoke fears of widening sectarian violence – 22 March 2013

Daily Mail – Myanmar riots stoke fears of widening sectarian violence – 21 March 2013

U.N. Passes Resolution Urges Independent Investigation of Sri Lankan Civil War

By Karen Diep
Impunity Watch Reporter, Asia

Sri Jayawardenapura Kotte, Sri Lanka – On Thursday, the United Nations’ Human Rights Council passed a resolution censuring Sri Lanka’s record.  In 2009, Sri Lanka’s military defeated separatist Tamil rebels after a brutal 26-year war; however, the war’s final phase is under heavy scrutiny.

A Sri Lankan Tamil woman holds a portrait of a missing relative. (Photo Courtesy of The Guardian)

Twenty-five countries voted in favor of the resolution, thirteen against, and eight absented.

The resolution urges Sri Lanka to implement an independent and credible inquiry into the alleged war crimes.

The Sri Lankan government has contended that its own investigation in 2011 should suffice. The Sri Lankan commission report cleared government forces of any violations. Despite the government’s report, human rights believe that Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa’s administration has ignored prior demands for accountability and has delayed implementing the limited recommendations.

According to BBC News, during the United Nations’ Human Rights Council’s proceedings, representatives from Sri Lanka criticized the resolution for jeopardizing the current reconciliation process. Representatives also alleged that the Unites States is targeting countries that do not conform to its “political agenda.”

The resolution echoes the concern over recent Buddhist attacks on Muslims and Christians. It also recognizes development in reforming infrastructure and mentions “considerable work lies ahead in the areas of justice, reconciliation and the resumption of livelihoods.”

Amnesty International stated that the resolution highlighted violation rights but failed to create an independent and international inquiry into the issue.

Other concerns include concern over extra-judicial killings, disappearances, torture, threats to the rule of law, intimidation of civil society activists and journalists, and religious discrimination.

According to T. K. Elangovan, a DMK spokesman, the Sri Lankan government has not met commitments to rehabilitate its Tamil population.  “It is the moral duty of the government of India to see that these assurances were fulfilled or else to put pressure on the government of Sri Lanka to see these assurances are kept up. Why India is a silent spectator,” inquired Mr. Elangovan.

Keheliya Rambukwella, Sri Lanka’s media minister, stated that that matter has been blown up out of proportion. “As long as there are extreme elements in the world you have these things, in even the most five-star democracies,” said Rambukwella.

For further information, please see:

ABC News – Sri Lanka Criticizes UN Resolution on War Abuses – 22 March 2013

BBC News – UN passes resolution against Sri Lanka rights record – 21 March 2013

Voice of America – UN Vote on Sri Lankan Civil War Threatens Indian Government – 19 March 2013

 

 

Another Tunisian Charged with Criminal Defamation

By Justin Dorman
Impunity Watch Reporter, Middle East

TUNIS, Tunisia – Olfa Riahi, a blogger from Tunisia, has been charged with criminal defamation just two weeks after university professor and psychoanalyst Raja Ben Slama was charged with defaming a public official.

Olfa Riahi can face up to two years imprisonment for her posts implicating a public official with misconduct. (Photo Courtesy of Middle East Online)

Olfa Riahi’s charges stem from statements she posted regarding Rafik Abdessalem having misused public funds. The post included hotel receipts indicating that Abdessalem stayed at a posh hotel in Tunis at the public’s expense and that he transferred funds from a foreign government into a foreign ministry account. Rafik Abdessalem was the foreign minister of Tunisia. He abdicated his position shortly after Riahi’s accusations.

If Riahi is convicted, she may face a prison sentence. It boggles the mind that one who publicly exposes potential corruption could be imprisoned for up to two years. An individual convicted for defamation can be sentenced to six months of imprisonment, however, there is a potential two year imprisonment for defaming a public official. Also, there are various fines associated with the specific charges in addition to the imprisonment.

Riahi is officially charged with violations of articles 245 and 128 of the penal code and article 86 of the telecommunications code. Defamation under the telecommunications code occurs as a result, “harming others or disrupting their lives through public communication networks.” Article 245 of the penal code describes defamation as “any allegation or public imputation of a fact that harms the honor or the esteem of a person or official body.”

The international human rights group, Human Rights Watch, has called on Tunisian authorities to revise their stance on criminal defamation. The group requested that Tunisia convert defamation charges from criminal cases to civil cases, in order to “conform to international norms on freedom of expression.”

Human Rights Watch’s deputy director on the Middle East and North Africa, Eric Goldstein, stated that “criminal defamation laws have a chilling effect on freedom of expression and work against the public interest by deterring people from speaking out about corruption or other misconduct by public officials.”

The aforementioned statement directly applies to the post Riahi made concerning Rafik Abdessalem alleged corruption. Furthermore, Abdessalem’s decision to step down could be viewed as an admission to the alleged corruption, making Riahi’s assertion seem more like a fact than defamation. The ability to make such statements is necessary to maintain the international human right of freedom of expression and to a practical effect, to keep a government honest.

For further information, please see:

Tunisia Live – Human Rights Watch Condemns Defamation Laws in Tunisia – 21 March 2013

Guardian – Tunisian Blogger Faces Prison – 20 March 2013

Human Rights Watch – Tunisia: Repeal Criminal Defamation Law – 20 March 2013

Middle East Online – Human Rights Watch: Tunisia’s Defamation law Threatens Free Speech – 20 March 2013

Mother’s Day in Syria

Syrian woman endure a significant burden of violations , on one hand and as all the Syrian people she shared men and Syrian all kind of violations made by Alassad troops , and in the other hand she also borne the pain of losing the man stand by her; when her husband and the father of her children get killed , arrested , or disappeared , She also endured the pain of losing her own kids , Not to mention that all the Syrian women without discrimination suffered from the crimes of torture , rape , abduction by Alassad troops

This reports lists five key facts :

1- Victim Mothers

2- Arrested , kidnapped and Raped Mothers

4- Widow mothers

5- Refugees mothers

7- Recommendations

 

First : victim Mothers

Alassad troops represented by Army , Shabiha , intelligence , since the Syrian uprising killed 7133 women documented by name , date , place , photos, and the way in which they murder ( shelling – breaking in – field executions, Among the victim women 2417 mothers including

– 138 more than 50 years old

– 8 teachers

– 6 in the medical field ( Physician and Pharmacist )

– Shockingly 7 mothers had been arrested and tortured to death in security branches cellars

please see all the details :

https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B9Bj18tlYYKBZFI5MlBUUUcyNW8/edit?pli=1

 

Some of Alassad troops mothers victims :

1- Engineer Nada Al-Masry

She appears in the photo next to her son Abdullah Tarsha, they were killed by Syrian government forces on 27/1/2012 when an armored of Alassad military forces shot their vehicle.

http://syrianhr.org/Upload/savefiles/nada.jpg

http://syrianhr.org/Upload/savefiles/nada1.jpg

http://syrianhr.org/Upload/savefiles/nada3.jpg

2- Ms. Fatima Khosrf

She was killed with her newborn baby Abdul Majid Khalid AlKassim, when Syrian government forces shelled Al Bayada eastern village of Homs in 04/09/2012

http://syrianhr.org/Upload/savefiles/fatma.jpg

3- Two sisters, Alaa and Israa Tohma

Engineer Esra Tohma and her sister Alaa were killed in Bosra Asham, Dara by a sniper bullet of Alassad troops while they were passing the street on 11/18/2012.

http://syrianhr.org/Upload/savefiles/alaa.jpg

4- Razan Al-Qises

She died cause of the random shelling of Alassad troops on Bloudan, Damascus countryside . She was married and has two children that were wounded by shelling on 13/08/2012; one of them lost his foot ..

http://syrianhr.org/Upload/savefiles/razan.jpg

5- Grandmother Haja Rashida Al-Yaseen

She is the wife of the victim Mahmoud Alboiadana, mother of the victim Abdelwakel, grandmother of the victim Khaled, aunt of the victim Abu Hisham and mother of activist Abdul Hamid, she is from Baba Amr/ Homs and killed in 12/1/2011

http://syrianhr.org/Upload/savefiles/rshde.jpg

 

Second : The Arrested Mothers

Among 19400 detained person in Syrain , Alassad troops arrested or abducted at least 6405 women, including 430 mothers 200 of them enforced disappearance

According to the standard of enforced disappearances ” Enforced disappearance takes place when a person is arrested, detained, abducted or otherwise deprived of their liberty by government officials or by organized groups or private individuals whose actions are condoned by the government in some way.

This is applied to nearly 200 mothers most of them were abducted by gangs working for Alassad troops known as “Shabiha”. Most of the abducted women are from Homs, Lattakia and Damascus countryside.

Arrested women treated with no regard of human nature or humanity. They are systematically and violently tortured , many of them also have been raped by Alassad troops in prisons although officials gave rape orders in particular for beautiful girls ( according to a testimony of dissident solider )

Syrian Lady called Salma 28 years old – mother of four children ( three girls and one boy ) admitted with tragedy of being raped by Alassad troops in Sahl Alroj and Korine towns

Salma said that 36 ladies was raped when Alassad troops broke down those towns , she was crying bitterly .

As a prove of that SNHR documented 20 cases of women ( including 7 mothers ) killed under severe and systematic torture suffered in conditions that violate human rights and all the international laws in this regard

In this regard Following link : lists of all documented women tortured to death with their details as displayed in link :

https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B9Bj18tlYYKBeGVaU0VNTnprYnc/edit?usp=sharing

Ladies in security branches had the worst times of detention , they exposed to tough treatments especially in the first days through investigations , it may takes week or even two months , if they are lucky they will be transferred to a prison where jailers continued intended policies to humiliate and violate their human dignity , prevented them from medical treatment , right of visiting , getting clothes , books , letters , newspapers and other basics rights

We should mention that there are only males in security branches ( detectives – guardians – nurses and prisoners ) they are all males

– In the ninth of February 2013, Mother Wafaa Alakla – 35 years old – arrested at Alassad army checkpoint with her three children (the older one is 14 years old ) and even the taxi driver who was carrying them , her husband was also arrested for a month and half and was released after investigating that he has no activity . He disappeared for a while and no one knows about him or Ms. Wafaa and her three kids anything at all making her family don’t know what to do .

– Alassad troops also arrested many ladies of society , Teachers , Old women and young girls , Now high class ladies and rural girls sharing the same penalties cause they decided to take a side against the Syrian government .

– – Mother Hanadi Faisal Alrifai – Daraa –arrested in 16-3-2012 ,for more that 7 months suffered within the cruelest ways of tortures physically and psychologically , in one charge only is to help one solider to get his mother , She tells stories about the suffering of girls who met them in prisons

– -Mother and Colleague student Adawia Hamad also arrested with six of colleague and held several months in one of the security branches in charge of formatting coordination in Raqa university , although her father is causes of Jasim Hamad –head of political security branch in Dier Alzoor , No one is able to know her destiny and her colleague even time

– Mother and Physician May Jandali – 50 Years old –arrested in Adraa prison since 7-11-2012 , she participated with first demonstration in 25-3-2011 from Umayyad mosque in Damascus , and participated also with women sit with many intellectuals and other women in Midan neighborhood in Damascus , she was arrested at checkpoint when she was coming back to home .

This was negatively reflected by the asylum and escape out of the country as the network statistics indicate that more than 70% of the refugees are women and children

 

Third : Widows

At least 54.000 women lost her husband since Syrian uprising two years ago , 40,000 of them are mothers

  1. SNHR documented more than 35.000 married has been killed , leaving their wives widows
  1. Enforced disappearance : almost 19.000 thousand married men among more than 60 thousand individuals are enforced disappearance , that led to 19000 women don’t know whether they are married or widows , is her husband a life or Alassad troops executed him , which make us back into time to 1982 in Hama , where at least 12000 married men disappeared and the city suffered for decades of this situation

 

Fourth : Refugee , half million women refugees in neighboring countries including 350.000 mother

SNHR estimates that’s more than 70% of the refugee are women and children , the main reason for leaving Syria is fear of rape and violation

SNHR statistics about refugee in neighborhood countries more than exceeded 1,4 million refugee in January 2013 , that’s mean we have almost one million women and children refugee in the neighboring countries

 

Fifth : Results and Recommendations

SNHR conclude that Alassad troops committed all types of abuse against of Syrian Women

1- Crimes against humanity , according to article 7 of ROME STATUE OF INTERNATIONAL CRIMINAL COURT :

( all terms of this article are grossly applied ) :

(f) Torture;

(g) Rape

(i) Enforced disappearance of persons;

(h) Persecution

 

2- Crimes against humanity , according to article 8 War Crimes of ROME STATUE OF INTERNATIONAL CRIMINAL COURT :

( all terms of this article are grossly applied ) :

(i) Willful killing;

(ii) Torture or inhuman treatment, including biological experiments;

(iii) Wilfully causing great suffering, or serious injury to body or health

(iv) Extensive destruction and appropriation of property, not justified by military necessity and carried out unlawfully and wantonly;

(vi) Willfully depriving a prisoner of war or other protected person of the rights of fair and regular trial;

(vii) Unlawful deportation or transfer or unlawful confinement;

b) xxii) Committing rape, sexual slavery, enforced prostitution, forced pregnancy, as defined in article 7, paragraph 2 (f), enforced sterilization, or any other form of sexual violence also constituting a grave breach of the Geneva Conventions;

 

Recommendations

Immediate and urgent intervention to ensure the maintenance of security and civil peace and to stop the instantaneous violations against Syrian mothers

The United Nations and the Security Council to take their responsibilities towards the Syrian Mothers and pressure on the Syrian government to release thousands of detainees at full speed and bring the perpetrators of crimes to International Court Ganaúat

الشبكة السورية لحقوق الإنسانSyrian Network for Human Rights 

https://www.facebook.com/syrianhr

Syrian Revolution Digest: Friday, 22 March 2013

The Road Ahead!

Government goes down in Lebanon. Truce declared between PKK and Turkey. Israel apologizes to Turkey. Turkey accepts. ‘Tis nothing but a region rearranging itself around developments in Syria, in preparation for rearranging Syria herself. The end result, in the words of President Obama, will not be “ideal.” It’s going to take many more years of civil activism to make it so. But then, that’s how revolutions work. You start with a protest that triggers a civil war that metastasizes into a proxy war that leads to new external arrangements which, in turn, “inspire” internal arrangements, and violà: a  new order emerges that needs to be challenged in new ways to become popularly legitimate, stable and durable. But at least that’s the optimistic take on things. On the long run, I am forever an optimist. It’s the short run that kills me.  

 

Today’s Death Toll: 100 martyrs, including 5 women, 12 children and 2 martyrs under torture: 28 in Damascus and Suburbs, 18 in Daraa, 17 in Hama (9 executed in Kernaz), 13 in Aleppo, 9 in Homs, 5 in Raqqa, 5 in Idlib, and 5 in Deir Ezzor (LCCs).

Points of Random Shelling: 340 points. Shelling with warplanes 14 points. Explosive barrels in 6 points. Scud missiles in 3. Surface-to-surface missiles in 3. Shelling with mortars in 107. Artillery in 112. Rocket launchers in 95 (LCCs).

Clashes: 110. Successful rebel operations include shooting down a MIG warplane in eastern Hama Province and targeting an armored car in Tal Othman. In Homs, FSA rebels imposed a siege on the Dabaa military airport and repelled several attempt by regime forces to storm the old neighborhoods of Homs City, and of the town of Al-Dar Al-Kabira. In Daraa, rebels liberated the checkpoint at Janin and destroyed an armored vehicle in Sheik Meskin. In Aleppo City, rebels regained control of Saed Bin Abi Waqqas Mosque in Salah Eddin neighborhood. In Damascus, rebels in Daraya destroyed a T72 tank and repelled attempts to storm (LCCs).

 

News

Obama Warns Syria Could Become Enclave For Extremists “I am very concerned about Syria becoming an enclave for extremism because extremists thrive in chaos,” the president said at a joint news conference with Jordan’s King Abdullah II. “They don’t have much to offer when it comes to actually building things, but they’re very good about exploiting situations that are no longer functioning. They fill that gap.” Obama said he was certain that Assad will go, saying “it’s not a question of if, it’s when,” and urged the international community to work together to accelerate a viable political transition. “We can’t do it alone, and the outcome in Syria is not going to be ideal. Even if we execute our assistance and our coordination and our planning and our support flawlessly, the situation in Syria now is going to be difficult,” he said. “Something has been broken in Syria, and it’s not going to be put back together perfectly immediately anytime soon, even after Assad leaves,” he said.

Lebanon’s government falls “I have sought, as much as I could, to preserve Lebanon and keep it away from erupting volcanoes to protect the balance [in the country],” he added. The premier called for the formation of a national-salvation government, saying, “There will be no rescue [for Lebanon] except through dialogue and making room for the formation of a salvation government in which all groups are represented.” Miqati’s resignation came after the cabinet failed to approve the formation of a supervisory electoral body and did not vote on the extension of the tenure of Internal Security Forces chief Ashraf Rifi, who like Miqati is a prominent Sunni figure from Tripoli. The PM said it was “necessary that Rifi continues to hold his position during these circumstances.”

Israeli Apology Resets Alliance With Turkey: Netanyahu’s Contrition on 2010 Raid Offers U.S. Renewed Leverage in Mideast The rapprochement between the two countries could boost Ankara’s bid to topple Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, if it results in the pooling of Israel’s technology and intelligence capabilities with Turkey’s robust military presence on the Syrian border, analysts said.

France, Britain fail to win easing of Syria arms ban Paris and London want to exempt Assad’s opponents from an EU arms embargo, a step they believe would raise pressure on Assad to negotiate after two years of a civil war that has claimed 70,000 lives. But they won little support from other EU member states at a foreign ministers’ meeting in Dublin, diplomats said, despite raising concerns about chemical weapons to bolster their case.

On Capitol Hill, calls for action in Syria Two senior U.S. senators who are influential in Washington on national security and foreign policy circles sent Obama a letter on Thursday urging him to do just that. Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman Sen. Carl Levin, D-Mich., and Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., told Obama he should use air strikes and take other measures to cripple Assad’s military, boost the opposition and protect Syrian citizens. On Friday, several senators joined the chorus arguing for intervention, and several others signaled they are not opposed.

Armenians Flee War In Syria For Homeland, One Century After They Left Mass Killings In Turkey ArmeniaNow, which is published by a nongovernmental organization, has reported that at least 6,000 Armenian families have departed or were forced out of Syria since the civil war erupted two years ago. BBC reports the number is closer to 10,000.

The Jihadist from Phoenix Eric Harroun claims to have joined up with an al Qaeda-linked group fighting in Syria’s brutal civil war. We tracked him down, but getting the truth was more difficult.

Syria’s refugee brides:’My daughter is willing to sacrifice herself for her family’ Refugee brides: Woman takes a cut to help Syrian refugee girls in Jordan find Arab grooms from all over Middle East

 

Special Reports

CIA Expands Role in Syria Fight: Agency Feeds Intelligence to Rebel Fighters, in Move That Deepens U.S. Involvement in Conflict

The provision of actionable intelligence to small rebel units which have been vetted by the CIA represents an increase in U.S. involvement in the two-year-old conflict, the officials said. The CIA would neither confirm nor deny any role in providing training or intelligence to the Syrian rebels… The CIA has sent officers to Turkey to help vet rebels that receive arms shipments from Gulf allies, but administration officials say the results have been mixed, citing concerns about weapons going to Islamists. In Iraq, the CIA has been directed by the White House to work with elite counterterrorism units to help the Iraqis counter the flow of al Qaeda-linked fighters across the border with Syria. The West favors fighters aligned with the Free Syrian Army, which supports the Syrian Opposition Coalition political group… The U.S. uses satellites and other surveillance systems to collect intelligence on Syrian troop and aircraft movements as well as weapons depots. Officials say powerful radar arrays in Turkey are likewise used to track Syrian ballistic missiles and can pinpoint launch sites.

The Dom: Syria’s Invisible Refugeesone ethnic minority has undergone more than its share of suffering — both during the current fighting and for centuries preceding it — and few outside of Syria know much about it. The group is known as the Dom and it has been a presence in Syria since before the Ottoman Empire. Often mislabeled by the pejorative “gypsies,” the Dom get their name from their language, Domari, means “man.”  They have joined the exodus of Christian, Muslim and other Syrians refugees into Jordan, Lebanon, Turkey and beyond.  But wherever they go, they generally face a less than warm welcome.

My new paper, prepared for a briefing in Washington, D.C. that took place on January 15, 2013, is now out and is titled “Syria 2013: Rise of the Warlords.” It should be read in conjunction with my previous briefing “The Shredded Tapestry,” and my recent essay “The Creation of an Unbridgeable Divide.

 

Video Highlights

Activists from the town of Yelda in Eastern Ghoutah, Damascus Suburbs, claim that the pink smoke we see here is a poison gas that has been used against local populations leading to a number of cases of suffocation http://youtu.be/Jr7S0AJyHrE Elsewhere in the city, in the neighborhood of Sidi Qaddad, the pounding leave several dead http://youtu.be/ChS1nVQJKS0 , http://youtu.be/_Dt_CYPXlX4

Al-Jazeerah correspondent, Ahmad Zeidan, embedded with the rebels around the Damascus claims that rebels killed two Afghan militiamen today who were taking part in the protection of Ruqaiyah Shrine in Damascus City. There is a small Shia population in Damascus whose members hail from different parts of South Asia, and the regime has been recruiting them for its operations around Shia shrines. As sectarianism increases, it is quite likely that the regime could attempt to recruit Shia fighters from across the world and not only Lebanon, Iraq and Turkey (Alawites) to carry on its war, as I argued in Rise of the Warlords.

Douma and other rebel strongholds in Eastern Ghoutah, Damascus Suburbs, come under intense shelling http://youtu.be/VrsrrQ–qoQ Zamalka http://youtu.be/jyL5PWag86s , http://youtu.be/2OEjdrRU-6I

The pounding of rebel strongholds in Damascus City continues: Yarmouk Camp http://youtu.be/ZQwX1AwTwlM Maisat http://youtu.be/IHXXhosCVO4 Tadamon http://youtu.be/sxP9CdRuaws , http://youtu.be/kLnUF-tvFKU

Rebels gathering to carry out attack on a local loyalist regiment on the southern outskirts of Damascus City http://youtu.be/Ga6AtHMuPf0 , http://youtu.be/orA12X0z1oo Soon, MIG fighters began pounding rebel positions http://youtu.be/ERbv0gX2nTE

In Eastern Ghoutah, rebels from the Maghaweer Brigades continue their “cleanup operations” against loyalist outpost consolidating rebel hold on the ground http://youtu.be/Qj4l_vtHcg0

To the West, the pounding of the town of Daraya continues http://youtu.be/a7LmFtf5QFU

Violent clashes between rebels and loyalists continue to rock Daraa City http://youtu.be/NKBMMGUFDHM , http://youtu.be/KuwUM_MczGI House to house combat http://youtu.be/qzkcdj3p3Cc Street to street http://youtu.be/AadTgx71Y4o

Al-Wa’er Neighborhood in Homs city comes under intense shelling http://youtu.be/aV8FHjMLKfE Fires erupt http://youtu.be/SIbxjeHZ_4E , http://youtu.be/kxdUizUgpuM , http://youtu.be/UjEJncRT8uA Khaldiyeh neighborhood was also targeted http://youtu.be/01_CxrWv1-8

The pounding of the town of Rastan continues http://youtu.be/npdhOfhqr9o , http://youtu.be/Ll-u3rCMByI

Jabhat Al-Nusrah consolidates its hold on the town of Kabajib in Deir Ezzor Province, by clearing the last loyalist outpost and capturing these prisoners http://youtu.be/yALJ-Wbkbbw