Syria

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Syrian Rebels Retreat From Homs Stronghold

Government troops take over Baba Amr neighborhood

(Newser) - Syria's opposition forces made a "tactical retreat" from a crisis-torn section of Homs today. The rebels left Baba Amr after a month of fighting, hoping to curb the threat to the 4,000 civilians who have stayed in the area despite the violence, al-Jazeera reports. Syrian government forces...

Syrian Opposition Forms Military Bureau

Rebels say they have so far kept the government out of Homs

(Newser) - Syria's main political opposition group today announced that it was forming a "military bureau" to unify and coordinate the Free Syrian army and other armed opposition groups opposing Bashar al-Assad. Speaking in Paris, the Syrian National Council's leader said they had originally hoped for a nonviolent revolt,...

Syria Launches Ground Assault to 'Clean' Baba Amr

Western journalists trapped inside city

(Newser) - Syrian ground troops advanced on Homs today, indicating that the regime was about to launch a ground assault to take the restive city. One Syrian official told the AP that the rebel-held Baba Amr neighborhood would be "cleaned" in a matter of hours. Three western journalists are still trapped...

13 Syrians Killed Saving Injured British Journalist

Paul Conroy smuggled from Homs into Lebanon

(Newser) - The wounded British photographer who was spirited out of the besieged Syrian city of Homs to safety in Lebanon escaped at a terrible cost to the rebels who helped him. Activists say 13 of their number were killed by snipers and shelling in the drive to rescue Paul Conroy and...

144 Killed in New Syria Massacre
 144 Killed in Syria Massacre 
Feb 28, 2012 7:05 AM CST

144 Killed in Syria Massacre

Some 64 slaughtered at single checkpoint, say witnesses

(Newser) - At least 144 people were killed yesterday in the latest Syrian violence, including some 64 slaughtered in a "horrifying massacre" at a single checkpoint in Homs province, according to witnesses. But the government has no plans to end its attacks on citizens. Syrian Foreign Minister Walid Moallem vowed to...

Syria: 89% Approved New Constitution

West not convinced, though much of opposition may have boycotted

(Newser) - Syria's new constitution was backed by more than 89% of voters, the nation's Interior Ministry announced today, even as violence continues to rage across the country and the West decries the referendum as a sham . The Interior Ministry claims that more than 57% of Syria's 14 million...

West Backed Arab Spring for Corporate Gain: Putin

Warns against attacking Iran, intervening in Syria

(Newser) - Vladimir Putin is talking tough on foreign policy ahead of next Sunday's election. The Russian president has warned Western nations against attacking Iran or intervening militarily in Syria, the AP reports. The growing threat of an attack on Iran over its nuclear program "alarms Russia," Putin writes...

As Syria Votes, West Decries 'Sham'

Hillary Clinton calls on Syrians to oust Bashar al-Assad

(Newser) - Syria is deciding today on a referendum on a new constitution, with embattled President Bashar al-Assad leading the voting on his central effort to placate those who've sought his ouster for nearly a year now. Assad's detractors, however, were unconvinced, reports the AP , with many in the West...

Red Cross Begins Evacuations in Syria

At least seven wounded people taken to hospital in Homs

(Newser) - A small measure of progress in Syria: The Red Cross managed to convince Syrian troops and opposition forces to allow ambulances into a hard-hit area in the city of Homs. Seven injured people were rescued and brought to a hospital, reports AP . It's unclear whether two wounded foreign journalists—...

'Friends of Syria' Meet, Plan to Put Screws to Assad

Opposition activist says they're turning a blind eye as rebels smuggle in weapons

(Newser) - With UN action looking unlikely, diplomats from dozens of countries converged on Tunisia today for a "Friends of Syria" conference to chart a political solution to the Syrian crisis. Their goal is to create a "tsunami wave" of pressure against Bashar al-Assad, stripping away his internal support, CNN...

UN: Syrian Snipers Targeting Children

Regime leaders accused of crimes against humanity

(Newser) - Syrian army snipers are deliberately targeting women and small children, and its security forces are dragging wounded people out of hospitals to be tortured, according to a United Nations report accusing the regime of crimes against humanity. Fragmentation mortar bombs have been fired into densely populated neighborhoods, and the orders...

Syria Deliberately Targeted Journalists

Army doesn't want the story to get out

(Newser) - Syrian troops had vowed to shoot to kill Western reporters when an American and French journalist were targeted yesterday, according to sources. Troops pledged to "kill any journalist who set foot on Syrian soil," the press was warned, reports the Telegraph . Marie Colvin, 56, and French photographer Remi...

Slain Journo Was Supposed to Leave Syria Yesterday

She was working on a story, explains her mother

(Newser) - A heartbreaking addendum to the story of Marie Colvin , the American working for Britain's Sunday Times who was killed in Homs today. Her mother tells Newsday that Colvin was due to leave Syria yesterday but opted to stay one more day. "She had a story she felt was...

US Journo Dies in 'Sickening' Homs Shelling

Reporter Marie Colvin's last video said, 'I saw a baby die today'

(Newser) - Two veteran war journalists were killed as Syrian government forces shelled the city of Homs, opposition activists say. The pair were named as Marie Colvin, an American working for Britain's Sunday Times, and French photographer Remi Ochlik, Reuters reports. Three other journalists were injured when a shell hit a...

27 Young Men Shot Dead in Syria

Is the US considering arming the rebels?

(Newser) - Some 27 young men were shot dead when Syrian troops raided three villages in the northern province of Idlib, a human rights group said today. The latest bloodshed came as US officials appeared to open the door to arming the rebels if a political solution to clashes can't be...

Iranian Warships Sail From Syria

Their presence had raised tensions there

(Newser) - A pair of Iranian warships that had been docked in Syria departed today, after a visit that seemed designed to show support for Bashar al-Assad's regime. The ships arrived Saturday, officially to provide maritime training to Syria, according to Iran's state-run TV. But their presence, along with that...

Syrian Troops Surround Rebel City, Fire on Damascus Protesters

Red Cross pleads for humanitarian truce

(Newser) - Syrian troops are massing outside the rebellious city of Homs, and human rights groups fear that one of the bloodiest crackdowns of the 11-month uprising is imminent. The district of Baba Amr is an opposition stronghold, and residents aim to fight until "the last person," an activist tells...

Senators McCain, Graham Push to Arm Syrian Rebels

They argue that a new government there would weaken Iran

(Newser) - John McCain and Lindsey Graham think the US isn't doing enough to help the Syrian opposition, and have drawn up proposals to provide humanitarian aid and arm rebel fighters. "I believe there are ways to get weapons to the opposition without direct United States involvement," McCain, the...

China to Syria: End Violence, Diss the West

China foreign minister calls for peace in Syria, but wants UN out

(Newser) - China may have voted against the UN Security Council resolution calling for Syrian President Bashar al-Assad to step down , but Beijing says it wants an end to the violence there, reports al-Jazeera . "China supports all the mediation efforts by the Arab League to find a political solution to the...

Syrian Forces Fire on Funeral
 Syrian Forces Fire on Mourners 
Feb 18, 2012 8:00 AM CST

Syrian Forces Fire on Mourners

At least one dead in Damascus

(Newser) - Syrian security forces fired live rounds and tear gas at thousands of people marching today in a funeral procession that turned into a protest in Damascus. At least one person was killed, activists said. It was one of the largest demonstrations in the capital since the 11-month-old uprising against President...

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