The UN has suspended operations in Syria and begun withdrawing non-essential staff. Source: AAP
FIGHTING between rebels and Syrian regime troops has raged in and around the capital Damascus, with opposition fighters pushing their way closer to the seat of President Bashar Assad's power base.
The rebels have notched a series of tactical victories in recent weeks, overrunning two air bases near Damascus and capturing a hydroelectric dam in the north.
Gunmen shot dead a journalist for a pro-government newspaper near Damascus on Tuesday, Syria's official news agency said.
With the Syrian regime feeling squeezed, US officials said intelligence reports show Assad may be readying his chemical and biological weapons and may be desperate enough to use them.
Any use by the Syrian regime of chemical weapons against its own people would spark an immediate reaction by the international community, NATO head Anders Fogh Rasmussen warned on Tuesday.
"The possible use of chemical weapons would be completely unacceptable to the whole international community and I would expect an immediate reaction from the international community," Rasmussen said.
Speaking at the opening of a NATO meeting expected to approve Turkey's request for Patriot batteries to counter any Syrian threat, Rasmussen said Damascus' chemical weapons stockpiles were "a matter of great concern".
The heavy fighting around the capital - the heaviest since July - prompted the United Nations on Monday to announce it was withdrawing most of its international staff from Syria due to deteriorating security in the country.
The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said Tuesday's clashes between rebels and troops loyal to Assad were taking place in Beit Saham, Akraba and Yalda suburbs, as well as near the capital's international airport. The Observatory relies on reports from activists on the ground.
The Damascus suburbs, which have been opposition strongholds since the uprising against Assad began in March 2011, have been the scene of heavy fighting since last week following the start of an army offensive to regain lost territory around the capital.
Assad's forces have so far repelled major rebel advances on the capital, though their hold may be slipping.
Syria's official SANA news agency said a journalist for the state-run Tishrin newspaper was killed near his home in al-Tadhamon suburb of Damascus. Naji Assaad was "assassinated by an armed terrorist group" on his way to work, SANA said. The regime refers to rebels fighting to topple Assad as terrorists.
Syria is believed to have several hundred ballistic surface-to-surface missiles capable of carrying chemical warheads, and a US defence official said American and allied intelligence officials have detected activity around more than one of Syria's chemical weapons sites in the last week.
Syria's Foreign Ministry said on Monday that Syria "will not use chemical weapons - if there are any - against its own people under any circumstances".
The comments from the ministry came just hours after Lebanese security officials said Jihad Makdissi, the Foreign Ministry's spokesman, flew from Beirut to London.
It was not clear Tuesday whether Makdissi had defected. He is known for defending the regime's crackdown on dissent in fluent English.
Anda sedang membaca artikel tentang
Rebels, troops clash near Syria capital
Dengan url
http://jemuranduit.blogspot.com/2012/12/rebels-troops-clash-near-syria-capital.html
Anda boleh menyebar luaskannya atau mengcopy paste-nya
Rebels, troops clash near Syria capital
namun jangan lupa untuk meletakkan link
Rebels, troops clash near Syria capital
sebagai sumbernya
0 komentar:
Posting Komentar