Syrian tanks circle town as unrest continues
Elsewhere in the Arab world, unrest is continuing in Yemen and Tunisia, while Shi’ites pulled out of reconciliation talks in Bahrain.
Returning to Syria, Assad — from the minority Alawite sect — has sent troops into towns across the country to try to end four months of protests against his rule. But activists say discontent is growing within the mostly Sunni army rank and file.
Killings, mostly carried out by ultra loyalist units, are leading to limited defections within the military, which is controlled by mostly Alawite officers who ultimately answer to Assad’s feared brother Maher, activists say.
Syria’s fractured opposition is also taking steps to unite, forming a 25-member National Salvation Council composed of Islamists, liberals and independents at a meeting in Istanbul on Saturday and agreeing to work toward a democratic vision.
More than 1,400 civilians have been killed since the protests began in March, human rights groups say.
Some 1,000 troops and security forces, backed by tanks and helicopters, surrounded Albu Kamal overnight, a poor eastern border crossing with Iraq, a day after military intelligence agents there killed five protesters, including a 14-year-old boy, residents said.
The killings drove thousands into the streets, overwhelming soldiers and secret police. Residents said around 100 Air Force intelligence personnel and the crew of at least four armoured vehicles joined the protesters.
In Yemen, forces backed by armed tribesmen launched an offensive to retake Zinjibar, capital of southern Abyan province, officials said yesterday, after months of fighting with Islamist militants who seized the capital and another city.
Dozens have been killed and 54,000 civilians have fled Abyan, which has descended into daily bloodshed as the army faces a rising challenge from militants the government says have ties to al-Qaida.
In Tunisia, police fired into the air to disperse rioters in the capital early yesterday, and were attacked by crowds throwing petrol bombs in another city, in the most violent clashes yet involving Islamists.
The rioting is the starkest sign to date of the friction between Tunisia’s secular establishment and Islamists who have been growing more assertive since the country’s leader was ousted six months ago.
Yesterday’s violence was sparked by an incident on Friday when police fired tear gas inside a mosque.
