Syria Update, January 1, 2013 – The 658th day of the conflict. (Institute of Middle Eastern, Islamic and Strategic Studies. By Sherifa Zuhur)
Early deathtoll: 115
Monday’s deathtoll: 175 including 67 civilians.
Sunday’s deathtoll: More than 130
Saturday’s deathtoll: 397 were reported killed which included 200 who were reportedly executed by the Syrian military at Deir Ba`lba
Defectors: A group of 40 people including 20 defecting Syrian soldiers, a general and their families crossed the Turkish border and were taken to the Apaydin refugee camp.
A vicious attack on detainees by regime forces was obtained by SOHR today.
Young Syrians have made a film: The Assassination of Bashar al-Assad. (It would be far better if he were taken alive and tried. Justice differs from revenge. But it is just as likely that he will escape to Caracas)
The Aleppo International Airport was closed about 12 hours ago because of repeated assaults by the opposition according to Syrian authorities speaking anonymously. However, airport authorities used the excuse that the closures were due to maintenance work on the runways. Fierce clashes were reported near the airport. Yesterday, there was a huge explosion inside the airport and flights were suspended.
The Syrian military bombarded Marjeh killing 8 civilians, including 4 children and 1 woman. A sniper killed a man in Bustan al-Qasr and one man was found dead in Ashrafiyya while another was found dead near Anadan.
A cameraman working for Reuters, Ayman al-Sahili who is a Libyan citizen was shot in the leg, treated in Syria and driven to Turkey on Monday.
Extremely heavy shelling today at Daraya by the Syrian military using warplanes. Rocket fire by the Syrian military hit Daraya on Monday killing 5, as the government tried to take back opposition gains in this area using a column of armored tanks. The Syrian military also shelled Irbin. Opposition fighters attacked a checkpoint in Barzeh area.
Clashes took place in the eastern Ghouta, Hjeira and Sayyida Zeinab killing 4 opposition troops. The Syrian military’s shelling of Douma, Daraya, Shab’a, Shifoniyya and Thiyabiyya killed 8 civilians including a child. In Hjeira, the Syrian military detained two men and tortured them to death. A sniper killed one person in Mu’adamiyya and one man was killed at a checkpoint in Hfeirat al-Fouqa.
Rocket fire and snipers killed 2 man in the Yarmouk camp. Shelling on Hajar al-Aswad killed two children. A body was found in Asali.
http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/01/01/us-syria-crisis-idUSBRE8AJ1FK20130101
Yesterday’s regime shelling of Daraya, al-Zabani and Mu’adamiyya killed 18 opposition troops. The Syrian military also shelled Bahadliyya, Douma, Hamouriyya, Qara, Misraba, Sabiana, Thiyaba, killing 24 civilians.
On Sunday, 30 initially unidentified corpses were found in Barzeh with marks of torture on the bodies. The bodies of 3 children were found with their throats slit in another area. http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5h9q5WUOlOiAEot74pCADUOKg5QEA?docId=CNG.ab7198fe9626d1fbe63aa65693986ab5.01
4 opposition fighters were killed in the governorate today including 1 in clashes in al-Lijah. Yesterday’s shelling of al-Maliha al-Sharqiyya killed one man. Regime forces detained one man in the city of Dara`a and tortured him to death.
Deir az-Zur province:
https://maps.google.com/maps?hl=en&q=Dayr+Az+Zor+province+map&ie=UTF-8&hq=&hnear=0x1548153314d3dbad:0x9d5a68804221c27f,Deir+ez-Zor+Governorate,+Syria&gl=us&ei=WtLLUJL5NanI0QGozIH4Bw&ved=0CDMQ8gEwAA
There was heavy shelling by the Syrian military of the al-Jbeila neighborhood of Deir az-Zur. A sniper killed one man in Deir az-Zur. A rocket shot onto the Deir az-Zur-Mayadeen road killed 3 opposition fighters.
The opposition bombed or otherwise caused an explosion of the natural gas pipeline about 30 kilometers north of Deir az-Zur and some 1.5 million cubic meters of gas was lost. The gas feeds into electricity plants.
Yesterday, regime shelling on Deir az-Zur killed one civilian and another died from the shelling on Muhassan.
Civilian deaths were reported in the village of Ma`an.
Yesterday, clashes took place in Helfaya and the countryside of al-Raqqah killing 3 opposition troops. 4 wounded in prior shelling of Tibat al-Imam and Morek died yesterday. The body of one civilian was found in the town of Salamiyya.
Clashes took place in al-Se’en, killing 4 opposition troops.
One man died of his wounds in a prior shelling of al-Qseir.
Yesterday, a man died of wounds from gunfire in Jousiyya. An IED exploding killed one man in Telkalakh.
The stench of burning bodies was reported in Homs on Sunday.
http://edition.cnn.com/2012/12/30/world/meast/syria-civil-war/index.html
Clashes in Ma`arat Nu`man killed an opposition fighter today. Yesterday, 3 opposition fighters were killed in clashes in Ma`arat al-Nu`man, while one fighter of the Saraqeb Revolutionary Front was killed in clashes.
This video shows the extent of the damage in Ma`arat al-Nu`man. http://www.reuters.com/video/2012/12/31/syrian-town-decimated-by-conflict?videoId=240211580&videoChannel=-13408
Here is a story of a young man from Idlib now working with the media and as a media activist http://alpha.syriadeeply.org/2013/01/cats-guns-spoils-rural-idlib/#.UONtrmAuihY
A sniper killed 4 civilians in the city of Ariha. The Syrian air force’s bomging of Taftanaz killed one woman.
Raqqa province:
The Syrian military and the opposition engaged in clashes in Tabqah killing one opposition fighter.
On Sunday, opposition fighters killed Shaykh Abdullah al-Saleh, the head of the Islamic Awqaf. He was shot outside his home in Besrawi.
International
On Sunday, Lakhdar Brahimi predicted that 100,000 more Syrians could die if no-one accepts a peace plan.. http://www.euronews.com/2012/12/30/100000-more-could-die-in-syria-brahimi/
Here are Osama al-Sharif’s thoughts on the Brahimi plan: http://www.arabnews.com/militants-could-unite-syria-foes-and-friends
The exhibition “From Syria with Love” is open until Jan. 10th , 2013 in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. http://www.arabnews.com/syria-love-letters-bearing-art-war
A conference on Syria’s refugees will be held in Beirut, Lebanon from January 18 to 20, 2013. The First Conference on Syrian Refugees in Lebanon: Issues and Solutions was organized by the Union of Aid Organizations for Syrian Refugees in Lebanon, the World Assembly of Muslim Youth in Saudi Arabia and the International Islamic Charitable Commission of Kuwait.
Urgent Request: Rita Zawaideh is organizing a trip for physicians who will be treating Syrian refugees in Jordan. Beyond urgent care, there is apparently an outbreak of meningitis among Syrians at the hospital. (There are doctors in the camps treating people, but not nearly enough and not outside.) I have known Rita Zawaideh for approximately 22 years. She is a wonderful community activist and heads the Salaam Cultural Museum. Email: Rita@salaamculturalmuseum.org Rita@caravan-serai.com
NEEDED: a plastic surgeon, a pediatrician, and
a neurosurgeon
(they would need to cover their own air fare & 6 nights stay at $120 – $150 a night, unless willing to share a room. They will be sharing the cost of meals)
samples of medications, used medical supplies, surgical instruments
Details: The group will leave on Saturday: January 26-2013 and return on Friday February 1-2013
Team already includes: a trauma orthopedic and spinal surgeon; a cardiologist,
a pulmonary and critical care specialist, rehabilitation and spinal cord injury specialist, a donation coordinator, a medical student, a physician facilitator and Ms. Zawaideh.
sherifazuhur 