Thursday, June 30, 2011

Syrian troops kill 11 dissidents, as US mounts pressure on Assad

At least 11 people were killed and 50 others wounded by Syrian troops when they stormed villages in the northwest of the country on Wednesday to crack down on anti-government demonstrators, activists said, as Washington piled new pressure on the regime and its Iranian ally over the repression.

The latest military action came as hundreds of lawyers staged a sit-in in the second city of Aleppo calling for freedom and the release of prisoners and regime loyalists held a counter-protest, activists said.

The Aleppo sit-in came as calls mounted on the Internet for a massive rally to take place Thursday in the northern city—the country’s economic center.

“The men are fleeing the villages because they are afraid they will be arrested,” an activist told AFP in Nicosia by telephone.

Earlier the head of the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights told AFP soldiers, backed by tanks and troops carriers, were conducting searches in the villages.

“They are currently at the outskirts of Al Bara,” a hamlet known for its Roman remains, said Rami Abdel Rahman. “The soldiers are deployed in the villages and are conducting searches.”

The London-based Observatory says 1,342 civilians have been killed since mid-March in a crackdown by President Bashar Al Assad’s regime on the reformist movement and that 342 security force personnel have also died.

Meanwhile, the US Treasury Department said on Wednesday it was imposing sanctions against Syria’s security forces for human rights abuses and against Iran for supporting the Syrian regime.

Treasury named the four major branches of Syria’s security forces and said any assets they may have subject to US jurisdiction will be frozen and that Americans are barred from any dealing with them.

“Today’s action builds on the (Obama) administration’s efforts to pressure (Syrian President Bashar) Al Assad and his regime to end the use of wanton violence,” said David Cohen, Treasury’s acting under secretary for terrorism and financial intelligence.

State Department spokesman Mark Toner was asked what effect the sanctions would have, given that those targeted were unlikely to have assets under US jurisdiction.

“These (sanctions) also limit the ability for other international companies and investors to do business with them as well, so it does have a broad reach,” Mr. Toner said. “More importantly, it sends a message that we’re watching these individuals’ actions and not only watching them but we’re taking action against them.”

Treasury also named Ismail Ahmadi Moghadam, the chief of Iran’s Law Enforcement Forces, and a deputy, Ahmad-Reza Radan, for aiding Syria. It said Mr. Radan traveled to Damascus in April to offer expertise in Syria’s crackdown on the Syrian people.

Syria has been in turmoil for three months as pro-democracy forces press Mr. Al-Assad’s government for reforms. Syria has imposed restrictions on media that make it difficult to verify accounts of violence but rights groups claim hundreds of protesters have been killed and thousands detained.

(Mustapha Ajbaili, a senior editor at Al Arabiya English

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