Syria assault on Latakia drives 5,000 Palestinians from refugee camp

Palestinian refugees in Syria flee attack by Assad gunboats and soldiers on their camp in port city of Latakia More than 5,000 Palestinian refugees have fled a camp in Latakia, Syria, after President Bashar al-Assad’s forces attacked the port city in the latest military crackdown on dissent, the UN said on Monday. UNRWA , the UN agency that aids Palestinian refugees, said the camp’s residents fled after Latakia came under fire from gunboats and ground troops over the weekend. It was not immediately clear where the refugees were seeking shelter. “We are calling for access to the camp to find out what is going on,” said UNRWA spokesman Chris Gunness. “There were 10,000 refugees in the camp and we need to find out what is happening to them.” Assad has dramatically escalated the crackdown on the five-month-old uprising since the start of the holy month of Ramadan. Despite international outrage, the regime is trying to re-establish firm control in rebellious areas by unleashing tanks, snipers and – in a new tactic – gunships. On Monday, Turkey’s Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu called on Syria to end the bloodshed immediately and threatened unspecified “steps” if it fails to do so. “If the operations do not end, there would be nothing more to discuss about steps that would be taken,” Davutoglu said, without elaborating. Turkey, a former close ally of Syria, has been increasingly frustrated with the brutal crackdown by Damascus. Nearly 30 people, and possibly more, have been killed in the city since the assault on Latakia began on Saturday, activists say. The regime has banned foreign media and restricted local coverage, making it difficult to verify accounts on the ground. The attacks in Latakiaare the latest wave of a brutal offensive that shows Assad has no intention of relaxing his grip despite international outrage and new US and European sanctions. As the gunships blasted waterfront districts on Sunday, ground troops and security forces backed by tanks and armored vehicles stormed several neighborhoods, sending terrified women and children fleeing. The Observatory said troops opened fire Monday as a group of fleeing residents approached a checkpoint in the Ein Tamra district of Latakia. One person was shot dead and five wounded. A Latakia resident confirmed the account, saying troops fired as scores of people, many of them women and children, were fleeing. He spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of reprisals. The Local Coordination Committees , an activist group that helps organize protests in Syria, also confirmed troops fired at fleeing families. It said random gunfire erupted Monday in addition to a campaign of raids and house-to-house arrests. Troops later entered small neighborhoods in the al-Ramel Palestinian refugee camp, warning people to leave or risk their houses being destroyed, the LCC said. A witness said security forces were rounding up young men in the area and detaining them in a sports stadium nearby. Amateur videos posted online by activists showed smoke rising from al-Ramel, the crackle of heavy gunfire and people shouting, “God is Great!” Monday also saw soldiers storm the area of Houla in the central Syrian city of Homs, which has seen massive protests in recent months. A sniper killed an elderly man, according to the London-based Observatory for Human Rights, which has a network of activists on the ground in Syria. The group said more than 700 people have been arrested in and around Homs since the beginning of August. Syria Middle East Arab and Middle East unrest Bashar Al-Assad guardian.co.uk

Posted by on August 15, 2011. Filed under News, Politics, World News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.