Rebels launch attack on strategic town of Zawiya as Russian envoy says ‘clock is ticking’ for Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi’s increasingly stretched army is struggling to crush a surprise rebel offensive in Zawiya, a strategic town just 30 miles west of Tripoli, while fighting has also been reported in the largest town in the Libyan Sahara. At least 13 rebel fighters and civilians were killed in Zawiya on Saturday after the attack on government forces. Guma el-Gamaty, a London-based opposition spokesman, said on Sunday several hundred rebels remained “well-protected and entrenched” in the western part of the town and also controlled a section of the coastal highway to Tunisia that serves as the main supply route for Tripoli. Loyalists forces were still in charge of the town centre and have large numbers of snipers there, he said by phone from London. The government acknowledged that fighting had occurred in Zawiya, which has a major oil refinery, but said the clashes were minor and loyalist forces remained in complete control. It was not possible to verify the conflicting information since foreign journalists in Tripoli are not permitted to leave the capital. Zawiya first rebelled against the Libyan regime in March, but the uprising was crushed when the army sent in tanks and bulldozers, even razing the town’s mosque . If sustained, the town’s second rebellion will be of major significance, because it will mean that Gaddafi’s forces are engaged in fighting in all three directions outside the capital, including Misrata, 130 miles to the east and a string of towns in the Nafusa mountains, about 60 miles to the south. “The strategy is to push on Tripoli from all three sides, inspiring people there and putting great pressure on the army,” said el-Gamaty, the UK coordinator for the rebel’s National Transitional Council (NTC). A businessman in Tripoli, who requested anonymity for his own safety, said the strain on the regime appeared to be showing, with security tightening sharply in Tripoli in recent days. Vehicles entering suburbs known to be restive at night were being checked by up to six times at a single roadblock by police officers, the businessman said. Gaddafi remains in hiding in the city with his family, and appears not to be responding to international diplomatic efforts offering him a safe exit from power. Following a visit to Benghazi, the headquarters of the NTC in eastern Libya, Russia’s special envoy to Africa, Mikhail Margelov told Russian television that the “clock was ticking” for Gaddafi, but said there were precedents for a solution where the Libyan leader might be able “to live happily as a private individual in his own country and nobody touches him”. Besides Zawiya, the NTC also reported skirmishes in parts of Sahba, a garrison town around 500 miles south of Tripoli that is considered a Gaddafi stronghold. Anti-government protests have reportedly been ongoing there for several days. Regarded as the gateway to the Sahara, Sabha is also a key junction for routes to Algeria, Niger and Chad that could be used by senior regime officials looking to escape the country, according to rebels. They remain hopeful that Nato’s aerial operation targeting Gaddafi’s military arsenal might wear it down to the extent that rebel fighters may soon be able to push through government defences on the various fronts. If and when that happens, the main thrust on Tripoli is likely to come from the rebels in Misrata, Libya’s third biggest city, perhaps reinforced by a larger opposition force currently holding its position hundreds of miles east near the town of Brega, which is still in government hands. Misrata’s fighters are battle-hardened after defending their city for nearly four months, and commanders claim that increasingly numbers of government troops are deserting. But they are aware of the shortcomings of their all-infantry force against the heavy weapons of loyalist forces. In an artillery barrage on Friday, the rebels lost 31 men, and suffered 120 injuries. Rebels say the 32nd Brigade, an elite force reportedly controlled by Gaddafi’s son, Khamis, is garrisoning Zlitan, the town blocking any advance from Misrata on Tripoli. Meanwhile, in the Nafusa mountain range to the south of Tripoli, government forces are continuing their attacks on the mainly Berber communities who have taken control of numerous small towns near the road that runs towards Tunisia. In the rebel-controlled town of Zintan, five people were killed during rocket attacks on Sunday, according to a rebel spokesman. More than 20 people were injured. Muammar Gaddafi Libya Middle East Africa Arab and Middle East unrest Xan Rice guardian.co.uk
Continue reading …Rebels launch attack on strategic town of Zawiya as Russian envoy says ‘clock is ticking’ for Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi’s increasingly stretched army is struggling to crush a surprise rebel offensive in Zawiya, a strategic town just 30 miles west of Tripoli, while fighting has also been reported in the largest town in the Libyan Sahara. At least 13 rebel fighters and civilians were killed in Zawiya on Saturday after the attack on government forces. Guma el-Gamaty, a London-based opposition spokesman, said on Sunday several hundred rebels remained “well-protected and entrenched” in the western part of the town and also controlled a section of the coastal highway to Tunisia that serves as the main supply route for Tripoli. Loyalists forces were still in charge of the town centre and have large numbers of snipers there, he said by phone from London. The government acknowledged that fighting had occurred in Zawiya, which has a major oil refinery, but said the clashes were minor and loyalist forces remained in complete control. It was not possible to verify the conflicting information since foreign journalists in Tripoli are not permitted to leave the capital. Zawiya first rebelled against the Libyan regime in March, but the uprising was crushed when the army sent in tanks and bulldozers, even razing the town’s mosque . If sustained, the town’s second rebellion will be of major significance, because it will mean that Gaddafi’s forces are engaged in fighting in all three directions outside the capital, including Misrata, 130 miles to the east and a string of towns in the Nafusa mountains, about 60 miles to the south. “The strategy is to push on Tripoli from all three sides, inspiring people there and putting great pressure on the army,” said el-Gamaty, the UK coordinator for the rebel’s National Transitional Council (NTC). A businessman in Tripoli, who requested anonymity for his own safety, said the strain on the regime appeared to be showing, with security tightening sharply in Tripoli in recent days. Vehicles entering suburbs known to be restive at night were being checked by up to six times at a single roadblock by police officers, the businessman said. Gaddafi remains in hiding in the city with his family, and appears not to be responding to international diplomatic efforts offering him a safe exit from power. Following a visit to Benghazi, the headquarters of the NTC in eastern Libya, Russia’s special envoy to Africa, Mikhail Margelov told Russian television that the “clock was ticking” for Gaddafi, but said there were precedents for a solution where the Libyan leader might be able “to live happily as a private individual in his own country and nobody touches him”. Besides Zawiya, the NTC also reported skirmishes in parts of Sahba, a garrison town around 500 miles south of Tripoli that is considered a Gaddafi stronghold. Anti-government protests have reportedly been ongoing there for several days. Regarded as the gateway to the Sahara, Sabha is also a key junction for routes to Algeria, Niger and Chad that could be used by senior regime officials looking to escape the country, according to rebels. They remain hopeful that Nato’s aerial operation targeting Gaddafi’s military arsenal might wear it down to the extent that rebel fighters may soon be able to push through government defences on the various fronts. If and when that happens, the main thrust on Tripoli is likely to come from the rebels in Misrata, Libya’s third biggest city, perhaps reinforced by a larger opposition force currently holding its position hundreds of miles east near the town of Brega, which is still in government hands. Misrata’s fighters are battle-hardened after defending their city for nearly four months, and commanders claim that increasingly numbers of government troops are deserting. But they are aware of the shortcomings of their all-infantry force against the heavy weapons of loyalist forces. In an artillery barrage on Friday, the rebels lost 31 men, and suffered 120 injuries. Rebels say the 32nd Brigade, an elite force reportedly controlled by Gaddafi’s son, Khamis, is garrisoning Zlitan, the town blocking any advance from Misrata on Tripoli. Meanwhile, in the Nafusa mountain range to the south of Tripoli, government forces are continuing their attacks on the mainly Berber communities who have taken control of numerous small towns near the road that runs towards Tunisia. In the rebel-controlled town of Zintan, five people were killed during rocket attacks on Sunday, according to a rebel spokesman. More than 20 people were injured. Muammar Gaddafi Libya Middle East Africa Arab and Middle East unrest Xan Rice guardian.co.uk
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Labour leader hopes housing speech will answer critics who blame him for failure to capitalise on Cameron U-turns Ed Miliband will attempt to rejuvenate his ailing leadership of the Labour party on Monday by marching on to territory once occupied by Tony Blair when he pledges to make it easier for voluntary workers and the employed to gain council housing. In an attempt to show he is capable of the sort of bold initiative perfected by Blair and David Cameron in opposition, the Labour leader will say he is determined to end his party’s image as the champion of “those ripping off our society”. The speech is designed to answer critics who say his lacklustre performance is to blame for Labour’s failure to capitalise on Cameron’s recent U-turns. Miliband’s position was not helped by the serialisation on Sunday of a biography that suggests that he and his brother are barely on speaking terms after the fallout of their leadership contest. David Miliband denied undermining his brother. “I have moved on from the leadership election and so should everyone else,” he said. In his speech at a neighbourhood centre in London, Ed Miliband will focus on responsibility and promise to champion one of the core principles pioneered by the architect of the welfare state William Beveridge: the welfare state should reward those who contribute. Aides stressed this is reviving the principles behind Beveridge’s thinking and does not denote a new national insurance system. “We will be a party that rewards contribution, not worklessness,” he will say. Miliband will highlight social housing as an example of where this could be applied more effectively, indicating that a future Labour government would follow the example of Manchester, where working people and volunteers are rewarded. “One area where people’s sense of fairness is under threat is social housing,” he will say. “In Manchester, as well as helping the most vulnerable families and disabled people with housing, they prioritise households who are giving something back to their communities – making a contribution – for example, people who work for or run local voluntary organisations. They also look to reward people who have been good tenants in the past and who have paid their rent on time and never been involved in any antisocial behaviour.” Miliband will say that responsibility should not just focus on those at the bottom of society but should also apply to those at the top. He will say that a future Labour government will require boardrooms to “publish the ratio of high pay to average employee pay”, exposing the growing gap between the pay of chief executives and that of the average employee. In language that challenges all wings of his party, Miliband will say: “For too many people at the last election, we were seen as the party that represented these two types of people: those at the top and the bottom who were not showing responsibility and were shirking their duty to each other. From bankers who caused the global financial crisis to some of those on benefits who were abusing the system because they could work – but didn’t. “Labour – a party founded by hard-working people for hard-working people – was seen by some, however unfairly, as the party of those ripping off our society. New Labour did a lot to change the fabric of the country. But it didn’t do enough to change the ethic of Britain. My party must change.” Ed Miliband Labour Housing Communities Nicholas Watt guardian.co.uk
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Click here to view this media Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (D-AZ) looked great in the first photos seen of her since she was critically injured by a gunshot to the head. The photos were released to her Facebook page Sunday. The photos were taken May 17, a day after Giffords witnessed the launch of the Space Shuttle Endeavour with her husband Commander Mark Kelly aboard. She was scheduled to have skull surgery the next day.
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Zimbabwe ready to bury decades of hostility towards Britain following Cameron’s election says senior Zanu-PF MP Robert Mugabe’s chief spin doctor has signalled that Zimbabwe is ready to bury decades of hostility towards Britain following the election of David Cameron. Jonathan Moyo , a senior MP in Mugabe’s Zanu-PF party, credited the British prime minister with reducing tensions between Zimbabwe and its former colonial master. “The fact of the matter is, sooner or later Zimbabwe and the UK should engage each other,” Moyo told the Guardian during a visit to South Africa. “There are many reasons why that should be possible.” Once knighted by the Queen, Mugabe has reserved his most embittered rhetoric for Britain, accusing it of neocolonial meddling that he blames for the country’s ills more than 30 years after independence. But Moyo said last year’s general election result in the UK created space for a shift in relations. “For one, we can all see that David Cameron is not as loquacious as [Gordon] Brown or, worse, Tony Blair. Definitely not. He’s kept his views on Zimbabwe to himself. He’s not even as loquacious as [William] Hague, who sometimes gets carried away, because of what he imagines is the success he’s having in Libya, to say ridiculous things. “But, by and large, they are behaving as the Conservatives we historically have known. It is a historical fact that the independence process was in colonial terms made possible by the Conservatives. The approach of the Conservatives under Margaret Thatcher was very different from the approach of Labour.” Moyo did criticise Cameron for being a “cheerleader” in the military intervention in Libya, but added: “Re: Zimbabwe, I think an objective assessment would be that he has managed to lower down the levels of noise which in turn has contributed in lowering levels of tension. We don’t make as much noise ourselves against the UK as we did because we think that there’s an opportunity that was squandered by Brown and Blair. “Also, I think it is safe to say there have been attempts by both sides to reach out and there have been some re-engagements and there have even been attempts to solve things on the cricket front, which would be one useful entry point.” He deployed a colourful image to suggest Britain might now be willing to climb down from its former position. “I think the British problem is that they behaved like a drunkard who climbed a tree overnight only to wake up in the morning naked and unable to come down, and so conjures up all sorts of stories to justify why they are there, and it takes time to get down,” Moyo said. “We are prepared to give them a ladder. What we don’t know is will they want to use it at night or during the day.” Moyo, 54, is a former information and publicity minister seen as the architect of Zimbabwe’s harsh media laws. He fell out with Zanu-PF in 2004 and became an independent MP and outspoken critic of Mugabe , only to return to the fold in 2009. He is likely to be the mastermind of Zanu-PF’s next election campaign, which, opponents say, will include propaganda aimed at demonising the rival Movement for Democratic Change . Moyo has been described as “the dictator’s most notorious henchman” with a “deviously brilliant mind”. Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, Zimbabwean civil society groups and countless media reports have accused Zanu-PF of killing, torturing and beating its opponents and rigging elections. Last week finance minister Tendai Biti of the MDC, whose home had been bombed, compared the mood in Zimbabwe with Rwanda on the eve of its 1994 genocide . But Moyo said: “Not to say we have not had violence in Zimbabwe because we’ve conceded that, and all the political parties have conceded that. But the way it’s blown out of proportion and there’s harrowing tales of torture chambers, I think it’s unfortunate.” Alleging a gigantic conspiracy, he went on: “It’s going to collapse because sooner or later you will hear completely different stories. I don’t deny there have been cases of violence but the way they have been told and the extent of the incidents told has been exaggerated beyond what is rational. “I’m not denying that you guys get told all sorts of horror stories, I’m just saying most of those stories, especially told by people who are refugees, are fictitious. They are looking for economic opportunity – these are economic refugees.” Asked for an honest assessment of Mugabe’s weaknesses as a leader, Moyo replied: “Contrary to the public image, I think he’s too tolerant of things and people. I always wish we could get him to sometimes be more decisive in dealing with misfits than he often is. He doesn’t have a history of firing people. I wish he could fire people more often.” Robert Mugabe Zimbabwe Africa David Cameron David Smith guardian.co.uk
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Regime deploys riot police and militia to disperse demonstrators protesting against 2009 election result Iranian security officials have used baton charges and tear gas to disperse hundreds of protesters at a silent rally in central Tehran marking the second anniversary of the country’s disputed presidential election. Riot police and plainclothes basij militia were deployed in various locations in the capital, arresting at least tens of protesters. Supporters of the opposition green movement marched in groups along Vali-e-Asr street – the city’s main commercial thoroughfare and a rallying point for protesters in recent years. A protester told the Guardian that demonstrators mainly marched on the pavement, and – as requested by the organisers – did not shout any anti-regime slogans. “People were pretending that they were in the streets for a walk but it was obvious that they were out in protest to mark the rigged election in 2009,” he said. “They were silent but their numbers were ten times more than an ordinary day in Vali-e-Asr street, I think around 30,000 people were out there in total,” the protester said in a phone interview from Tehran. Kaleme, the website of the opposition leader Mir Hossein Mousavi, said that protesters clashed with riot police near Saei Park in Vali-e-Asr and Sahamnews, the website of Mehdi Karroubi, another leader of the opposition, said the police attacked people with electric batons. Mousavi and Karroubi have been placed under house arrest since mid-February when they called for street protest in solidarity with the Arab uprisings. “Security forces attacked the crowd with electric batons … in the Vali-e Asr street to disperse the demonstrators,” Sahamnews said. “Shopkeepers were ordered to close their shops … hundreds of people have gathered in other areas of Tehran,” the website added. Another protester told the Guardian: “The riot police panicked and although people were silent, they arrested people without any charge or suspicion just to intimidate them.” The protester continued: “Plain-clothes basijis were riding past on fast motorbikes to spread panic among protesters.” News of the protests came as it emerged that a leading journalist and opposition figure had died of a heart attack after spending 10 days on hunger strike in Tehran’s notorious Evin prison. Hoda Saber, a 52-year-old political activist from the opposition Nationalist-Religious movement, was taken to the Modarres hospital in the city after a cardiac complication, which his wife claims was brought on by his hunger strike. Speaking from Tehran, Saber’s wife, Farideh Jamshidi, told the Guardian: “My husband died two days ago, but we were unaware of his death until today when someone in the hospital informed one of our friends.” She said Saber stopped eating food and later stopped drinking water in protest at the death of his fellow dissident Haleh Sahabi, She died of a heart attack during scuffles with security forces at the funeral of her father, Ezatollah Sahabi, the leader of the Nationalist-Religious alliance of politicians, on 1 June. Several human rights organisations have issued statements coinciding with the anniversary of the election and many have expressed concerns for those political prisoners arrested since 2009. The foreign secretary, William Hague, also issued a statement, saying: “Two years after people took to the streets to demand reform, I want it to be known that our attention has not been diverted and we will continue to call on Iran to implement its international human rights obligations.” Iran Protest Middle East Saeed Kamali Dehghan guardian.co.uk
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Tories accuse deputy PM of ‘kindergarten politics’ after Lib Dems briefed he would toast amendment successes Nick Clegg has been accused by the Tories of resorting to “kindergarten politics” after the Liberal Democrats briefed that the deputy prime minister would declare victory when the amended health service reforms are published on Monday. In a sign of growing resentment among Tory backbenchers, whose newest members will express their frustration to David Cameron at a meeting, an influential voice turned on the Lib Dems. Nick de Bois, the Tory MP for Enfield North, the 1922 committee’s unofficial voice on the NHS reforms, told the Guardian: “The NHS is too serious a policy issue to warrant all the kindergarten politics witnessed this weekend from our partners. We should focus on the policy not the politics and from what I have seen so far I am encouraged and am looking forward to seeing the detail of the reforms.” The Future Forum report by Professor Steve Field is due to be published on Monday. Field was appointed to lead the “listening exercise” on the NHS reforms after the health and social care bill was paused. Clegg is planning to tell his MPs and peers that the Lib Dems have secured a famous victory after ensuring that their “loud voices” have been heard. Field is expected to announce that: • The main duty of Monitor, the health service regulator, will be promoting patients’ interests and not competition. It will promote competition only if that helps patients. • A 2013 deadline for the creation of new GP-led consortiums, initially designed to take control of 65% of the NHS budget, is to be relaxed. • The membership of the consortiums is to be opened up to include hospital doctors and nurses. Clegg will tell his parliamentary party: “We have achieved all we set out to achieve. It is a job well done.” The Tories were irritated when the Lib Dem leadership published a “scorecard” showing the party has secured 11 of the 13 changes its conference demanded. A source close to Clegg said: “Nick will now be able to present his colleagues with the scorecard and tick off each of their 13 objectives. They’ll be there for all to see. We’re expecting the parliamentary party to be pretty pleased with the result. We have won.” But the party later toned down its rhetoric. Norman Lamb, senior parliamentary adviser to Clegg, said it was not talking about winning. Lamb, the former health spokesman who threatened to resign unless changes were made, told BBC1′s Politics Show: “It’s not a question of people winning things, I just think we raised a number of very serious concerns, concerns that were shared by many people within the health service and the health policy world. I’m satisfied the concerns raised have been met. It’s been a very constructive process.” Field will publish his report on Monday afternoon. Clegg, Cameron and the health secretary, Andrew Lansley, will give the government’s formal response at a joint event at a hospital at midday on Tuesday. De Bois made clear that a series of “red lines” he emailed to colleagues last month must remain in place: GPs must take charge of commissioning, and the 2013 target must be met to avoid creating a two-tier health service. De Bois, who was involved in the committee stage of the health and social care bill, said: “I am hopeful the fundamentals will remain in place. While the early indications are that there are positive improvements, it is critical to the future of the NHS that the main pillars of the reforms are kept in place because we are talking about the future of our health service here.” Lib Dem scorecard Nick Clegg claims that he has secured eleven of the 13 changes demanded by his party at its spring conference in March. This is his scorecard: 1. More democratically accountable commissioning. Secured. 2. A much greater degree of co-terminosity between local authorities and commissioning areas. Secured. 3. No decision about the spending of NHS funds to be made in private and without proper consultation, as can take place by the proposed GP consortia. Secured. 4. The complete ruling out of any competition based on price to prevent loss-leading corporate providers under-cutting NHS tariffs, and to ensure that healthcare providers ‘compete’ on quality of care. Secured. 5. New private providers to be allowed only where there is no risk of “cherry picking” which would destabilise or undermine the existing NHS service relied upon for emergencies and complex cases, and where the needs of equity, research and training are met. Secured. 6. NHS commissioning being retained as a public function in full compliance with the Human Rights Act and Freedom of Information laws, using the skills and experience of existing NHS staff rather than the sub-contracting of commissioning to private companies. Secured. 7. The continued separation of the commissioning and provision of services to prevent conflicts of interests. Secured. 8. An NHS, responsive to patients’ needs, based on co-operation rather than competition, and which promotes quality and equity not the market. Secured. 9. Uphold the NHS Constitution. Secured. 10. Ensure full scrutiny, including the power to require attendance, by elected local authorities of all organisations in the local health economy funded by public money, including foundation trusts and any external support for commissioning consortia; ensuring that all such organisations are subject to FoI requirements. Secured. 11. Ensure health and wellbeing boards (HWBs) are a strong voice for accountable local people in setting the strategic direction for and co-ordinating provision of health and social care services locally by containing substantial representation from elected local councillors; and by requiring GP commissioning boards to construct their annual plans in conjunction with the HWBs. Secured. 12. Ensure commissioning of health services has some degree of accountability by requiring about half of the members of the board of commissioning consortia, alongside GPs, to be local councillors appointed as non-executive directors. Alternative secured: Instead, we will strengthen the accountability of commissioning through health and wellbeing boards (which will have a majority of councillors if that is what local councillors want). This has the support of the movers of the conference amendment. 13. Offer additional freedoms only to foundation trusts that successfully engage substantial proportions of their local populations as active members. Alternative secured: Monitor, rather than the foundation trusts themselves, will retain a supervisory role. Nick Clegg Liberal Democrats Health policy Public services policy Liberal-Conservative coalition Conservatives NHS Health Nicholas Watt guardian.co.uk
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Well, it was only a matter of time. As the Anthony Weiner story devolves into further ridiculousness, the media is following suit — to hilarious results. On Friday night’s Real Time with Bill Maher, Bill Maher and Jane Lynch performed a dramatic (and totally, awkwardly verbatim) reading of Anthony Weiner’s Facebook exchanges with Las Vegas Broadcasting platform : YouTube Source : Flavorwire Discovery Date : 11/06/2011 18:50 Number of articles : 3
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AK Party has won a strong mandate to pursue reform, but will need to seek consensus to for a new constitution Victory in the general election has given Turkey’s ruling AK Party a strong mandate to pursue its reform agenda, but it will need to seek consensus to push through a planned new constitution. Based on a preliminary count, Prime Minster Tayyip Erdogan’s party scored some 50 percent of the vote, and was set to win around 327 seats in the 550-member parliament, less than the 330 needed to send a new constitution to a referendum. The AK Party must find support from outside the AK Party to rewrite the constitution, replacing a charter drafted after a 1980 coup and criticised for limiting individual rights. Erdogan says a new charter will strengthen democracy and pluralism. He may have to compromise to win over opposition members of parliament given accusations that the reform will enable Erdogan to consolidate his power as it is an open secret that he favours moving Turkey to a more presidential system of government. People suspect he wants to become president after his third and final term as prime minister. The strong showing by Kurdish independent candidates – 35 appear to have won seats – will give them a potent voice in parliament and pile pressure on Erdogan to address their grievances. Despite recent cultural and linguistic reforms, Kurdish politicians have become increasingly bold in their calls for autonomy and civil disobedience. The government’s goal is to end a separatist conflict which has killed more than 40,000 people in 27 years but for now there is no end in sight to the violence. Turkey’s negotiations to join the European Union, begun in 2005, are at a virtual standstill. With an election out of the way, Erdogan might consider taking a risk to break through the impasse, by meeting a demand to open Turkish ports and airports to traffic from EU-member Cyprus. Turkey wants the EU to end a blockade of Turkish Cypriots in the north of the divided island as part of a joint action to help move toward reunification. Turkey Middle East Europe guardian.co.uk
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Continued assault suggests some groups are resisting the armed forces as regime tries to crush opposition Heavy shelling and gunfire has rocked the Syrian town of Jisr al-Shughour, two days into a military assault that has caused more than 5,000 refugees to flee into neighbouring Turkey. The continued assault suggests some groups in the town are resisting the armed forces as the regime tries to crush a sustained challenge to President Bashar al-Assad. The bombardment has reportedly left much of the city in ruins. Farmland to the north has been torched and residents hiding in the mountains say they have been joined by almost all who had remained behind. Syria’s state-run Sana news agency reported “heavy” clashes after army units backed by helicopter gunships and tanks dismantled explosives planted on roads and bridges leading to Jisr al-Shughour. It claims the army is dealing with foreign-backed armed gangs, which it says have laid roadside bombs, dug mass graves and mounted fierce resistance to the military operation. Gunfire was also heard in other cities across Syria, including Homs, where tanks had moved into restless areas including the neighbourhood of Baba Amr on Wednesday, and the coastal city of Latakia. Amateur footage of helicopters circling Syrian towns and cities continues to be uploaded to social media sites and there have been numerous reports of them being used to fire at demonstrations. Turkey says it expects hundreds, if not thousands, more refugees to cross its southern border in the coming days and has vowed to accommodate them all. Syrians fleeing to the four crossing points nearest to Jisr al-Shughour on Sunday seemed more harried than in previous days. Some ran for the border and jostled for position as they waited for Turkish authorities. Hundreds more could be seen streaming down a hillside towards the Turkish village of Guvecci, where soldiers from a nearby base were waiting to receive them. Humanitarian groups have again demanded access to the Syrian side of the border, fearing a mounting humanitarian crisis in the 12 mile (20km) stretch of hills and valleys leading to Jisr al-Shughour. Refugees who have made it to safety say thousands of people are sleeping rough, too afraid to move on as military helicopters circle. Italy has urged Syria to allow humanitarian missions. Germany added its voice to growing calls for a UN resolution condemning Syria. However, the US and Europe said a Libya-style military intervention remained off the table. Speaking on Sky News, the British foreign secretary, William Hague, made clear there was “no question” of an international military intervention to protect civilians, as has happened in Libya. Piecing together events in Jisr al-Shughour is becoming increasingly difficult. Phone lines to the area remain cut and those fleeing are relying on people passing messages to family members along the way. Some refugees said those who remained in the hills feared losing all contact with relatives if they crossed the border. Abu Tahar, a wounded relief worker in hospital in the southern Turkish town of Antakya, said his wife and nine-month-old son were among those hiding in rough terrain. He said he had lost touch with them three days ago and could no longer contact anyone he knew by phone. He said he had personally transported men shot from military helicopters two days before he himself was shot rescuing wounded people from a large garden in the centre of Jisr al-Shughour on 5 June. “Have you seen the damage to a human body from a 14-inch gun?” he asked, nursing two bullet wounds to his back. “It was terrible. A massacre.” Many Syrians are looking for help from Turkey, which the state media is accusing of incitement. More evidence is steadily emerging of a large-scale military defection in Jisr al-Shughour last weekend, with refugees claiming that many of those who have stayed behind to confront the Syrian army were mutineers. Several residents who spoke to the Guardian said there had been a small defection by up to 15 soldiers in early June, which in turn had led to government agents being sent to the town to assess the situation, followed by a mass-defection on 5 June that accounted for many of the 120 people reported killed. “Government forces are questioning orders to fire at unarmed civilians and defecting,” said a businessman in Homs with friends and trade partners in the town. “That is why Jisr is posing such a problem to the regime and the operation is taking so long as the defected soldiers will fight back.” Syria Arab and Middle East unrest Turkey Middle East Martin Chulov Nidaa Hassan guardian.co.uk
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