Syria 2012-07-21T18:21:43+03:00
An activist in Homs tells Al Jazeera that at around 1am local time, a riot began the central prison's old building. We're told that at least some guards defected and supported the rioters there.
Security forces, however, surrounded the prison and clashed with prisoners, and three people are reported killed so far.
Activists say there are between 5,000 and 6,000 prisoners in Homs Central Prison held there and fear a massacre.
Syria 2012-07-21T17:40:37+03:00
The AFP has provided us with some screen shots of footage broadcast by Syria state TV, showing men it says are rebel fighters. The men are either dead or handcuffed after mass arrests in Damascus:
Syria 2012-07-21T16:02:32+03:00
Syrian rebels controlled on Saturday one of the three main border crossings between Iraq and Syria despite shelling from Assad's forces, Iraqi officials told AFP.
The officials also said Syrian refugees had attempted to enter Iraq but Baghdad had ordered its security forces not to allow them to cross into the country from any entry points.
"Only Albu Kamal is under the control of the Free Syrian Army," Deputy Interior Minister Adnan al-Assadi told AFP.
He had said on Thursday that all three main crossings were under the control of Syrian rebels.
"Yesterday evening, reinforcements from the regular [Syrian] army arrived to some of the border posts," Assadi said.
It was unclear when control of the other two border posts changed hands. Albu Kamal is the Syrian name of the crossing known in Iraq as al-Qaim.
Syrian rebels have held it since Thursday, and despite government forces having heavily shelled it on Friday night, it remained in their control on Saturday.
Local officials said the Rabiyah crossing, located at the north of the 600-kilometre Iraq-Syria frontier, and al-Waleed in the south, were both in the hands of the regular Syrian army.
"The [Rabiyah] border point is still under the control of the Syrian army, but they are in a critical situation because all the roads leading to it on the Syrian side are under the control of the Free Syrian Army," Nineveh provincial governor Atheel al-Nujaifi told AFP.
Nineveh is the Iraqi province where Rabiyah lies.
Nujaifi said Baghdad had thus far instructed that border crossings should not allow Syrian refugees to enter into the country.
Iraq, border crossings
Syria 2012-07-21T15:52:56+03:00
Fighting in Aleppo has forced hundreds of families to flee their homes, as the army is pushing troops and armoured vehicles into Salaheddine district, activists say.
The large neighbourhood in eastern Aleppo, inhabited by both Arabs and Kurds, has been under rebel control for two days.
Fighting was also reported in al-Sakhour, a poor area on the edge of the city inhabited by members of four large Arab tribes which have started to turn against Assad, they said.
"The sound of bombardment has been non-stop since last night. For the first time we feel Aleppo has turned into a battle zone," a housewife said by phone from the city.
Opposition sources said al-Sakhour, because of its tribal nature, was better-armed than the rest of the city, and that fighting was continuing in the Aleppo countryside.
At least 15 rebels, including guerilla commander Ahmad al-Fij, were killed on Friday in a failed attempt to take over the Police Academy in the town Ouram al-Sughra, 35km southwest of Aleppo. [Reuters]
Aleppo, Salaheddine, al-Sakhour
Syria 2012-07-21T15:20:28+03:00
The Local Coordination Committees say the Damascus neighbourhood of Barzeh has been shelled from by helicopters, RPGs and mortars. The activists say there's a shortage of medicine and medical aid since the area has been besieged.
The Revolutionary Leadership Council also reports bombardment of al-Midan, Sbeineh, and Yarmouk Camp.
damascus
Syria 2012-07-21T14:53:44+03:00
Two Syrian brigadier-generals fled to Turkey overnight, part of a group of about 10 people that included colonels and other military officers, a Turkish official told Reuters on Saturday.
The latest defections would bring the number of Syrian generals taking refuge in Turkey to 24.
More than 43,000 Syrian refugees are registered as living in Turkey.
Turkey, defections
Syria 2012-07-21T14:50:58+03:00
UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon says he is sending his undersecretary for peacekeeping operations to Syria to assess the situation there.
"I am sending my Undersecretary General for Peacekeeping Operations [Herve Ladsous] to Syria to assess the situation as well as the top UN military adviser to lead UNSMIS in this critical phase," Ban said. [Reuters]
Ban Ki-moon, Herve Ladsous
Syria 2012-07-21T14:46:05+03:00
Umm Khaled, a humanitarian activist in Aleppo, tells Al Jazeera that shelling has stopped in the last hour after clashes at the outskirts of Salaheddine neighbourhood earlier this morning. Activists are moving displaced families from the area and arranging three houses to accommodate roughly 15 families, she said.
Aleppo, Salaheddine
Syria 2012-07-21T14:39:50+03:00
Cengiz Aktar, a political analyst in Istanbul, told Al Jazeera a short while ago that he was hearing reports that three out of five crossing points between Syria and Turkey were under the control of "groups not necessarily close to the Syrian government". He said the Qamishli crossing was held by the Kurds, and two other crossings, Bab al-Hawa and Jarablus, were held by the opposition. There was heavy fighting going on for the remaining two crossing, he said.
UPDATE: A foreign ministry spokesperson later told Al Jazeera that to the ministry's knowledge, no other border crossings than Bab al-Hawa were under FSA control. The spokesperson said there had been strong efforts to take control of the Kilis crossings but no one was suggesting it had been taken.
Cengiz Aktar, Turkey, border crossings, Jarablus
Syria 2012-07-21T14:39:47+03:00
Cengiz Aktar, a political analyst in Istanbul, told Al Jazeera a short while ago that he was hearing reports that three out of five crossing points between Syria and Turkey were under the control of "groups not necessarily close to the Syrian government". He said the Qamishli crossing was held by the Kurds, and two other crossings, Bab al-Hawa and Jarablus, were held by the opposition. There was heavy fighting going on for the remaining two crossing, he said.
Cengiz Aktar, Turkey, border crossings, Jarablus
Syria 2012-07-21T14:34:38+03:00
Sources in Jordan tell Al Jazeera that the Free Syrian Army failed to take control of the Nasib crossing. We're told Syrian forces are in control after light clashes which have now stopped.
Jordan, Nasib
Syria 2012-07-21T14:34:34+03:00
Sources in Jordan tell Al Jazeera that the Free Syrian Army failed to take control of the Nasib crossing. We're told Syrian forces are in control after light clashes which have now stopped.
Jordan, Nasib
Syria 2012-07-21T14:20:04+03:00
The Free Syrian Army has launched an attempt to take control of the Nasib border crossing between Syria and Jordan
Nasib, Free Syrian Army
Syria 2012-07-21T14:12:21+03:00
The state-run SANA news agency has released this picture which it says shows volunteers cleaning al-Midan neighbourhood in Damascus, a day after troops pushed rebels out of the area. State TV has aired footage of construction workers deployed in the area, saying normality should return in five days.
Al-Midan, damascus, SANA
Syria 2012-07-21T13:27:30+03:00
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reports heavy clashes between rebels and government forces at the entrance of al-Rastan, a rebel stronghold in Homs province. The group says troops are attempting to break into the town.
Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, al-Rastan
Syria 2012-07-21T13:08:57+03:00
Al Jazeera's Andrew Simmons reports from Cilvegozu, on the Turkish side of the Bab al-Hawa border crossing:
"Without any shadow of a doubt, the Free Syrian Army is in control [of the border post]. It has a blockage of any traffic coming through, a proper checkpoint. The situation beyond that is a little less certain. The regular Syrian army has some sort of base a few kilometres down the road. We spoke to Syrian who've been fleeing. They say they passed through two separate control points, one manned by the regular army and one by the FSA. They all described it as a frightening situation but here was no shooting going on."
Simmons said trucks are queueing up at the Turkish side of the border, being warned that they are crossing the border at their own risk and that they may not be able to return back to Turkey.
Andrew Simmons, Turkey, Bab al-Hawa
Syria 2012-07-21T12:34:04+03:00
The Iraqi government has urged all Iraqis living in Syria to return home immediately to escape being wounded or killed. About one million Iraqis live in Syria. The picture shows some refugees arriving in Baghdad on Saturday.
Iraq, refugees
Syria 2012-07-21T12:09:36+03:00
Watch our latest report on Syria:
Jane Ferguson, Video
Syria 2012-07-21T11:48:53+03:00
Al Jazeera's team on the Turkish side of the Bab al-Hawa border crossing reports that the Syrian side seems to be in the hands of the rebels. There is some traffic going in both directions, but the gates are mostly closed and only selective crossing is being allowed.
Bab al-Hawa, border crossing
Syria 2012-07-21T11:31:20+03:00
The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs has released a report on the situation in Syria. Some highlights:
- According to UNHCR, up to one million people have been internally displaced since the conflict began.
- In Haritan [Aleppo province], only 2,000 of 40,000 residents remain.
- In Deir al-Zor, an estimated 80 per cent of the population (approximately 192,000 people) have reportedly left.
- In Damascus, more than 2,000 people have taken refuge in 11 UNRWA schools and are receiving emergency assistance. Others are sheltering with host families.
- Over the last fortnight, the number of refugees registered and assisted by the UN and host communities in
neighbouring countries has increased to nearly 120,000.
OCHA, refugees, displaced
Syria 2012-07-21T11:10:51+03:00
Unprecedented clashes between troops and rebels raged into a second day in Syria's second city of Aleppo on Saturday, forcing residents to flee some neighbourhoods, activists said.
The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said "battles have been ongoing since Friday morning between regular forces and fighters from rebel units in the Salaheddin neighbourhood."
The Local Coordination Committees reported "an exodus of residents of the neighbourhood because of fear of regime
bombardment and an offensive" against Salaheddin. [AFP]
Salaheddin, Aleppo
Syria 2012-07-21T09:26:20+03:00
Activists have distributed this video, allegedly showing destruction due to shelling in Homs' Khaldiyeh neighbourhood.
syria citizen video, Khaldiyeh, homs
Syria 2012-07-21T07:59:09+03:00
As the conflict rages on, there is a growing concern over the government's suspected possession of chemical weapons. Al Jazeera's Patty Culhane takes a look at what US officials are saying and doing about the potential threat.
chemical weapons, Video, Patty Culhane
Syria 2012-07-20T22:59:20+03:00
Syrian government troops have continued to heavily shell Albu Kamal, a town along the Iraq-Syria border that rebel forces took control of a day earlier, rebels and medics told AFP.
Residents of the town of Al-Qaim, on the Iraqi side of the border from Albu Kamal, said relatives on the Syrian side were attempting to escape into Iraq but Iraqi's forces were refusing to allow them to cross.
"Albu Kamal is being shelled even harder than last night," Free Syrian Army First Lieutenant Khaled Abu Zaid told AFP by telephone. "The Syrian army is attacking all the areas of the city.
"The attacks are stronger than last night's attacks. They are launching the shells from a base outside the city."
A medic in Albu Kamal, who did not want to be named, said that four people had been killed by the shelling and that many people were wounded.
"The shelling is hitting the houses," the medic said.
"I wanted to go to the hospital, but I could not leave my house because two shells landed beside my home. People are trying to hide in their houses. The shelling is much, much stronger than last night."
One resident of Al-Qaim, 340 kilometres (210 miles) west of Baghdad, told AFP that relatives in Albu Kamal were fruitlessly attempting to escape.
"They and other families are trying to leave the city and come to Al-Qaim, but the Iraqi army is refusing to let them enter Iraq," the resident said, speaking on condition of anonymity.
Residents of Al-Qaim are part of tribes that have long straddled the 600-kilometre (375-mile) border between Iraq and Syria.
Iraqi officials said on Thursday evening that Syrian rebels took control of the Albu Kamal crossing, and Baghdad subsequently upped its security at the border point and closed down its side of it.
syria, Iraq, refugees
Syria 2012-07-20T22:55:08+03:00
Three more Syrian generals have defected to the opposition and crossed into Turkey, bringing to 24 the number of generals who have fled the unrest in Syria, a foreign ministry diplomat told AFP Friday.
"Ten officers including one general fled to Turkey overnight" (Thursday to Friday), said the diplomat, speaking on condition of anonymity.
And "Two brigadier generals on crossed on Friday," he added.
Turkey has given sanctuary to dozens of defectors who have formed the Free Syrian Army in opposition to President Bahsar al-Assad's regime.
Turkey is providing sanctuary to more than 43,000 Syrian refugees who have fled the violence and been accommodated in camps near the border. The camps also shelter rebel forces made up of army defectors.
aljazeera, syria, Turkey, generals
