SYRIA: Fearful and in shock, residents of Homs flee their neighbourhoods after coming under attack

Record ID: 280421

  • Title: SYRIA: Fearful and in shock, residents of Homs flee their neighbourhoods after coming under attack
  • Date: 15th March 2012
  • Summary: VARIOUS OF TRUCK LOADED WITH FAMILY BELONGINGS READY TO FLEE
  • Embargoed: 30th March 2012 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Syrian Arab Republic
  • Country: Syria
  • Topics: Conflict
  • Reuters ID: LVA12ZP01AXCRWUP0D1TR86X6CCZ
  • Story Text: Video obtained by Reuters showed tens of people fleeing the district of Bayada in Homs where they said their neighbourhoods came under attack by government forces.
    With their belongings and mattresses packed in the back of small pick-up trucks, many families fled on Monday (March 12) mainly to other neighbourhoods in Homs deemed to be safe.
    One man huddled in a truck with other men from Bayada said residents died fleeing and said some families were ''killed with knives.'' ''They came at us from the Fairouzi area at 7 a.m. A lot of people who were trying to flee through Al Sitteen street were killed with knives. There were families that were killed with knives. No one is left there. (Narrator asks: So why are you men only? Where are the women?) The women we let them out first through the Deir Baalbeh area. They went ahead of us. There were women they were holding there, but they have probably been killed,'' said the man who covered his face so he would not be identified by security forces.
    "They are attacking the displaced now, they are killing the people trying to flee. We couldn't take it anymore," he added.
    Thousands of residents of Homs have fled over the last two months since government forces launched a fierce assault on the revolting neighbourhoods -- mainly Baba Amr and Khalidieh.
    The United Nations (UN) refugee agency said more than 230,000 Syrians across the country have fled to neighbouring countries over the past year of the uprising. The UN also said more than 8,000 people have been killed.
  • Copyright Holder: AMATEUR VIDEO (CAN SELL)
  • Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2012. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
  • Usage Terms/Restrictions: Footage contains identifiable children: users must ensure that they comply with local laws and regulations governing the publishing of this material.
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