TURKEY: As the world watches to see if a ceasefire holds in Syria Turkish border villagers hear gunfire, activists say Syrian troops clash with opposition forces near the frontier and refugees say they have no faith in the ceasefire deal

Record ID: 280603

  • Title: TURKEY: As the world watches to see if a ceasefire holds in Syria Turkish border villagers hear gunfire, activists say Syrian troops clash with opposition forces near the frontier and refugees say they have no faith in the ceasefire deal
  • Date: 14th April 2012
  • Summary: REFUGEES SEATED ON LEDGE NEAR TENTS IN CAMP ELDERLY REFUGEE SEATED ON LEDGE TWO REFUGEES SITTING ON LEDGE REFUGEE CAMP TENT
  • Embargoed: 29th April 2012 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Turkey, Turkey
  • Country: Turkey
  • Topics: Conflict,International Relations
  • Reuters ID: LVA4TKJ4PA5UFOURFLW9MKZUXZSV
  • Story Text: Syrian forces loyal to President Bashar al-Assad fought rebels near the border with Turkey on Friday (April 13), activists said, in the first reported clash since a U.N.-brokered ceasefire in Syria came into effect the previous day.
    The British-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the fighting broke out in the north-western province of Idlib, close to the border with Turkey, after army troops deployed to try to clear rebels out of the area.
    The group's director Rami Abdulrahman said there were no immediate reports of casualties and the fighting appeared to have stopped.
    The grassroots Local Coordination Committees said there had been heavy gunfire in the village of Kherbet Joz, close to the Turkish frontier. Dozens of tanks were deployed on the edge of the village, it said.
    Gulcan Salak, a young woman from the Turkish village of Guvecci, near the border with Syria said she and other villagers had been alarmed by the sound of gunfire nearby.
    "We heard gunfire in the morning and we were afraid. All the villagers were frightened," she said.
    Abdulrahman said that Thursday's ceasefire, brokered by international mediator Kofi Annan, appeared to be holding in the rest of the country, but there was still no sign of any army withdrawal from urban centres, as called for by Annan.
    In the Yayladagi refugee camp in Turkey one young unidentified Syrian refugee said he believed the ceasefire would be broken by forces of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.
    "We do not believe in the lies of Assad. We do not think he will silence the guns and set Syrian people free," the Syrian refugee said.
    The United Nations says Assad's forces have killed 9,000 people since an uprising against him erupted 13 months ago.
    Authorities blame the violence on foreign-backed militants who they said have killed more than 2,500 police and soldiers.
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