SYRIA: U.N. truce observers based in Damascus prepare to join colleagues stationed in Homs and Hama, as violence appears to be on the rise

Record ID: 280678

  • Title: SYRIA: U.N. truce observers based in Damascus prepare to join colleagues stationed in Homs and Hama, as violence appears to be on the rise
  • Date: 2nd May 2012
  • Summary: DAMASCUS, SYRIA (MAY 1, 2012) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF U.N. OBSERVERS STANDING, GETTING INTO CARS U.N. FLAG U.N. VEHICLES OBSERVER WAVING TO CAMERA FROM INSIDE U.N. VEHICLE CARS LEAVING PARKING LOT HOTEL EXTERIOR U.N. CARS ARRIVING AT ENTRANCE OF U.N. OFFICE IN DAMASCUS WOMAN AT SECURITY GATE CHECKING CAR CARS DRIVING THROUGH GATE
  • Embargoed: 17th May 2012 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Syrian Arab Republic
  • Country: Syria
  • Topics: Conflict,International Relations,Politics
  • Reuters ID: LVAEHLOT13JT23I8RT12J8SXIH1P
  • Story Text: Syrian forces fired mortar bombs at a village in the northern province of Idlib on Tuesday (May 1), killing 10 people, nine of them from the same family, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.
    The Britain-based monitoring group said two of the dead were children. Many others were wounded, some of them critically, it added.
    The shelling marks another violation of a shaky U.N.-brokered truce, which has already been marred by sporadic clashes and a string of explosions in the capital, Damascus, last week and central Idlib on Monday (April 30).
    Violence appears to be rising again after a lull immediately after the ceasefire's implementation 19 days ago. Thirty U.N. monitors are already in Syria and the mission's number is expected to rise to 50 by the end of the week.
    A small group of U.N. observers was seen leaving their Damascus hotel on Tuesday, expected to join colleagues stationed in the hot-bed cities of Homs and Hama.
    The monitors have said they are working to 'de-escalate' the violence.
    Two observers, stationed in Idlib city, on Monday visited the location of blasts that killed nine people and injured more than a hundred, Syrian TV said.
    Syria has been living in crisis for 13 months, during unrest against President Bashar al-Assad.
    The United Nations says the violence has killed 9,000 people during the revolt.
    Damascus says 2,600 of its personnel have died at the hands of anti-Assad militiamen, and has accused the United Nations of turning a blind eye to "terrorist acts" against security forces.
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
  • Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2012. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
  • Usage Terms/Restrictions: None
Register