SYRIA: Rebels seize vital border crossing

Record ID: 281053

  • Title: SYRIA: Rebels seize vital border crossing
  • Date: 19th July 2012
  • Summary: BAB AL HAWA, SYRIA (JULY 19, 20112) (AMATEUR VIDEO OBTAINED BY REUTERS) STREET LEADING TO THE BORDER CROSSING OF BAB AL HAWA SYRIAN FLAG HOISTED ON TOP OF BORDER CHECK POINT BORDER AREA WITH PICTURE OF BASHAR IN BACKGROUND (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) SYRIAN REBEL SAYING: "Allah Akbr (God is great) Thank God, we liberated new Bab al Hawa border crossing from gangs of al Assad, p
  • Embargoed: 3rd August 2012 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Syrian Arab Republic
  • Country: Syria
  • Topics: Conflict
  • Reuters ID: LVA5KUHUTX91XN8WQOQTCN36K6UC
  • Story Text: Rebels said Thursday (July 19) they gained control over Bab al Hawa border crossing crossing with Turkey after routing out government forces.
    Amateur video obtained by Reuters and shot on July 19 shows rebels in the crossing point and border crossing deserted from government troops and border officials.
    "Allah Akbr (God is great) Thank God, we liberated Bab al Hawa border crossing from gangs of al Assad, public security and customs. Credit goes to rebels from Rural Aleppo and Idlib," said one rebel near the border point.
    The fall of the border comes just one day after an attack in Damascus that claimed minister of defence, his deputy and minister of interior, in a sever blow to Syrian authorities since the uprising started last year.
    Aleppo province, on the border with Turkey has been a hotbed of unrest against President Bashar al-Assad which has turned into armed rebellion.
    Bab al Hawa is a key border crossing with Turkey which rebels first attacked at dawn on Thursday, the third time in 10 days rebels tried to seize the Bab al-Hawa gate, a vital commercial crossing in northwestern Syria, opposite the Turkish Cilvegozu gate in Hatay province.
    Ahmad Zaidan, spokesman for an opposition group called the Higher Council of the Revolution's Leadership, said earlier that rebels were in charge of large areas around the border crossing and that they wanted to gain control of the gate itself.
    He said the raid was also meant to provide an opportunity for opposition sympathisers among the government soldiers to defect. Most defections, he said, were pre-planned whereby sympathisers would know of an impending rebel attack.
    The rebels attacked the army garrison made up of some 200 troops but had to pull back when government helicopters were called in. The rebels had planned for 80 soldiers to defect but only 14 managed to escape, Zaidan said.
    The border crossing, which is still under the control of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's forces, has been closed since the attack and around 40 Syrian and Saudi trucks lined up on the Turkish side were unable to cross.
    Cross-border trade and traffic has been greatly reduced as violence inside Syria has increased but border gates along the 910 km (560 mile) Turkey-Syria border have largely remained open and vehicles are free to cross.
    Turkey, which has called on Assad to step down, is giving sanctuary to opposition members and fighters on its soil and is providing shelter to more than 40,000 Syrian refugees fleeing violence at home.
  • Copyright Holder: AMATEUR VIDEO (CAN SELL)
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