SYRIA: Rebels at the Bab al-Salam crossing celebrate their capture of a Syrian border post, tearing down posters of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.

Record ID: 281152

  • Title: SYRIA: Rebels at the Bab al-Salam crossing celebrate their capture of a Syrian border post, tearing down posters of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.
  • Date: 22nd July 2012
  • Summary: BAB AL-SALAM, SYRIA (JULY 22, 2012) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF SYRIAN REBELS SHOUTING, RAISING WEAPONS IN THE AIR IN CELEBRATION REBEL HOLDING SYRIAN OPPOSITION FLAG OPPOSITION FLAG WAVING IN THE AIR REBELS SHOUTING, RAISING WEAPONS IN THE AIR IN CELEBRATION REBEL HOLDING GUN, LOOKING AT CAMERA REBELS SHOUTING, RAISING WEAPONS IN THE AIR IN CELEBRATION SYRIAN GOVERNMENT FLAG LY
  • Embargoed: 6th August 2012 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Syrian Arab Republic
  • Country: Syria
  • Topics: Conflict,Politics
  • Reuters ID: LVAEKTEP23TOXZB79RQ1JYB7MRQW
  • Story Text: Syrian rebels at the Bab al-Salam border crossing with Turkey celebrated their victory on Sunday (July 22) by dancing, shouting and tearing pictures of President Bashar al-Assad into little pieces.
    The rebels captured a third border crossing with Turkey from President Bashar al-Assad's forces early on Sunday morning.
    Syrian insurgents seized control of the Syrian side of the Bab al-Hawa and Jarablus crossings with Turkey last week, while Iraqi officials said Assad's forces regained control of one of two border crossings seized by rebels on the frontier with Iraq.
    A Turkish official at the border confirmed that Bab al-Salam was in rebel hands. He said the Turkish side of the border gate - which normally operates mainly for commercial traffic from Turkey to the Syria city of Aleppo - remained open but there was no traffic.
    A senior Syrian army defector in Turkey, Staff Brigadier Faiz Amr, said Bab al-Salam was taken at 8:45 a.m. and Assad's troops quickly fled.
    Amr said that his men in Syria had informed him that government forces stationed in Aleppo province were repositioning to Aleppo city, where Syrian troops and armoured vehicles have pushed for two days into rebel-held districts.
    ENDS
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
  • Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2012. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
  • Usage Terms/Restrictions: None
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