Syria: Observers In Homs As Blast Reported In Damascus
The UN observers arrived Saturday in Homs, ahead of an expected vote in the Security Council on strengthening their mission. The observers met, according to the official SANA news agency, the governor of the province, after the cessation of shelling against several neighborhoods during the night, according to activists.
“The shelling ceased, but electricity and communications are down in most of the regions. This calm may indicate that a visit of international observers in Homs is near,” said opposition activist, Khaled Tellaoui . Six civilians were killed Friday in Homs, according to an NGO.
The Syrian National Council (SNC), the main opposition coalition, called the observers to “immediately” act in order to stop the “crimes of the bloody regime” as the army is trying to take full control of the city devastated by months of bombing. “The bodies of the martyrs are stacked in the streets of Bayada where the destruction is frightening,” said the SNC, calling again the Security Council “to take urgent action by intervening militarily.”
On Saturday, in the nearby town of Qousseir, a woman was shot by a sniper, according to Syrian Observatory of Human Rights (SOHR).
On the same day in Damascus, in the district of Mazze, a “loud explosion” was heard inside a military base, said opposition activists without specifying its origin.
The day before, the violence has killed 46, including 17 civilians and 29 soldiers. In total, at least 11,100 were killed in the 13 months of the uprising against the regime.
