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Up to 500 feared dead in Damascus suburb - activists

April 22, 2013 11:30
By Khaled Yacoub Oweis AMMAN (Reuters) - At least 109 people have been documented as killed and up to 400 more are likely to have died in an almost week-long offensive by forces loyal to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad on a rebellious Damascus suburb, opposition activists said. If the accounts are confirmed, the killings in the mainly Sunni Muslim suburb of Jdeidet al-Fadel would amount to one of bloodiest episodes of the two-year-old uprising against Assad. Many of the dead were civilians, the activists said.

Assad says Qusayr now 'main battle': Lebanon ex-MP

Agence France-PresseApril 22, 2013 11:01
Syria's "main battle" at present is raging in the Qusayr area, close to the Lebanese border, President Bashar al-Assad reportedly told Lebanese politicians this weekend. Speaking to a delegation of Lebanese backers of his regime, Assad said his forces were determined to succeed in the area "at any cost," according to Abdel Rahim Mrad, a former MP who spoke to AFP after the meeting in Damascus. "The main battle is taking place in Qusayr," he quoted Assad as saying.

Kerry says doubling U.S. non-lethal aid to Syrian opposition

April 21, 2013 15:30
By David Brunnstrom ISTANBUL (Reuters) - U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said on Sunday that the United States would double its non-lethal aid to opposition forces in Syria to $250 million. Kerry stopped short of a U.S. pledge to supply weapons to insurgents fighting to overthrow Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. But he said that the rebels' foreign backers were committed to continuing support and had decided to channel all future aid through the insurgents' Supreme Military Council.

Troops storm flashpoint town near Damascus

Agence France-PresseApril 21, 2013 12:01
Syrian troops loyal to President Bashar al-Assad stormed a flashpoint town near Damascus on Sunday, said a watchdog, adding that scores of bodies, some of them disfigured, were found there. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said at least 80 people have been killed in the town of Jdaidet al-Fadl in five days of violence. "Regime troops have taken complete control over the town of Jdaidet al-Fadl and its surroundings," said the Observatory which has documented the names of at least 80 people killed.

Kurdish women warriors battle in Syria

Agence France-PresseApril 21, 2013 00:30
Unveiled and barking orders at fierce-looking Kurdish men nearly twice her size, commander Engizek is a shocking sight within Syria's male-dominated rebel ranks. A short, diminutive woman flanked by gun-toting loyalists, Engizek leads dozens of Kurdish combatants in Aleppo city's embattled district of Sheikh Maqsud, large parts of which were seized late last month from regime fighters.

Kerry says doubling U.S. non-lethal aid to Syrian opposition

April 20, 2013 18:45
By David Brunnstrom ISTANBUL (Reuters) - U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said on Sunday that the United States would double its non-lethal aid to opposition forces in Syria to $250 million and that foreign backers had agreed to channel all future assistance through the rebels' Supreme Military Council. Kerry stopped short of a U.S. pledge to supply weapons to insurgents fighting to overthrow Syrian President Bashar al-Assad that the rebels have sought.

'Friends of Syria' talks on aid to rebels start in Istanbul

Agence France-PresseApril 20, 2013 12:15
A meeting of the 11-member core group of the "Friends of Syria" began in Istanbul on Saturday, with US Secretary of State John Kerry set to announce new non-lethal military support for rebel fighters. The United States, which is taking part in the talks along with European and Arab nations, has indicated it could for the first time agree to supply defensive military gear to the rebels, but not the weapons the opposition has requested.

Syria opposition voices frustration with international backers

April 20, 2013 12:15
By Mariam Karouny and Nick Tattersall ISTANBUL (Reuters) - Syrian opposition figures voiced frustration with their international backers on Saturday in the face of reluctance from some to supply the rebels with weapons and a call for them to distance themselves from extremist forces. Speaking at a meeting of the Friends of Syria in Istanbul, German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle said Germany was sceptical about supplying weapons to the rebels but said the subject should be discussed by the European Union.

US set to boost 'non-lethal' military aid to Syria rebels

Agence France-PresseApril 20, 2013 08:45
The United States is set to boost its support for Syria's rebels at a meeting of the opposition's main foreign backers Saturday and could for the first time agree to supply non-lethal military gear. But Washington is expected to stop short of agreeing to rebel demands for arms as the 11-nation core group of the "Friends of Syria" hold talks in Istanbul with key figures in the opposition battling President Bashar al-Assad.

Dozens killed in battle near Damascus

Agence France-PresseApril 20, 2013 07:30
At least 69 people, many of them rebels, have been killed in a four-day battle pitting Syrian insurgents against government forces in Jdaidet al-Fadl near Damascus, a monitoring group said on Saturday. "Regime troops are trying to seize total control of the town of Jdaidet al-Fadl" southwest of Damascus, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said. "Sixty-nine people were killed in violence raging there over the past four days," added the Britain-based watchdog, citing activists on the ground, who said many were killed in shelling and also in summary executions by the army.
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