WarSclerotic

’12 killed in Syrian protests; lawmakers, cleric resign’.

  At least 12 people were killed during a funeral for pro-democracy protesters in Syria, human rights group Sawasiah said Saturday. Syrian forces shot dead three people in the Damascus district of Barzeh on Saturday at a mass funeral of pro-democracy protesters killed a day earlier, a local human rights campaigner said.

Witnesses said mourners were chanting “People want the fall of the regime” and “Bashar, you coward, take your soldiers to Golan,” in reference to the Golan Heights where the frontier with Israel has been quiet since a 1974 ceasefire.

Two Syrian lawmakers on Saturday told al-Jazeera television that they were resigning in protest of the killing of demonstrators by regime security forces.

“After I have failed to protect my sons from the treacherous shots there is no point in me staying in parliament. I announce now that I am stepping down,” lawmaker Naser al-Hariri said.

Lawmaker Khalil al-Rifaei joined his colleague Hariri, both representatives of the troubled city of Deraa, and announced his resignation on air, saying it was because of the killings of pro-democracy protesters.

“Security solutions do not work,” Rifaei said.

Hours later, Deraa’s government-appointed mufti, or Muslim preacher, joined the lawmakers in announcing his resignation.

Being assigned to give fatwas (religious edicts), I submit my resignation as a result of the fall of victims and martyrs by police fire,” Rezq Abdulrahman Abazeid told al-Jazeera television. “When they announce at high levels that (protesters) will not be shot at, we see that the truth on the ground is not like that,” he said.

Abazeid is the first Syrian religious leader to resign in connection with the current violent suppression of protest.

Security forces open fire on funeral processions

Witnesses in Douma said that security opened fire at a funeral procession, killing at least four people.

According to the witnesses, over 50,000 people were participating in the mass funeral in the Douma suburb when security forces began shooting.

“I saw three people falling on the ground, one of them had blood gushing from his mouth. I could not tell whether he was hit in the stomach or the chest,” one of the witnesses said.

A second witness said pall bearers abandoned coffins they were carrying and ran for cover when the funeral came under fire.

In another funeral near the town of Izra’a in southern Syria, two witnesses said at least three people were killed when security forces opened fire.

They said hundreds of mourners, dispersed by live ammunition outside Izra’a, were shot at when they approached a checkpoint at the Sheikh Maskeen road juncture as they headed back to the southern border city of Deraa.

Earlier Saturday, tens of thousands of chanting Syrians demanded the “overthrow of the regime” during the funerals for scores of people killed by security forces in the country’s bloodiest pro-democracy protests, witnesses said.

Funerals were held in Damascus and at least one of its suburbs and in the southern village of Izra’a, where mourners also chanted “[Syrian President] Bashar Assad, you traitor. Long live Syria, down with Bashar.”

A group of activists coordinating the demonstrations said regular forces and gunman loyal to Assad shot dead at least 88 civilians on Friday. Rights groups had earlier put the death toll at a minimum of 70.

Friday’s violence brings the death toll to about 300, according to rights activists, since the unrest which broke out on March 18 in the southern city of Deraa.

Protests swept the country on Friday, from the Mediterranean city of Banias to the eastern cities of Deir al-Zor and Qamishli. In Damascus, security forces fired teargas to disperse 2,000 protesters in the district of Midan.

Syrian television said eight people were killed and 28 wounded, including army personnel, in attacks by armed groups in Izra’a. It said an armed group had attacked a military base in the Damascus suburb of Muadhamiya.

The Local Coordination Committees activist group sent Reuters a list with names of 88 people classified by region. The group said they were killed in areas stretching from the port city of Latakia to Homs, Hama, Damascus and the southern village of Izra’a.

UN, US, France condemn violence against demonstrators

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Saturday condemned violence against Syrian citizens by authorities and called for a “transparent and independent” inquiry into the death of the protesters.

“The secretary-general condemns the ongoing violence against peaceful demonstrators in Syria, and calls for it to stop immediately,” said UN deputy spokesman Farhan Haq.

US President Barack Obama condemned Friday’s violence and accused Assad of seeking help from Iran.

“This outrageous use of violence to quell protests must come to an end now,” Obama said in a statement. “Instead of listening to their own people, President Assad is blaming outsiders while seeking Iranian assistance in repressing Syria’s citizens….”

France’s Foreign Ministry said Paris was “deeply concerned”.

“Syrian authorities must give up the use of violence against their citizens. We again call on them to commit without delay to an inclusive political dialogue and to achieve the reforms legitimately demanded by the Syrian people.”

Those killed were among tens of thousands of people who have taken to the streets of cities and rural areas across Syria calling for the overthrow of the regime, demands which have hardened over recent weeks.

Friday’s protests went ahead despite Assad’s decision this week to lift the country’s hated emergency law, in place since his Baath Party seized power 48 years ago.

A statement by the Local Coordination Committees said the end of emergency law was futile without the release of thousands of political prisoners — most held without trial — and the dismantling of the security apparatus.

In their first joint statement since the protests erupted last month, the activists said the abolition of the Baath Party’s monopoly on power and the establishment of a democratic political system was central to ending repression in Syria.

DEBKAfile, Political Analysis, Espionage, Terrorism, Security.

DEBKAfile Exclusive Report April 23, 2011, 12:39 AM (GMT+02:00)

Massacre in Syria

Bashar Assad faces the final showdown for his survival Saturday, April 23 after Friday saw the bloodiest day in the month-long protest movement against his regime: At least 90 civilians were killed and hundreds wounded by live gunshots, as well as scores of people missing. In his second statement in 24 hours, US President Barack Obama condemned the Syrian regime’s “outrageous use of violence” against the protesters saying “it must end now.” While blaming outsiders, President Assad seeks Iranian assistance in repressing Syria’s citizens,” said the US president.

In neither statement was the Syrian president urged to step down, even after the decision he took Friday to muster the entire army for crushing the surging uprising, which is expected to explode with greater fury during the funerals Saturday. Under new orders from Damascus, Syrian troops have already quit their posts on the Israeli border to reinforce units deployed in the cities.
Assad has his back to the wall: Armed protesters are barring his security forces from entering broad regions of the country unless they are accompanied by large-scale, military strength with massive fire power.

Pajamas Media » The Truth About Iran’s Support of Arab Terrorists.

Syria: Death toll rises to 300 as more protests expected.

  AMMAN – Scores of pro-democracy protesters killed by security forces will be buried across Syria in funerals expected to attract large crowds on Saturday and fuel mounting defiance against authoritarian rule.

A group of activists coordinating the demonstrations said regular forces and gunman loyal to President Bashar al-Assad shot dead at least 88 civilians on Friday. Rights groups had earlier put the death toll at a minimum of 70.

Aided by his family and a pervasive security apparatus, Assad, 45, has absolute power, having ignored demands to transform the anachronistic autocratic system he inherited when he succeeded his late father, Preident Hafez al-Assad, in 2000.

Friday’s violence brings the death toll to about 300, according to rights activists, since the unrest which broke out on March 18 in the southern city of Deraa.

Protests swept the country on Friday, from the Mediterranean city of Banias to the eastern cities of Deir al-Zor and Qamishli. In Damascus, security forces fired teargas to disperse 2,000 protesters in the district of Midan.

Amnesty International said Syrian authorities “have again responded to peaceful calls for change with bullets and batons”.

“They must immediately halt their attacks on peaceful protesters and instead allow Syrians to gather freely as international law demands,” said Malcolm Smart, Amnesty International’s Middle East and North Africa director.

Syrian television said eight people were killed and 28 wounded, including army personnel, in attacks by armed groups in Izra’a. It said an armed group had attacked a military base in the Damascus suburb of Muadhamiya.

The Local Coordination Committees activist group sent Reuters a list with names of 88 people classified by region. The group said they were killed in areas stretching from the port city of Latakia to Homs, Hama, Damascus and the southern village of Izra’a.

It was by far the bloodiest day yet in a month of demonstrations demanding political freedoms and an end to corruption in the country of 20 million people.

“The funerals will turn into vehement protests, like past funerals,” a Syrian human rights campaigner said.

“When you have security services who are thugs it is difficult to think that they will not shoot at the crowds. Another cycle of funerals and demonstrations is likely to follow,” the rights campaigner said from the Syrian capital.

Obama says Syria seeking Iran‘s help to quell protests

US President Barack Obama condemned Friday’s violence and accused Assad of seeking help from Iran.

“This outrageous use of violence to quell protests must come to an end now,” Obama said in a statement. “Instead of listening to their own people, President Assad is blaming outsiders while seeking Iranian assistance in repressing Syria’s citizens….”

France’s Foreign Ministry said Paris was “deeply concerned”.

“Syrian authorities must give up the use of violence against their citizens. We again call on them to commit without delay to an inclusive political dialogue and to achieve the reforms legitimately demanded by the Syrian people.”

Those killed were among tens of thousands of people who have taken to the streets of cities and rural areas across Syria calling for the overthrow of the regime, demands which have hardened over recent weeks.

Friday’s protests went ahead despite Assad’s decision this week to lift the country’s hated emergency law, in place since his Baath Party seized power 48 years ago.

A statement by the Local Coordination Committees said the end of emergency law was futile without the release of thousands of political prisoners — most held without trial — and the dismantling of the security apparatus.

In their first joint statement since the protests erupted last month, the activists said the abolition of the Baath Party’s monopoly on power and the establishment of a democratic political system was central to ending repression in Syria.

Aided by his family and a pervasive security apparatus, Assad, 45, has absolute power, having ignored demands to transform the anachronistic autocratic system he inherited when he succeeded his late father, Preident Hafez al-Assad, in 2000.

Friday’s violence brings the death toll to about 300, according to rights activists, since the unrest which broke out on March 18 in the southern city of Deraa.

Protests swept the country on Friday, from the Mediterranean city of Banias to the eastern cities of Deir al-Zor and Qamishli. In Damascus, security forces fired teargas to disperse 2,000 protesters in the district of Midan.

Amnesty International said Syrian authorities “have again responded to peaceful calls for change with bullets and batons”.

“They must immediately halt their attacks on peaceful protesters and instead allow Syrians to gather freely as international law demands,” said Malcolm Smart, Amnesty International’s Middle East and North Africa director.

Syrian television said eight people were killed and 28 wounded, including army personnel, in attacks by armed groups in Izra’a. It said an armed group had attacked a military base in the Damascus suburb of Muadhamiya.

Syrian funerals to turn into protests – World news – Mideast/N. Africa – msnbc.com.

Reuters:

AMMAN, Jordan — Scores of pro-democracy protesters killed by security forces will be buried across Syria in funerals expected to attract large crowds on Saturday and fuel mounting defiance against authoritarian rule.

A group of activists coordinating the demonstrations said regular forces and gunman loyal to President Bashar al-Assad shot dead at least 88 civilians on Friday. Rights groups had earlier put the death toll at a minimum of 70.

The Local Coordination Committees activist group sent Reuters a list with names of 88 people classified by region. The group said they were killed in areas stretching from the port city of Latakia to Homs, Hama, Damascus and the southern village of Izra’a.

It was by far the bloodiest day yet in a month of demonstrations demanding political freedoms and an end to corruption in the country of 20 million people.

“The funerals will turn into vehement protests, like past funerals,” a Syrian human rights campaigner said.

“When you have security services who are thugs it is difficult to think that they will not shoot at the crowds. Another cycle of funerals and demonstrations is likely to follow,” the rights campaigner said from the Syrian capital.

Story: Syrian forces fire on protesters; dozens reported killed in deadliest day of uprising

President Barack Obama condemned Friday’s violence and accused Assad of seeking help from Iran.

“This outrageous use of violence to quell protests must come to an end now,” Obama said in a statement. “Instead of listening to their own people, President Assad is blaming outsiders while seeking Iranian assistance in repressing Syria’s citizens….”

France’s Foreign Ministry said Paris was “deeply concerned.”

“Syrian authorities must give up the use of violence against their citizens. We again call on them to commit without delay to an inclusive political dialogue and to achieve the reforms legitimately demanded by the Syrian people.”

Those killed were among tens of thousands of people who have taken to the streets of cities and rural areas across Syria calling for the overthrow of the regime, demands which have hardened over recent weeks.

Activists say Assad action not enough
Friday’s protests went ahead despite Assad’s decision this week to lift the country’s hated emergency law, in place since his Baath Party seized power 48 years ago.

A statement by the Local Coordination Committees said the end of emergency law was futile without the release of thousands of political prisoners — most held without trial — and the dismantling of the security apparatus.

In their first joint statement since the protests erupted last month, the activists said the abolition of the Baath Party’s monopoly on power and the establishment of a democratic political system was central to ending repression in Syria.

Aided by his family and a pervasive security apparatus, Assad, 45, has absolute power, having ignored demands to transform the anachronistic autocratic system he inherited when he succeeded his late father, Preident Hafez al-Assad, in 2000.

Friday’s violence brings the death toll to about 300, according to rights activists, since the unrest which broke out on March 18 in the southern city of Deraa.

Protests swept the country on Friday, from the Mediterranean city of Banias to the eastern cities of Deir al-Zor and Qamishli. In Damascus, security forces fired teargas to disperse 2,000 protesters in the district of Midan.

Amnesty International said Syrian authorities “have again responded to peaceful calls for change with bullets and batons.”

“They must immediately halt their attacks on peaceful protesters and instead allow Syrians to gather freely as international law demands,” said Malcolm Smart, Amnesty International’s Middle East and North Africa director.

Syrian television said eight people were killed and 28 wounded, including army personnel, in attacks by armed groups in Izra’a. It said an armed group had attacked a military base in the Damascus suburb of Muadhamiya.

Reuters and The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Security Forces Kill Dozens in Uprisings Around Syria – NYTimes.com.

Agence France-Presse — Getty Images

A picture taken by a mobile phone shows anti-government protesters in Banias in northeastern Syria on Friday.

By ANTHONY SHADID

Published: April 22, 2011

BEIRUT, Lebanon — Security forces in Syria met thousands of demonstrators with fusillades of live ammunition after noon prayers on Friday, killing at least 81 people in the bloodiest day of the five-week-old Syrian uprising, according to protesters, witnesses and accounts on social networking sites.

From the Mediterranean coast and Kurdish east to the steppe of the Houran in southern Syria, protesters gathered in at least 20 cities and towns, including in the outskirts of the capital, Damascus. Cries for vengeance intersected with calls for the government’s fall, marking a potentially dangerous new dynamic in the revolt.

“We want revenge, and we want blood,” said Abu Mohamed, a protester in Azra, a southern town that had the highest death toll Friday. “Blood for blood.”

The breadth of the protests — and people’s willingness to defy security forces who were deployed en masse — painted a picture of turmoil in one of the Arab world’s most authoritarian countries. In scenes unprecedented only weeks ago, protesters tore down pictures of President Bashar al-Assad and toppled statues of his father, Hafez, in two towns on the capital’s outskirts, according to witnesses and video footage.

But despite the bloodshed, which promised to unleash another day of unrest as the dead are buried Saturday, the scale of the protests, so far, seemed to fall short of the popular upheaval of revolutions in Egypt and Tunisia. Organizers said the movement was still in its infancy, and the government, building on 40 years of institutional inertia, still commanded the loyalty of the military, economic elite and sizable minorities of Christian and heterodox Muslim sects who fear the state’s collapse.

Coming a day after Mr. Assad endorsed the lifting of draconian emergency rule, the killings represented another chapter in the government’s strategy of alternating promises of concessions with a grim crackdown that has left it staggering but still entrenched.

“There are indications the regime is scared, and this is adding to the momentum, but this is still the beginning,” said Wissam Tarif, the executive director of Insan, a Syrian human rights group. “Definitely, we haven’t seen the millions we saw in Egypt or Tunisia. The numbers are still humble, and it’s a reality we have to acknowledge.”

The images of carnage marked one of the deadliest days of the so-called Arab Spring, and the coming days may be replete with its lessons. In other places in the Middle East, violence has led to funerals where many more are often killed. The government’s belated attempts at reform, meanwhile, have often simply escalated protesters’ demands.

In that, the government faces perhaps its greatest challenge: to maintain its bastions of support with promises for the future and threats that its collapse means chaos, against the momentum that the vivid symbols of martyrdom have so often encouraged.

“We are not scared anymore,” said Abu Nadim, a protester in Douma, a town on the outskirts of Damascus. “We are sad and we are disappointed at this regime and at the president. Protests, demonstrations and death are now part of the daily routine.”

In a sharply worded statement, President Obama said the “outrageous use of violence to quell protests must come to an end now.” The statement also said President Assad was seeking Iranian help in repressing his people, but did not provide details.

In the capital, a city that underlines the very authority of the Assad family’s decades of rule, hundreds gathered after Friday Prayer at the al-Hassan Mosque. Some of them chanted, “The people want the fall of the government,” a slogan made famous in both Egypt and Tunisia. But security forces quickly dispersed the protests with tear gas, witnesses said. Syria’s second-largest city, Aleppo, appeared to remain relatively quiet.

The government’s determination to keep larger cities somewhat subdued may have led to some of the highest death tolls. Protesters in some towns on Damascus’s outskirts said security forces fired at them to prevent them from marching toward the capital. And in Azra, protesters said, government forces were intent on keeping them from Dara’a, a poor town 20 miles away that helped unleash the revolt in March.

A protester in Azra who gave his name as Abu Ahmad said he brought three of those killed to the mosque — one shot in the head, one in the chest and one in the back — the oldest of whom was 20 years old. Video that was posted on social networking sites showed a man carrying the bloodied corpse of a young boy, apparently shot by the police.

Taken together, most of the victims died in protests in the towns around Damascus, where demonstrators have sought to occupy a city landmark in a replay of Cairo’s Tahrir Square. Both sides seemed to understand the significance of the capital: Mass protests there would serve as a devastating blow to the government’s prestige.

Mr. Nadim, the protester in Douma, said plainclothes security forces carrying machine guns were omnipresent in the town. He said snipers were also stationed on top of two hospital buildings. Protesters left the mosque after noon prayers, their numbers growing to 5,000, he said. They met a force of 3,000 security men, he said.

“The minute they saw us they started shooting at us,” he said.

Protesters retreated, then surged again. “Peaceful! Peaceful!” he said they shouted as the gunfire continued.

Organizers said at least some dissent was reported in every province, and the protesters’ calls were far more sweeping than in the uprising’s earliest days, when demonstrators were seeking democratic changes rather than regime change.

In Baniyas, a coastal city, a banner denounced Mr. Assad and his ruling Baath Party: “No Baath, No Assad, we want to free the country.” Another banner, referring to Mr. Assad’s medical training abroad, read, “A doctor in London, a butcher in Syria.”

Razan Zeitouneh, an activist with the Syrian Human Rights Information Link in Damascus, basing her account on witnesses, said 88 people had been killed — 20 in Azra; 1 in Dara’a; 22 near Homs; 39 in the suburbs of Damascus; 1 in Latakia; 3 in Hama and 2 elsewhere. Mr. Tarif’s group, Insan, said 81 people were killed.

In Homs, where major protests erupted this week, activists said security forces and plainclothes police officers flooded the city, setting up checkpoints and preventing all but a few dozen people from gathering. By afternoon, one resident said the streets were deserted, the silence punctuated every 15 minutes or so by gunfire.

“We closed the windows and the curtains and hid at home,” one woman said via Skype. “The gunfire was so loud and close.” She added, “God save us.”

Hwaida Saad contributed reporting from Beirut, Katherine Zoepf from New York, and employees of The New York Times from Beirut and Damascus, Syria.

At least 88 protesters killed in deadliest day of Syria unrest – Haaretz Daily Newspaper | Israel News.

Syrian security forces fire live bullets and tear gas at the tens of thousands of people across the country chanting ‘the people want the downfall of the regime.’

By Avi Issacharoff and News Agencies

At least 88 protesters were killed in demonstrations across Syria on Friday, the highest death toll in a single day since protests against the rule of President Bashar al-Assad erupted last month.

An official in the Syrian human rights organization Sawasiah founded by jailed human rights lawyer Mohannad al-Hassani, told Reuters the killings of civilians occurred in the Damascus district of Barzeh, its suburbs Zamalka, Harasta, Douma, Muadamiya, Qaboun and Hajar al-Asswad, as well as in the cities of Hama, Latakia
and Homs, and in the southern town of Izra’a.

	Protestors gather during a demonstration in the Syrian port city of Banias April 22, 2011.
	Photo by: Reuters

Syrian security forces fired live bullets and tear gas at the tens of thousands of people shouting for freedom and democracy.

Most of the protesters were killed in suburbs and towns surrounding Damascus, with several in the central city of Homs and in the southern town of Izra’a, Reuters reported.

A large number of the dead were in the city of Azraa, near Daraa, while at lease seven were killed in the capital of Damascus, an activist requesting anonymity told the German Press Agency DPA.

“Snipers were positioned on buildings and shot at the demonstrators killing 18 people in Azraa, among them a toddler,” the activist said, quoting hospital sources in Daraa.

“This regime is committing a massacre against its own people,” he said, adding that most of the dead received direct bullets in the head.

“The people want the downfall of the regime!” shouted protesters in Douma, a Damascus suburb where some 40,000 people took to the streets, witnesses said.

It is the same rallying cry that was heard during the revolutions in Egypt and Tunisia.

The White House deplored Assad following the deadly protests and called on the Syrian government to “cease and desist in the use of violence against protesters” and to follow through on promised reforms.

	A Syrian protestor shouts slogans as he burns a poster of Syrian President Bashar Assad during a demonstration in front of the Syrian embassy, in Nicosia, Cyprus Friday, April 22, 2011.
	Photo by: AP

The uprising in Syria has posed the biggest challenge to the 40-year ruling dynasty of Assad and his father before him. Assad has been trying to defuse the protests by launching a bloody crackdown along with a series of concessions, most recently lifting emergency laws that gave authorities almost boundless powers of surveillance and arrest.

He also has fulfilled a decades-old demand by granting citizenship to thousands among Syria’s long-ostracized Kurdish minority, fired local officials, released detainees and formed a new government.

But many protesters said the concessions have come too late – and that Assad does not deserve the credit.

“The state of emergency was brought down, not lifted,” prominent Syrian activist Suhair Atassi, who was arrested several times in the past, wrote on her Twitter page. “It is a victory as a result of demonstrations, protests and the blood of martyrs who called for Syria’s freedom.”

At least 200 people have been killed in the government crackdown since the protests erupted, human rights groups say.

Earlier Friday, witnesses said security forces in uniform and plainclothes set up checkpoints around Douma, checking peoples identity cards and preventing nonresidents from going in.

Syria stands in the middle of the most volatile conflicts in region because of its alliances with militant groups like Lebanon’s Hezbollah and with Shiite powerhouse Iran. That has given Damascus a pivotal role in most of the flashpoint issues of the region, from the Arab-Israeli peace process to Iran’s widening influence.

DEBKAfile, Political Analysis, Espionage, Terrorism, Security.

DEBKAfile  Exclusive Report  April 23, 2011, 12:39 AM (GMT+02:00)

Massacre in Syria

After the bloodiest day in the month-long uuprising against his regime on Friday, April 22 – with at least 75 dead and hundreds wounded by live gunshots, as well as scores of people missing – Saturday threatens even greater violence. debkafile‘s reports exclusively that Bashar Assad plans to send his entire army out to stamp hard on the fury accompanying the funerals.

The eleven Syrian army divisions are Assad’s last card in his fight for survival. Until now, he kept most of them back, sending out to the streets only his trusted security services and 4th Division – both commanded by his younger brother Gen. Maher Assad.

But when Friday’s bloodbath failed to keep the rising tide of protest from igniting 16 towns from north to south – Hama, Homs, Deir al-Zur, Banias, Daraa and the three Kurdish towns – and encroaching on Damascus, the capital, and second largest Syrian city, Aleppo, the Syrian president decided to go all the way. He ordered his army chiefs to assume control of security in Syria’s main towns and districts and divide the country up into thee military regions.

The die was cast by the time the White House issued a statement urging the Syrian government “to cease and desist” its violence against demonstrators and follow through on promised reforms. Assad’s orders to the army had already gone out by the time the White House spokesman Jay Carney, speaking to reporters as President Barack Obama flew back to Washington from California, said, “We deplore the use of violence” against the demonstrators.
In any case, US President Barack Obama’s tardy statement still refrained from addressing Bashar Assad’s responsibility for the violence, least of all calling on him to step down to meet the people’s demands.

In Daraa, epicenter of the movement in the south, the crowds hoped to reach Washington’s ears with slogans shouted in English: “Assad: The game is over! ” and “Go and open an eye clinic!”

Friday night, our sources report, Syrian army units were already sighted heading towards the cities, joined for the first time by troops normally on duty on at the Syrian-Israel border.
debkafile‘s military sources disclose their assignments:

Corps No. 1 was given responsibility for the capital Damascus and its outlying towns and districts;

Corps No. 2 took charge of central Syria and the towns of Aleppo, Homs and Hama;

Corps No. 3 spread out in the south and on Jebel Druze.

It was the last straw for Assad when Friday, the strategic town of Katana west of Damascus was drawn into the protest movement and rallied against his regime. Katana houses the main bases of the Syrian armored corps, which is part of the 7th Division, and serves as divisional logistical administration center. Its population is made up mostly of the officers, men and civilian personnel serving at those bases.  Having Katana turn against the regime finally persuaded its leaders to throw every resource it had into crushing the uprising.

For the Syrian ruler, deploying the entire army is a wild gamble because more than 75 percent of Syria’s 220,000-strong rank and file are Sunni Muslims, Kurds and Druzes and therefore drawn from ethnic and religious groups long repressed by the Alawite-dominated regime.  Saturday could see uniformed troops flouting orders to shoot live rounds into crowds of protesters who are members of their community or even family. It would start the break-up of the Syrian army amid large-scale defections of officers and men.

Obama says Syria seeking Iran’s help to quell protests.

(Has Obama woken from his long sleep?  If Assad falls with US support, it’s very possible the Green movement in Iran will try again.  This represents a potential solution to all the Islamic terrorism around the world.  Crossing my fingers…  JW)

  WASHINGTON – US President Barack Obama told Syria on Friday that its bloody crackdown on protesters “must come to an end now” and accused Damascus of seeking Iranian help to repress its people.

Obama issued a toughly worded statement on a day when Syrian security forces shot to death almost 90 protesters in the bloodiest day in a month of escalating demonstrations against Syrian President Bashar Assad.

Obama condemned the violence but did not refer to any potential US consequences should Assad refuse to heed his demands.

US forces are already assisting a NATO military campaign against Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi, and Americans are cautious about further military involvement in a region where US troops have fought long wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

“This outrageous use of violence to quell protests must come to an end now,” Obama said.

Obama dismissed as “not serious” Assad’s lifting of a decades-old emergency law in Syria this week and accused him of seeking help from Iran.

“Instead of listening to their own people, President Assad is blaming outsiders while seeking Iranian assistance in repressing Syria’s citizens through the same brutal tactics that have been used by his Iranian allies,” he said.

The United States has responded in different ways to the uprisings sweeping North Africa and the Middle East. In Egypt, Obama maintained a policy of peaceful pressure on Hosni Mubarak to transfer power, while in Libya he joined a NATO air campaign to protect Libyan civilians.

In the case of Syria, Obama has sought to maintain pressure on Syria’s government to respond positively to the uprising, to little avail at this juncture.

“We strongly oppose the Syrian government’s treatment of its citizens and we continue to oppose its continued destabilizing behavior more generally, including support for terrorism and terrorist groups,” Obama said.

He said the United States will continue to stand up for democracy and the universal rights that “all human beings deserve, in Syria and around the world.”