spotted on facebook June 30, 2012 7:54pm pst
عاجل :: مدينة حرستا :: رؤية دبابة مع أربع سيارات شبيحة دفع رباعي على الشارع العام بحرستا يظن أنهم متجهين إلى دوما اللهم سلم سلم ...
Urgent:: City harasta:: see the tank with four cars shabeeha 4WD on main street at harasts town to always think they're God peace peace ... (Translated by Bing)
9:16am pst, June 30, 2012 Reuters just posted this report. It is the first fruits of the UN's benign treatment of Assad in Geneva today:
Syrian forces push into Douma, residents flee
BEIRUT, June 30 (Reuters) - Syrian government forces pushed their way into Douma on Saturday after weeks of siege and shelling, and fleeing residents spoke of corpses in the streets
of the town near the capital Damascus.
The residents said hundreds of people were fleeing the town as government forces swept the streets in search of rebels trying to overthrow President Bashar al-Assad.
They reported many bodies buried under the rubble of houses in the town of half a million people, 15 km (10 miles) from Damascus.
Bill Neely of ITV News is on the frontline and
he is reporting that Assad in now using his air force to attack Douma. This is unprecedented in this conflict!
Syrian helicopter dropping bombs on Douma - uploaded July 1, 2012
Shelling Douma by Al-Assad Military Planes. Saturday, June30,2012
Here is an AFP report from this morning [9:30am pst]:
Syria violence kills 83, regime troops storm Douma: NGO
BEIRUT — At least 83 people were killed, mostly civilians, in violence across Syria on Saturday, and hundreds more were trapped in Douma as regime forces stormed the town in Damascus province, monitors said.
In the single most serious incident, mortar fire killed 30 civilians who were attending a funeral in the town of Zamalka, 10 kilometres (six miles) east of the Syrian capital of Damascus, the Syrian Observatory for Human rights said.
The Observatory did not give any further details on the Zamalka incident but published two videos from people on the ground.
The first showed several dozen people, mostly men waving Syrian revolutionary flags and shouting slogans as they accompanied the funeral cortege, when the picture was interrupted by an explosion.
The second, which could not be confirmed as being shot at the same scene, showed people running away from a cloud of dust that gradually dissipated to show numerous bodies lying on the ground.
Meanwhile, the Observatory urged the International Committee of the Red Cross and the Syrian Arab Red Crescent to "urgently send medical teams" to Douma.
"The security forces have seized control of the main hospital in Douma," the Observatory said. "There are no doctors in the town, though dozens of wounded need urgent care."
The Setup: UNSMIS was in Douma May 24th "opening dialogue with opposition"
A team of UN observers visited Douma, an opposition-controlled city 10kms north-west of Damascus, to initiate dialogue with opposition activists on the ground. This is first meeting of its kind in Douma. The purpose: to assist with mediation whenever possible and establish bridges to help build the space for a political process on the basis of Joint Special Envoy Kofi Anan's six-point peace plan.
"We want to get your guidance on all the priorities that we have to address," explained Martin Griffith, Deputy Head of the UN Supervision Mission in Syria (UNSMIS) to the opposition.
Things don't look the same in Douma these days. How soon will the UNSMIS be back in Douma to see if their last visit did any good?
As I reported here, Assad's killing spree in Douma has been going on since Wednesday. In the wake of the UN's decision in Geneva to do nothing, he is quickening the pace of the killing. This is what happened to one family two days ago.
Only One Male Survives, Regime Forces Slaughters Touma Family (06-28-12) Douma | Damascus |
The NY Times is reporting some background on this video:
A family is said to have been killed together in their basement.
After days of Syrian Army attacks, antigovernment activists reported heavy civilian casualties in Douma, a rebellious suburb of Damascus, including the gruesome killing of many members of a single family on Thursday. "One of the members was filming the army from the balcony of his building," said an activist reached by phone. The army, noticing the videographer, stormed into the building and shot to death the entire Tohme family, including children as young as 4 years old, the activist said.
This is the price some brave souls paid for
the YouTube videos I posted that night! Here is an extremely graphic video of the family as they were found at the bloody war crimes scene.
Assad's soldiers on their way to clear the "terrorists" out of Douma - Uploaded 6/30/2012
Syria | Douma | Victim Dies From His Wounds as Residents Try and Fail to Get a Doctor
The victim Khaled Al-Ghazzawi, in the throes of death, appears in this footage uttering his last prayer and asking his friends to forgive him. His friends attempted to get him to a doctor but could not due to the continual shelling. Douma, Saturday, June 30, 2012
(6-30-12) Idlib | Standing in Solidarity With Douma
(06.30.2012) Kafar Sousah | Damascus, Syria | Amazing protests in support of Zamalka and Douma Another HUGE HUGE protest in Salamiyeh #Syria today funeral of the martyr Ali al-Fakhur
Mortar attack on funeral outside Damascus kills 30 June 30, 2012
The aftermath of the attack June 30, 2012
Zamalka massacre - bodies of those killed by mortar shell at funeral 30 June 2012
Al-Toub | Deir ez-Zor | Funeral Procession of Martyr Ahmad Fareej Al'ikla July 1, 2012
Here are my related diaries on Syria:
BREAKING: As Syria Burns, UN Blows More Smoke
BREAKING: Kofi Annan to propose Syrian unity gov't sans Assad!
BREAKING: Douma, Syria under massive attack, another massacre feared
BREAKING: Another mass defection from Syrian army
BREAKING: #NATO says No War in #Syria shoot down of #Turkey jet
NATO meetup tomorrow as more defect from Syria
BREAKING: Turkey calls for NATO consult on downing of jet by Syria
BREAKING: Senior Syrian Officers Defect
UPDATED: Russia reported to be preparing to evacuate from Syria
BREAKING: Syria fighter pilot defects
BREAKING: Britain stops Russian ship carrying attack helicopters for Syria
BREAKING: Russian troops headed to Syria
Qaddafi forces Strike Back in Libya
BREAKING: UN suspends mission in Syria
Libya & Syria - two videos - no comment
BREAKING: Russia denies supplying Syria with NEW attack helicopters
Syrian people rise up against the massacre
Another "Houla style" massacre in Syria
Fake Houla Massacre Photo: Was the BBC set up?
Idlib, Syria protest today on anniversary of Kent State killings
BREAKING: Massive protests in Syria following Friday pray
Syria is bleeding
Syria: Ceasefire faltering as mass protests breakout