Bloody 48 Hours in Syria
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KARIM SAHIB/AFP/Getty Images(DAMASCUS) –- Death tolls are wide-ranging, but several reports say more than 200 people have been killed in Syria in the past two days, with the opposition Syrian National Council saying in a statement that there have been nearly 250 fallen “heroes.”
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reports a “massacre” Tuesday of 111 civilians in the town of Kefer Ouaid in northern Idlib province. Idlib has seen some of the most violence recently with clashes between government troops and defectors. Other groups, like the Local Coordination Committees, say Tuesday’s toll is closer to 80 on top of the more than 100 on Monday.
The clashes seem to be mostly around Zawiya Mountain area of Idlib and with such high numbers, it’s difficult to give a breakdown of civilians, defectors and security forces.
The SNC called for emergency Arab League and U.N. Security Council meetings to discuss the “massacres.” This the day before the Arab League is due to send an advance team to Damascus ahead of its observers. This also comes against the backdrop of live-fire exercises Tuesday by the Syrian Navy and Air Force complete with fighter jets, attack helicopters and missiles, “testing the combat capability…to confront any possible aggression that might target Syria’s land and airspace,” officials claim.
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