Syrian Civil War 2011-2012 - Societa italiana di storia militare
Syrian Civil War 2011-2012 - Societa italiana di storia militare
Syrian Civil War 2011-2012 - Societa italiana di storia militare
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3 August Following increased violence in the prece<strong>di</strong>ng days, the United Nations Security Council for the first time condemned the<br />
human rights violations against the <strong>Syrian</strong> protesters. [144] 45 people were killed in Hama on 3 August. [145]<br />
4 August Assad issued a decree authorizing the formation of multiple political parties in Syria, as well as election reforms aimed at<br />
pleasing protesters. [146][147] Even as he <strong>di</strong>d this, the Hama crackdown intensified, leaving now over 200 dead in Hama since 31 July.<br />
Hama is now enduring a widespread power outage as well as a blockade of basic food and me<strong>di</strong>cal supplies. The <strong>Syrian</strong> opposition<br />
intends for another Friday of mass protests dubbed "The Friday of God is with Us". [148][149]<br />
5 August – "Friday of 'God is With Us'" Mass protests occurred for Friday protests, inclu<strong>di</strong>ng 30,000 in Deir Ezzour. Hama was<br />
totally suppressed, making it <strong>di</strong>fficult for people to rally there. Citizens in Qamishli, Aleppo, Deraa, Homs, suburban and central<br />
Damascus went out to protest in solidarity with Hama. 24 civilians were killed by security forces, inclu<strong>di</strong>ng 5 in Damascus. [150]<br />
6 August The <strong>Syrian</strong> army entered Homs and Deir Ezzour with tanks in an attempt to stop people from rallying. [151] Turkey said it<br />
would send its foreign minister to Damascus to present the Turkish government's demands for an end to the crackdown, while the<br />
Gulf Co-operation Council condemned the violence in a joint statement by GCC member states. United Nations Secretary-General<br />
Ban Ki-moon also condemned the violence. [152]<br />
7 August Over 70 people were killed in Syria, accor<strong>di</strong>ng to local human rights groups. Over 50 were killed in Deir Ezzour alone.<br />
Dozens were arrested, and use of mortars and tanks to shell neighborhoods was also reported. The Arab League condemned the<br />
actions of the <strong>Syrian</strong> government for the first time. [152]<br />
8 August Just after midnight, King Abdullah of Sau<strong>di</strong> Arabia gave a televised address condemning the <strong>Syrian</strong> government over the<br />
crackdown. The king also said Sau<strong>di</strong> Arabia was recalling its ambassador to Syria. He warned Assad to enact major reforms or else<br />
Syria "will be pulled down into the depths of turmoil and loss". [153] Kuwait and later Bahrain also recalled their ambassadors and said<br />
a GCC summit would be held soon to determine a unified course of action for respon<strong>di</strong>ng to the events in Syria. [154] A mother and her<br />
two children were killed in Deir ez-Zor by <strong>Syrian</strong> troops storming the city during the predawn adhān, accor<strong>di</strong>ng to the <strong>Syrian</strong><br />
Observatory for Human Rights. [155] The attack on Deir ez-Zor reportedly continued until noon. Sol<strong>di</strong>ers also entered Maarat an-<br />
Numan in northern Syria from the east and quickly cordoned off the city, preventing anyone from entering or exiting, a local<br />
opposition committee said in a statement. [156] Seven people atten<strong>di</strong>ng a funeral in Daraa were also reported killed when security forces<br />
attacked the procession, leaving dozens more injured. The deadly incident prompted late-night protests in the city, with demonstrators<br />
saying they held police responsible for the violence. [157] The head of the Arab Organization for Human Rights claimed 24 people were<br />
killed throughout the country during the day, [158] while UN Assistant Secretary-General for Political Affairs Oscar Fernandez-Taranco<br />
said 87 civilians were killed by <strong>Syrian</strong> forces. [159] The online group Anonymous defaced the <strong>Syrian</strong> Ministry of Defense website with<br />
a message urging members of the <strong>Syrian</strong> Army to defect and expressing solidarity with the protesters. [155] President Assad sacked<br />
Defense Minister Ali Habib Mahmud and replaced him with General Dawoud Rajiha, the <strong>Syrian</strong> Army's chief of staff, due to Ali<br />
Habib Mahmud's declining health. [154]<br />
9 August An opposition group reported <strong>Syrian</strong> forces were attacking Sarmin, a town in Idlib Governorate, at dawn from three sides,<br />
conducting raids and arresting residents. Tanks were said to be deployed in and around Idlib, the provincial capital. The siege of Deir<br />
ez-Zor continued, with tank shelling reported in the al-Hawiqa <strong>di</strong>strict, and at least 15 deaths were reported in the city, along with two<br />
more elsewhere in Idlib Governorate. There were also sketchy reports of military operations near Al-Bu-Kamal, close to the Iraqi<br />
border. [160] Five were reported killed in Hama, inclu<strong>di</strong>ng two children from the same family. [161] <strong>Syrian</strong> troops also assaulted Binnish<br />
in an apparent reprisal for large-scale "night rallies after Ramadan prayers", accor<strong>di</strong>ng to a local resident, leaving four villagers<br />
reported dead. [162] Opposition websites claimed that former <strong>Syrian</strong> defense minister Ali Habib Mahmud was found dead in his home.<br />
A spokesman for the <strong>Syrian</strong> government initially claimed he had <strong>di</strong>ed of "a <strong>di</strong>sease", while the opposition accused the <strong>Syrian</strong><br />
government of executing him. Accor<strong>di</strong>ng to the opposition, Ali Habib started refusing to send in the army into cities because he feared<br />
increasing defections, and for that he was killed. [163][164] However, he appeared on <strong>Syrian</strong> state TV hours after his supposed death to<br />
deny that he was fired or killed, saying he resigned due to illness. [165] Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu met with President<br />
Bashar al-Assad for over two hours and spoke with other <strong>Syrian</strong> officials for four more hours in total before departing Syria without<br />
making a statement. Assad reportedly told Davutoğlu during the meeting that his government "will not relent in pursuing the terrorist<br />
groups in order to protect the stability of the country and the security of the citizens" but said he was still committed to making<br />
reforms. [166] Upon returning to Turkey, Davutoğlu said his government will continue relations with Damascus, but said he had urged<br />
Assad to take "concrete steps" to end the violence without answering whether Assad had agreed to do so. [167] Meanwhile, Egypt<br />
sharply criticized the <strong>Syrian</strong> government for promising reforms while continuing violence, with Foreign Minister Mohamed Kamel<br />
Amr calling such reforms "of no use". Amr demanded an end to the crackdown and said Assad and the <strong>Syrian</strong> populace should engage<br />
in a comprehensive national <strong>di</strong>alogue. [168] In a retaliatory cyberattack for the hacking of the Ministry of Defence website, a website set<br />
up by Anonymous was hacked by supporters of the <strong>Syrian</strong> government, who placed photos of burned bo<strong>di</strong>es and a message claiming<br />
the victims were <strong>Syrian</strong> sol<strong>di</strong>ers and civilians killed by members of the Muslim Brotherhood on the page. [169]<br />
10 August The <strong>Syrian</strong> Observatory for Human Rights claimed one dead and 13 wounded by army operations, backed by one dozen<br />
armoured vehicles, in the northwestern towns of Sarmin and Taftanaz. Meanwhile, the military appeared to conclude the siege of<br />
Hama, withdrawing 40 APCs loaded with cheering sol<strong>di</strong>ers from the city centre, accor<strong>di</strong>ng to a journalist on a government-organised<br />
tour. [162] Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan lauded the withdrawal and me<strong>di</strong>a access, both of which Davutoğlu had urged<br />
the previous day, as "a sign that our initiative is producing results". [170] However, later in the day the <strong>Syrian</strong> government decided to<br />
put tanks back into Hama, and canceled the withdrawal. [171] The government also announced its withdrawal from Ariha. [172] Seventeen<br />
people were killed and 20 more injured by <strong>Syrian</strong> troops in Homs after the army opened fire on protesters, activists told the Agence<br />
France-Presse by telephone. [173] <strong>Syrian</strong> Ambassador to the United Nations Bashar Jaafari compared the situation in Syria to the<br />
ongoing English riots and said that just as in the United Kingdom and other countries, the <strong>Syrian</strong> government was democratically<br />
elected and not a "regime". The UK's representative sharply rebuked Jaafari's argument, saying, "In Syria, you have a situation where<br />
thousands of unarmed civilians are being attacked and many of them killed. That comparison made by the <strong>Syrian</strong> ambassador is<br />
lu<strong>di</strong>crous." [174] In a step The New York Times deemed previously unthinkable, 41 former Ba'ath and current government officials<br />
announced an initiative for political transition, and urged an end to the military crackdown on protestors. They were led by<br />
Mohammed Salman, a former minister of information with intimate ties to the Assads. [175]<br />
11 August A resident of Saraqeb, a town near the Turkish border, reported that over 60 vehicles, about 14 of which were reportedly<br />
tanks or APCs, entered the town. Accor<strong>di</strong>ng to the report, <strong>Syrian</strong> sol<strong>di</strong>ers began firing randomly and detaining residents en masse.