Syrian Civil War 2011-2012 - Societa italiana di storia militare

18 October The LCC said 25 doctors and pharmacists had been detained in recent weeks because they had provided medical
treatment to protesters injured at demonstrations. The security forces require hospitals to report on those who seek treatment for
gunshot wounds, prompting many civilians injured at protests to resort to makeshift clinics erected in private homes where facilities
are minimal. The human rights advocacy group Avaaz said it had identified 57 patients who had been detained by the security forces
from their beds in hospitals in the towns of Homs and Lattakia as a result of the reporting requirement. In addition, it said, the
government-sponsored militias known as Shabiha have used Red Crescent ambulances to shoot at demonstrators. [82]
20 October There were more clashes between army loyalists and defectors across Syria, [83] this came the day that the Arab Spring
claimed Muammar Gaddafi's life in Libya. [84] The clashes apparently occurred in the town on Burhaniya near Homs leading to at least
five civilian deaths as well as well as the death of several loyalist soldiers and the destruction of 2 military vehicles. The opposition
also plans another round of Friday protests, this time under the banner of Friday of the Matyrs of the Arab deadline, referring to the
deaths of protesters since the Arab league declared a "two week deadline" for reforms. [84]
21 October – "Friday of the Martyrs of the Arab Deadline" Deaths have been reported during the latest protests in Syria,
including up to 16 in the flashpoint central city of Homs, according to activist groups. Two people were shot dead on Friday in Homs
by security forces manning a checkpoint, while 14 more were killed by security forces as they participated in mass protests, many
celebrating the death of former Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi, the opposition Local Co-ordination Committees said. Another
civilian died when security forces opened fire on a funeral procession in the southern Deraa region, one of the focal points of
opposition to Syrian President Bashar al Assad's government and two more people died in the central province of Hama, according to
the UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. [85] Activists and residents said Syrian authorities have stepped up security in
several cities and towns including the Damascus suburbs and Talbiseh near Homs. “(There is an) unprecedented presence of security
today with snipers on rooftops and roadblocks inside the suburb,” an activist in Damascus suburb of Saqba said. Demonstrations also
broke out in the ethnically Kurdish regions of Qamishli, Derbaseyeh, Malikiya and Amouda. In the town of Houla northwest of
Homs, a crowd of several thousands held shoulders and waved old Syrian flags dating to before Assad’s Baath party took power in a
coup 48 years ago. “Doctor (Assad), you are next!” read banners carried by the villagers, according to live video footage.
Demonstrations also flared in Homs, the provincial capital 140 km (85 miles) north of Damascus, where three members of one family
were also shot dead at an army roadblock in Bab Sbaa district on their way to prayers, local activists said. [86]
23 October Syria's military clampdown on protest hubs, and skirmishes pitting soldiers against gunmen, believed to be defectors,
killed at least 11 people on Saturday, activists said. Meanwhile, Iran, Syria's key ally, took a tougher stance against the regime of
President Bashar al-Assad, openly condemning its crackdown on dissent that has left more than 3,000 people dead, most of them
civilians, according to the United Nations. Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad condemned the "killings and massacre" in Syria
in an interview with CNN, in the Islamic republic's strongest criticism of its neighbor's deadly repression of protests calling for greater
freedom and the fall of the Assad regime. [87]
25 October Clashes occurred in the northwestern town of Maarat al-Numaan on 25 October between loyalists and defected soldiers at
a roadblock on the edge of the town. The defectors launched an assault on the government-held roadblock in retaliation against a raid
on their positions the previous night. [88] At least seven Syrian security agents, including an officer, and possibly as many as 10 were
killed in the ambush, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. [89]
26 October The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights in London said 19 people were killed in Syria, including seven civilians shot
by security forces in the Homs Governorate as well as nine loyalist soldiers killed in a rocket attack attributed to defectors. An Arab
League delegation led by Secretary-General Nabil al-Arabi arrived in Damascus for talks. [90][91]
27 October There were protests in Damascus in support of the Syrian National Council whilst some analysts began describing the
situation as the beginning of a "sectarian war". [92][93]
28 October – "Friday of No-Fly Zone" 36 people were reported killed in Syria, most of them in Hama, whilst thousands of
protesters marched demanding a no-fly zone be implemented, such as the one in Libya. Over 100 people were wounded and 500
arrested. Despite the threat of violence, around 170 protests took place on Friday, the traditional day of protest. [94][94] State media
claimed that armed gangs assaulted the main police station in Homs, which activists attributed to defectors from the army. [94] A
Lebanese official claimed that Syrian soldiers were laying landmines along the border between Syria and Lebanon near illegal border
crossings. [95] A former consultant to Bashar Al Assad claimed that if the crackdown on protestors continued, that Syria would soon
slide into a civil war. [96][97] There were reports of 17 pro Assad soldiers being killed in clashes with the Free Syrian Army in
Homs. [98][99]
29 October Tanks and artillery blasted the Homs neighbourhood of Bab Amr, the site of a 90-man defection from the Syrian security
forces two days before, causing several casualties. [100] The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights claimed that 20 soldiers died and 53
were injured in clashes between loyalist troops and "presumed deserters" in Bab Amr as well. [101]
November 2011
2 November Syrian security forces shot dead at least 11 villagers they had stopped at a roadblock northwest of the central city of
Homs, local activists said on Wednesday, while President Bashar al-Assad approved an Arab League plan to end the crackdown. [102]
3 November At least 19 people have reportedly been killed in the flashpoint city of Homs, as Syrian security forces bombarded
residential areas with tanks. This comes a day after the government approved an Arab League plan to completely halt its violent
crackdown. [103]
4 November – "Friday of God is Greatest" At least 20 people have been reported killed by Syrian security forces as massive antigovernment
demonstrations took place across the country following Friday prayers. Four civilians were reported to have been killed
after security forces opened fire on protesters in the district of Kanaker in the capital, Damascus. Two protesters were reported killed
in Hama, and one in the city of Hamouriya, not far from Damascus. Two others were reported killed trying to cross the border and
flee into Jordan, according to reports. Six reported deaths in the Bab Amro area of Homs on Friday came a day after 22 civilians were
reportedly killed there in a military crackdown. "Syrian security forces continue to shell and launch attacks on Bab Amro district,"
said Al Jazeera's Nisreen El-Shamayleh, reporting from Jordan. "At least 10 people were injured, but ambulances were prevented
from entering the area to reach the wounded. And we are hearing reports that planes are still hovering over the district," El-Shamayleh