Syria clashes continue as ceasefire deadline arrives

Violence has continued in Syria despite a UN-backed deadline for a complete withdrawal of troops and weapons coming into effect.

Shelling was reported in Homs early on Tuesday, and there were clashes on the Turkish and Lebanese border overnight.

More than 100 people – many of them civilians – were killed on Monday, reports say.

Damascus had agreed to the deadline but insisted on written guarantees first that its opponents will give up arms.

Under the plan – negotiated by the UN and Arab League’s special envoy on the Syrian crisis, Kofi Annan – Syrian troops were to begin withdrawing from cities by Tuesday ahead of a full ceasefire coming into place on Thursday.

But Washington said late on Monday there were “no signs yet of the Assad regime abiding by its commitments”.

Activists in Syria reported that government troops had been shelling the western city of Homs since early on Tuesday morning, while military activity was also reported in Aleppo and other areas.

Meanwhile, several people in a refugee camp in Turkey have been injured by shots fired across the border from inside Syria. Witnesses told the Associated Press news agency that at least two people had died.

Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said the incident on Sunday was a “clear violation” of its borders and that his country would “take the necessary measures” in response.

Turkey has seen a sharp rise in the number of refugees coming over the border in the past week, and now hosts some 24,000 Syrians, including hundreds of army defectors.

Mr Annan will visit some of the Turkish camps on Tuesday to assess the situation and hear from people who have fled the violence.

Separately, a Lebanese cameraman was shot dead on Lebanon’s northern border with Syria.

BBC

Posted by Editor on April 10, 2012. Filed under INTERNATIONAL NEWS. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry