WORLD_ Syria rebels shoot down helicopter

Syria rebels shoot down helicopter
18:41 AEST Thu Sep 20 2012
AFP
9NEWS


Rebel fighters have shot down a helicopter in a battleground town near Damascus, a watchdog says, as Syria's opposition declared parts of the capital a "disaster area".


A series of explosions rocked the town of Douma, just northeast of Damascus, shortly before the rebels downed the helicopter on Thursday, said the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

"A helicopter went down in the Tall al-Kurdi area near Douma," said the Britain-based Observatory, citing activists in the area. It "was shot down by rebels" following the blasts.

Syrian state television said the helicopter "crashed", while the official news agency SANA only reported that the aircraft had gone down.

The government increasingly has been using helicopters and other aircraft in its fight against an 18-month-old rebellion. Rebels have claimed to have shot down helicopters in the past, although Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's regime has blamed the problems on mechanical difficulties.

Mohammad Saeed, an activist in Douma, said Syrian MiG warplanes and helicopter gunships had been flying low over the area in the southeastern part of Douma before the crash.

"We heard the sound of several explosions and some gunfire, and few minutes later, we were told that a helicopter had crashed," Saeed told The Associated Press, speaking by Skype from Douma.

The reports came as the Syrian National Council (SNC) said that south Damascus was a "disaster area", while the army shelled Al-Hajar Al-Aswad and the Palestinian refugee camp of Yarmuk.

 "Helicopter gunships are pounding civilian homes in Al-Hajar Al-Aswad in south Damascus, using explosive-laden rockets," said the SNC, Syria's main opposition coalition.

"Many people have been killed or injured, but the violence of the shelling is making it difficult for activists in the area to document all their names," it added.

On Wednesday, the Observatory reported 12 people killed in the two southern districts.

The Syrian Revolution General Commission, a grassroots network of anti-regime activists, had also declared south Damascus a "disaster area" on Wednesday.

"We call on the heroes of the (rebel) Free Syrian Army to intervene and to target the army of (President Bashar) al-Assad," said the SNC.

"We also call on them to open routes for the civilians to flee the catastrophic conditions they are living in," it added.

The SNC meanwhile renewed its call on the international community to intervene on behalf of the Syrian people.

"The international and Arab response to what is happening in the world's oldest capital city (Damascus) has been completely insufficient," said the opposition bloc.

Violence also raged in Aleppo, Syria's commercial hub in the north where dozens were killed or injured in fierce shelling by the army, said the Observatory.

The watchdog had no immediate details on the exact number killed in the Aleppo district.

The violence came a day after 125 people were killed across Syria, including 80 civilians, 17 rebels and 28 soldiers, according to the Observatory.

More than 27,000 people have been killed in violence across Syria since March last year, the Observatory says. The UN puts the figure at more than 20,000.

Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said on Wednesday the United Nations may soon put forth a new peace strategy.

The 18-month conflict will top the agenda at next week's UN General Assembly summit of world leaders even though there is no formal meeting on Syria, he said on Wednesday.

"Unfortunately both sides, government and opposition forces, seem to be determined to see an end by military means," Ban told a media conference.

"I think military means will not bring an answer," he added, calling for "political dialogue reflecting the genuine aspirations and will of the Syrian people".

UN-Arab League envoy Lakhdar Brahimi will arrive in New York this weekend to report to Ban on his recent talks with Assad and opposition leaders.

He will brief UN Security Council envoys on Monday and hold talks with ministers on the sidelines of the General Assembly meetings.

Then Brahimi "may have some strategy to be conveyed to Syrian authorities for resolution of this issue," Ban said.




Chân thành cám ơn Quý Anh Chị ghé thăm "conbenho Nguyễn Hoài Trang Blog".
Xin được lắng nghe ý kiến chia sẻ của Quý Anh Chị trực tiếp tại Diễn Đàn Paltalk: 1Latdo Tapdoan Vietgian CSVN Phanquoc Bannuoc .
Kính chúc Sức Khỏe Quý Anh Chị .




conbenho
Tiểu Muội quantu
Nguyễn Hoài Trang
20092012
___________
Cộng sản Việt Nam là TỘI ÁC
Bao che, dung dưỡng TỘI ÁC là đồng lõa với TỘI ÁC