Sustained tension in Homs after murder, armed attacks on city neighborhoods

The transitional government announced that the curfew in Homs will be extended for an additional day after a turbulent Sunday marked by a series of violent incidents that deepened the city’s state of unrest.

The decision came after authorities imposed a full curfew yesterday from 5 p.m. until 5 a.m. this morning, in an attempt to contain the fallout of a horrific murder in the city’s countryside and armed attacks targeting civilians in several districts.

On Sunday morning, a man and his wife were killed by gunmen in the town of Zaidal, amid a continued and escalating wave of crime across the Homs region.

In the al-Basel suburb of the al-Muhajireen district, armed attacks were carried out by a group known as the “Awlad Atiya al-Mousa,” part of the Bani Khaled Bedouin tribe. The assault left the young man Noufal al-Abbas dead and his father critically wounded, in addition to 11 other civilians injured. Reports suggest the number of casualties may rise.

Social media users documented the widespread circulation of videos showing armed groups firing randomly in civilian neighborhoods, while other footage appeared to show scores of heavily armed men preparing to attack predominantly Alawite areas.

Videos were also shared showing dozens of cars and motorbikes carrying armed men entering neighborhoods after incitement calls under the slogan “al-Fazaa” (mobilization for support), reflecting what appears to be a deliberate and coordinated escalation of the attacks.

A-H 

ANHA