UN to Vote on Syria Resolution; Assad’s Forces Detain Thousands
The U.N. Security Council may vote Tuesday on a resolution condemning Syria’s brutal crackdown against civilians, amid reports that security forces have carried out mass detentions in the rebellious central town of Rastan.
Diplomats say it remains unclear whether Russia will veto the resolution or abstain from voting.
Moscow opposes the imposition of sanctions against President Bashar al-Assad’s government. The European-drafted resolution threatens “targeted measures” against Syria if it does not halt its military assault on pro-democracy protesters.
In Syria, activists say security forces in and around Rastan have arrested up to 3,000 people over the past three days in an effort to track down military defectors. Syria’s official SANA news agency puts the number of arrests “in the dozens.”
For about a week, tank- and helicopter-backed troops battled insurgents and army deserters in Rastan. Syria’s official news agency said Saturday that government forces have regained control of the town.
The military is reported to have deployed more forces in the town of Talbiseh, near Homs – another area that has defied government authority for months.
The Syrian military said Monday it has confiscated a cache of weapons and explosives smuggled into the country from neighboring Turkey. The seizure is said to include more than 150 shotguns and Kalashnikov rifles, along with several rocket-propelled grenade launchers.
Since the uprising began in March, the Syrian government has cast the opposition as an armed insurgency driven by Islamist militants – a description most other accounts have dismissed as a vast exaggeration…