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BEIRUT — Syrian activists reported a surge of bloodshed in thecentral Hama province late Wednesday, with at least 23 peoplekilled -- and possibly many more. The reported mass killings are likely to ignite more anger nearlytwo weeks after the massacre of more than 100 people elsewhere inSyria as an international peace plan unravels and the countryspirals toward civil war. The exact circumstances of the violence in Hama were impossible toindependently confirm. Rami Abdul-Rahman, the head of the Britain-based Syrian Observatoryfor Human Rights, said he had gathered the names of 23 peoplekilled in shelling and other attacks. But the Local CoordinationCommittees, an activist group, said at least 86 were dead. Abdul-Rahman called on U.N. observers to visit the areaimmediately. "Do not wait until tomorrow in order to investigate this latestmassacre," he said. Hama was the site of a notorious massacre in 1982, when Assad'sfather and predecessor, Hafez, ordered the military to quell aSunni rebellion. Amnesty International has estimated that between10,000 and 25,000 people were killed in the siege, thoughconflicting figures exist and the Syrian government has never madean official estimate. Activists say as many as 13,000 people have been killed in Assad'scrackdown against the anti-government uprising that began in March2011 with mostly peaceful protests but morphed into an armedinsurgency amid a violent regime crackdown. The violence in Syria has grown increasingly chaotic in recentmonths, and it is difficult to assign blame for much of thebloodshed. The government restricts journalists from moving freely,making it nearly impossible to independently verify accounts fromeither side. Wednesday's reports of violence in Hama came on the heels of ahorrific massacre on May 25 and 26 in Houla, a cluster of villagesin the central Homs province. Although Syria has seen relentlessviolence for more than a year, the Houla massacre stands out forits sheer brutality. Many of the dead were women and children whowere gunned down in their homes. U.N. investigators have blamed pro-government gunmen for at leastsome of the killings. The Syrian regime has denied responsibilityand blamed rebels for the attacks. The international community has condemned Assad over the crackdown,but the U.S. and its allies have little leverage in Syria. Western leaders have pinned their hopes on diplomatic pressure byspecial envoy Kofi Annan, with the U.S. and others unwilling to getdeeply involved in another Arab nation in turmoil -- particularlyone as unpredictable as Syria. The conflict is among the most explosive of the Arab Spring, inpart because of Syria's web of allegiances to powerful forcesincluding Lebanon's Hezbollah and Shiite powerhouse Iran. Russia and China had blocked strong action by the U.N. SecurityCouncil, giving Assad a significant layer of protection as hiscrackdown continues. Both countries are adamant that nointernational military intervention occur in Syria. Still, the Obama administration is warning Syria that U.N.sanctions may be near, as Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clintonheads Wednesday to Turkey to talk strategy with America's alliesand look for a way to win Russia's support for a transition planending the Assad regime. Russia and China, however, issued a joint statement reiteratingtheir opposition to any imposing of "regime change" in theviolence-wracked country. The warning was delivered by Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner,who called for the world to exert "maximum financial pressure" onAssad's government. He argued that "strong sanctions can helphasten the day the Assad regime relinquishes power," butacknowledged that financial and diplomatic penalties alone cannotbring the needed political change. Assad says he is fighting a conspiracy to destroy the country,carried out by terrorists and foreign extremists. Al-Qaida-style suicide bombings have become increasingly common inSyria, and Western officials say there is little doubt thatIslamist extremists, some associated with the terror network, havemade inroads in Syria as instability has spread. I am an expert from multifunction-calibrator.com, while we provides the quality product, such as Digital Clamp Meters Manufacturer , Humidity Temperature Meter Manufacturer, Multifunction Process Calibrator,and more.
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