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Syrian president likened to a doctor 'abandoning the patient's limbs to save the organs'

Helicopter gunships bombard several districts in Damascus

Syrian activists say that the death toll of the 16-month uprising has risen to 19,000. Demonstrations against Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has continued to rage since March of last year, and what is seen as a recent "first" in the conflict, helicopter gunships have been seen bombarding several districts in Damascus.

Significantly, the fourth division is run by Assad's 41-year-old younger brother Maher Assad who is widely seen as the connecting tissue maintaining the Assad family's four decades of Alawite minority rule.

Significantly, the fourth division is run by Assad's 41-year-old younger brother Maher Assad who is widely seen as the connecting tissue maintaining the Assad family's four decades of Alawite minority rule.

LOS ANGELES, CA (Catholic Online) - "Helicopters are fiercely shelling the northern quarter of Barzeh with rockets and machine guns," an NBC News contact reported. "They're flying over my head. The shelling is the first of [its] kind ever witnessed in Damascus."

Syria's elite Fourth Division troops were besieging the northern neighborhood of Barzeh, one of three northern areas hit by helicopter fire. "The situation in Damascus is normal, but the security forces are pursuing the remnants of the terrorists in some streets," state television reported.

Significantly, the fourth division is run by Assad's 41-year-old younger brother Maher Assad who is widely seen as the connecting tissue maintaining the Assad family's four decades of Alawite minority rule.

His role has become even more important since Assad's defense and intelligence ministers, a top general and his powerful brother-in-law were killed by the bomb on last week. President Assad has not spoken in public since the bombing.

One Western diplomat has compared Assad to a doctor "abandoning the patient's limbs to save the organs."

Fighting continues in parts of Aleppo -- the country's main commercial and industrial hub -- and in Deir al-Zor on the Euprhates River, the largest city in the east.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights says if the current pace of killing continues through the end of this month, it will be the deadliest month since the Syrian uprising erupted. It's reported that 1,933 civilians, 738 government troops and 81 rebels were killed in the first 21 days of July.
 
The United States says it is closely monitoring Syria's chemical weapons stockpile and is "actively consulting" Damascus's neighbors to stress concerns over the security of those weapons and Syria's responsibility to safeguard them.

"We believe Syria's chemical weapons stockpile remains under Syrian government control," White House spokesman Tommy Vietor said. "Given the escalation of violence in Syria and the regime's increasing attacks on their people, we remain very concerned about these weapons."

One Syrian military defector claims that Assad's forces were moving chemical weapons across the country for possible use against the opposition.

"In addition to monitoring their stockpiles, we are actively consulting with Syria's neighbors -- and our friends in the international community -- to underscore our common concern about the security of these weapons, and the Syrian government's obligation to secure them," Vietor said.

© 2012, Catholic Online. Distributed by NEWS CONSORTIUM.

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Pope Benedict XVI's Prayer Intentions for January 2013
General Intention:
The Faith of Christians. That in this Year of Faith Christians may deepen their knowledge of the mystery of Christ and witness joyfully to the gift of faith in him.
Missionary Intention: Middle Eastern Christians. That the Christian communities of the Middle East, often discriminated against, may receive from the Holy Spirit the strength of fidelity and perseverance.

Keywords: Maher Assad, Bashar al-Assad, Syria, helicopter gunships, chemical warfare

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1 - 2 of 2 Comments

  1. greg
    10 months ago

    @Diane,

    and the people of Syria have the right to free speech and a freely elected government via democratic elections. You don't kill thousands of your own people and call the problem, "a few terrorists" are causing this.
    And yes, other nations should be involved if genocide is being committed. Or, are you alright with governments killing as many of their own people as they like just to remain in power?

  2. Diane
    10 months ago

    Syria has a civil war. Who are the opposition forces anyway and why did they start an uprising? A government does have the responsibiliy to keep law and order. Also I've read that Syria has the 3rd largest standing army in the world, right after America and Red China.Do other nations really want to be involved in that civil war?

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