Beirut: Syrian rebels killed at least 16 troops in a string of clashes at daybreak on Sunday, in another setback for President Bashar al-Assad’s regime, as violence reached new heights, a watchdog reported.
‘‘The clashes happened almost simultaneously at dawn’’ in the northern province of Aleppo, Rami Abdel Rahman of the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights told AFP.
The fighting occurred in the town of Dara Aza, and at checkpoints near the town of Al-Atarib and village of Kafr Halab, the Britain-based group said.
The Observatory said some soldiers defected after an attack on an artillery battalion also in Aleppo, taking with them a large amount of weapons. ‘‘This is one of the bloodiest weeks in the conflict,’’ Abdel Rahman said.
According to the Observatory, 94 people were killed in Syria on Monday, 62 on Tuesday, 88 on Wednesday, 168 on Thursday, 116 on Friday and 116 yesterday.
‘‘It’s like we are in a war,’’ Abdel Rahman said. ‘‘Sometimes when two countries are at war, not even 20 people are killed a day. But now in Syria it has become normal to have 100 killed each day.’’
The mounting toll was a result of the international community’s inability to resolve the crisis, he said.
‘‘The UN observers have suspended their mission and this is a very bad decision. They are just staying in Syria and not going out to observe,’’ said Abdel Rahman.
In the flashpoint city of Homs, two rebels including a commander were killed on today during pre-dawn clashes on the outskirts of Baba Amr neighbourhood.
One civilian was killed elsewhere in the central city. In the northwestern province of Latakia, a rebel died in clashes in the region of the Kurdish Mountain, near the Turkish border.
In Damascus province, rebels captured 11 soldiers during an attack on their base in the regime stronghold of Al-Nabak, said Abdel Rahman.
In a video received by the Observatory, the soldiers sit in rows with masked gunmen behind them.
They identifed themselves and their hometowns, as well as their division.
“We will keep attacking the Syrian forces until the fall of the regime,” one of the rebels says from behind the camera.
For its part, SANA state news agency said that on Saturday the bodies of 46 military and security forces members were taken from hospitals in Aleppo, Tishreen and Harasta to be buried.
More than 15,000 people, mostly civilians, have been killed in Syria since the outbreak of the revolt against Assad’s rule in March 2011, according to the Observatory. (AFP)
