Arab League to Keep Monitors in Syria

Opposition Condemns Move as More Deaths Reported

37 people were reportedly killed across Syria on another bloody Sunday, including 26 civilians and 11 soldiers. The soldiers were reportedly killed by deserters in Daraa Province.

The violence came amidst discussions in the Arab League about the fate of its observation force, which ended with Arab League chief Nabil al-Arabi confirming that the monitors will remain and with opposition figures angrily condemning them.

The Arab League is still doing mistakes,” insisted opposition figure Anas Abdeh, and saying that the Arab League or United Nations should “stop this brutal regime,” which of course is well beyond the authority of the monitors, who were only supposed to confirm the violence, or end thereof.

The monitors’ report has not been made public, but the German media is reporting that it has confirmed the Syrian government has continued to use violence against pro-democracy protesters. Still, the death toll appears to have dropped markedly since the deployment of the monitors, and the more high profile attacks with heavy weaponry appear to be less and less common.

Author: Jason Ditz

Jason Ditz is Senior Editor for Antiwar.com. He has 20 years of experience in foreign policy research and his work has appeared in The American Conservative, Responsible Statecraft, Forbes, Toronto Star, Minneapolis Star-Tribune, Providence Journal, Washington Times, and the Detroit Free Press.