Clashes Continue in Syria, 54 Reported Killed

Officials Report Troops Still Moving Out of Some Cities

With just six days left until the “deadline” for a ceasefire, fighting was intense in Syria today. Reports from opposition factions claimed at least 54 people had been killed nationwide in the fighting.

Opposition factions claimed that most of the regime attacks targeted sites in Homs, while the Syrian state news agency reported that rebels had killed a number of civilians in Dir Baalba. Fighting between the two factions was reported in Idlib as well, with a number of combatants slain.

The Red Cross aid center in Homs was also set on fire early in the morning. No one was inside but a lot of humanitarian aid was destroyed. The Syrian government blamed an unnamed “terrorist group” for that attack, but no group has yet taken credit for it.

The ceasefire terms have Syria removing their troops from the cities by April 10, and rebels agreeing to a full ceasefire within 48 hours. Though reports do have some troops moving out of the cities, there has been no indication from the rebels that the attacks are going to stop.

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.