Syrian troops today attacked the city of Homs, with the state media saying they were deploying in response to the threats by “armed terrorist gangs.” As usual, they immediately started attacking civilian protesters, killing seven.
Also in the city of Homs, as-yet-unidentified gunmen attacked a group of state oil workers, killing at least four and wounding dozens of others. The state media is blaming “terrorists” for the attack.
In a more positive move, the International Committee of the Red Cross reports that it has been given access to detainees in Syrian prisons. Red Cross spokeswoman Carla Haddad Mardini praised it as a “significant step forward.”
At the same time, Red Cross officials said this should be the norm and not a rare occurance. This message appears to have been lost on Syrian state media, which instead claimed the Red Cross praised the Assad regime on general terms.
