Red Cross Hopes to Evacuate Civilians Trapped in Syria Fighting

Both Sides Agree to 'Truce' But Keep Firing Anyway

Heavy fighting continues in the Homs Province, with several hundred civilians trapped in the middle in a virtual no-mans land. The Red Cross says that it is hoping to evacuate them from the area, and has been trying to negotiate a temporary truce until the area is cleared.

Trying and succeeding, but in name only. Red Cross officials say that they received “assurances” from both the rebels and the Syrian military that the truce would be cooperated with, but neither side ever actually stopped firing.

As usual, the rebels are condemning the regime for the continued fighting, saying that it is they who are preventing the evacuation of the civilians. Yet indications are that neither side is actually giving any ground.

The fighting isn’t centered exclusively around Homs, either, as rebel mouthpiece the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported that rebels attacked an army barracks in Latakia, killing at least 20 soldiers and capturing a large number of others.

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.