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Syrian Military Shifts Deployment Ahead of Planned Friday Protests

06 May 2011 03:06 (UTC +04:00)

Baku-APA. Syrian security forces have moved into numerous central and coastal cities ahead of widespread anti-government protests set for Friday, as the army begins withdrawing from the besieged town of Daraa, APA reports quoting voanews.com website.
Troops and armored vehicles have deployed near the urban centers of Rastan, Homs and Banias in the last two days, even as the military said it is pulling out of Daraa. Residents said around 200 tanks have surrounded Rastan and about 30 have blocked entrances to the coastal port city of Banias. Hundreds of families are said to be fleeing Banias in case it, too, comes under siege.
Meanwhile, Syrian activists are vowing to take to the streets again Friday for what they are calling a â€œDay of Defiance.â€
On Thursday, Syrian security forces conducted a major raid in the Damascus suburb of Saqba, arresting at least 300 people. Troops have deployed there, and in other areas around the capital, including Erbin, Douma and Tel.
Earlier, Syrian authorities said the army had started to withdraw from Daraa, the southern city where Syria’s six-week uprising began. The military said Thursday it had â€œcarried out its mission in detaining terroristsâ€ and had restored calm in the city. But residents said tanks, troops and snipers still restricted their movement.
A United Nations spokesman said a U.N. humanitarian team will enter Daraa in the coming days following an appeal by Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.
In Rome Thursday, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said world powers must show the Syrian government there are consequences for what she called a â€œbrutal crackdownâ€ on civilians. Clinton said she discussed possible sanctions against Syria during a meeting with Italian Foreign Minister Franco Frattini.
Two influential U.S. lawmakers urged President Barack Obama to expand sanctions on Syria, including the imposition of travel restrictions for Syrian diplomats in the U.S. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, Republican chairwoman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, and Eliot Engel, a senior Democrat on the panel, sent a letter to Mr. Obama Thursday asking him to take tougher action. The lawmakers also said all U.S. businesses should be barred from operating in Syria.
Rights groups say at least 600 people have been killed in Syria’s crackdown on nationwide anti-government unrest and as many as 8,000 are missing or detained.
The government says it sent the army into Daraa on April 25 at the request of citizens to protect them from â€œarmed terrorist groupsâ€ it blames for killing civilians and members of the state security forces. Anti-government protests that began as calls for reform have developed into demands for the ouster of President Assad.