(Adds background)
ANTAKYA, Turkey, April 8 (Reuters) – Syrian forces loyal to
President Bashar al-Assad shelled an area in the rebellious
province of Idlib near the border with Turkey on Sunday, killing
and injuring dozens of people, opposition activists said.
Around 90 tanks and armoured vehicles, backed by
helicopters, bombarded the al-Rouge Plain southwest of Idlib
city, the provincial capital, activists inside Syria and on the
border with Turkey told Reuters.
Fighters from the rebel Free Syrian Army were surrounded in
al-Bashiriya, one of about 40 villages in the plain, activists
added.
“The army is shelling al-Rouge with tanks, and helicopters
are firing rockets at al-Bashiriya. Tens of people have fallen
dead or injured but we cannot get to them because the
bombardment is heavy,” said activist Mahmoud Ali, with the sound
of helicopters audible on the phone.
A major Syrian army offensive to seize back large swathes of
Idlib that had fallen under rebel control has killed and wounded
hundreds of people in the last 10 days. Thousands of Syrians
have fled to Turkey.
A peace plan drawn up by U.N.-Arab League envoy Kofi Annan
requires Assad to “begin pullback of military concentrations in
and around population centres” by Tuesday for a truce to start
48 hours later. But that looks in doubt with each side accusing
the other of intensifying assaults as the deadline approaches.
(Reporting by Khaled Yacoub Oweis; Editing by Robin Pomeroy)
