Below is more information regarding what happened in Homs province since the province-wide siege began 5 days ago. This will give you a better sense of what took place on the ground. Below has been directly translated from the eye-witness accounts compiled by activists.
: Homs summary of the events to the moment 09/28/2011
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City of Homs:
Since the early morning witnesses heard the sounds of bullets coupled with the sound of explosions in the neighborhood of Bab Amr. Security forces also banned morning prayers in the Bashat Mosque in Jouret Shiyah where security surrounded the mosque and prevented worshipers from entering and also all day, fired at the demonstrations which occurred at the end of the school day at Hashim al-Atassi school in the city of Palmyra. Students shouted support for Rastan and demanded the execution of President.
As is the case everyday, security forces continued a campaign to systemically displace people from their neighborhoods using all kinds of weapons. Remnants of the Shabiha and supporters assaulted a group of students in the grove near the yardman school adjacent to the Al'Nazaha neighborhood and screamed sectarian slurs and said the regime was against the people of Homs. In the city, a group of refugees who had fled from Wadi Khaled on the Lebanese Border to Bab Sabaa were arrested upin their return to the capital of Homs province, the city of Homs. Demonstrators attended the funeral of martyr Abdul Rahman Al'Mabeed.
In Deir Balaba and Bayada region there was heavy fire from security forces as a result of defections from the elements of the army stationed in area. In the the wake of this split in the army, the neighborhood of renegade soldiers who battled security forces attempting to hunt them down and kill them. Heavy shooting in the area continued from security based at the Faculty of the college of Al'batourkema and in Sxty Street at the School of Dhi Qar. Additional explosions in Bayada were heard and smoke could be seen rising from the area after security fired indiscriminately at houses, where five people were injured. Security forces handed over the bodies of several protesters today: Moses Al'Zalaq age 24, and Zuhair Trabelsi age 35 of the district of Al-Bayada. Both were arrested by military security of Homs. Their bodies were handed over to the National Immaculate Hospital.
The Shabiha entered the Armenian neighborhood and opened fire at random at houses and passerby's in an attempt by the regime to play upon sectarian tensions. Thankfully, no injuries were reported. Witnesses in the region saw continued heavy gunfire and explosions from Baba Amr and Jobar. Since last Tuesday all communications to the region have been cut.
Talbiseh:
Talbiseh witnessed a greater presence of military, and security presence, and the area of Izz Aldin, which is located between Rastan and Talbiseh, was surrounded. The security forces continued to
terrorize people by using anti-aircraft weapons from most of Talbiseh’s checkpoints. These measures caused some of the honorable soldiers to declare their defection, causing the security forces to
frantically fire their weapons arbitrarily and columns of smoke were seen emanating from the Qal3ah area, as well as different neighborhoods around the city. Despite all these developments the
Mughrib prayer call could be heard loudly in defiance.
-Intense gunfire from all roadblocks from the armored cars of chelka, and explosions could be heard, as well as shelling of Al'Qasir. Pillars of smoke were emanating. There was news of military defections, causing security forces at the checkpoints to become frantic. Sounds of ambulances and of armored carriers passing through the main streets could be heard.
-Intense gunfire is still ongoing and constant more than 13 explosions could be hard. Despite the intense shelling and heavy gunfire the call to prayer from the mosques could be heard as a challenge to the butcher and his gangs.
-Ali bin Abi Talib Mosque’s minaret was targeted after the call for maghrib prayer could be heard from it. People could be heard calling Allahu Akbar God is Greater in response to the violent shelling on Al'Qasir. More than 15 shells have already have been fired on Al'Qasir in the middle of Talbiseh.
-18 individuals from the army defected from the checkpoint at the intersection of Tyr M3leh, after they burned a BMW car and ran away with the Security forces following them and then killing them on the railroad tracks (the area near the old railroads) that connect Tyr M3leh and Telbiseh.
Rastan:
The sounds of shelling and explosions were very loud in all parts of the city. The military air force doesn’t stop in the Rastan skies; Rastan has turned into a war zone. The bombing was concentrated at
the residential housing and on the electricity lines, as well as targeting water containers. The bombing intensified after the gangs endured big losses to the free Army, Khaled bin Walid brigade.
-Very intense bombing in a very arbitrary way and it is almost impossible to move anywhere outside, smoke rising from the Alfoqany neighborhood in Rastan, and fires were ignited in some neighborhoods. New bombing has commenced on Rastan with different kinds of calibers.
The Khalid Bin Walid brigade has been defending the people against security forces and the army. The Tanks of Assad’s army started bombing Rastan from the outside in a very arbitrary way; nevertheless big numbers of security forces and Shabiha in Rastan have been killed.
-The situation in Rastan: no drinking water, Electricity has been cut, no communications work and all the roads are closed. The checkpoints and roadblocks of the army, security forces, and shabiha doesn’t allow the residents from going out or coming in and there is no bread in the
village and very little food. Gunfire continues very intensely from machine gunfire every single day from all the checkpoints that surround and terrorize the residents of the village, and homes are
under threat of being invaded by the shabiha. There are many injuries in the neighborhoods and many wounded, and can’t find any place to transport the victims due to the occupation of the Albir clinic and its shelling.
Deir Fool:
Completely surrounded, raid operations are continuous and many have been arrested from the free youth, 12 people defected from the air force intelligence and three of the defectors were martyred at the hands of the shabiha.
