Syria's Assad regime shells, imposes siege on town in Daraa province
Syria's Assad regime shells, imposes siege on town in Daraa province
The Syrian regime is pressuring residents of the town of Jasem to hand over weapons that do not exist, an activist says.
2 min read
The regime closed all roads leading into Jasem, preventing students, patients and employees from leaving the town [Getty]
The imposed a on the town of JasemÌýin Ìýon Tuesday morning, after shelling itÌýamidÌýdissatisfaction over the number of weapons and moneyÌýhanded over by its residents.
Regime troops closed all roads leading into Jasem, preventing the entry and exit of residents, following a similar pattern of collective punishment against other Daraa towns earlier this year, °®Âþµº's sister publicationÌýAl-Araby Al-JadeedÌýhas reported.
TheÌýmove against Jasem comes after the regimeÌýÌýresidents hand over machine guns and scores of rifles which, Abu Al-Baraa Al-Hourani, a Syrian activist from the Houran Free Group, said does not exist.
"Members of the [Daraa] security committee affiliated with the regime... demanded that theÌýpeople of the city hand over 250 machine guns, within a deadline that ends at 6pm [on Tuesday]," Al-Hourani toldÌýAl-Araby Al-Jadeed.
The siege began with missiles and bombs fired on theÌýÌýprovincial townÌýon Monday, seriously injuring a child, after the regime was unhappy with the number of weapons and money handed over by residents.
"A number of the city's youths burned the regime's flag on its roundabout after it was targeted by shells and the child was wounded," Al-Horani said.
Students, the sick, and workers were then stopped from leaving the town, sparkingÌýtensions in the northern part of Daraa province.
Al-Hourani said that while the heavy machine guns the regime has demanded do not exist, residents handed overÌý50 light weaponsÌýalong with a sum of money equal to the price of 50 rifles.Ìý
The siege happened after regime forces withdrew from Jasem, alongsideÌýRussian military police, after searching and looting homes, report Al-Araby Al-Jadeed.
In northwestern Syria, regime forces shelled villages and towns in rebel-held southernÌýÌýprovinceÌýwith heavy artillery and missiles, includingÌýAl-Fateera, Sufuhun, Fleifel, and Kafr Aweed.
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