Wednesday, January 18, 2012

Syria: 20 miles from Damascus, an oasis of fragile freedom



Zabadani has effectively been liberated for a month, thanks to the Free Syrian Army. But it's a liberty under constant siege

Ian Black in Zabadani
guardian.co.uk, Tuesday 17 January 2012

"In the centre of Zabadani, in the little square by the mosque, stands what at first glance looks like a Christmas tree – a spindly plastic evergreen draped in blue fairy lights. But instead of tinsel and baubles it is decorated with photographs and pieces of cardboard bearing the names of the martyrs of the Syrian uprising. Locals call it the Freedom Tree.

It is here, after prayers, that hundreds of residents gather every evening to march through the town, waving placards and chanting slogans against President Bashar al-Assad. They do so under the watchful eyes of the Free Syrian Army (FSA), their only defence against the might of an angry government that is fighting for its survival.

"We don't want Bashar or [his brother] Maher or their gang," they shouted in unison on a cold and starry night last week, clapping their hands above their heads – partly, some laughed, just to keep warm. "The people want the fall of the regime."....

Zabadani is just 20 miles north-west of Damascus, but it could be on another planet. For nearly a month the mainly Sunni town of 40,000 has effectively been liberated territory, though it is a fragile liberty that is under constant siege. Last Friday government troops launched a large-scale assault backed up by artillery and up to 50 tanks. It is unlikely to be the last. Shelling was reported again on Tuesday. Nearby Madaya was also under attack, a thick pall of smoke hanging over it. Water and electricity have been cut off. Many residents have fled.
"Zabadani is 90% free and the other 10% is held by the strongest army in the Middle East," quipped teacher Ali Abdelrahman, taking part in a mourning ceremony for a man who had been killed two days earlier – the town's 14th fatality since the uprising began. "The more martyrs there are, the stronger we become and the more volunteers we get," he grinned....."

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