*** On Thursday, efforts to clear wreckage from the collapsed buildings on the edge of the rebel-controlled town of Harasta were impeded by heavy sniper and rocket fire from insurgents holed up inside the town, according to the Syrian army spokesman, an opposition activist and fresh videos posted on the Internet by the rebel group that claimed the attack. The government has kept quiet about the attack on the base, about 8 miles northeast of central Damascus on the outskirts of the city. It was first reported by opposition activists on Sunday with an initial death toll of 31. But one member of the security forces who witnessed the attack and was appalled by the death toll and the continuing struggle by the army to retrieve the bodies of soldiers told The Wall Street Journal the toll was much higher than initially reported, about 200 according to information from a military hospital in Damascus. The Syrian military spokesman said rebels used the tunneling technique after several failed attempts to capture the base over the past two years. He said there were up to 500 soldiers at the base on the day of the attack and those who were martyred included a general, two brigadier generals, two colonels and other senior officers. The military spokesman said at least 150 died, but added that the toll looked likely to rise as rescue efforts were continuing and they were still trying to pull bodies from the rubble. By SAM DAGHER *** Abu Raccoon
Posted on: Sat, 23 Nov 2013 10:12:45 +0000
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