Battles for Er-Rastan - military clashes between Syrian government forces and armed opposition forces during the civil war in Syria . They began on May 14, 2012 , in violation of a ceasefire agreement announced by the UN . The city was shelled by government forces , causing severe casualties to rebel forces based in the city. In turn, the militants managed to destroy several infantry fighting vehicles in which soldiers were transported [1] . As a result, the city came under the control of the SSA militants [2] , and part of the regular army went to the side of the rebels.
| Fights for Er Rastan in May 2012 | |||
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| The main conflict: the civil war in Syria | |||
 Location of artillery in the north of Er-Rastan and smoking buildings (satellite photo) | |||
| date | May 14 - May 25, 2012 | ||
| A place | Er Rastan , Homs , Syria | ||
| Total | Victory of the armed opposition:
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| Losses | |||
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According to human rights activists, as a result of the clashes, at least 23 military personnel of the Syrian armed forces were killed, as well as at least nine rebels, including one of their local commanders - Ahmad Ayyub [1] [3] .
Background
Er Rastan is located 25 kilometers north of Homs and was one of the centers for training opposition fighters [2] [3] [4] . In addition, the city was of great strategic importance: the highway connecting Damascus and Aleppo , two of the country's largest cities, passes through it [1] [5] . According to observers, this helped the rebels to assemble units from scattered units, mainly consisting of deserters, to attack buses and roadblocks and government army roadblocks, which were equipped with military intelligence and pro-government police [6] .
According to observers, Er-Rastan and its suburbs have repeatedly become places of armed clashes between rebel forces and the government army [6] . Despite the fact that the government’s troops managed to regain control of the city several times [7] , nevertheless, the rebels returned it back [2] [4] [6] [8] .
A new wave of violence in Syria began on May 10 after unknown terrorists carried out two explosions in Damascus that killed 55 people - mostly civilians. During the deployment of government troops to Er Rastan, operations against militants simultaneously began in several small cities in the provinces of Hama and Daraa, as well as in the Duma, a suburb of Damascus. According to media reports, on May 14, during the fighting in these regions, two fighters, six soldiers of the government army and 22 civilians were killed [1] .
Events
According to militants, on May 14, starting at midnight, the Syrian armed forces carried out intensive shelling of the city, as a result of which nine people were killed and about 40 were injured [3] . According to opposition sources, among the dozens killed as a result of the shelling of the city by the army was the local rebel commander.
According to the so-called “Syrian Center for Monitoring Human Rights” (OSDH), 23 soldiers of the Syrian Armed Forces were killed during fierce clashes in the city. Also, militants destroy destroy three armored personnel carriers in which troops were transported [9] . In addition, 15 soldiers and two military armored personnel carriers were captured by the rebels. According to observers, the government army has not experienced such serious losses for all 14 months since the uprising [4] . Western media regularly cite OSDH data, while the objectivity and reliability of this organization’s information is called into question [10] [11] [12] . Also, according to BBC, at least one government tank was burned during street battles [2] [13] .
Consequences
Er Rastan has been periodically bombarded by the Syrian army over the past two months. Government troops have been trying to take control of Er-Rastan since mid-May - after the rebels moved here from Homs, which on June 11 also came under fire from the Syrian military [5] .
On June 11 of that year, government helicopters launched air strikes on militant positions in Er Rastan [5] . As a result, the rebels suffered serious losses, including the death of Ahmad Bakhbuh, the head of the rebel headquarters in Er Rastan. UN observers confirmed the use of helicopters. Kofi Annan said that he was deeply concerned about the news, and a UN spokesman said that " artillery and mortar shells, machine guns and smaller caliber weapons " were used in Er-Rastan and Tell-Bis [14] .
Also, some organizations reported that on July 13 in Er-Rastan, a colonel and 40 soldiers with four tanks went over to the side of the Syrian Free Army. The armed opposition also managed to take control of the village of al-Ghant , which is located southwest of Tell Bis [15] .
See also
- Battles for Rastan in September — October 2011
- Battles for Rastan in January – February 2012
Notes
- ↑ 1 2 3 4 Syrian rebels burned three infantry fighting vehicles with soldiers . Lenta.Ru (May 14, 2013). Date of treatment July 27, 2013.
- ↑ 1 2 3 4 Syrian rebels knocked out an army from the city of Rastan . Lenta.Ru (May 25, 2012). Date of treatment July 27, 2013.
- ↑ 1 2 3 More than 20 soldiers died during the fighting in Syrian Rastan - OSDH . RIA Novosti (May 14, 2013). Date of treatment July 27, 2013.
- ↑ 1 2 3 Clashes in Syrian Rastan: more than 30 dead . BBC (May 14, 2012). Date of treatment July 27, 2013.
- ↑ 1 2 3 Helicopters of Syrian government troops bombard insurgent positions in the central part of the country (inaccessible link) . NEWSru.com (June 11, 2012). Date of treatment July 27, 2013. Archived March 4, 2016.
- ↑ 1 2 3 EU agrees new Syria sanctions; clashes kill 23 troops amid fresh scuffles in Lebanon (inaccessible link) . Al Arabia (May 14, 2013). Date of treatment July 27, 2013. Archived November 1, 2013.
- ↑ Three thousand people were arrested in a rebellious Syrian city . Lenta.Ru (November 4, 2011). Date of treatment July 27, 2013.
- ↑ Syria: army intensifies attack on Rastan . France 24 (12 June 2012). Date of treatment July 27, 2013. Archived October 25, 2014.
- ↑ In the Syrian city of Rastan there are fierce battles . Channel 9 (May 14, 2012). Date of treatment July 27, 2013.
- ↑ Western media use dubious sources to cover the operation of the Russian Federation in Syria // RT, 10/06/2015
- ↑ Jonas Scheible, Süddeutsche Zeitung, “Syrian Center for Human Rights Monitoring: Doubtful Chronicles of Death”
- ↑ Winstanley A. The Syrian Observatory: The Inside Story Archived on September 30, 2014. // 01/26/2012
- ↑ Battle for Syrian town despite UN brokered ceasefire . BBC (May 25, 2012). Date of treatment July 27, 2013.
- ↑ "UN observers confirm Syria aerial attacks" . June 12, 2012. Al Jazeera . Retrieved on 17 June 2012
- ↑ Syrian Daily Round-up . Strategic Research & Communication Center (13 July 2012). Date of treatment July 27, 2013.