At least 28 police officers killed in ambush in northwestern Syria

[News_Editor]

At least 28 police officers killed in ambush in northwestern Syria

2011-06-07 02:30:45 GMT+7 (ICT)

DAMASCUS, SYRIA (BNO NEWS) -- At least 28 police officers and security personnel on Monday were killed by armed groups in northwestern Syria, increasing the death toll to 120 over the weekend, the state-run SANA news agency reported.

Reportedly, the law enforcement agents were attacked during the early hours of Monday in the town of Jisr al-Shughour. According to the state media, 20 security and police personnel were ambushed by armed gangs.

The security forces were responding to a call for help from civilians who were attacked by the armed groups and sought refugee on police and security stations. Eight other police officers were killed when a post office was bombed with gas cylinder explosives.

According to Syrian authorities, the attackers terrorized civilians and vandalized public and private properties. Furthermore, the armed gangs committed a "real massacre" as they mutilated some victims' bodies and threw body parts into the Orontes River.

Amnesty International said that at least 120 people were killed since Friday in what was labeled as "one of the bloodiest weekends in months of pro-reform demonstrations" due to the brutal crackdown on protesters.

"As the death toll in Syria reaches staggering new heights, it is imperative that the UN Security Council - which has so far been silent on this issue - votes to condemn the killings," said Philip Luther, Amnesty International’s Deputy Director for the Middle East and North Africa.

On Saturday and Sunday, 54 people were shot dead by security forces in Jisr al-Shughour. Forty-three of them were killed on Saturday while they were attending a funeral procession.

At least 69 people were killed on Friday in the central town of Hama when Syrian security forces opened fire on a "Children's Friday" protest in honor of the dozens of children killed in the recent unrest.

In mid-March, pro-democracy demonstrations began in Syria and have continued across the country, which has been ruled by the Baath Party since 1963. Protesters are demanding the ouster of President Bashar al-Assad, who took over his father in 2000.

According to Amnesty International 986 people has been killed by sdecurity forces during the last 11 weeks. In addition, thousands more have been arrested. The number, however, does not include security personnel, many of whom have been killed in attacks by "armed groups," according to the Syrian government.

The United States imposed sanctions on President al-Assad and other senior officials that froze any assets they have under U.S. jurisdiction and banned U.S. citizens from doing business with them.

The European Council adopted a regulation that provided for an embargo on exports to Syria of arms and equipment that could be used for internal repression, as well as a visa ban and an assets freeze for 13 persons responsible for the violent repression.

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