Saturday, August 4, 2012

A week in Aleppo - witnessing the fierce battle for Syria's largest city


A woman walks through rubble from a building destroyed by shelling from forces loyal to Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad in downtown Aleppo
REUTERS.

Amid the stench of death and the legacy of settled scores, the sound of Beyonce echoes in the Ramadan evening

Kim Sengupta
Salheddine, Aleppo
Saturday 04 August 2012
The Independent

".....There are killings taking place elsewhere in Aleppo, often in secret, scores being settled after 40 years of authoritarian rule and human rights abuses. Particular targets of vengeance are the Shabiha, the paramilitary loyal to President Basher al-Assad, and the secret police, the Mukhabarat. At one police station I find bodies of dead officials shot in the backs of their head. “Were they killed after they surrendered?” I asked. A young rebel fighter grinned and said: “They didn’t surrender, they were caught,” before being angrily told to shut his mouth by an older colleague......"

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