Report: Assad Pulls Tanks from Syrian Cities

Arutz Sheva ^ | 2/1/12 | Chana Yaar

[Eleutheria5]

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has withdrawn tanks and heavy weapons from cities around the nation -- but his forces continue to kill unarmed protesters, the Arab League reports.

Some 3,500 political prisoners were allegedly freed by the Assad regime on Monday, but government forces continued to shoot to kill, even with Arab League monitors in the country, Arab League secretary-general Nabil Elaraby said Monday.

At least eight more protesters were killed, despite the presence of the monitors in the country. A child was shot dead Sunday, becoming the Syrian Revolution's first victim of 2012.

"Yes, there is still shooting and yes there are still snipers," Elaraby told a news conference in Cairo, where the headquarters of the Arab League is located.

The Arab Parliament, an organ within the Arab League, accused the Syrian president of making a mockery of the observer mission and voiced concerns that the mission could serve as a cover for Assad's "atrocities."

"Yes, killings continue. The objective is for us to wake up in the morning and hear that no one is killed. The mission's philosophy is to protect civilians, so if one is killed, then our mission is incomplete. There must be a complete ceasefire," Elaraby said.

[Eleutheria5]

What do you mean, why are we shooting unarmed civilians? The armed ones shoot back, so for them we have tanks. Now that we've disarmed all the civilians and shot them, we no longer need tanks. This is human rights, Syrian style.

[SunkenCiv]

Thanks Eleutheria5.

...but his forces continue to kill unarmed protesters... Some 3,500 political prisoners were allegedly freed... but government forces continued to shoot to kill... At least eight more protesters were killed... A child was shot dead Sunday, becoming the Syrian Revolution's first victim of 2012. "Yes, there is still shooting and yes there are still snipers," [Arab League secretary-general Nabil] Elaraby told a news conference in Cairo... "Yes, killings continue. The objective is for us to wake up in the morning and hear that no one is killed. The mission's philosophy is to protect civilians, so if one is killed, then our mission is incomplete. There must be a complete ceasefire," ...