Syrian crisis becomes increasingly militarized

DAMASCUS - As the Syrian crisis has grown more militarized with armed opposition fighters attacking, kidnapping and ambushing government troops, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad seems to have become more decisive regarding what his administration regards as "terrorism" and endorsed Monday an anti-terrorism legislation in a bid to legally back the ongoing pursuit of armed opposition.

A view of buildings and roads, destroyed during clashes between Syrian rebel fighters and government forces, in Al Qusour neighborhood in Homs July 2, 2012.[Photo/Agencies]

The Syrian forces and the armed opposition on ground have been at each other's throats recently with armed fighters undertaking guerrilla-style attacks on army and security bases, while the Syrian administration has decided to flush the existence of those armed elements once and for all and unleashed a large-scale military "cleansing" campaign in the rebellious areas.

The military operation started 10 days ago in the restive suburbs of the Syrian capital of Damascus. Sounds of shelling and gunshots have become daily occurrences, particularly in the early morning and at night.

The latest operation was in the restive suburb of Douma, a scene of armed insurgency, in which the military troops have succeeded over the past hours in dislodging the armed rebels. An official source at the Syrian Red Crescent told Xinhua Monday that large swathes of sprawling Douma have been cleaned. He said humanitarian assessment missions have succeeded in entering the area and evacuated 26 restive people.

Syria defends its crackdown, saying that foreign-backed extremists are fighting on its soil. The government has provided names of foreign fighters that have recently been arrested, mainly Tunisians with affiliations to al-Qaida.

On Monday morning, an al-Qaida-inspired group claimed responsibility for the recent attack on the headquarters of the pro-government al-Ekhbaria TV station that killed seven people, according to state-run SANA news agency.

Meanwhile, Assad ratified Monday a law to combat terrorism, which includes imprisonment for people committing, participating or financing terrorist acts in the country.

The law gives definitions for terrorist acts, terrorist organizations and the financing of terrorism, in addition to penalties for people committing those acts or promoting them.

The law was endorsed by the Syrian parliament on June 28.

Whoever has organized or administrated a terrorist group would receive a jail term at hard labor ranging between 10 and 20 years, the law said, adding that the penalty would be more severe if the objective behind establishing a terrorist group was a regime change.

The law also stipulates that whoever has financed a terrorist act would be jailed for 15 to 20 years at hard labor; Those who train people to use explosives or weapons, smuggle or manufacture weapons would receive jail terms ranging between 10 and 25 years at hard labor.

If the terrorist act results in the killing of one person, the penalty would be death, the law said, and if an accomplice in any of those crimes informs the authorities before the crimes are committed, he would be exonerated.

According to the law, a terrorist act is an action that aims to spread panic among people or causes damages to the country's infrastructure; A terrorist organization is a group of three or more people who plan to commit a terrorist act.

Kidnapping a person in order to demand ransom would be punishable for a jail sentence ranging between 10 and 20 years at hard labor, and the sentence will get stiffer if the kidnapped is less than 18 years old.

A government servant would be laid off if it is proven that he has committed any terrorist act, whether he is the perpetrator, the instigator, an accomplice, or has submitted any kind of support to terrorist group, and he would be deprived of all his rights.

While the armed conflict ramps up on ground in Syria, some 250 opposition figures huddled in the Egyptian capital of Cairo on Monday to iron out their differences in order to become a strong rival to Assad's administration. However, the meeting was marked by the absence of representatives of the rebel Free Syrian Army, which has reportedly described the meeting as a "conspiracy" that serves the policy goals of the Syrian regime's allies.

The boycott of some opposition factions reflects the scattered nature and how the opposition are hobbled by their own differences and infighting.

The Arab League (AL) chief Nabil al-Arabi, who has also attended the opposition meeting, called the opposition to unite their stances.

"This chance shouldn't be wasted, as the sacrifices of the Syrians are more precious than any disputes," Arabi said Monday, referring to the meeting.

"Today we shouldn't give a chance for those doubting the capabilities of the Syrian opposition to carry responsibilities," he said.

Arabi criticized the Syrian government for choosing military options instead of political solutions.

Internationally, NATO Secretary General Andres Fogh Rasmussen said Monday that the conflict in Syria was risking the stability of the entire region. NATO on Monday urged the United Nations to enforce the transition plan for Syria sanctioned Saturday by an international conference in Geneva.

An action group comprising world powers met Saturday in Geneva and agreed that a transitional government should be set up in Syria to end the 16-month-long conflict, but did not stipulate the ouster of Assad.

Also on Monday, UN high commissioner for human rights Navi Pillay said the Syrian army and the armed rebels are receiving more weapons.

"The ongoing provision of arms to the Syrian government and to its opponents feeds additional violence," she said, stressing that "any further militarization of the conflict must be avoided at all costs."

She called on the UN Security Council to reinforce the suspended UN Supervision Mission in Syria (UNSMIS).

Earlier in the day, UNSMIS spokesperson Sausan Ghosheh said the observation mission would resume once the conflicting parties recommit to a sustained cessation of armed violence and to the implementation of the six-point plan proposed by UN-AL joint envoy to Syria Kofi Annan.

"The mission is here and ready to engage and support the parties in Syria to take the needed steps towards this process," Ghosheh said.

The UNSMIS announced the suspension of their field missions last month, citing the unabated violence in Syria.

The Syrian oppositional activists' network Local Coordination Committees said as many as 114 people have been killed nationwide Monday, 34 of whom got killed in the suburbs of Damascus.

However, the account could not be independently verified.