By Anthony Shadid
BEIRUT Lebanon The Syrian Army stormed the restive city of Daraa with tanks and soldiers and helped detain dozens in towns across the country Monday in an escalation of the crackdown on Syrias five-week-old uprising according to residents and human rights activists. They said at least 25 people had been killed in Daraa with reports of bodies strewn in the streets.
The militarys move into the town seemed to signal a new harrowing chapter in a crackdown that has already killed nearly 400 people. Until now the government has been hewing to a mix of concessions and brute force but its actions Monday indicated that it had chosen the latter seeking to crush a wave of dissent in virtually every province that has shaken the once uncontested rule of President Bashar al-Assad 45.
The government has decided to choose the path of violence and repression" said a Syrian analyst in Beirut who asked to remain anonymous for his safety. How far can they go in this repression? That is the question."
As in 1982 when it crushed an Islamist revolt and killed at least 10000 people in Hama the military again showed its willingness to use force to repress its own people. Though there were rumors of discord among soldiers the leadership is still dominated by Mr. Assads minority sect and its deployment to Daraa illustrated that a crucial bastion of government support remained loyal in stark contrast with Egypt where the militarys refusal to fire on protesters proved decisive in President Hosni Mubaraks fall.
The official Syrian news agency said Monday night that the military had entered the town at the request of citizens to hunt what it called extremist terrorist groups."
Daraa a town of low-slung buildings with 75000 inhabitants has become almost synonymous with the popular revolt that has posed the greatest challenge to four decades of rule by the Assad family. Protests erupted there in March after security forces arrested high school students accused of scrawling anti-government graffiti on a wall galvanizing demonstrations that have spread from the Mediterranean coast and eastern regions dominated by Kurds to the steppe of southern Syria where Daraa is located.
Residents said at least eight tanks drove into the town before dawn with 4000 to 6000 troops though some estimates put the numbers far lower in the hundreds. Water electricity and phone lines were cut making firsthand accounts difficult and the numbers impossible to verify and nearby border crossings with Jordan were reported sealed. Snipers took positions on the roofs of mosques residents said and a mix of soldiers and armed irregular forces went house to house to search for protesters.
There are bodies in the streets we cant reach; anyone who walks outside is getting shot at" said a resident of Daraa who gave his name as Abdullah reached by satellite phone. They want to teach Syria a lesson by teaching Daraa a lesson."
A handful of videos posted on the Internet along with residents accounts gave a picture of a city under broad military assault in what appeared to mark a new phase in the government crackdown. Tanks had not previously been used against protesters and the force of the assault suggested that the military planned some sort of occupation of the town.
Its an attempt to occupy Daraa" Abdullah said.
He said soldiers had taken three mosques but had yet to capture the Omari Mosque where he said thousands had sought refuge. Since the beginning of the uprising last month it has served as a headquarters of sorts for demonstrators. He quoted people there as shouting We swear you will not enter but over our dead bodies."
He said residents had also tried to block roads with cement blocks and cars. We didnt pay such a high price to quit now" he said.
For weeks organizers have managed to circumvent the governments attempt to black out news from Daraa and cities like Homs. But it appeared to have more success Monday.
Organizers themselves had trouble reaching contacts and only occasional videos emerged from the tumult. One showed heavily armed soldiers taking up positions behind walls a few feet from a tank parked on a leafy avenue. In another a young boy threw a chunk of concrete at a passing tank. Other videos showed a cloud of black smoke rising and volleys of heavy gunfire echoing in the distance.
These are the reforms of Bashar al-Assad" one resident said as he filmed tanks entering the city. He is reforming Daraa with the tanks of Bashar al-Assad."
Wissam Tarif executive director of Insan a human rights group said his organization had a list of 25 people killed Monday in Daraa.
The United States called the violence completely deplorable." Tommy Vietor a National Security Council spokesman said the Obama administration was considering sanctions against Syrian officials to make clear that this behavior is unacceptable."
At the United Nations European and American officials circulated a draft Security Council statement condemning the crackdown and calling on the government to respect human rights and freedom of expression. The draft endorses a call by Secretary General Ban Ki-moon released last Friday urging an independent investigation into the mounting death toll.
Across the country of more than 22 million the government continued a campaign of mass arrests protesters said. Security forces searched house to house in Azra another restive town near Daraa. Activists said security forces had also entered two towns on the capitals outskirts Douma and Maadamiah detaining dozens of people.
Clashes have been especially pronounced in the poor towns that encircle the capital Damascus and activists said there were reports of shooting during the raids.
In Jabla a coastal city inhabited by Syrias Sunni Muslim majority and members of the minority Alawite sect from which the government draws much of its support security forces killed at least 12 people in a crackdown that began Sunday and persisted into the night. One resident said protesters had burned an army car and taken a soldier hostage.
The army is deployed all over the area" said another resident who gave his name as Abu Ahmed. I cant describe how bad the situation was all night. Its a street war."
He said the shootings had exacerbated tension between Sunnis and Alawites a potentially dangerous manifestation in a country with a mosaic of religious and ethnic minorities many of whom fear the governments collapse may endanger them.
The plate has shattered" he said using an Arabic expression. Theres strife between us now its been planted and the problem is going to exist forever in Jabla."
Hwaida Saad contributed reporting from Beirut and employees of The New York Times from Beirut and Damascus Syria.
