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    01-Jul-2015

Residents of border towns say Ramadan sees peak of fighting in south Syria

 

The Jordan Times

 

IRBID – Residents of Jordanian towns close to Syria’s southern region say forces of Bashar Assad’s regime usually intensify shelling in Ramadan.

They cited heavy fighting in recent days in Daraa as opposition forces are trying to take full control of the city, making it a frequent target of artillery shelling by the regime.

People say that they hear the sounds of the deadly barrel bombs the regime uses against the opposition forces in southern Syria, which according to international news reports have killed thousands of civilians.

“Every day before iftar we hear the sounds of heavy shelling just across the border,” said Ibrahim Al Omari, a resident of the village of Um Qais.

Omari said this is the fifth Ramadan since the start of the uprising in Syria, adding that residents of the area notice that shelling by regime forces intensifies further in Ramadan.

“As Muslims abstain from food and drink in Ramadan, why doesn’t Assad regime abstain from killing people in the holy month?” asked Um Ali Hamadneh, a 65-year-old woman from the village of Aqraba, which overlooks the villages of Tafas and Shajarah in Syria.  “We all feel sorry for the people there. May God help them.”

Ahamd Shtayyat is another Aqraba resident who said the sound of explosions are heard on a daily basis, particularly in Ramadan.

“Sometimes we hear shelling all night long,” he told The Jordan Times, indicating that the sound of explosions is “deafening”, especially those caused by the notorious barrel bombs.

Aqraba, over 100km north of Amman, also overlooks the Yarmouk River, which separates the village from towns in the Houran plains that extend from southern Syria to the north of Jordan.  

 

“What we hope to see is an end to the fight in Syria. Inshallah [God willing] next Ramadan there would be no fighting,” said Mamoun Obeidat, from Hartha village.
 

 

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