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May 19, 2011

U.S. Sanctions Assad Regime, Crackdown Continues in Border Town 
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The United States has imposed sanctions on Syrian President Bashar Al
Assad and other senior officials in response to the Syrian crackdown on
pro-democracy demonstrators. The sanctions freeze any assets held by
Syrian officials and bar U.S. individuals and companies from doing
business with Syria. Meanwhile, witnesses have reported seeing Syrian
troops conducting house raids in the town of Arida on the Syria-Lebanon
border. On Wednesday, Assad claimed his forces have made mistakes in
their crackdown and said the nation’s turmoil is coming to an end. At
the same time, Syrian troops continued to shell the border town of Tel
Kalakh. At least 27 people have been killed there since ground troops
and tanks raided the town on Saturday. A Syrian villager who fled to
Lebanon described widespread destruction.

Villager: ''It is terrorism. They destroyed us and they destroyed Tel
Kelakh, bodies are on the ground in the streets and the houses are
destroyed and the mosques destroyed. They left nothing and they turned
into a sectarian issue between Sunni and Alawite. The Sunnis have all
fled and the only the elderly are left and we are taking bread to
them.''



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