Syrian rebels routed from far eastern city of Deir el-Zour
Syrian rebels patrol and set up check-points in the north of northern Syria’s Idlib region, on March 18, 2012. Reports indicate that Syrian troops routed the eastern city of Deir el-Zour on Tuesday, forcing a rebel withdrawal.
BEIRUT, Lebanon — Syrian rebels withdrew from the far eastern city of Deir el-Zour on Tuesday, giving the Syrian army another victory in its campaign to recapture urban areas with Free Syrian Army presence. The city's fall follows the capture of restive districts of Homs in February, as well as the northern city of Idlib last week.
The Associated Press described "short gunbattles" between the FSA and Syrian army, before rebels withdrew into homes and apartments. The Free Syrian Army said it withdrew from Deir el-Zour to "avoid a civilian massacre," Bloomberg reported.
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The Syrian government strategy seems to be following a pattern: "government troops have often heavily shelled neighborhoods before sending in troops, killing civilians and damaging buildings," the AP wrote.
At the same time, Reuters reported, Syria faced a diplomatic "setback" after Russia hardened its stance toward Damascus. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said Syria had made "lots of mistakes" in its handling of the domestic uprising, and incorrectly responded to the "first appearance of peaceful protests."
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The withdrawal says the newest episode in Deir el-Zour suggests "the loose-knit Free Syrian Army is overwhelmingly outgunned by Assad's forces and has proven unable to control territory."
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