Syria: Free Syrian Army vows to free nation from Bashar al-Assad

“We consider that Syria is occupied by a criminal gang and we must liberate the country from this gang,” Colonel Riad al-Asaad of the Free Syrian Army said, speaking frtom Turkey.

“This regime does not understand the language of politics, it only understands the language of force.”

He called Russia and China’s veto a “strike against the Syrian people,” not just the opposition.

The uprising began in March with peaceful protests against Mr Assad’s regime, sparking a fierce crackdown by government forces.

Army defectors who joined the uprising later began to protect protesters from attacks.

In recent months the rebel soldiers have grown bolder, attacking regime troops and trying to establish control in pro-opposition areas, bringing heavier government response.

Now regime opponents fear Mr Assad will unleash even greater violence to crush protesters, feeling that he has protection from Moscow.

State-run newspaper Tishreen vowed yesterday that Damascus will press on with its crackdown aiming to restore “stability and security and confront all forms of terrorism”.

Early on Saturday, regime forces bombarded the city of Homs in what activists said was the deadliest incident of the uprising. They reported more than 200 killed, but the regime denied any bombardment and there was no way to independently confirm the toll.

Yesterday, gunfire continued to ring out in several neighbourhoods of Homs, and at least one person was shot dead by a sniper, the British-based activist group Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.

Residents of Homs’ Baba Amro district, speaking by telephone, denounced the Russian-Chinese veto, some chanting: “Death, rather than disgrace.”

One resident who identified himself as Sufyan said: “We will show Assad. We’re coming, Damascus. Starting today we will show Assad what an armed gang is.”

Mr Assad has called his opponents “armed gangs” and “terrorists” steered from abroad.

Government forces also shelled the mountain town of Zabadani, north of Damascus, a significant opposition stronghold that fell under rebels’ control late last month.

“The situation is terrifying, makeshift hospitals are full,” said one activist, who only gave his first name, Fares, for fear of government reprisals.Troops and army defectors clashed in the northwestern province of Idlib and the southern province of Daraa, the Observatory said, reporting two civilians and nine soldiers killed in Idlib. It said a 14-year-old boy was killed when troops fired on a protest in the Damascus suburb of Daraya.

More than 5,400 people have been killed, according to a UN count from January that has not been updated.

The Russian and Chinese vetoes effectively killed an Arab League plan that called for Mr Assad to hand over his powers to his vice-president and allow creation of a unity government.

The United States yesterday proposed a formal grouping of nations backing the opposition, similar to the Contact Group on Libya, which oversaw international help for opponents of Muammar al-Gaddafi.

US officials said a group would work to enhance sanctions against Mr Assad, bring Syrian opposition groups inside and outside the country together, provide humanitarian relief and monitor arms sales.

The main opposition umbrella group, the Syrian National Council, backed the idea.

Radwan Ziadeh, a prominent figure in the SNC, wrote on his Facebook page that friendly countries should form an “international coalition … whose aim will be to lead international moves to support the revolution through political and economic aid.”

A deeply sensitive question is whether such a coalition would back the Free Syrian Army.

In an interview with Al-Arabiya TV on Saturday after the UN vote, the head of the Syrian National Council Burhan Ghalioun said a coalition might give the FSA support “if necessary” to “protect the Syrian people”.