Syrian opposition issues plea for besieged al-Hara

Syria’s main opposition group has appealed for humanitarian and military help for the town of al-Hara in Daraa, where is says 60,000 civilians are trapped under siege. In a statement released on Sunday, the Syrian National Coalition said forces belonging to President Bashar al-Assad had “declared Al Hara a closed military zone banning medicine, flour, and other staple foods. “Assad forces, supported by Hezbollah militias, have repeatedly violated innocent civilians, while enforcing a complete media blackout,” it added. The opposition group said activists had identified 47 “fallen heroes, in addition to scores of unidentified bodies”. “In current conditions, it is almost impossible to evacuate the wounded and bury the dead. An appalling tragedy is unfolding in Al Hara and we ask the international community to step in and save civilians”, it said. The Coalition called on the United Nations, human rights organizations, and Friends of Syria to “act immediately” to save the lives of civilians, adding that the wounded need to be evacuated to receive medical attention, and families must be allowed to bury their dead. Humanitarian relief is urgently needed, and safe corridors must be established to allow medicine to enter the town, the statement said.   It also asked for supported for opposition fighters from the Free Syrian Army to “defend civilians against Assad’s continued brutal attacks”. The Syrian state news agency website reported on Friday that government forces had “restored stability and security” to al-Hara, inflicting heavy losses against “terrorists”, some of whom were non-Syrians, and confiscating their weapons.