Syrian town lives in fear of 'Scuds'
2012-12-14 22:23
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Syria
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Syria - Mangled heaps of metal stretch for hundreds of
miles from a crater in what was an olive grove in north-western Syria. Rebels
say they now face a new enemy: Scuds.
According to the insurgents, at least six
surface-to-surface missiles, which they believe to be Scuds, crashed in and
around Sheikh Suleiman army base on Monday and Tuesday, an army garrison seized
by Al-Nusra Front jihadists.
An AFP correspondent visited the spot where one of the
missiles struck near the base, just outside the town of Darret Ezza.
The soil was strewn with piles of sharp, twisted metal.
The stone walls that define these rocky hills and olive groves were reduced to
rubble.
"There were 31 olive trees here, now they're all
gone," said the owner of the land who came to inspect the damage, despite
the danger of landmines left behind by the army.
"Stones the size of a man flew into the sky like
they were pieces of gravel," said the moustachioed farmer as one of his
children picked up the body of a dead bird.
All the trees were decapitated. About 300m away, part of
the façade
of an ancient but sturdy barn had collapsed.
Fortunately for the residents of Darret Ezza, the missile
landed nearly 1.2 miles away, but the windows of many houses were blown out by
the impact.
The explosions rattled the whole town and could be heard
throughout the region, but no one was killed, according to local Free Syrian
Army (FSA) fighters.
Their commander, Abu Jalal, insisted the missiles were
Scuds, despite firm denials from Damascus.
"The regime media has already justified the bombing
by arguing that the rebels in this area had dangerous weapons including
chemical components," he said.
An AFP journalist in Darret Ezza on Monday heard a very
strong explosion at the time when one of the missiles hit the area, but was
unable to determine the exact origin.
Several residents, including local FSA officer Abu Raji,
said the firing of surface-to-surface missiles began two weeks ago, after
rebels shot down two army aircraft raiding the area around the base.
"There were other three explosions like this, but
they were less powerful," said Abu Raji.
Local residents said it was irrelevant whether they were
Scuds of another type of missile.
"We live in fear that next time the missiles will
land on the town," said Abu Jalal.
A US official told AFP on condition of anonymity on
Wednesday that Scud missiles had been used in Syria. However, a security source
in Damascus said the army had used a smaller, Syrian-made version of the Scud.
