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Syrian Government Supporters Killed in Mortar Attack Syrian Rebels Claim Attack on Assad Supporters
(about 11 hours later)
BEIRUT, Lebanon — Islamist rebels in southern Syria killed more than 20 people on Friday when they shelled a tent erected as part of the coming presidential election, anti-government activists said. BEIRUT, Lebanon — Rebels in southern Syria killed more than 20 people in a mortar attack on a tent put up as part of presidential elections next month, antigovernment activists said on Friday.
The attack appears to be the first by the opponents of President Bashar al-Assad directly targeting the election, slated for June 3, which will almost certainly grant him another seven-year term. The United States and the Syrian opposition have dismissed the vote as political theater, while Mr. Assad’s supporters say it will reflect the popular will. The overnight attack appeared to be the first by opponents of President Bashar al-Assad directly targeting the election and raised the specter of further rebel assaults on rallies and other events.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, an opposition organization that tracks the conflict from Britain through a network of contacts inside Syria, said the mortar attack, in the southern city of Dara’a, immediately killed 11 civilians, six members of a pro-government militia and four others who were unidentified. Many others were wounded, the group said. The vote, scheduled for June 3, will almost certainly grant Mr. Assad another seven-year term. Mr. Assad’s supporters have trumpeted the election as an expression of the popular will, while the United States and the Syrian opposition have dismissed it as political theater.
Qaisar Habib, an opposition activist in the area who is close to the Nusra Front, Syria’s Al Qaeda affiliate, confirmed the strike and said the election tent had been erected two weeks before in a part of the city controlled by the government. While he acknowledged that there were civilians in the area, Mr. Habib said the tent was a “legitimate target for our fire” because those running the election campaign were mostly pro-government militiamen. The Syrian government has not made clear how it plans to collect votes in the vast areas of the country beyond its control, nor how the millions of refugees in neighboring countries will make their voices heard.
The attack on the tent in the southern city of Daraa came after days of threats by rebel groups directed at such gatherings. A few days before, one group, the Sajeel Artillery Brigade, posted a photo on its Facebook page of a pro-Assad rally in Daraa, saying that it wanted to “ask the opinion of the revolutionary street on these events held in Daraa by the regime’s thugs.” By Friday, the post had more than 150 comments, most calling for strikes.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, an opposition group that tracks the conflict from Britain through a network of contacts in Syria, said the mortar attack had killed 11 civilians, six members of a pro-government militia and four others who were unidentified. Many others were wounded, the group said.
Qaisar Habib, an opposition activist close to the Nusra Front, Syria’s Qaeda affiliate, confirmed the strike and said the tent had been erected two weeks ago in a government-controlled part of the city. While acknowledging there were civilians in the area, he said the tent was a “legitimate target” because those running the election were mostly pro-government militiamen.