CAIRO: More than 100,000 civilians are trapped inside the restive area of Baba Amr, in the central Syrian province of Homs, as a result of heavy government shelling that had killed at least 24 people by early evening on Tuesday, an activist said. “The shelling is so intense. People are trapped and they do not have the right shelters,” Omar Homsi told dpa by satellite phone. “They are shelling any car that tries to leave the area,” he said. It comes as near continuous shelling is being maintained by the security forces of President Bashar al-Assad in the country, which has left hundreds of civilians dead over the past few days of shelling. Hospitals have been targeted and entire families have been killed in the most recent increase in violence that has seen Syria turn toward horrific. Many are demanding the international community intervene to end the bloodshed, but both Turkey and the United States said they will not put troops on the ground, ostensibly ending hopes for a UN Peacekeeping mission to the country. The United Nations has said more than 5,400 people were killed from mid-March, when the Syrian regime began its crackdown on pro-democracy activists, to January, when the UN stopped its body count. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, which regularly updates the number of casualties, says more than 7,200 people have died. ** with dpa BM ShortURL: http://goo.gl/oOPV9 Tags: Baba Amr, Civilians, featured, Homs Section: Latest News, Syria
