The UN observers suspended their mission in Syria since the
violence has increased in the past few days, and they’re staying in their
hotels doing nothing now. Sounds familiar, doesn’t it? The exact same thing
happened to the Arab League observers’ mission few months ago, and now comes
the part where the regime’s killing machine is loose to cause death and
destruction all over Syria. That’s what
experience tells us.
June 17th, 2012, First day without the observers
running around taking notes. Nothing strange happened today anywhere near me.
The same amount of daily shelling we’ve been through the past few days.
June 18th, Cellphones networks are down. We saw
that one coming since the regime only connected cellphones and 3G when the UN
observers arrived in Homs. Now that they’re gone, coverage went with them. No
one watching = No communications.
June 19th, news about a Russian ship being held
in Europe that was heading to Syria with military helicopters and other heavy
artillery. We’re glad this ship didn’t make it through since the regime’s been
using helicopters to attack villages for a while.
More news from Russia, this time about actual marines coming
to protect the Russian interests in Tartus. I certainly hope no one comes, and
if they do, I hope they never go back alive. Russia is supporting the regime
politically, and sending Assad all kinds of weapons to kill us, and now sending
marines? That’s invasion.
Enough about Russia, we woke up with no electricity, and
that lasted for five and a half hours. A heat wave has been around for a few
days now and without AC our lives turned into actual hell.
Heavy shelling started, but not any heavy shelling, things I
never heard before were happening. 11 missiles were launched in 4 seconds, then
another wave of 19 missiles, then 22, then 14 more missiles. All that happened
in few seconds. Not minutes, seconds. God knows what happened where all those
missiles hit.
No cellphones, 3G, or Dial up for the second day.
June 20th, the numbers of casualties are
increasing every day. The attacks have become more vicious than ever all over
Syria. Still no cellphones, 3G, or Dial up.
June 21st, A Mig 21 fighter jet arrived in Jordan
and the pilot asked for the right of asylum which was granted for him. That’s
good news but I believe the regime will get the jet back.
Cellphones worked for a couple of hours after 8:30 PM, but
3G is still not working.
More than 120 deaths in Syria today.
June 23rd, a tank, a Shilka, and two pickup
trucks filled with armed security forces came to my neighborhood around 9 AM,
and they targeted Jorat Al Shayyah for an hour and a half then left without
being attacked by anyone since they’re in an area filled with civilians. That’s
how the regime’s forces use civilians as shields, their tanks attack from
inside inhabited areas so the FSA can’t fire back.
At 11:30 it started raining and the weather changed.
10 PM, heavy close shelling caused my house to shake with
every shell being launched.
June 24th, I went to Waar, and on my way I found
four spots where the tank was attacking from. The tank leaves two big circle
marks on the ground where it attacks, and that’s how the streets of my
neighborhood were ruined.
June 25th, I went to Midan, and saw the
destruction there and it was beyond what I imagined, and that ruined my day. A
while after that I got a call about one of my relatives who was killed in Old
Homs. He left three kids and his wife behind, then news about one of my friends
being injured with a shred of mortar in his leg. This is a very bad morning.
Cellphones worked for a few hours then got disconnected
again.
I then saw a big water spraying vehicle accompanied by two
security forces pickups heading to Waar, knowing that I never say the water
spraying vehicle in action. I don’t think they’ve ever used it as they go
straight to shooting at protestors here.
The daily death toll has become 70-130 a day, yet the world
is still okay with it.
June 26th, new cement barriers were installed all
over the main Ghouta street and Kurnich street isolating parts of Hamra and
Ghouta even more than they already are.
Still no cellphones or 3G. We got used to that once again.
June 27th, a huge truck filled with armed
soldiers and two big machines guns in the back crossed my neighborhood towards
the street that takes us to Jorat Al Shayyah.
Once again cellphones worked for a few hours. I honestly
think it’s better if they stop connecting and disconnecting them. Keep them
disconnected is easier for us. I don’t even take my phone with me when I leave
the house anymore, unless I want to take pictures of listen to music.
June 28th, a tank arrived at 11:15 AM and started
shooting near the healthcare center, then moved close to the Red Crescent
storage facilities and targeted Jorat Al Shayyah again from there. I heard rapid
machine gun shooting coming from that area as well.
9 PM, the sounds of tank shooting, mortar being launched,
and a sniper created a symphony of destruction in my neighborhood.
120 deaths all over Syria today.
June 29th, the same thing that happened yesterday.
The tank arrived at the same time and it targeted the same areas then left.
Kids in my neighborhood now know when to wait for the tank to watch it
shooting, and to swear at the soldiers from far away.
2:40 PM, Security forces came into my completely empty
street and started shooting. This happened many times before and I think
they’re just bored and are shooting for fun.
June 30th, the last day of the month went with
more than 100 casualties all over Syria. Douma has fallen in the hands of the regime’s
army after weeks of shelling and tens of deaths.
A martyr’s funeral was targeted in Zamalka in Damascus
leaving 70-80 new martyrs. This happened many times in Syria in the past months,
people going to bury a martyr end up getting buried the very next day. We still
can’t bury our dead in peace.
I believe there is no humanity left in the regime anymore;
it has become a beast with an unlimited blood thirst, and it shall be put down
by any means necessary.
A meeting in Geneva happened and we all didn’t get our hopes
up since the world has been failing us one time after another for the past 16
months. They came up with a new plan which I know that it’s going to fail
sooner than later. Russia is still holding on to Assad and will keep sending
him weapons and supporting him with all it’s got. We only have ourselves and
the FSA now. 133 deaths today.
July 1st, the day started with a new type of
shelling. The rockets that are being used are causing so much noise, and I
haven’t heard such noise before. Some are saying the regime’s using Grad
missiles now, but I’m not sure. All I know is that a very loud explosion sound
is heard every 30 minutes or so since 6 AM.
I went to another neighborhood to go online, and during that
time I read news about security forces attacking my street. I went home and my
parents told me what happened. A big truck filled with armed security forces
came in and started shooting randomly and people in the street started running
in all directions in panic. The vehicle then left the street and headed to a
street nearby and did the exact same thing. This terrorism must end. We’re not
afraid of it anymore. We will face it and end it all no matter what. The new
path of our movement is clear now. I am convinced that there is no other way
but to support the FSA in their fight against Assad’s forces.
July 2nd, I went to Damascus. It was quiet and
disgusting. Most people are still living like nothing is going on, and this has
to change immediately.
July 3rd, I went to Inshaat and saw the destruction
there. Didn’t take any photos or videos since I know everything’s been filmed
before many times. However, seeing things in person is nothing like seeing
videos or photos. I saw parts of Baba Amr and there are no words I can use to
describe how awful it is.
July 5th, yet another day that I won’t forget. I
woke up at 4:30 AM to go get bread but since the shelling started at 3:30 AM,
and there is nearby shooting I decided not to go. I opened my window and saw
three security forces vehicles. A white pickup truck, a blue “police” vehicle,
and the “Assad’s Syria” green vehicle that I saw so many times before. Armed
security forces were all over my street and the next street as well. I’m glad I
didn’t go out. Some of them walked around shooting for a couple of minutes then
they went in their cars and left at 6 AM, except for the white pickup. A while
later I was able to go back to sleep.
I woke up around 11:30, and was about to go out when I heard
a helicopter. It sounded so clear and so close. It was about 12:30 when the
helicopter fired a missile. The explosion was scary and I saw smoke from my
balcony, and small rocks and dirt covered the street and hit my apartment’s
windows. I looked up but couldn’t see the helicopter. I went out immediately,
and heard the helicopter coming back. I saw its tail and heard a small
explosion then it disappeared behind the buildings. I headed to where the
explosion noises came from and on my way I saw cars smashed. I took a picture
of one and a man told me to hide my phone because there is an armor vehicle
nearby and security forces wearing normal clothes instead of uniforms.
I hid my phone and kept walking and saw the dirt all over
the street next to the one that was hit and heard some people talking about
injuries. I kept walking and saw where the missile hit. The street was
destroyed and many cars were hit. One of them was cut in half, and the two
halves were very far apart and from the looks of it, one part flew away and hit
a building before it landed under it. I’m not sure what happened and I don’t
think anyone really is since the street was empty. The ones who were injured
weren’t in the same street because if they were, they would’ve been killed and
torn to pieces.
The missile hit right in front of Al Khayrat mosque which
was empty since there was no prayer at the time.
I went online after that and posted about what I just
witnessed including seeing a tank and an armor vehicle in Hamra, and another
tank in Ghouta. Those tanks didn’t open fire
A friend who lives
there told me that electricity is gone, and then we lost electricity as well,
and therefore we lost internet connection too. I went back home but passed by
the targeted street once again and saw a Red Crescent ambulance and an
electricity truck fixing the harmed wires. I saw that the street where the
missile hit have a pond in it now after water filled the hole. I wonder when
those pipes will get fixed.
I had dinner at home and went out again and talked to some
people who actually saw the helicopter opening fire. They said they saw the
missile being launched but none of them had a video or a photo of it.
Of course this barely made it into the news since other
areas in Homs have been getting hundreds of missiles every hour since early
morning like Jorat Al Shayyah, Qusoor, and Karabis.
I saw trails of black smoke all over Qusoor in the
afternoon.
July 6th - 10th, those days saw a new
amount of tank, helicopter, and missile attacks on Jorat Al Shayyah and Qusoor.
The attacks start around 3 AM and continue all day. Most of my neighborhood is
closed and security forces are always present. Various vehicles come and go.
They stay around all day and all night, and they open fire randomly every now
and then. My area isn’t a good place to be anymore.
July 11th, I went to Waar and military
helicopters were all over that area all day. A security check point stopped me
on my way back home and the one who checked my car looked 19. He gave me a
weird look and told me to step down so he can “See my height”, then he took me
to his boss who kept my ID for a few moments asked another person to “take me”.
They walked me for a few seconds, stopped me and showered me with questions.
Where I was, where I was going, why am I going there, and what am I going to
do. They asked about my house, my job, my age, etc. The higher officer then
looked at me and told them to let me go and gave me my ID back. The only reason
they did all this is because that young man didn’t like the way I look. Some
people get caught like this then disappear and show up tortured or killed
afterwards. It’s not my time I guess.
July 12th, two massacres in the morning, one in
the afternoon and a major one at night. The last massacre occurred in a village
near Hama called Tremseh which harvested more than 220 souls. I completely lost
all hope in any political peaceful change in Syria. It’s all up to FSA now.
July 13th, the tank comes a bit late this
morning, shoots and leaves like always. Black smoke is all over Qusoor and
Jorat Al Shayyah, and some new areas around Mimas.
In the afternoon I was able to see huge columns of black
smoke over Jorat Al Shayyah and Karabis and the smoke kept on coming up from
those areas for hours after the shelling stopped.
July 14th, the tank that usually comes to Ghouta
came of course, then a second tank followed, and they kept coming, opening
fire, and leaving all day, and I’m not sure how many tanks actually came
anymore since I lost track because they really did come and leave a lot.
5:30 PM, the attacks got more frequent from those tanks then
they left around 6, then came again opened fire and left.
My area has become a playfield for tanks and security forces
are always around with their vehicles and pickup trucks, and of course their
guns. This changed a lot in the past few days, to the worse, and we’re waiting
for something to happen and change all that.
