Washington fears a «desperate» Syrian President Bashar al-Assad could use chemical weapons as rebels bear down on Damascus, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said today, repeating a vow to take swift action if he does.
Rebels fighting to overthrow Assad said they had surrounded an air base near Damascus, a fresh sign that battle is closing in on the Syrian capital, a day after NATO agreed to send air defense missiles to Turkey.
«The goal is to get us on track to move towards a unified force, though we are not there yet. But right now, the priority is to create a structured leadership for all the rebels to follow,» said a rebel organizer based in Turkey.
Heavier fighting erupted around Damascus a week ago, bringing a war that had previously been fought mainly in the provinces to the center of Assad’s power. Fighters said they had surrounded the Aqraba air base, about 4 km (2-1/2 miles) outside the capital.
«We still do not control the air base but the fighters are choking it off. We hope within the coming hours we can take it,» said Abu Nidal, a spokesman for a rebel force called the Habib al-Mustafa brigade.
He said rebels captured a unit of air defense soldiers, killing and imprisoning dozens while others escaped. Syria’s state news agency said the army was still firmly in control of the base, but did not respond to rebel claims that they were surrounding the area.
After meeting other NATO foreign ministers in Brussels, Clinton said: «Our concerns are that an increasingly desperate Assad regime might turn to chemical weapons, or might lose control of them to one of the many groups that are now operating within Syria.»
«We have sent an unmistakable message that this would cross a red line and those responsible would be held to account,» she added.
Source: Buenos Aires Herald