"Leaflets
were dropped over Qusayr asking civilians to leave the city, with a map
of a safe route by which to evacuate, because the attack against the
city is coming soon if the rebels do not surrender," the source told AFP
on condition of anonymity.
Activist Hadi al-Abdullah, who spoke to AFP over the Internet, denied the claim
"I
am in the town of Qusayr, and this morning I visited two villages
nearby, and I can assure you no leaflets were dropped anywhere near
here," he said.
"What is more worrying than that
is that there is no safe exit for civilians. All of us here in Qusayr
have been condemned by the regime to a slow death," added Abdullah, a
spokesman for the Syrian Revolution General Commission, a network of
anti-regime activists.
"Every time civilians try
to leave the town, they are shot or shelled at the town's edges by
tanks or snipers. We are trapped civilians, activists and fighters
together."
Troops backed by fighters from the
Lebanese Shiite militant group Hezbollah have advanced throughout the
area around Qusayr, which fell to the rebels more than a year ago.
Activists
said Qusayr is surrounded by government forces on three sides, and that
approximately 25,000 residents are believed to still be in the city.
The
area has been a strategic boon to the rebels, who used it as a base
from which to block the main road from Damascus to the coast, impeding
military movement and supply chains.
It is also important because of its proximity to Lebanon.
The
regime has made recapturing it a key objective. President Bashar
al-Assad reportedly said last month that fighting in the area was the
"main battle" his troops were waging.
Activists
say regime forces there are backed by fighters from Hezbollah, as well
as members of the National Defence Force, a pro-regime militia.
Meanwhile,
the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights watchdog said at least 72
people were killed throughout the country in violence on Thursday,
including 33 rebels, 21 civilians and 18 soldiers.
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