Syrian Army Intensifies Military Assault on Idlib

March 12, 2012 from Al Jazeera English

The Syrian army's crackdown on opposition to President Bashar al-Assad's rule appears to be intensifying. Al Jazeera journalists have witnessed Syrian forces using heavy weapons to bombard civilian areas in the city of Idlib in the northwest of the country. Tight reporting restrictions have limited the international media's access to Syria. However, Anita McNaught and her team managed to get into Idlib, and were there when the military assault began.

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Idlib

Idlib is a city in northwestern Syria, capital of the Idlib Governorate, and 59 kilometers west of Aleppo. It has an elevation of nearly 500 meters above sea level. In the 2004 census by the Central Bureau of Statistics, Idlib had a population of 98,791. The inhabitants are ov... Explore this topic

Syrian army

The Syrian Army, officially the Syrian Arab Army, is the land force branch of the Syrian Armed Forces. It is the dominant military service of the four uniformed services, controlling the senior most posts in the armed forces, and has the greatest manpower, approximately 80 per... Explore this topic

Syria

Syria, officially the Syrian Arab Republic, is a country in Western Asia, bordering Lebanon and the Mediterranean Sea to the West, Turkey to the north, Iraq to the east, Jordan to the south and Israel to the southwest. A country of fertile plains, high mountains and deserts, i... Explore this topic

Battle of Idlib

The Battle of Idlib started the 10 March, after months of clashes around Idlib which had seen the rebels taking over the city. The previous days, military build up and reinforcements had been seen in the prevision of the assault. On 9 March, a column of 42 tanks and 131 troops... Explore this topic

Artillery

Artillery is a weapon of war that operates by projection of munitions far beyond the effective range of personal weapons. Artillery comprise specialised devices which use some form of stored energy to operate, whether mechanical, chemical, or electromagnetic. Originally design... Explore this topic

Mortar (weapon)

A mortar is an indirect fire weapon that fires explosive projectiles known as bombs at low velocities, short ranges, and high-arcing ballistic trajectories. It is typically muzzle-loading and has a barrel length less than 15 times its caliber. Explore this topic

Offensive (military)

An offensive is a military operation that seeks through aggressive projection of armed force to occupy territory, gain an objective or achieve some larger strategic, operational or tactical goal. Another term for an offensive often used by the media is 'invasion', or the more ... Explore this topic

Civilian casualties

Civilian casualties is a military term describing civilian or non-combatant persons killed, injured, or imprisoned by military action. The description of civilian casualties includes any form of military action regardless of whether civilians were targeted directly. This diffe... Explore this topic

Tank

A tank is a tracked, armoured fighting vehicle designed for front-line combat which combines operational mobility and tactical offensive and defensive capabilities. Firepower is normally provided by a large-calibre main gun in a rotating turret and secondary machine guns, whil... Explore this topic

Residential area

A residential area is a land use in which housing predominates, as opposed to industrial and commercial areas. Housing may vary significantly between, and through, residential areas. These include single-family housing, multi-family residential, or mobile homes. Zoning for res... Explore this topic

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