UN Observers Find 'Ghost Town' in Syria

June 14, 2012 from Al Jazeera English

The road to al-Haffah, once a town of 24,000 people and popular with tourists, is now empty with most of the people gone. Left are burnt-out cars, bombed buildings, and, according to the United Nations observers, a stench of dead bodies. The UN had been trying to get into al-Haffah for a week, amid fears of a brutal assault by forces loyal to President Bashar al-Assad. What observers found was evidence of a recent battle, and a strong Syrian army presence. Al Jazeera's Dominic Kane reports.

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Battle of al-Haffah

The Battle of al-Haffah was a battle between the Syrian Army and the rebel Free Syrian Army in Latakia Governorate, primarily in the area around the town of Al-Haffah. The battle resulted in ousting of the rebels from Al-Haffah. Explore this topic

al-Haffah

Al-Haffah is a town in northwestern Syria administratively belonging to the Latakia Governorate, located 33 kilometers east of Latakia. It is the centre of al-Haffah District, one of the four districts of the Latakia Goverorate. Located at an average height of 310 meters above... 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

Syrian Civil War

The Syrian civil war is an ongoing armed conflict in Syria between forces loyal to the Syrian Ba'ath Party government and those seeking to oust it. The conflict began on 15 March 2011, with popular demonstrations that grew nationwide by April 2011. These demonstrations were pa... 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

Kofi Annan peace plan for Syria

The Kofi Annan peace plan for Syria or the six-point peace plan for Syria, launched in February 2012, is considered the most serious international attempt to resolve the Syrian civil war in the Middle East diplomatically. The peace plan enforced a cease-fire to take place acro... Explore this topic

United Nations

The United Nations is the world's largest, foremost, and most prominent international organization. The stated aims of the United Nations include promoting and facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human r... Explore this topic

Damascus

Damascus, commonly known in Syria as ash-Sham and nicknamed as the City of Jasmine, is the capital and the second largest city of Syria after Aleppo. It borders Quneitra, Daraa and As-Suwayda to the south, Jordan to the east, Homs to the north, and Lebanon to the west. It is a... Explore this topic

Syrian TV

Television in Syria was formed in 1960, when Syria and Egypt were part of the United Arab Republic. It broadcasted in black and white until 1976. In 1985 a second channel was established and in 1995 the Syrian television rented a channel on Arabsat and it started broadcasting ... Explore this topic

Bashar al-Assad

Bashar Hafez al-Assad is the President of Syria and Regional Secretary of the Syrian-led branch of the Arab Socialist Ba'ath Party. He has served as President since 2000, when he succeeded his father, Hafez al-Assad, who had ruled Syria for 30 years prior to his death. Al-Assa... Explore this topic

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Battle of al-Haffah

al-Haffah

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