- FO advises Pakistanis to avoid traveling to Syria until the situation improves.
- Those currently in Syria are advised to stay in contact with the embassy.
- According to the latest developments, Syrian rebel forces are advancing towards Homs.
Faced with the deterioration of the public order situation in Syria, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Friday advised Pakistani nationals not to travel to this country hit by violence.
In a statement, FO said: “Pakistani nationals are advised to avoid any unnecessary travel or visits to Syria until the situation improves. »
Those currently in Syria are advised to exercise extreme caution and stay in touch with the Pakistan Embassy in Damascus, the statement read.
Syrian rebel forces advanced on the central city of Homs and Kurdish fighters took effective control of the eastern desert today, shaking President Bashar al-Assad’s grip on power and sparking revolts, according to the latest developments. local protests against his rule in the south.
If rebel forces capture Homs in their new blitzkrieg offensive, it would cut off the capital Damascus from the coast.
In a parallel setback for Assad, a U.S.-backed alliance led by Syrian Kurdish fighters took Deir el-Zor, the government’s main stronghold in the country’s vast eastern desert, three Syrian sources said . Reuters Friday.
It is the third major city, after Aleppo and Hama, in the northwest and center, to escape Assad’s control in a week.
Pressuring, two Syrian army sources said the alliance known as the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) had invaded the nearby Albou Kamal border crossing with Iraq.
In the southern province of Daraa, local Syrian fighters and former rebels overran one of the main military bases, known as Liwa 52, near the city of Herak, as fighting spread to ‘on the southern border with Jordan, two rebel sources said. Reuters Friday.
They also seized part of the Nassib border crossing with Jordan, near the customs section, where dozens of trailers and passenger cars were stuck, sources added.
After years stuck behind frozen front lines, rebel forces broke out of their stronghold in northwest Idlib to achieve the fastest advance on the battlefield by either side since an uprising in street against Assad turned into civil war 13 years ago.
Surprise offensive
The rebel advance took the region by surprise and emboldened other opponents of Assad. Syrian rebel commander Hassan Abdul Ghany urged top military officials to defect, in a video statement released Friday.
At least three people were killed Friday in clashes between Druze militias and security forces in the southern Syrian town of Sweida, two witnesses and a local activist said.
They said anti-government fighters also took control of the main police station and the largest civilian prison hours after hundreds of people demonstrated in a square to demand Assad’s fall.
— Additional contribution from Reuters.