UN Pulls Staff from Syria in Response to Latest Crackdown
The United Nations is moving 26 nonessential staff members and their families from Syria due to the turmoil and violence there. The Syrian navy continues to shell the Syrian port of Latakia despite calls from Turkey and other Middle Eastern nations to halt the offensive. Syrian President Bashar al-Assad began the assault on August 14 in response to massive antigovernment demonstrations in the city. His government claims that its forces are attempting to round up armed gangs that moved into Latakia to rob and terrorize the residents. The assault is the latest in a brutal crackdown attempting to end a five-month-old uprising against the Assad regime.
On August 15, the government of Turkey demanded that Assad withdraw his military from Latakia or face an unspecified reaction. Days earlier, King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia called for an end to the bloodshed in Syria and recalled his ambassador from Syria’s capital, Damascus.
The uprising in Syria is part of what international affairs experts call “the Arab spring.” Similar popular uprisings in Tunisia and Egypt brought down long-standing governments earlier this year. Activists continue to battle oppressive governments in Libya and Yemen.
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