Enab Baladi Issue # 94 – Sun, Dec. 8, 2013

Mohammad Safi – Hama

Nothing but the wind whistling is hovering around three children between garbage bags looking for something to eat that could stop their hunger in the neighborhood of Karm Al-Hourani, a loud explosion shook the area and made people rush to the scene where they found the bodies of three children torn to shreds around the garbage bin.

An explosive bomb placed inside the bin was the reason behind the death of the children on Monday the 2^nd of December. This happening was repeated in the neighborhoods of the city of Hama which is still under the control of Assad’s regime. The aim is often children, in al-Karama area an explosive bomb in a garbage bin resulted in the death of the scavenger of that neighborhood; additionally, another bomb exploded at Fatima al-Sakka school to kill four children and injure more than twelve people during mid-July last year. The third exploded bomb was placed between garbage bags at the entrance to a building to injure one man and cause material damage in other cars.

In the west Arboretum’s neighborhood, a bomb exploded at the door of Bassam Hamsho School in the beginning of this academic year. A few days ago a bomb exploded in the neighborhood of al-Qusoor that resulted in material damage only. Furthermore, the day before yesterday, on Friday, there was an explosive bomb in al-Saboniah neighborhood that caused some material damage.

The regime’s media keeps announcing that they are dismantling explosive bombs that were “planted by militants” in the neighborhoods of Hama, the latest statement was “dismantling explosive bombs planted by armed gangs in the neighborhood of al-Murabet”. Sami Hamwi, the member of the Information Office of the Revolutionary Command Council, explains to Enab Baladi newspaper the issue of explosive bombs, its explosion and dismantling. He states that the soldiers of Assad’s army are trying to evade being in the raging fronts in Aleppo and other places so they fabricate these bombings and dismantle the improvised explosive bombs. These soldiers also instigate fake fights at night while Hamwi stressed that the absence of brigades from the Free Army within the city. Hamwi indicates the huge number of Assad’s armed men inside the city in which there are more than 200 checkpoints, he adds that these practices are also designed to “accuse revolutionaries and work to inflame people to Free Army’s brigades”.

Hamwi clarifies how Assad’s soldiers can plant bombs where people do not know their place. Assad’s soldiers tend to put these bombs during the daily raids that they conduct on the neighborhoods since the streets are empty of people for fear of arrest; therefore, the process of putting these bombs becomes easier.

Planting bombs inside garbage bins and rubbish piles is targeting a segment of the citizens who have been forced to search for food scraps in garbage bags. This phenomenon has recently exacerbated to the extent that instilled fear in the hearts of parents and they stopped sending their children to their schools, while others advise their children daily “do not to come near the dirt, black bags or discarded bags in the streets”.

Abu Mohammad is a father of three children, he preferred to keep his children at home and postpone one full academic year hoping to liberate Hama in which the situation might be better in the next year. Abu Mohammad states that the school administration “promised us that they will install CCTV cameras” but this is not enough because the people who do this act “are the Shabiha system (Pro-regime thugs) who are able to reach anywhere they want in Hama”. He indicates that all government departments and schools have become filled with CCTV cameras, but the phenomenon of explosive bombs did not stop.

Detonate bombs in this way confirms that there is no safe area in Syria including the areas that are under the control of al-Assad.

Translated by: Ruba Al Jarf