The International Committee of the Red Cross said Thursday that violence has stalled its attempt to evacuate wounded civilians from the embattled Syrian city of Homs.
A spokeswoman for the ICRC said its team remains in part of Homs and will continue to try to enter the badly hit neighborhood of Hamidiya.
“Fighting has been raging for more than 10 days between the Syrian army and armed opposition groups in several neighborhoods of Homs. So, there are hundreds of civilians to our knowledge that are stuck in the old city of Homs. They are unable to leave and find refuge in safer areas because of the ongoing armed confrontations.”
The ICRC had announced Wednesday it was ready to move trapped and wounded citizens from Homs. It said opposition forces and government troops agreed to a temporary truce so the group could carry out evacuations and bring in much-needed medical supplies.
However, residents and Syrian activists say two people were killed when government troops shelled the city on Thursday.
Homs has been a flashpoint in the 15-month revolt against Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. It became a focus of world concern in February and March when opposition-held areas endured weeks of government bombardments and sniper fire that killed hundreds.
Meanwhile, Jordan has granted political asylum to a Syrian pilot who flew his fighter jet into the country Thursday. Syria's government labeled the pilot a traitor and contacted Jordanian authorities to try to retrieve the plane.
Syrian state media reported earlier Thursday that the military had lost contact with Colonel Hassan al-Hamade while he was flying a Russian-made MiG-21 fighter jet on a training mission in the country's south.
It is believed to be the first Syrian military defection involving an aircraft.
U.S. State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland praised the Syrian pilot's action as “extremely courageous.”
“We have long called for members of the Syrian military to refuse to obey orders, to break with the Assad regime. This is just one of countless instances where Syrians, including members of the security forces, have rejected the horrific acts that they are being asked to carry out by the regime, and we would like to see more of this.”
Also Thursday, Russia's foreign ministry confirmed that a cargo ship that had been heading to Syria when it was forced to turn back near British waters was carrying three helicopters, which had been repaired, along with air defense equipment.
Russia's Interfax news agency quotes Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov as saying “the ship was carrying air defense systems, which can be [used] only for repelling foreign aggression and not against peaceful demonstrators.”
A British insurance company had cancelled the insurance for the ship Tuesday when it discovered the nature of the cargo, forcing the vessel to turn back to Russia.
Arab League Deputy Secretary-General Ahmed Bin Hilli told Interfax that Russia should stop supplying Syria with military equipment, which he said is “helping to kill people.”
