BEIRUT — The Syrian government sent troops backed by tanks into rebellious areas Monday, hunting down activists and torching their homes and bulldozing others, opposition groups said.
At the United Nations, international envoy Kofi Annan set an April 10 deadline for full compliance with a peace plan to end the violence in Syria. He also told the Security Council at a closed-door briefing that Damascus has agreed to withdraw its troops from cities by that date, reversing its refusal to implement the measure, diplomats said.
While diplomatic efforts to broker an end to the conflict have moved slowly forward, government troops have continued their assault on the opposition.
Activists said fierce clashes were taking place in the central region of Homs, after which rebels took control of the national hospital in the Jouret al-Shayah district. Human rights groups and the opposition have accused government forces of abusing and torturing wounded activists in the hospital in previous months.
The British-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said rebels found about 70 unidentified bodies in the hospital refrigerators, apparently belonging to people killed in earlier fighting.
It also said Syria has killed 10,108 people since the uprising against President Bashar Assad’s regime erupted in March 2011. The number breaks down to 7,306 civilians, 2,248 members of government forces and 554 soldiers who defected from the Syrian army.
In the south, dozens of tanks surrounded the town of Dael early Monday before troops pushed in, shooting holes in rooftop water tanks and targeting dozens of activists’ houses, torching some and bulldozing others, said local activist Adel al-Omari.
“They focused on the activists. They have their names and have been tracking them,” he said, speaking by telephone from a garden in Dael where he was hiding. “They went in and spread fuel to totally burn them down.”
The fresh violence underlined how little international diplomacy has curbed the crisis in Syria, which began more than a year ago with largely peaceful protests calling for political reforms.
On Sunday, more than 70 countries, including the United States, pledged to send millions of dollars and communications equipment to dissidents inside Syria, signaling a growing belief that diplomacy and sanctions will not end the repression and push Mr. Assad from power.
Mr. Annan, a former U.N. secretary-general, has been pushing a six-point plan to end the Syrian crisis. The plan includes an immediate, daily two-hour halt to fighting so aid can reach embattled civilians. It also calls for an overall cease-fire so all parties can discuss a political solution.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said Monday that Syrian forces must withdraw first, followed quickly by opposition forces.
U.S. Ambassador Susan Rice expressed skepticism about Syria’s commitment, saying Damascus has made and broken promises over many months.
The president of the International Committee of the Red Cross, Jakob Kellenberger, arrived in Syria on Monday for a two-day visit in a bid to improve access for humanitarian workers.
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