Tens of thousands of demonstrators took to the streets to try and prevent what some warned would be a whitewash inspection
Tens of thousands of Syrian demonstrators took to the streets of Homs during a visit by Arab League monitors, to protest against alleged mass killings of civilians and prevent what some warned would be a whitewash inspection.
Syrian security fired teargas into the crowd, which the British-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights claimed was 70,000 strong, as it approached the centre of the restive city.
The army appeared to withdraw some tanks from Homs hours before the Arab League visit, after pounding rebel districts the previous day. But opposition activists alleged that many tanks had been hidden in government facilities for the visit and that snipers were opening fire on people trying to recover bodies from ruined buildings.
The protesters appeared determined to show the Arab League observers the scale of the damage to residential neighbourhoods, concerned that the inspection could be stage-managed by the government. The Syrian National Council (SNC), the main umbrella group of opponents to President Bashar al-Assad, said the observers were "being held prisoners by the Syrian system".
In a video sent to Reuters news agency by activists, residents of the rebel district of Baba Amr pleaded with monitors to inspect the area. "Come and see, they are slaughtering us I swear," a man yelled. Another video, ostensibly from Baba Amr, showed corpses among the ruins.
There were reports of Arab League monitors being prevented by sniper fire from entering a mosque where corpses had allegedly been left.
Government soldiers were also reported to be among the casualties, having come under fire from rebels of the Free Syrian Army, made up of defectors from the regular military, who claim to be protecting civilians in parts of Homs.
"The violence is definitely two-sided," a Homs resident, who gave his name only as Mohammed, told Reuters. "I've been seeing ambulances filled with wounded soldiers passing by my window in the past days. They're getting shot somehow."
Human rights groups have voiced scepticism over how much the Arab League mission will be allowed to see, and how searching its inquiry will be.
There has been criticism of the choice of the team leader, Mustafa Dabi, a Sudanese general and former head of military intelligence under the regime of President Omar al-Bashir. Bashir was indicted by the international criminal court for alleged genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes in Sudan's Darfur region.
"It is perplexing that the Arab League chose the Khartoum regime's General al-Dabi to lead its team monitoring the Syria regime," said Omer Ismail, a Sudanese analyst for the Enough Project, a Washington-based organisation focused on genocide and crimes against humanity.
"When he served as Sudan's former head of military intelligence … alleged war crimes including genocide were committed on his watch. Instead of heading a team entrusted with a probe of alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity by Syria, the general should be investigated by the ICC for evidence of similar crimes in Sudan."
Dabi was quoted by the French press agency AFP as saying that the Syrian authorities were being "very co-operative", and added his monitors were using government-provided vehicles. The Arab League, however, insists the mission will nevertheless retain an "element of surprise" and will be able to go wherever it chooses without notice.
Dabi's initial 50-strong team is split into five groups of 10. Another 100 monitors are expected soon. The observer mission, the first the Damascus regime has allowed in nine months of protests, is meant to monitor implementation of an Arab League plan to stop the killing of civilians.
After accepting the plan early last week, Assad appeared to be intensifying the crackdown before the observers' arrival. On Monday, security forces killed at least 42 people, most of them in Homs.
The bombardment was reported by opposition sources to have abated on Tuesday morning, hours before the Arab League mission arrived in Homs. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said some army vehicles pulled out of Homs while other relocated in government compounds "where [they] can deploy again within five minutes."