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    January 18, 2012

Syrian Uprising Moves Closer to Capital

   Elizabeth Arrott | Damascus
   Hunkering down: a poster of Syria's president at a checkpoint on the
   outskirts of Damascus, January 18, 2012. Photo: VOA - E. Arrott
   Hunkering down: a poster of Syria's president at a checkpoint on the
   outskirts of Damascus, January 18, 2012.

   Damascus has been spared much of the violence gripping Syria, although
   there are signs that the uprising is moving closer on the capital.

   The body of a Syrian general is on its way to burial. Chopin's Funeral
   March merges with trilling laments and chants of pro-government
   slogans.
   Watch related video clip:

   Officials say General Mohammed Abdul-Hamid al Awad was on his way to
   work this week when an "armed terrorist group" attacked him outside his
   Damascus home.
   His funeral procession is attended by Arab League monitors. Afterward,
   they are shown the bodies of at least six young men officials describe
   as soldiers killed in recent fighting.
   The bodies of young men the government says are soldiers killed near
   Damascus, January 17, 2012.

VOA - E. Arrott

   The bodies of young men the government says are soldiers killed near
   Damascus, January 17, 2012.
   A morgue official counts a total of 58 stab wounds to one body, many of
   them, he says, inflicted after the man died.
   The post-mortem wounds raise questions, but many government accounts
   are rejected by the opposition as manipulated or fabricated.
   Even without all the answers, the killing of a prominent military
   figure in the capital, once seemingly immune to the unrest, adds to
   fears following two suicide bombings in the past month.
   In some ways, Damascus appears normal. Shops and restaurants are open,
   though financial sanctions have turned it into a cash-based system.
   More telling are the checkpoints and sandbagged positions around the
   city, speaking to fears of further troubles.
   Amal, who gives just her first name, says the military is justified in
   its actions, in what she sees as a bid to maintain security. "People
   are killing each other because of sect, because of religion, because
   whatever it is. So the military needs to go on the streets because this
   is the country's military," she said. "If somebody is wrong, they need
   to enforce law."
   Despite ongoing security efforts, the government has not been able to
   quell the unrest in towns ringing the capital. And in Zabadani, 40
   kilometers away, opposition forces say they have reached a ceasefire
   with government troops. If confirmed, it would be a rare concession by
   the state on the military strength of its opponents.