UN observers enter Syria al-Haffeh town unveiling tragedies

 • Groups of UN observers entered Syria's al-Haffeh earlier Thursday.

 • On Wednesday, Syrian troops succeeded in dislodging the armed groups from Haffeh, SANA said.

 • "The town appeared deserted and most government institutions..., were set on fire." Ghosheh said.

DAMASCUS, June 14 (Xinhua) -- The UN supervision mission's spokesperson said Thursday that groups of UN observers had entered Syria's troublesome northern mountainous town of al-Haffeh earlier in the day, after having troubles entering the town over the past week.

On Wednesday, Syrian troops succeeded in dislodging the armed groups from Haffeh near the coastal city of Latakia after a week of intense fighting, the country's state-run SANA news agency reported.

Syrian authorities have restored peace and tranquility to al- Haffeh, said SANA, adding that the armed groups had carried out acts of arson and sabotage to public and private properties as well as terrorizing local residents there.

"The town appeared deserted and most government institutions, including the post office, were set on fire." spokesman Ghosheh said.

In a brief statement to Xinhua, Ghosheh said "Archives were burnt, stores were looted and set on fire, residential homes appeared rummaged and the doors were forced open."

"The Baath Party Headquarters in the town was heavily shelled," she said, adding that "remnant of heavy weapons and a range of caliber arms were found in the town. Cars both of civilian and security use were also set on fire and damaged."

Even though the state media said the government recaptured the town, however, Ghosheh said "there appeared to be pockets in the town where fighting is still going on."

"A strong stench of dead bodies filled in the air," Ghosheh noted, adding the number of casualties still unclear.

The UN Supervision Mission in Syria (UNSMIS) has been trying to reach al-Haffeh since June 7 but has been impeded by the ongoing violence in the area.

The UN Supervision Mission to Syria expressed deep concern about the escalating violence in Syria and called on all parties to put down their weapons and choose the path of non-violence for the welfare of the Syrian people "who have suffered enough."

In a fresh wave of violence Thursday, two car bombs went off in the capital Damascus and northern Idlib province, injuring many people.

Meanwhile, the opposition Local Coordination Committee said that as many as 40 people were killed Thursday in a number of other Syrian cities, which blamed the regime forces for the killings.

The UN estimated that over 9,000 people died in Syria's 15- month-old unrest.

Related:

"Angry crowds" prevent UN observers of carrying out their mission in northern Syria

DAMASCUS, June 12 (Xinhua) -- UN observers' spokesperson said Tuesday that a team of observers trying to reach the town of al- Haffeh in northern Syria earlier in the day were confronted with angry crowds that surrounded their vehicles, stopping them from proceeding any further.

"The crowd, who appeared to be residents of the area, then hurled stones and metal rods at the UN vehicles," Sausan Ghosheh said in a statement emailed to Xinhua. Full story