12 civilians killed by Syrian troops’ shells

Violence follows killing of Barada Valley negotiator

BEIRUT // Pro- Syrian government troops shelled a village in a rebel-controlled area near Damascus yesterday, killing at least 12 civilians and injuring others who were taking shelter in a banquet hall.

The violence that has raged since December 22 in the water-rich Barada Valley has tested the country’s fragile ceasefire and restricted the flow of water to the capital.

Despite an agreement to let maintenance workers in to fix the water plant in the rebel-controlled valley, the violence continued, also trapping an estimated 100,000 residents.

Yesterday, shells fell on Al Reem banquet hall in Deir Qanoun village in the valley that houses hundreds of civilians who had escaped the fighting.

Heavy clashes erupted after the official who negotiated a deal to restore water to the Syrian capital was killed.

“Fierce fighting broke out after midnight between regime forces, fighters from Hizbollah and the rebels, after gunmen killed the negotiator, Ahmed Al Ghadban,” said Rami Abdel Rahman of the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. Mr Al Ghadban was on his way to the Ain Al Fijeh spring with maintenance teams, he said. The Wadi Barada media centre, which is operated by activists, said 12 were killed and more than 20 were injured.

The group posted pictures of the bloodied floors of the hall. Fuad Abu Hattab, an exiled resident of Barada Valley and an activist with the group, said that medical teams had been unable to move around the valley because of the fighting.

It was not clear if the dozens of injured were receiving immediate care.

The Syrian civil defence, a team of volunteer first responders in the rebel-held parts of Syria, said the shelling hit a displaced people’s centre.

The Observatory said seven people were killed but the death toll was likely to rise because some of the injured were in critical condition.

In recent days, government and allied troops have been advancing in the valley despite talks to stem the violence.

The Lebanese Hizbollah group, which has fighters on the side of the Syrian government, said pro-government troops seized a hill overlooking the water source in the valley yesterday.