Syria rebels want air strikes on regime forces

The rebel Free Syrian Army called on Saturday for the Friends of Syria to carry out air strikes on the forces of President Bashar al-Assad after more than 90 people, including 25 children, were reportedly "massacred" in the town of Houla. Turkey-based General Mustafa Ahmed al-Sheikh, head of the FSA's military council, called on the international community to take "an appropriate stance after the heinous crime committed by Assad's assassin regime in the Houla region." "We are calling urgently on the Friends of Syria to create a military alliance, outside of the UN Security Council, to carry out targeted strikes against Assad's gangs and the symbols of his This is not the first time the opposition has called on the Friends of Syria to intervene the 14-month-old conflict. On April 19, General Sheikh urged "the formation of a military alliance of countries friendly to the Syrian people, without UN Security Council approval, to carry out surgical strikes on key installations of the regime." The United States, France, Britain, Germany, and Arab nations Saudi Arabia and Qatar are leading members of the Friends, which has held several meetings calling for tougher action against the Assad regime. Describing Assad's regime as "one of the main causes of instability in the region and the world," Sheikh he also called on rebel fighters in Syria to carry out "targeted military strikes" against the forces of the regime.>And he called on Syrians, especially in Damascus and the northern city of Aleppo, to "demonstrate continuously."Yesterday, government forces shelled Houla, in central Homs province. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said more than 90 civilians were killed, while the opposition Syrian National Council put the figure at more than 110. The SNC called on the FSA yesterday night to "prevent the regime and its armed militias from reaching residential areas by cutting off roads by any means necessary." More than 12,600 people have been killed in Syria since a revolt against Assad's rule broke out in March 2011, including nearly 1,500 since a UN-backed truce took effect on April 12, according to the Observatory.