When Croatian weapons, provided by Saudi Arabia, first appeared a number of people noted that while the weapons had been sighted in Daraa, Idlib, Aleppo, and Deir Ez Zor, they hadn't appeared in Homs, the scene of months of fighting. Now, for the first time, these weapons have started to appear in the Homs region. The first video shows a M79 Osa rocket launcher being used by opposition fighters in Baba Amr, Homs, south-west of the city centre
This next video shows a RBG-6 grenade launcher in Al Khaldiyah, Homs, north of the city centre, being used by a new group, Katiba al-Samoud - Janud Allah, which appears to be aligned with the FSA
Here we see a RPG-22 being used by what appears to be the same group in the above video at an unknown location in Homs
This final video shows a M60 recoilless gun being used at near the Lebanese border, near Al Qusayr, south-west of Homs
All four videos were posted in that last two days, and I've been unable to find earlier videos showing Croatian weapons in the Homs region, so it appears these are all new arrivals in the Homs region, and it will be interesting if these weapons have the same significant effect in Homs as they've had in Daraa.
The following was sent to me by Gharib on Twitter relating to activities in Homs. All of the below is based on unconfirmed (and unconfirmable) reports:
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A summary of the revolutionary operations that have taken place recently in and around Baba Amr.
This is incomplete as some information has been missed out of the report for safety purposes:
The Baba Amr rev...olutionary Battalion accompanied by the Martyrs of Baba Amr Battalion performed a successful operation against regime forces at the start of May this year. The operation was in the fields of Baba Amr.
The operation led to the destruction of several checkpoints positioned in the area and this was a starting operation to teach the regime forces a lesson for what they did previously and also to back off the citizens who live within the fields of Baba Amr and the attack was in response to them storming many of the homes there and setting some on fire.
On the same day, the Alkhadra Battalion, accompanied by a group from the Baba Amr Revolutionary Battalion, hit a military base near Shenshar and this led to the destruction of a missile launcher that was involved in the shelling of Homs.
Another group from the Revolutionaries of Baba Amr Battalion observed the house of first assistant Bakri Idris at the political-security branch and on 20/05/2012 he was assassinated as he made his way home - he was observed for over a month to make sure it was him and where he lives. This first assistant in the Assad army was involved in the torture and murder of several activists and revolutionaries.
The two battalions, Martyrs of Baba Amr Battalion alongside the Revolutionaries of Baba Amr Battalion attacked a government checkpoint on 28/05/2012. This was in response to the massacre in Al Houla, resulting in financial and human losses to the government forces, causing them to flee.
There was another operation in Wadi Al-Tawash in response to the crimes of the government forces. In addition all the Assad forces at the surrounding checkpoints were killed, only then did the revolutionary battalions make their way to Baba Amr.
In light of the increased crimes of the Assad army, and the increase in murder of civilians, the number defections of Assad soldiers has also increased. They have joined the Martyrs of Baba Amr Battalion and have formed the group of Al-Qaqa Bin Amr Al-Tamimi
The Revolutionaries of Baba Amr Battalion [in their full weaponry] made up of more than 400 soldiers working with the Martyrs of Baba Amr Battalion made from no less than 50 soldiers [in their full weaponry] also working with a group from the Alkhadra Battalion made up of no less than 10 soldiers announced they have began moving towards Baba Amr. In the last 24 hours the mentioned groups attacked the regime army around Baba Amr and destroyed 4 armoured tanks and completely destroyed a T72 tank. There were many human loses within the shabeeha [thugs] and regime mercenaries. The clashes continue as the regime forces shell the area with artillery, missiles and tank shells but it has all been a failure for the regime.
This is now the regimes strategy regarding the areas it is loosing control off. The regime shells the site of the clashes to destroy or push away the revolutionary forces, ignoring they may have their own soldiers and shabeeha under the same shelling. The regime is taking revenge from its own forces before the revolutionary forces.
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Overall, in the last 15 days 5 BMP tanks have been destroyed. 2 tanks were destroyed by Abu Jafar from the Revolutionaries of Baba Amr Battalion where he was injured and is recovering.
The number of deaths in the regime forces cannot be accounted for as the number is too large to document.
