Syria Direct: News Update 6-8-15

Amidst regime attacks on Homs civilians, Jaish al-Tawheed vows revenge

The recently formed rebel group Jaish Al-Tawheed began bombarding pro-regime areas in the city of Homs and villages in the north Homs countryside on Sunday, the group announced.
 
Al-Tawheed launched the ongoing “Revenge for the Martyrs” campaign “in response to the escalation of Assad forces and the direct targeting of civilians and shops and markets with barrel bombs,” Jaish Al-Tawheed said in a statement posted to social media Sunday.
 
A defected Ahrar a-Sham commander established Jaish Al-Tawheed nearly a month and a half ago “in the model of the Victory Army [coalition of rebel forces],” to bring together different rebel factions in the province, citizen journalist Firas al-Homsi told Syria Direct on Monday.
 
A spokesman with Al-Tawheed said it bombarded the Alawite majority neighborhoods of al-Akrama and al-Nuzha in the city of Homs in a statement to Smart News on Sunday.
 
Regime forces have targeted a number of areas in the northern Homs countryside in recent days. On Sunday afternoon, three barrel bombs dropped from regime helicopters in the town of al-Zafraneh killing 18 civilians and injuring dozens, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported Monday.

 Rebels target regime neighborhoods In Homs. Photo courtesy of Jaish Al-Tawheed.

Judiciary Council: We can’t issue verdicts without Jaish al-Islam files

The Judiciary Council of rebel-controlled East Ghouta held a press conference Sunday during which its head judge lashed out at Jaish al-Islam for failing to hand over files needed to render judgments.
 
“Jaish al-Islam stipulated that we issue all judgments at once, and we requested they stop giving us incomplete casework, so we are asking Jaish al-Islam to finish giving us the files,” said Khalid Tafour, head judge of the East Ghouta Judiciary Council.
 
The press conference came one day after the leak of a video in which a leader from the rebel brigade insinuated that Tafour is procrastinating in delivering judgments.
 
The Judiciary Council is ostensibly independent and responsible for issuing summonses, trying criminals and combating corruption in the rebel-controlled region east of Damascus.
 
Tafour mentioned that one of the most important files he requested were those pertaining to “the case of Jaish al-Umma,” referencing a campaign of arrests waged by Jaish al-Islam against another rebel brigade last year.
 
He also spoke about the abduction of opposition activist Razan Zeitounah, whose whereabouts are still unknown. Zeitounah, her husband and two other activists are believed to be in Jaish al-Islam custody.  
 
“The investigations commission for Razan Zeitounah is still ongoing…and some [rebel] brigades are cooperating while others are hampering it.”