Civil War In Syria -- News Updates March 22, 2013

Syria's Ruined Rebel City: Children Play In Smoking Rubble Of First Liberated Township As Assad Vows To 'Cleanse' Country In Civil War -- Daily Mail

* Rebels and civilians pictured among the ruins of provincial capital Raqqa
* They clutch messages of defiance against President Assad's regime
* Militants captured security forces and drove their bodies around streets
* Rebels guard state buildings and return bread prices to pre-war levels
* Pictures emerged as Assad vows to 'cleanse' country of extremists
* President was responding to suicide bombing in capital Damascus

Powerful images of a city ruined by Syria's civil war have emerged today after rebels took control of the area from government forces.

The provincial capital of Raqqa is the first major city to fall entirely under rebel control, having been seized from the government last week.

The pictures come as President Assad vowed to 'cleanse' the country of Muslim extremists, whom he blames for a suicide blast that killed at least 49 people.

Read more ....

More News On Syria

Assad vows to 'purge' Syria of extremists after mosque attack - Friday 22 March 2013 -- The Guardian
Syria Live Blog -- Al Jazeera

Syria rebels fight to recapture symbolic mosque of uprising -- Reuters
Syria fires on Lebanon: Lebanese seethe, government mum -- Christian Science Monitor
Syria mosque blast: Pro-Assad cleric among dozens dead -- BBC
Rebel army denies killing top Sunni cleric -- UPI
Syrians on both sides of conflict condemn killing of cleric -- L.A. Times

Syria's Assad vows to cleanse nation of extremists -- FOX News/AP
Syria's Assad pledges to 'wipe out' extremists after suicide attack kills top preacher -- NBC
Assad vows to 'cleanse' Syria after blast -- Al Jazeera

Official: 'Something went down' in Syria, but it was short of chemical weapons -- CNN
France, Britain sound alarm over chemical weapons in Syria -- Reuters
Focus on Syria: Chemical weapons frightful, relatively inexpensive -- CNN
Syria Chemical Attack Reports Leave Open Question Of Who Did It -- Huffington Post

France, UK press to lift EU arms ban for Syria rebels -- Reuters
E.U. moves closer to arming Syria rebels -- Washington Post
UK, France press EU on giving arms to Syria rebels -- Huffington Post/AP
EU split over Britain, France push to arm Syria rebels -- AFP

Top Democrat, GOP senator urge Obama to take limited military steps against Syria’s regime -- Washington Post/AP
Democrats and Republicans unite around calls for more aggressive Syria policy -- The Cable/Foreign Policy
War Drums: Levin, McCain Urge Obama to Use U.S. Force in Syria -- Defense News
Levin presses Obama for U.S. military intervention in Syria -- The E-Ring/Foreign Policy

Obama says he's concerned about post-Assad Syria -- US News and World Report
Obama defends U.S. approach to Syrian conflict -- L.A. Times
Obama Warns Syria Could Become Enclave For Extremists -- ABC News
President Barack Obama says he’s very concerned about Syria becoming an enclave for extremism -- Washington Post/AP

Obama to Seek $200 Million to Help Jordan With Syrian Refugees -- Bloomberg Businessweek
Obama promises Jordan $200 million in aid -- Politico
Obama Pledges $200 Million to Jordan for Syrian Refugees -- Voice of America
Syrian refugees flood Jordanian town -- CNN
Inside a Syrian refugee camp -- CBS
Armenians flee Syria for their ancestral homeland -- BBC
Armenians Flee War In Syria For Homeland, One Century After They Left Mass Killings In Turkey -- International Business Times
Syria’s refu­gee crisis crosses its own ‘red line’ -- Washington Post editorial