Syrian official to speak at U.N.

Syrian Foreign Minister Walid al-Moallem pictured on March 25, 2009. Foreign Minister Walid Moallem is expected to speak to the U.N. General Assembly The civil war in Syria has dominated much of the U.N. General Assemblly discussion Iraqi foreign minister says Iran's planes bound for Syria will undergo random inspections An opposition group puts the human toll in the 18-month civil war at nearly 28,000 (CNN) -- Syria's foreign minister is expected Monday to defend his country's handling of the 18-month civil war before the United Nations General Assembly, just as newly released casualty figures put the conflict's human toll at nearly 28,000. Here is the latest in the Syrian uprising: Syria to face a hostile audience at the United Nations Foreign Minister Walid Moallem is scheduled to speak to the U.N. General Assembly just days after world leaders painted a grim picture of the conflict. Syria has dominated much of the U.N. General Assembly discussion -- on stage and on the sidelines -- as world leaders struggle to find a way to resolve the war that has left the Security Council hopelessly deadlocked. Forces loyal to Syria's President Bashar al-Assad patrol the Tal-al-Zrazir neighborhood in Aleppo on Saturday, September 29. Assad forces patrol the Tal-al-Zrazir neighborhood in Aleppo on Saturday. Syrian rebels take their position during fighting with government troops in Aleppo on Friday, September 28. Syrian forces clashed with opposition fighters in the nation's largest city after the launch of a "decisive battle" to push regime soldiers out, opposition activists said. Rebels hold their posts near Syrian government troops during fighting in Aleppo on Thursday, September 27. A Syrian rebel fighter arrives to help comrades in Aleppo on Thursday. A rebel fighter looks out a doorway during fighting in Aleppo on Thursday. Syrian rebels take position with an anti-aircraft heavy machine gun in the northern city of Aleppo on Wednesday, September 26. A rebel fighter gets carried down a ladder from a third-story apartment after a Syrian government tank shell wounded him during an intense battle Wednesday in Aleppo. Syrian soldiers stand at the site of bombings Wednesday near the headquarters of the armed forces general staff in Damascus. The government said a fight was under way to "cleanse" rebels from the targeted building -- the office of the joint chiefs of staff -- but military officials are fine. Smoke rises from the site of the explosion Wednesday in Damascus. The Free Syrian Army, a group battling government forces, claimed responsibility for Wednesday's attack. Syrian troops walk down a street Tuesday, September 25, in Aleppo following fighting between government forces and rebels. A school building that was occupied by security forces and pro-government militias was reportedly destroyed by rebel-planted bombs in Damascus on Tuesday. Firefighters stand among debris from the destroyed school building in Damascus on Tuesday. A member of the Syrian government forces walks down a street strewn with debris in Aleppo on Monday, September 24. Rubble surrounds buildings destroyed by fighting between Syrian government troops and rebel forces in Aleppo on Monday. Soldiers loyal to President Bashar al-Assad travel in a Syrian Army tank in Aleppo on Sunday, September 23, after clashes between Free Syrian Army fighters and regime forces. Syrian Army soldiers run in a damaged area in Aleppo on Sunday. Damaged vehicles and rubble litter a street in Aleppo on Sunday. A wounded boy cries during treatment at a hospital after being shot by a sniper in Aleppo, Syria, on Friday, September 21. A Syrian rebel is comforted by a friend as he mourns the death of a comrade at a hospital in Aleppo on Friday. A Syrian woman prepares to grab a bag of belongings as she stands amid rubble at a house where a child was killed Friday. Syrian women walk past closed shops in Aleppo on Friday. Men carry the covered body of a child killed in an attack by Syrian government forces in Aleppo on Friday. Friday's attack by Syrian forces leaves a hole in a house in Aleppo where a child was killed. Forces loyal to President Bashar al-Assad appear in Aleppo's Suleiman al-Halabi neighborhood Thursday, September 20. Syrian troops look at a map of the Suleiman al-Halabi neighborhood in Aleppo on Thursday. Damaged buildings and cars are seen in the al-Midan neighborhood of Aleppo after Free Syrian Army fighters and forces loyal to President Bashar al-Assad clashed on Thursday. Fighters and civilians walk past buildings damaged during fighting between rebel and government forces in Aleppo on Thursday. Syrian rebel fighters in position at a deserted market in Aleppo on Thursday. Syrian rebel fighters man a checkpoint in Aleppo on Thursday. Syrian Army soldiers run in a damaged area at al-Arqoub neighbourhood on Sunday. Volunteers for the Amr Ibn Al-Aass brigade load their rifles during training on the outskirts of Azaz, in northern Syria, on September 19. Brigade volunteers run as part of their training on the outskirts of Azaz, in northern Syria, on Wednesday. Volunteers stand in lines during their training sesssion on Wednesday. Volunteers train with rifles on the outskirts of Azaz on Wednesday. Civilians and members of the Free Syrian Army inspect a damaged building in al-Kalaseh neighborhood in Aleppo after an airstrike Wednesday. People pull out bodies from under the rubble of a destroyed building in Aleppo on Wednesday. Construction equipment is used at the Aleppo site on Wednesday. Syrian rebels help a wounded comrade to an Aleppo hospital after he was injured in a Syrian army strike on Tuesday, September 18. The survivor of a strike by Syrian regime forces arrives at a hospital in the Sheikh Fares district of Aleppo on Tuesday. A Syrian rebel gestures as he waits to be treated for his wounds at an Aleppo hospital on Tuesday. A Syrian rebel holds AK-47 rifles belonging to wounded comrades at the entrance to an Aleppo hospital on Tuesday. Members of a Syrian family cry outside an Aleppo hospital after surviving a strike by Syrian regime forces on Tuesday. Free Syrian Army rebels use a mirror to scope out a nearby Syrian army outpost in Aleppo's Old City on Sunday, September 16. A Free Syrian Army fighter yells "Allahu Akbar!" (Arabic for "God is great!") as he mans a position with his comrades Sunday in Aleppo, Syria's largest city. A Free Syrian Army fighter patrols a street near Aleppo's Old City on Sunday. A Free Syrian Army rebel checks a Dragunov sniper rifle Sunday near Aleppo. A Free Syrian Army fighter moves inside an artillery-shelled mosque Sunday in Aleppo. A Syrian man inspects damage from an air raid by regime forces in Al-Bab, 20 miles northeast of Syria's commercial capital, Aleppo, on Saturday, September 15. Syrian men sift through the rubble of houses in al-Bab on Saturday. A wounded Syrian man is taken to a hospital after surviving an air raid by regime forces in Al-Bab on Saturday. Syrian rebels prepare to fire during clashes with regime forces as they stand near a picture of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad used as a mock sniper target in Aleppo on Friday, September 14. Syrian rebels take position during clashes with regime forces in the northern city of Aleppo on Friday, September 14. Syrian regime forces used fighter jets and helicopter gunships to pound the city and province of Aleppo, where fierce clashes raged around a military airport, monitors said. A Syrian rebel fires at a position held by regime forces during clashes on Friday in Aleppo. A Syrian man carrying grocery bags tries to dodge sniper fire as he runs through an alley near a checkpoint manned by the Free Syria Army in Aleppo on Friday. Fighters with the Free Syria Army regroup at their base in Azaz, a city north of Aleppo, on Thursday, September 13. Syrian volunteers distribute food to residents Thursday in Aleppo. A Syrian rebel fighter takes a position in the Saif al-Dawla neighborhood of Aleppo on Wednesday, September 12. A Syrian rebel fighter patrols the Saif al-Dawla neighborhood on Wednesday. People inspect the damage in Aleppo's Hananu district after it was shelled heavily in an airstrike on Wednesday, September 12. Syrian rebel commander Abu Mohammed, far right, listens to reports from fellow fighters at his base in the Old City neighborhood of Aleppo on Wednesday. Syrian rebels gather around a bucket of mortars while fighting with scarce ammunition in the Saif al-Dawla neighborhood of Aleppo on Wednesday. Members of Lebanese security forces stand guard after escorting the newly released Aydin Tufan Tekin, a Turkish national abducted by a Lebanese Shiite clan in Beirut, to the Lebanese General Security in Beirut, on Tuesday, September 11. The hostage was a Turkish businessman abducted in mid-August, along with around 20 Syrians, to put pressure on rebels in Syria who had s eized one of their kinsmen in Damascus. A Syrian rebel sniper shoots at forces loyal to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in the Seif al-Dawla area in the embattled northern Syrian city of Aleppo on Monday, September 10. An armed fighter of the Free Syrian Army stands atop a destroyed Syrian army tank to have his picture taken by a passer-by in the northern Syrian town of Azaz, some 47 kilometers north of Aleppo, on Monday. People walk past a row of destroyed buildings near the Al-Hayat Hospital in Aleppo on Monday. A member of the Free Syrian Army enjoys an ice cream on the road from Azaz to Aleppo on Monday. A house in the Seif al-Dawla area of Aleppo is severely damaged after clashes between rebels and government forces loyal to President Bashar al-Assad on Monday. The bodies of Syrian civilians killed during shelling by forces loyal to Bashar al-Assad are loaded on the back of a pickup truck to be transferred for burial in Aleppo on Sunday, September 9. A Free Syria Army fighter fires his weapon during heavy clashes with government forces in the Izza neighbourhood of Aleppo on Sunday. Syrian government forces take position in a residential neighbourhood in Aleppo on Saturday, September 8. An abandoned pet tortoise walks on the debris of a damaged house in the neighborhood of old Homs on Sunday. Free Syrian Army fighters battle during street fighting against Syrian government forces on Saturday, September 8, in Aleppo, Syria. A wounded rebel fighter is helped by fellow fighters during clashes with forces loyal to president Bashar al-Assad in Aleppo on Saturday. Residents walk down a street covered in rubble in the neighborhood of Bustan al-Basha on Saturday. A car bomb exploded in Damascus, the Syrian capital , on Friday, September 7. State television said it was the second blast in a day against government targets. No casualties had yet been reported. Syrian workers remove damaged vehicles from the site where a booby-trapped car exploded in the suburb of Mazzah, Damascus, on Friday. According to media reports, one person was injured in the explosion, which caused material damage to the area. Civilians stand near a bomb crater after a Syrian air force fighter jet dropped a bomb on Wednesday, September 5, in Azaz, a town north of Aleppo. Free Syrian Army fighters sleep in a room in Aleppo on Wednesday. Smoke rises after a Syrian air force fighter jet launched missiles Wednesday at El Edaa district in Aleppo, Syria's largest city. Rebels carry the body of a fellow fighter after a sniper shot him in Aleppo on Tuesday, September 4. Im Al-Zinar church shows damage Tuesday in the western city of Homs. Free Syrian Army fighters take up positions in a shelled out building in the Seif El Dawla neighborhood of Aleppo on Sunday, September 2, as clashes with Syrian government forces continue. A Free Syrian Army fighter peeks around the corner of a building during a shootout with snipers on a street in the El Amreeyeh neighborhood of Aleppo. Syrian detainees who were arrested for participation in protests against Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's regime sign their release papers at the Damascus police leadership building Saturday, September 1. Syrian prisoners wait in line to sign their release papers at the Damascus central police station on Saturday, as the authorities released 158 people from the facility. Syrian prisoners congratulate each other as they walk out of the Damascus central police station. A Syrian air force fighter jet launches missiles at El Edaa district in Syria's northwestern city of Aleppo. Nearly 18 months of violence have left thousands dead in Syria. Smoke rises from the El Edaa district after a Syrian fighter jet dropped missiles. Civilians carry their belongings and flee the El Edaa district after an airstrike. Escaping civilians drive through the El Amreeyeh neighborhood in Aleppo. Free Syrian Army fighters transport explosives on a motorbike in Aleppo on Friday, August 31. A boy sits at a window spotted with bullet holes at a local bakery. Children pass a bagged body outside a hospital in Aleppo on Thursday, August 30. Members of the Syrian opposition carry a wounded man outside a hospital in Aleppo on Thursday, August 30. A Free Syrian Army fighter walks through a hole in a damaged house on his way to the El Amreeyeh neighborhood frontline during clashes with government forces in Aleppo. Free Syrian Army fighters take up position during clashes in the El Amreeyeh neighborhood of Aleppo. Free Syrian Army fighters run for cover after Syrian forces fired a mortar in El Amreeyeh. A Syrian opposition fighter aims a sniper rifle at government forces in Aleppo on Wednesday, August 29. Syrian opposition fighters swear an oath for the liberation of Syria in Aleppo on Wednesday. Free Syrian Army fighters carry a wounded member into a hospital in Aleppo on Tuesday, August 28. Free Syrian Army rebels dodge fire from Syrian forces as they run down a street in Aleppo on Tuesday. A rebel fighter takes cover during clashes Tuesday with government forces in Aleppo. An opposition fighter fires at government forces from a street in Aleppo. Residents walk past buildings damaged in what activists said was an airstrike by the Syrian air force on Kafranbel, near Idlib. Doctors treat a wounded girl at a hospital in Aleppo, Syria's largest city, on Tuesday. Residents look over the bodies of people killed in the violence Tuesday. Civilians flee the violence from the Damascus suburb of Kafr Batna. A man reacts as an ambulance arrives with the body of a Free Syrian Army fighter outside a hospital in Aleppo. A paramedic and another man cover the body of a Free Syrian Army fighter outside a hospital in Aleppo. Smoke rises in the Damascus suburb of Ain Terma during clashes between Syrian rebels and pro-government forces. A boy rides a bicycle toward fuel trucks struck by missiles from fighter jets in the Bab al-Nayrab district of Aleppo, Syria, on Monday, August 27. Fuel tankers smoke and smolder after being struck by missiles in Aleppo on Monday. Syrian army fighters discuss a new tactic to push the front lines in the Seif El Dawla neighborhood of Aleppo on Monday. A Free Syrian Army sniper takes his position in Seif El Dawla on Monday. Men arrested for their involvement in anti-regime protests wait to be released in Damascus on Monday. The official Syrian news agency reported that authorities released 378 people detained for their participation in street protests, adding that those freed were never involved in acts of violence. Free Syrian Army fighters run for cover in the old city of Aleppo on Monday. A woman sits in her wheelchair next to her house, damaged by an army air raid, near Homs on Sunday, August 26. Rebel fighters run for cover during continued clashes with government forces in Aleppo on Saturday, August 25. Rebel fighters fire in the streets against pro-Syrian government forces. A street in Aleppo is covered in rubble from heavy fighting between rebels and Syrian government forces. A picture released by the Syrian Arab News Agency shows Syrian soldiers carrying the body of an alleged rebel fighter in Aleppo. A handout picture released by SANA shows army soldiers burning a revolution flag in Aleppo. A rebel fighter communicates to his commanders during ongoing fighting in Aleppo's Mashhad neighborhood. Residents line up along a street in Aleppo as they wait to receive free bread. Displaced Syrian familes sit in a shelter at the border with Turkey after fleeing their homes from violence. A Syrian boy whose family has been displaced due to fighting between rebel fighters and Syrian government forces stands in a field near the border with Turkey. A boy receives treatment for wounds he received during an airstrike by a regime forces helicopter in Syria's northern city of Aleppo on Friday, August 24. Government forces blitzed areas in and around Syria's largest city, activists said, as Western powers sought to tighten the the reins on embattled President Bashar al-Assad's regime. A Free Syrian Army fighter takes aim at regime forces during clashes in Aleppo. A young boy runs across the street during clashes between Free Syrian Army fighters and forces loyal to al-Assad. A Syrian man reacts outside an operation room as doctors treat his grandchildren after an airstrike by regime forces. A Syrian boy receives treatment after he was wounded by shells from a government helicopter that hit his house. Family and friends look for the bodies of a woman and her two daughters killed by an airstrike on Sunday, August 19. See more photos from Ricardo Garcia Vilanova, who has spent a total of about five months covering different parts of Syria since 2011. People gather around the bodies of an entire family killed by the airstrike the day before on Friday, August 17, in front of a hospital. Two children are treated for shrapnel wounds at a hospital on Thursday, August 16. Members of the Free Syrian Army clash with Syrian army soldiers in Aleppo's Saif al-Dawla district on August 22. A Syrian rebel fighter holds a handmade bomb in the Saif al-Dawla district in the center of Aleppo on August 22. Syrian rebels run for cover during heavy fighting in the Saif al-Dawla district in the center of Aleppo on August 22. Members of the Free Syrian Army take up positions as smoke rises in the background during clashes with Syrian army soldiers on August 22. A member of the Free Syrian Army aims his rifle as he uses doors as a shield on August 22. Members of the Free Syrian Army take cover during clashes with Syrian Army soldiers on August 22. A Syrian rebel fires towards a pro-government sniper in the Said al-Dawla district of Aleppo on August 22. Smoke rises from Aleppo's Saif al-Dawla district after what activists say was shelling by forces loyal to Syria's President Bashar al-Assad on August 21. Mourning relatives gather at the funeral of a Free Syrian Army fighter killed during heavy fighting in the Salaheddine neighborhood of central Aleppo on August 21. Syrian rebel fighters stand around a cache of homemade missiles which they say they will use on forces loyal to president Bashar al-Assad in Aleppo on August 21. The father of Amar Ali Amero, a Free Syrian Army fighter who was reportedly killed by a sniper in the Salaheddine neighborhood of central Aleppo, mourns during his funeral in Azaz, north of Aleppo, on August 21. People pray during the funeral of the Free Syrian Army fighter, Amar Ali Amero on August 21. A Member of the Free Syrian Army fires during clashes with Syrian army soldiers in Aleppo's Saif al-Dawla district, on August 20. A skirmish in the street of Aleppo's Saif al-Dawla district between members of the Free Syrian Army and Syrian army soldiers on August 20. A man cries near the graves of his two children killed during a recent Syrian Air Force air strike in Azaz on August 20. Members of the Free Syrian Army prepare their weapons in Aleppo's Saif al-Dawla district on Monday, August 20. Syrian bakers work in the northern city of Aleppo on Sunday, August 19, the first day of Eid al-Fitr, marking the end of the holy fasting month of Ramadan. In this image provided by Syria's national news agency, SANA, President Bashar al-Assad, center, is greeted by a cleric while attending Eid al-Fitr prayers at al-Hamad mosque in Damascus on Sunday, August 19. Members of the Free Syrian Army and residents try to extinguish a fire that they say was caused by shelling by forces loyal to al-Assad in the Damascus suburb of Saqba on Friday, August 17. A Free Syrian Army fighter takes aim during clashes in Aleppo on Friday, August 17. For days, the northern Syrian city has been at the center of some of the worst fighting in the 18-month-old conflict. A rebel fighter makes his way through a hole in a wall during fighting Friday in Aleppo, Syria's largest city. A rebel climbs some stairs in a building during clashes in central Aleppo's Salaheddine neighborhood. A rebel fighter runs for cover as a Syrian army tank shell hits a nearby building Friday in Aleppo. The opposition accuses Syrian forces of shelling flashpoint neighborhoods in Aleppo where rebels are making a stand. Free Syrian Army fighters dress a mannequin to look like a fighter to draw gunfire away from them Friday in Aleppo. Free Syrian Army fighters rest Friday in Aleppo during a lull in fighting. A fighter with the rebel Free Syrian Army secures a street Friday in the Damascus suburb of Saqba. Fighting raged unabated Friday across Syria, while diplomats struggled to find a political solution. Members of the Free Syrian Army try to secure a street Friday in Saqba. The Free Syrian Army takes charge of a street in Saqba. A rebel holds a rocket-propelled grenade Friday in the Damascus suburb. A Free Syrian Army fighter fires an anti-aircraft gun at a Syrian air force helicopter in Aleppo on Thursday, August 16. Free Syrian Army fighters carry the body of a fellow fighter during clashes Thursday in Aleppo. Government forces are pounding Syria's largest city in a siege that's become the focal point of the civil war. A grief-stricken woman clutches her dead baby while her husband's body is covered up following a regime airstrike on Azaz, a town near Aleppo, on Wednesday, August 15. Syrians search for people trapped under the rubble after the airstrike Wednesday in Azaz, near Aleppo. A man removes his belongings from his destroyed car at the airstrike site. A Free Syrian Army fighter fires an AK-47 rifle in Aleppo on Wednesday, August 15. Syrians carry the body of a woman after an airstrike in Azaaz. A Syrian man reacts after an airstrike in Azaaz. Syrians flee Azaaz following the airstrike. A Syrian youth holds the arm of someone trapped under rubble after an airstrike in the town of Azaaz, on the outskirts of Aleppo. Black smoke billows into the air after a bomb exploded at a military site car park near a hotel used by United Nations monitors in Damascus. The explosion Wedesday wounded three people, Syrian state television said. Firefighters work at the scene of a bomb explosion in central Damascus. The bomb was planted under a diesel tanker. A man carries the body of a boy after a Syrian Air Force strike on Azaz, some 29 miles north of Aleppo. A man sits in front of tombstone workshop in Aleppo. Jordanian security guards patrol the entrance of the Zaatari refugee camp, located outside the northern Mafraq, Jordan, which borders Syria. Refugees face the hardships of sweltering heat, dust, lack of electricity and at times sexual harassment in this UN-run desert tent camp. Jordanian security officers detain a Syrian man after he tried to escape from the Zaatari refugee camp in Mafraq. A Free Syrian Army fighter learns that his commander has been killed by a tank shell in Aleppo on Tuesday, August 14. Opposition activists say shelling in dissident strongholds has exacerbated the humanitarian crisis in the country. Free Syrian Army fighters look at the body of their commander killed by a tank shell Tuesday in Aleppo. A Free Syrian Army fighter fires his rifle in Aleppo on Tuesday. Syrian rebels fire toward a sniper in Aleppo on Monday, August 13, as fighting continues against Syrian government forces. A rebel fighter fires at government forces Monday in Aleppo's Salaheddin neighborhood. A Syrian rebel climbs a staircase in Aleppo's Salaheddin district as the opposition battles the regime. A man gives bags of bread to customers at a bakery run by the opposition Free Syrian Army in Aleppo, Syria's largest city. Rebels covered in dust and debris emerge from a building hit by an army tank shell Monday in Aleppo's Salaheddin area. A rebel fighter gestures toward others after emerging from a shelled building during fighting Monday with government forces. A Free Syrian Army sniper looks through the sight on his rifle from a house in Aleppo on Monday. Rebel fighters sit behind a barricade of rocks on an Aleppo street. Free Syrian Army fighters walk down a debris-covered street Monday in central Aleppo's Salaheddine neighborhood. A Free Syrian Army fighter fires an RPG as a Syrian army tank shell hits a building across a street during heavy fighting in central Aleppo on Saturday, August 11. A Free Syrian Army fighter sits on a window sill as he holds an AK-47 rifle in central Aleppo. A Free Syrian Army fighter aims his rifle during heavy fighting in the Salaheddine neighborhood. A Free Syrian Army fighter fires an RPG after a Syrian army tank shell hit a building during heavy fighting in the Salaheddine neighborhood. A Free Syrian Army fighter tries to fix his jammed rifle during heavy fighting in the Salaheddine neighborhood. A Free Syrian Army fighter runs for cover during heavy fighting in the Salaheddine neighborhood. Free Syrian Army fighters walk through a damaged building during heavy fighting in the Salaheddine neighborhood. A Free Syrian Army fighter aims an RPG as he waits for Syrian army tanks in the Salaheddine neighborhood. A Free Syrian Army fighter walks on an empty street in the Salaheddine neighborhood. Free Syrian Army members check a confiscated cache of weapons found on a truck that was searched at a checkpoint in Dana. A rebel fighter fires an anti-aircraft gun during a regime airstrike on Tel Rafat, a village north of Aleppo, on Thursday, August 9. The Syrian government and rebel groups have been battling for control of Aleppo, a key front in the conflict that has morphed into a civil war. A Syrian air force fighter plane fires during an airstrike Thursday in Tel Rafat, north of Aleppo. Forces loyal to the regime have been shelling Aleppo, Syria's largest city. A truck burns after apparently being hit by rockets during an airstrike on Tel Rafat. Men carry the body of a boy killed in an airstrike in the village of Tel Rafat. A boy's body is uncovered in the rubble of a house demolished during the recent clashes in Tel Rafat. A man steps on a carpeted image of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in Anadan, northwest of Aleppo, on Wednesday, August 8. The fighting has taken a toll on al-Assad's regime, which has been hit by assassinations and political and military defections. Residents sift through rubble Wednesday searching for bodies under a collapsed house destroyed in an airstrike. Syrian refugees bathe Wednesday at Al Zaatri U.N. camp in the Mafraq, Jordan, near the border with Syria. The recent shelling has led thousands of residents to flee Syria. Syrian refugees cook a meal at Al Zaatari camp in Mafraq, Jordan. A Syrian rebel prepares his weapon as a group of Free Syrian Army fighters head toward the fighting with Syrian Army soldiers in the Salah ad-Din neighborhood of central Aleppo on Sunday, August 5. Syrians evacuate a civilian wounded in shelling in the northern city of Aleppo on Saturday, August 4. Syria's armed forces pounded Aleppo's rebel-held Salah ad-Din district with air and ground fire as violence also raged in the Shaar and Sukkari districts, according to reporters in the area and a rebel commander. A vehicle burns as Syrians walk through debris from clashes between Syrian armed forces and rebels in the northern city of Aleppo on Saturday, August 4. A boy plays on the gun of a destroyed Syrian army tank partially covered in the rubble of the destroyed Azaz mosques, north of the restive city of Aleppo, on Thursday, August 2. Smoke rises from Al-Safsaf in Homs on Friday, August 3. A boy plays with an AK-47 rifle owned by his father in Azaz, some 29 miles north of Aleppo on Friday, August 3. Syrians climb on an abandoned Syrian army tank north of Aleppo on Thursday, August 2. A man looks at a destroyed Syrian army compound in Azaz, 29 miles north of Aleppo on Friday, August 3. A Syrian refugee walks at the Al Zaatri refugee camp in the Jordanian city of Mafraq, near the border with Syria, on Friday, August 3. People and a member of the Free Syrian Army commute on Wednesday, August 1, past a building on the outskirts of Idlib that was hit by rocket fire Tuesday night by forces loyal to President Bashar al-Assad. Unrest spread across other volatile regions of the country as al-Assad's forces shelled targets and launched raids in and around Damascus, Homs, Daraa and Deir Ezzor. A woman and child on Wednesday walk through rubble of a building destroyed by shelling from forces loyal to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in Aleppo. Demonstrators hold an opposition flag during a protest Wednesday against Syria's President Bashar al-Assad in Damascus. Syrian girls on Wednesday walk past a Syrian army tank captured two days earlier by rebel fighters at a checkpoint in the village of Anadan. The strategic checkpoint secures the rebel fighters free movement between the northern city of Aleppo and Turkey. Rebel Free Syrian Army fighters capture a policeman who they allege is a "Shabiha" or pro-regime militiaman, on Tuesday, July 31, as the rebels overrun a police station in Aleppo. Rebel fighters load an anti-aircraft machine gun on an armored vehicle in Atareb, east of Syria's second-largest city, Aleppo, on Tuesday, July 31. Syrian boys run near a building hit by bullets and fire in Atareb. A member of the Free Syrian Army fires at forces loyal to President Bashar Al-Assad in a district of Aleppo called Salah Edinne on Tuesday. A member of the Free Syrian Army carries an injured civilian to safety in Aleppo's district of Salah Edinne on Tuesday. Members of the Free Syrian Army learn that a tank belonging to forces loyal to President Bashar Al-Assad is heading to the area. A Syrian boy carries bags of bread as people wait outside a bakery near Syria's second-largest city, Aleppo. A photo released by Syrian Arab News Agency depicts damaged buildings in Homs on Monday, July 30. A Free Syrian Army fighter takes position Sunday, July 29, in Aleppo as people flee shelling. Intense clashes have been under way for more than a week between the regime and rebels in Aleppo, Syria's commercial and cultural center. Parts of Syria's largest city saw the fiercest clashes yet in the country's 16-month crisis on Saturday, July 28. About 200,000 people have fled fighting in Aleppo and surrounding areas in the past two days, a U.N. official says. Fighting leaves vehicles damaged Saturday in the southwestern city of Daraa. Syrians carry the body of a man allegedly killed in the bombardment of Sukari, southwest of Aleppo, by Syrian regime forces on July 27. Destruction appears widespread in Homs on Friday, July 27, in a handout photo from the Syrian opposition Shaam News Network. A Syrian opposition fighter takes aim during clashes with forces loyal to President Bashar al-Assad in Aleppo on Wednesday, July 25. Family and friends mourn over the body of Usame Mircan, who they say was killed by a Syrian government sniper in Aleppo on Wednesday. Usame Mircan's mother grieves after he was killed during fighting in Aleppo. The bodies of men killed during clashes between Syrian rebel fighters and goverment forces lie on the Aleppo street on Thursday, July 26. Fighters from the Syrian opposition rest at a former primary school in Aleppo on Wednesday. Residents take cover as fighters from the Syrian opposition clash with forces loyal to President Bashar al-Assad in Aleppo on Wednesday. Syrian rebels guard a checkpoint in Aleppo on Wednesday. A damaged portrait of President Bashar al-Assad sits among piles of debris at a checkpoint manned by Syrian rebels in Aleppo on Wednesday. Syrian rebels drive through Selehattin near Aleppo during clashes with government forces on Monday, July 23. A Syrian rebel runs through the streets of Selehattin during an attack on a municipal building. The rebel Free Syrian Army says it is attempting to "liberate" several districts of Aleppo. Syrian rebels work to find snipers during clashes Monday between the opposition and government forces in Selehattin. Syrian rebels make their way down a street Monday in Selehattin near Aleppo. If they gain control of Aleppo, it would mark a pivotal point in the Syrian crisis. Syrian rebels take cover behind sandbags during fighting Monday at the entrance to the city of Selehattin. On Sunday, July 22, a Syrian refugee looks out from a bus as he arrives at a refugee camp in Turkey opposite the Syrian commercial crossing point Bab al-Hawa. Syrian refugees flee from a refugee camp nicknamed "Container City" on the Turkish-Syrian border in Kilis province, southern Turkey, on Sunday. A mortar shell falls toward the Syrian village of Jbatha Al-khashab, about 45 kilometers (28 miles) south of Damascus. It's seen from the Israeli side of the border, in the Golan Heights. Smoke from artillery shelling rises above Jbatha Al-khashab. An armed Syrian rebel wearing the jersey of FC Barcelona rests with comrades near the northern city of Aleppo on Sunday. The rebel Free Syrian Army announced the start of the battle to "liberate" Aleppo, Syria's commercial hub and a traditional bastion of President Bashar al-Assad's regime. A Free Syrian Army soldier rips a portrait of President Bashar al-Assad at the Bab Al-Salam border crossing to Turkey on Sunday. Dozens of Turkish truck drivers on Saturday, July 21, accused Free Syrian Army rebels of having burned and looted their lorries as they captured Syria's Bab al-Hawa post, near Aleppo, from government troops. In this photo released by the Shaam News Network, a truck burns after shelling in the Erbeen suburb of Damascus on Saturday, July 21. Refugees fleeing the violence in Syria arrive by bus in Baghdad, Iraq, on Saturday. Turkish soldiers stand guard at the Cilvegozu border gate in Reyhanly that connects to Syria's Bab al-Hawa post. An estimated 120,000 people have fled Syria to Turkey, Iraq, Lebanon and Jordan. Burned-out trucks at the Bab al-Hawa Syrian border post with Turkey on Friday, July 20. Syrian rebels seized control of the post after a fierce battle with Syrian troops, an AFP photographer at the scene reported. Syrian soldiers celebrate in the al-Midan area in Damascus on Friday. Syrian regime forces routed rebel fighters from the Damascus neighbourhood of Midan, Syrian state television reported, saying troops had "cleaned" the district of "terrorists." Journalists are shown a dead body on a government tour of the al-Midan area in Damascus on Friday. Members of Syria security forces rest in the al-Midan area in Damascus on Friday. Syrian army soldiers hang their national flag in a partially destroyed neighborhood in the al-Midan area in Damascus. Smoke hangs in the air in a partially destroyed neighborhood in the al-Midan area in Damascus. Members of Syria security forces pose for photographers in the al-Midan area in Damascus after driving out the rebel fighters. Syrian residents take goods from a truck that rebels captured at the Bab al-Hawa border crossing with Turkey on Friday. A picture released by the official Syrian Arab News Agency on July 19 shows Syrian General Fahd al-Freij meeting with President Bashar al-Assad in Damascus after his swearing-in ceremony as defense minister. A man holds up a picture of President Bashar al-Assad at a former police station in Atareb after clashes between Syrian soldiers and Free Syrain Army near Aleppo on Thursday, July 19. Rebels seized control of border crossings with Iraq on Thursday, dealing a new blow to al-Assad, as China and Russia dismayed the West by blocking U.N. action against his regime. People walk along the street in Atareb amidst damage caused by clashed between Syrian soldiers and the Free Syrian Army. A Syrian man checks the former police station of Syrian regime after a clash at Atareb on Thursday. Smoke ascends from from alleged shelling of the Syrian village of Jebata al-Khashab as seen from the hill village of Buqaata in the Israeli-annexed Golan Heights on Thursday. The death toll in Syria on July 12 reached 287, making it the bloodiest day in Syria since the uprising began. As it has done consistently, Syrian state television blamed "armed terrorist groups" for the killings. A Syrian woman sits with her grandson outside a damaged building after attacks in the Syrian village of Treimsa on July 13, 2012. More than 200 people were massacred in the town, according to activists. A Syrian demonstrator holds an opposition flag during a protest in Damascus on July 2, 2012. There have been increasing reports of violence in the Syrian capital. Syria's President Bashar al-Assad waves as he arrives for a speech to Syria's parliament in Damascus on June 3, 2012. The embattled president denied that government forces were behind the "outrageous" massacre in Houla. People gather at a mass burial on May 26, 2012 for victims reportedly killed during an artillery barrage from Syrian forces in Houla. The attack left at least 108 people dead, including nearly 50 children, according to the United Nations. Members of the Free Syrian Army return to Qusayr on May 12, 2012 after an attack on Syrian regime forces in the village of Nizareer, near the Lebanese border in Homs. A U.N. observer speaks with Syrian rebels and civilians in the village of Azzara on May 4, 2012, days before the country's parlianemtary polls were held against a backdrop of unrest. Thousands of Syrians wave their national flag and hold portraits of President Bashar al-Assad and Lebanon's Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah, right, during a rally to show support for their leader on March 29, 2012 in Damascus. Syrian rebel fighters man a checkpoint leading into the town of Taftanaz in the rebel stronghold province of Idlib on March 20, 2012. A Free Syrian Army rebel mounts his steed in the Al-Shatouria village near the Turkish border in northwestern Syria on March 16, 2012, a year after the uprising began. The Free Syrian Army is an armed opposition group made up largely of military defectors. Syrian refugees walk across a field before crossing into Turkey on March 14, 2012. International mediator Kofi Annan called for an immediate halt to the killing of civilians in Syria as he arrived in Turkey for talks on the crisis. A day after the twin suicide bombings, Syrian mourners pray over the coffins of the 44 people killed during a mass funeral in Damascus. A Syrian man who was wounded in a suicide attack rests at a hospital in Damascus on December 23, 2011. Suicide bombers hit two security service bases in the Syrian capital, killing dozens of people. Arab foreign ministers attend an emergency meeting at the Arab League headquarters in Cairo on October 16, 2011, to discuss the crisis in Syria. U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton speaks to the media in Washington on August 18, 2011. Clinton said U.S. sanctions on Syrian oil "strike at the heart of the Syrian regime." Syrian youths wave national flags while army troops drive out of Daraa on May 5, 2011. During a week-long military lockdown of the town, dozens of people were reportedly killed in what activists described as "indiscriminate" shelling on the city. Syrians in Damascus protest in the street on March 25, 2011, after clashes with government forces in Daraa left several dead. Supporters of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad rally on April 1 in Istanbul, Turkey, as delegates from dozens of countries gather to push for ways to end the deadly violence in Syria. The United Nations estimates more than 10,000 people have been killed since the beginning of the crisis in March 2011. The conflict is now being labeled a civil war by the International Committee of t he Red Cross. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 61 62 63 64 65 66 67 68 69 70 71 72 73 74 75 76 77 78 79 80 81 82 83 84 85 86 87 88 89 90 91 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99 100 101 102 103 104 105 106 107 108 109 110 111 112 113 114 115 116 117 118 119 120 121 122 123 124 125 126 127 128 129 130 131 132 133 134 135 136 137 138 139 140 141 142 143 144 145 146 147 148 149 150 151 152 153 154 155 156 157 158 159 160 161 162 163 164 165 166 167 168 169 170 171 172 173 174 175 176 177 178 179 180 181 182 183 184 185 186 187 188 189 190 191 192 193 194 195 196 197 198 199 200 201 202 203 204 205 206 207 208 209 210 211 212 213 214 215 216 217 218 219 220 221 222 223 224 225 226 227 228 229 230 231 232 233 234 235 236 237 238 239 240 241 242 243 244 245 246 247 248 249 250 251 252 253 254 255 256 257 258 259 260 261 262 263 264 265 266 267 268 269 270 271 272 273 274 275 276 277 278 279 280 281 282 283 284 285 286 287 288 289 290 291 292 Showdown in Syria 'Friends of Syria' meet in New York Panetta on Syrian Chem Weapons Conflict changed Assad, says friend Moallem is heading up the Syrian delegation at the United Nations where he has been meeting with foreign ministers to drum up support for President Bashar al-Assad's government. But Moallem's anticipated defense of the conflict before the general assembly is unlikely to be well received. "What has the international community done to stop this carnage?" Turkish foreign minister Ahmet Davutoglu said last week. "Literally nothing. We have yet to see a single effective action to save innocent lives." Germany also slammed the U.N. Security Council for failure to act, and the United States, Britain and France announced they were backing increased support of non-lethal aid to the Syrian opposition. Analysis: Sympathy but few solutions for Syria The Security Council has been paralyzed by a division over how to halt the killing in Syria. Russia and China have blocked resolutions calling for al-Assad to transfer power and step down, saying the issue should be settled by Syrians. Report: Iraq to search Iranian planes bound for Syria Iraq will conduct random searches of Iranian planes bound for Syria to check for arms shipments, Iraqi Foreign Minister Hoshiyar Zebari said in an interview published Sunday in the al-Hayat newspaper. Zebari said Iraq will not act as a passageway or a channel for arms to make their way into Syria. "We are not with the militarization of the conflict. We are against the arming the regime or the opposition," he said. The foreign minister told the newspaper that U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and others raised concerns about arms shipments. The United States believes Iran, one of al-Assad's strongest supporters, is arming government forces. Clinton has called on Syria's neighbors to take steps to prevent Iran from using its land and airspace to deliver shipments to Syria. Iraq faces a difficult task in enforcing the inspections, Zebari said. "We explained to the U.S. side that Iraq's air defense capabilities are limited, and we are in the stage of building our air force," he said. More: Syrian rebels claim knowledge of chemical weapons site Iranian flights over Iraq to Syria began in March but were stopped shortly after at the request of Iraq, Zebari said. The flights resumed in July. "They said these flights contain no weapons or hardware, and that they transport pilgrims, visitors and so on. But to verify their shipments, we will ask these planes to land," Zebari said. NGO running Syrian 'Fast and Furious'? Syrian refugees wait with sick children Civil war 'intense as ever' in Homs Syrians moving chemical weapons Last week, Baghdad rejected a request from North Korea to fly through its airspace to Syria because of a suspicion the flight was carrying arms. Hama Massacre recalled as troops move into city Syrian security forces are overseeing the systematic displacement of thousands and then demolishing their neighborhood in the western flashpoint city of Hama, residents told CNN. As security forces surround the Mesha Alarbeen district in Hama and bulldozers tear down homes inside, the Hama Massacre is still fresh in the minds of many who live there. Between 3,000 and 40,000 people were believed to have died when the military acting under orders from Hafez al-Assad -- the father of the current Syrian president -- brutally cracked down on a revolt in 1982. A1983 Amnesty International report put the toll on both sides between 10,000 and 25,000. Hama is once again an epicenter of the anti-government movement that has roiled the country. "So far they have razed 120 buildings," Osamah, a Hama resident who visited the neighborhood on Sunday, told CNN. The Syria toll, so far The Syrian conflict broke out in March 2011 after unarmed protesters, inspired by the success of popular uprisings in Egypt and Tunisia, took to the streets demanding political reform. The movement devolved into an armed conflict after a brutal crackdown by government forces. Newly released casualty figures form the opposition Local Coordination Committees of Syria put the number of civilians and opposition fighters killed in the unrest at 27,954 people. Of those casualties, the LCC claims more than 24,000 of those killed were civilians. Thousands of Syrian troops also have been reportedly killed. CNN is unable to independently confirm casualty reports as the Syrian government has severely limited the access of international journalists. The new casualty figures revealed August was the deadliest month in the conflict, with 5,091 killed. In September, 4,071 people were killed, according to the LCC. Background: The toll of Syria's civil war -- so far The Syrian conflict broke out in March 2011 after unarmed protesters, inspired by the success of popular uprisings in Egypt and Tunisia, took to the streets demanding political reform. The movement devolved into an armed conflict after a brutal and continuing crackdown by government forces. Since the unrest began, more than 30,000 people have died, the opposition Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said. CNN's Saad Abedine and Dana Ford contributed to this report.

Exploring home abroad: Afghan-Americans in Kabul

Photojournalist Andrea Bruce writes: "After covering the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan over the past 10 years, I found it important to bring attention to the similarities in the cultures involved in these conflicts. I believe that getting people to relate to each other in different countries and from various religions is the first step to empathy during war. I hope photography can help cut down stereotypes and cliches." To this end, Bruce photographed Afghan-Americans who left comfortable lives in the U.S. to work in unstable Afghanistan. Andrea Bruce / Alicia Patterson Foundation - NOOR Aman Mojadidi, 41, artist. "Afghanistan definitely didn't seem like home per se but it was very much this place where my family was from, and I still had this very strong kind of sense of having an Afghan identity … it makes me kind of understand more my American identity. It's funny ... [it took] growing up in the U.S. to feel Afghan and it took living in Afghanistan to feel American. "I think probably by far one of my favorite ones [art projects], yeah, was the pay back, which was basically a fake checkpoint set up on the street in Kabul where we offered money back to some vehicles rather than asking for bribes … trying to take something that a lot of people spoke about all the time, which was the corruption, the bribes that they have to pay and all this kind of stuff and turn it into, you know, an art work and kind of flip it on its head." Andrea Bruce / Alicia Patterson Foundation - NOOR Hassina Sherjan, 51, girls' school founder and administrator. "I really believe in what I'm doing, and when you really believe in what you do, you hardly get frustrated. I started clandestine girls schools in '90s. We have 3900 students in nine provinces. I don't really see it as an Afghan thing or an American thing. You just do what you need to do. "As the elite who left when everything became rough, we have a responsibility to come back and do something here. Not to just be comfortable and make money but to do something. To really make a difference. And a lot of us can. There are a lot of Afghans abroad who are educated, who have done a lot of work, who understand education building, who understand governments ... but nobody is coming." Andrea Bruce / Alicia Patterson Foundation - NOOR Koukaba Mojadidi, 35, an architect for International Organization for Migration in Afghanistan working on building a womens' center and police training facilities. "I grew up in Jacksonville, Fla. Which was really boring, most of the time. Very safe, very quiet. We never struggled. Upper middle class, living on a river. Pretty fortunate.  "Both of my parents are from Afghanistan. The minute I came into my house, I was living in a different set of rules, a different context. And the minute I left my house, I was living in the real world. Having to consider both cultures at the same time, all the time. For instance, we couldn't socialize with a lot of Americans. My parents were really into keeping our heritage alive, our culture alive. There are are more differences than similarities, in my parents' minds. "Everything in your life before you are 18 revolves around how you fit in in school, and learning how to establish yourself as an individual ... and at the same time you are balancing western ideas of your culture. Individualism (in the US) contrasts deeply to the idea of Afghan culture which is all about being a collective and being together and being close and feeling what that other person is feeling, and being emotionally enmeshed in everyone's problems." Andrea Bruce / Alicia Patterson Foundation - NOOR Mustafa Ali Nouri, 44, an architect for the International Organization for Migration in Afghanistan working to build a womens' center and police training facilities. "In the end, home for me will always be Washington [DC]. The longest period of time in my life was there. I will always consider it my hometown. But I feel I have roots here. Emotions that I don't know how to explain. You feel connected to the land. Doesn't matter how dusty it is, or how terrible it might be in some ways. Even as an architect, the environmental mess, but at the same time there is something beautiful about this place. "Because I am Afghan American, I feel I can see it better. I can see it in the eyes of the young people. They are craving to be a part of the world society. How can they go back to before 2001? You can not drag them. Either push them out or exterminate. But it is in their brain now. You can not kill that. They know now. They know what is out there in the the world. They want to be. They want to have a society for themselves and for their children where they can have opportunities. They are the ones that give me a lot of hope." Andrea Bruce / Alicia Patterson Foundation - NOOR Tooba Mayel, 38, lawyer with International Development Law Organization. She supports lawyers and prosecutors who defend victims of violence, because protection laws are vague and training to utilize them is needed. "Being an Afghan-American to me means that I am able to unite two different worlds under one frame of thought, mind and heart that exceeds boundaries and distances. As an individual that was raised under two cultures, where experiences and circumstances have taken me from conflict to freedom, from a poor nation to a rich one, from deep rooted traditions to new and modern ideologies, but more importantly the courage and the compassion to come back where vulnerable peoples fight for human liberties.  "I have not only helped a country I call my motherland in its rehabilitation and progress, but also that same country has taught me to be sensitive to issues of human rights and not to take for granted the liberties that America has raised me with." Photographer Bruce continues: "In the process of covering Afghanistan, I met many Afghan-Americans who said they sometimes feel caught between two different worlds. And they have felt the events of the past 20 years most harshly. When Sept. 11 happened, many saw great possibilities in combining their two homelands. Since then, some have wrestled with their identity. Others have become disillusioned. Regardless, all of them have spent a lot of time thinking about their two countries, and what dual-citizenship means to them in a time of war." See more images from Afghanistan's current events in this slideshow, and more Afghanistan images in PhotoBlog.  Follow @NBCNewsPictures •Sign up for the NBC News Photos Newsletter

Thousands flee as Syrian regime demolish homes

Forces go door-to-door in Hama telling people to evacuate before demolition begins, residents say Bulldozers have razed 120 buildings and remain active in the area, a resident says The district, which once had 30,000 people, was a hotbed for "peaceful and militant" opposition The razings and intimidation of residents have "only fueled more anger," the resident adds (CNN) -- Syrian security forces are overseeing the systematic displacement of thousands and then demolishing their neighborhood in the western flashpoint city of Hama, residents told CNN. As tanks surround the Mesha Alarbeen district in Hama and bulldozers tear down homes inside, many hope it is not a precursor to a repeat of what happened in the western city 30 years ago. The Hama Massacre is still fresh in the minds of Syrians when the military acting under orders from Hafez al-Assad -- the father of the current Syrian president -- brutally cracked down on a revolt there in 1982. Estimates of the number of casualties vary from 3,000 to 40,000. A 1983 Amnesty International report put the death toll on both sides as between 10,000 and 25,000. Once again, Hama is at the epicenter of the anti-government movement that has roiled the country for the last 18 months. Security forces rolled in with tanks and billdozers. 'Friends of Syria' meet in New York Conflict changed Assad, says friend Syrians moving chemical weapons Syrian refugees wait with sick children "So far they have razed 120 buildings," Osamah, a Hama resident who visited the neighborhood on Sunday, told CNN. The neighborhood had been "the main gathering place" for those "peaceful and militant" who oppose President Bashar al-Assad's government, according to Osamah. That is until last June, when the security forces decided to enter the district and completely take it over, several activists said. The state-run Syrian Arab News Agency reported a "massive presence of terrorist armed gangs that threaten" the people of Hama. Other SANA articles referenced how security forces had found large amounts of weapons in the area. The government has consistently referred to anti-government forces as terrorists. "The security forces started using artillery fire to shell several positions in the neighborhood," Abdallah -- another resident -- told CNN from Meshaa Alarbaeen. "Some of the poorest people live here. The security forces targeted their homes indiscriminately. They really tried to make life impossible for the residents." A few weeks ago, security forces allowed bulldozers to enter the district. Several amateur videos purportedly shot over the last two weeks support the activists' claims. They show bulldozers flattening entire blocks while operating under the watchful eyes of security forces. Eyewitnesses said security force members have been going building-to-building asking people to evacuate their homes. "Most of the residents have left their homes. The majority of them went to neighboring areas in the province. Some are still sleeping in the streets, and only a few of them remain in their homes," Abdallah said. Another resident reached by phone Sunday said she's been living on the street, along with her two kids, for five days after her husband was detained by authorities and her home was burned. She did not want to be named for safety reasons. Some Shabiha -- gangs loyal to the regime -- resort to other extreme tactics to intimidate those who do not want to leave their homes. "A few days ago, a regime loyalist gang stormed one of the activists' homes and brought out his wife, undressed her and made her stand on tank as it drove through the neighborhood," Khaled, an eyewitness told CNN. Residents said the anti-government sentiment is only growing, even after the razing of homes and intimidation of residents. "The government wants to deny the activists popular support through leveling Meshaa Alarbaeen," Osamah said. "But this incident has only fueled more anger here."

7 dead in suicide attack in Afghanistan

The Taliban claims responsibility for the attack The nationalities of the NATO service members were not immediately available The bomber rode an explosives-packed motorcycle, an Afghan official says Kabul, Afghanistan (CNN) -- A suicide attack in eastern Afghanistan Monday killed 12 people, including three NATO service members and four Afghan police, and wounded around 50 others, a spokesman for the Afghan interior ministry said. The bomber targeted a joint patrol of ISAF forces and Afghan police, using an explosives-packed motorcycle, according to Sediq Seddiqi, a spokesman for the ministry. NATO's International Security Assistance Force confirmed the attack, saying three ISAF service members and their interpreter died in a bombing in eastern Afghanistan Monday. Their nationalities of the ISAF forces were not immediately available. Taliban spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid claimed responsibility for the attack, saying a suicide bomber had killed eight foreign forces and six Afghan security forces. The Taliban regularly reports higher casualty figures than either NATO or the Afghan government. CNN's Esprit Smith contributed to this report.