MARE, northern Syria — Residents of northern Syrian cities under rebel control demonstrated Friday against government bombings that have killed hundreds of civilians in recent days and showed support for the town of Azaz, which lost more than 50 residents Wednesday in an aerial bombing.
The people of Mare, a town of 10,000, dedicated Friday prayers to the people of Azaz, 20 kilometers away. Azaz was bombed two days earlier in a Syrian government air strike. It was one of the deadliest air attacks since the uprising began 17 months ago.
A demonstration in support of Azaz and a show of defiance against the government of President Bashar al-Assad followed the prayers.
Air strikes remain indefensible
Registered Syrian Refugees by Country
Turkey: 50,227
Jordan: 39,600
Lebanon: 35,686
Iraq: 9,053
Source: UNHCR
Abu Mahmoud, commander of a local brigade of the Free Syria Army, said the FSA cannot defend the people against air strikes.
“The only thing we need is anti-aircraft weapons and missiles,” he said.
Despite the tension, Mare's central market teemed with shoppers preparing for the three-day feast that follows the end of Ramadan.
People pray, persevere
Ahmed Baru, a grocer, said business is bad because people have not been paid their wages and prices have gone up because of the war. But he said his business will stay open.
”The future? We want him [Assad] to fall. God willing, he will leave."
People say they are praying for an end to their suffering, but they vow to resist until the Assad government is gone.
Photo Gallery: Latest Images from Syria
A Free Syrian Army fighter observes the area during clashes in Aleppo, August 16, 2012.
A Free Syrian Army fighter carries the body of a fellow fighter in Aleppo, August 16, 2012.
A Free Syrian Army fighter reads the Quran before clashes in Aleppo, August 16, 2012.
A man searches among houses that were destroyed during a recent Syrian Air Force air strike in Azaz, August 15, 2012.
Syrians evacuate a wounded man from under the rubble after an air strike destroyed at least ten houses in Azaz on the outskirts of Aleppo, Syria, August 15, 2012.
Injured Syrian women arrive at a field hospital after an air strike hit their homes in the town of Azaz on the outskirts of Aleppo, Syria, August 15, 2012.
A Syrian man carries an injured child to a field hospital after an air strike hit homes in Azaz on the outskirts of Aleppo, August 15, 2012.
Wounded Syrians arrive at a field hospital after an air strike hit their homes in Azaz on the outskirts of Aleppo, August 15, 2012.
Syrians wounded in an air strike that hit their homes evacuate a field hospital after a second air strike in Azaz on the outskirts of Aleppo, August 15, 2012.
Wounded Syrians evacuate a field hospital after a second air strike in Azaz on the outskirts of Aleppo, August 15, 2012.
A Free Syrian Army fighter passes an AK-47 rifle to his fellow fighter in Aleppo, August 14, 2012.
A Free Syrian Army fighter reacts after hearing news that his commander had been killed by tank shell in Aleppo, August 14, 2012.
A Free Syrian Army fighter fires his sniper rifle from a house in Aleppo, August 14, 2012.
Free Syrian Army fighters sit behind a barricade on a street in Aleppo, August 13, 2012.
A Free Syrian Army fighter observes the area with a pair of binoculars in Aleppo, August 13, 2012.
Timeline: Syrian Conflict
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