BEIRUT – Syrian warplanes bombarded the city of Raqqa Tuesday, a day after it was captured by rebel fighters, opposition campaigners and a resident said. “The center of the city is being bombarded by warplanes. I counted 60 rockets,” the resident said, adding that hospitals had issued calls to donate blood as casualties mounted. This comes after the Free Syrian Army (FSA) announced the capture of the Raqqa governor and a Baath Party official in the northeastern city that was overrun by opposition forces a day before. The opposition military council posted a video on YouTube showing rebel fighters gathered around two men, one of them was identified as Raqqa governor Hussein Jalali. FSA spokesperson Louay Almokdad commented on the capture of the governor and said that the city official was abandoned by Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad to “to face his fate.” “Preliminary investigations with the governor of Raqqa show the insanity and recklessness of Bashar Al-Assad even with the lives of his own men… despite [Assad] knowing that the city [of Raqqa] was going to be liberated within hours, he left [his men] to face their fate after all their sacrifices to him,” Almokdad posted on his Facebook page Tuesday. “Among those with the Free Syrian Army are the governor of Raqqa, a Baath party secretary, two chiefs from security departments as well as many officers from the military intelligence.” Addressing the captives, one rebel man said: “We just want to get rid of the regime, which is being protected by Iranian and Russian warships.” Syrian opposition fighters captured the northeastern city of Raqqa Monday and crowds toppled a statue of President Bashar Al-Assad's father, Hafez. The fall of Raqqa on the Euphrates River is considered to be significant development in the two-year-old revolt against Assad. The rebels do not claim to hold any other provincial capitals. Rebel fighters said loyalist forces were still dug in at the provincial airport 60 km from Raqqa and they remained a threat. A resident said that a Syrian military intelligence compound in the town was not in rebel hands but was surrounded by anti-Assad fighters. – Agencies
