A/HRC/28/69 8. As the unrest evolved into armed violence in late 2011, the Government intensified its ground assaults on restive areas. The murder and torture of civilian residents and captured armed individuals formed part of the earliest ground attacks. By 2012, as the country moved towards civil war, government forces3 had committed a number of mass killings of civilians during ground assaults. 9. By late 2012, government forces had changed tactics and rarely engaged in ground attacks. This appeared motivated by the fact that ground attacks provided the infantry, which was majority Sunni, with opportunities to defect and by the increased capacity of armed groups to attack government units. 10. Nevertheless, the mainstays of government attacks on restive areas have remained static. They include (a) the encirclement of an area, including the setting up of checkpoints at all access points; (b) the imposition of a siege, including preventing the flow of food, medical supplies, and sometimes water and electricity, into the town or area; (c) the shelling and aerial bombardment of the besieged area; (d) the arrest, and often disappearance, of wounded persons attempting to leave the besieged area to seek medical treatment no longer available inside and of those attempting to break the siege, usually by smuggling in food and medical supplies. Victims have often described the Government’s strategy as that of “tansheef al bakhar”, or draining the sea to kill the fish. 11. Over the past four years, the Government has implemented this strategy with relative consistency. The sieges imposed by the Government have become longer and, consequently, more harsh. The earliest siege, that of Dara’a city, which began in late April 2011, lasted for under two months. The siege of Homs city began in mid 2011 and was only lifted when the city fell in May 2014. Residents of Yarmouk camp in Damascus city have been besieged since May 2013. Infants have died as a result the Government’s “surrender or starve” siege strategy. 12. In 2011 and 2012, widespread arrests were conducted in a number of different circumstances, including ground searches. By 2013, most were made at checkpoints. Arrests targeted males between the ages of 15 and 60 years, and were often arbitrary, accompanied by ill-treatment and torture. They also led to disappearances. 4 By 2014, Syrians were going to extraordinary lengths to avoid checkpoints. 13. The Government’s use of indiscriminate shelling and aerial bombardment has been informed by its use of a variety of weaponry. The Government began hostilities by employing artillery shells, mortars and rockets against restive and sometimes besieged areas. By mid 2012, the use of cluster munitions, thermobaric bombs and missiles was documented, often used against civilian objectives, such as schools and hospitals. The Government has also used incendiary weapons. 14. The first reported use of barrel bombs was in August 2012 in Homs city. It was not, however, until mid 2013 that government forces began an intense campaign of barrel bombing of Aleppo city and governorate. 5 Throughout 2013, 2014 and into 2015, the Government has made liberal use of barrel bombs. These makeshift explosive containers have caused thousands of civilian casualties. Barrel bombs are regularly dropped on crowded areas, such as bakery lines, transportation hubs, apartment buildings and markets. Aid distributions have also been targeted. 3 4 5 4 The term “government forces”, unless specified otherwise, includes the Syrian Armed Forces, intelligence forces and associated foreign and local militias, including Hezbollah, the shabbiha, popular committees and National Defence Forces. A/HRC/25/65, annex IV. Ibid., annex VI.