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Satellite Images Show Scale of Devastation Inside Gov’t-besieged Saudi Town

Satellite Images Show Scale of Devastation Inside Gov’t-besieged Saudi Town
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Local Editor

Satellite imagery from the Saudi Shia town of Awamia showed the extent of the damage caused by a heavy crackdown by Saudi government forces.

Satellite Images Show Scale of Devastation Inside Gov’t-besieged Saudi Town

Images widely shared by activists from Awamia, one image from July - contrasted with an earlier shot from February this year - reveal that entire blocks of the al-Mosawara neighborhood have been flattened by heavy weaponry such as mortar shelling.

Since 10 May, locals reported that between 12 - 25 people have lost their lives in shelling and sniper fire, and pictures of the area show it covered in rubble and sewage.

The current conflict was described by Human Rights Watch as an "unprecedented" stand-off between the state and its citizens.

Meanwhile, foreign media are not allowed near the area, which means the world is reliant on heavily-controlled Saudi state media, in addition to social media from inside the city to begin piecing together what is going on.

According to interviews by The Independent, residents and activists paint a very grim picture of the current humanitarian situation for the area's estimated 30,000 residents - many of whom have fled.

The houses in the al-Mosawara neighborhood were "deserted and have been unsuitable for human habitation for a long time", with residents given a voluntary choice and compensation to move.

Source: The Independent, Edited by website team

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