Syrian regime 'frees women prisoners after rebel threats'

Syrian rebels say government forces freed 60 prisoners, mainly women and children in Hama after fighters threatened to cut of power and water to pro-regime towns

Yazan Shahdawi, the director of the pro-opposition Hama media centre, told al-Araby al-Jadeed that the "Omar Brigade" threatened on Monday to destroy power stations and and cut water supplies if all women held in regime prisons in the region were not freed within three days.

The brigade's statement specifically referred to women held in the Deir Shemil jail.

It indicated that previous attacks on power stations proved the brigade was capable of acting on its threats.

Ahmed Berry, a general and the deputy chief-of-staff of the Free Syrian Army, said the regime's freeing of the prisoners proved that "the regime responds to an iron fist and has now lost all its cards".

A week ago the Syrian regime released seven women prisoners in response to a threat to cut transport links and water and electricity supplies to Idlib.

The government has not commented on the statement by the Hama media centre, which has not been independently verified.

This is an edited translation from our Arabic edition.