On February 28, a team of Syrian volunteers attempted to escort four foreign journalists out of the country on the evening of February 26. This included two journalists who were injured in Homs. However, they encountered continuous attacks from the government forces and only managed to successfully escort British journalist Edith Conway to Lebanon. The whereabouts of the other journalists are currently unknown, and thirteen members of the volunteer team were killed.
The "dare-to-die" team had to evade patrols and snipers during their 26-hour life-and-death escape.
On the evening of February 26, during a lull in the shelling, the Syrian "dare-to-die" team set off under the cover of darkness from the Baba Amr district of Homs on this perilous escort mission. They aimed to take the injured British journalist Edith Conway, French journalist Edith Bouvier, and two other journalists to neighboring Lebanon. Due to her severe injuries, Bouvier had to be carried on a stretcher by the volunteers. Along the way, they had to avoid patrols and snipers from the government forces.
A Syrian activist coordinating the evacuation operation said: "When they reached the edge of the Baba Amr district, they were subjected to heavy artillery fire, including rocket attacks and tank bombardments. They could only flee from one house to another." At this point, three members of the "dare-to-die" team were killed, forcing the entire group to split up and retreat separately.
According to Wisam Tarifi, a spokesperson for the organization that helped with the evacuation operation, the squad escorting Conway managed to continue forward and entered Lebanon via a smuggling route. The entire evacuation process took 26 hours. However, this squad also came under attack during the withdrawal, losing three members. The other three journalists and their escorts seem to have retreated back to the Baba Amr district. Tragically, seven Syrians in the group were killed by artillery fire during the evacuation. Tarifi expressed high respect for these "brave and passionate young Syrian people" who helped with the evacuation operation.
The United Nations reports that civilian deaths in Syria have far exceeded 7,500 people.
According to the UN website on February 28, Under-Secretary-General for Political Affairs Pasco pointed out that due to the Syrian authorities' failure to protect their people, the humanitarian situation within Syria has become severe. Civilian deaths have far exceeded 7,500, and the number of internally displaced persons fleeing their homes due to conflict is between 125,000 and 225,000.
Due to the complex situation, reports about the French female journalist's location were incorrect.
On February 28, multiple media outlets and French President Nicolas Sarkozy stated that the French female journalist Edith Bouvier from Le Figaro and the British journalist had safely entered Lebanon. Sarkozy said he was glad that the "nightmare was over." However, not long after, Sarkozy retracted his statement: "The current situation is very complex, I cannot make any comments. I apologize for my previous remarks." The French Foreign Ministry said it was still unable to confirm Bouvier's location, and Le Figaro also pointed out that previous reports about Bouvier being safe in Lebanon were incorrect.
Ambulances from the Syrian Red Crescent had entered the Baba Amr district of Homs multiple times, and there were reports that the trapped journalists repeatedly "refused" to withdraw with the convoys. The last "refusal" was on February 27, when the Red Crescent personnel did not see the injured journalists, but intermediaries indicated that the journalists were unwilling to evacuate. In reality, these journalists began their secret escape journey on the evening of February 26.
Forty Syrian wounded individuals have been evacuated through a secret smuggling route.
Edith Conway and her escorts entered Lebanon through a secret smuggling route. In the six days prior to February 26, forty Syrian wounded individuals had entered Lebanon through this route. Ten months ago, the human rights organization Avaaz worked with Syrian activists to develop this route, mainly using it to transport medical supplies and food at night and to transfer wounded individuals from Homs.
Avaaz spokesperson said: "That night, the four of them unanimously decided to withdraw through the smuggling route. This route is very complex as it requires avoiding the Syrian army, minefields, and a large military base. Along the way, they would use satellite phones to quickly communicate at each point to ensure safety before continuing. Sometimes they would also ride motorcycles."