Egypt recalls Damascus-bound plane amid violence
Egyptian authorities ordered an EgyptAir plane on its way to
Damascus to turn back on Monday because of the "bad security
situation" at the Syrian capital's airport, an official from the airline
said.
The announcement came a day after the airline said it had
decided to lift a suspension of flights to Syria,
put in place because of fighting around Damascus International Airport.
The airport is close to Sunni Muslim towns and suburbs that
have been at the forefront of the revolt against Syrian President Bashar
al-Assad.
The Osama Bin Zeid Brigades, one of several Islamist rebel
units operating around the capital, described the 20-km (12 mile) airport road
as a "battleground territory" and warned civilians not to use it in a
statement.
"Egyptian authorities told Flight 721 to go back to
Cairo, based on information received from Damascus," the EgyptAir official
said.
Other airlines told Reuters their flights were still
suspended, citing concerns by local staff that the road was still unsafe.
Source: Reuters
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