visionary Posted August 30, 2012 Share Posted August 30, 2012 http://turtlebay.foreignpolicy.com/posts/2012/08/30/ban_talks_tough_in_tehran Ban talks tough in Tehran http://www.todayszaman.com/news-290929-us-not-supportive-of-turkeys-proposal-to-establish-safe-zones-within-syria.html US not supportive of Turkey's proposal to establish safe zones within SyriaUS Department of State spokesperson Victoria Nuland has stated that the US would help Turkey handle a possible refugee influx instead of supporting Turkey's proposal to bring a safe zone within Syria. Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu participated in a UN Security Council meeting on Syrian refugees in New York on Thursday, during which he conveyed Turkey's views over setting up a security zone inside Syria. Turkey had said that the creation of such safe zones inside Syria would be necessary in the event that the number of refugees inside Turkey exceeded what the country says is “the psychological threshold of 100,000.” “Our focus has been on helping and supporting Turkey to be able to expand the number of refugees that it can handle on its side of the border, to getting more UN help for Turkey,” Nuland claimed during a press conference in Washington. She maintained that keeping the refugees on Turkey's side would be “the best way to ensure safety and security” over the Syrian crisis. https://twitter.com/Reuters UNITED NATIONS SAYS PROPOSAL FOR CIVILIAN BUFFER ZONE IN SYRIA RAISES SERIOUS QUESTIONS, REQUIRES CAREFUL CONSIDERATION3:28 PM https://twitter.com/NMSyria The FSA design and build a unmanned airplane "drone" capable of carrying up to 50kg in explosives for attacks. 3:55 PM I was just wondering when they'd come up with something like this. I know they've been working on remote control vehicles and bombs for months now. Then again... https://twitter.com/razibus62 @NMSyria Unfortunately, the aerodynamics laws are not respected on this design. These thing will never flight. 4:07 PM https://twitter.com/columlynch Most notable absentees at today's UNSC ministerial meeting on Syria: Clinton and Lavrov.3:17 PM Turkey fm proposes extablishment of camps inside syria for displaced syrians 3:59 PM Turtle Bay: Tehran Summitry stumbles as Ban blasts Iran, and Morsi rails against Syria http://bit.ly/SYCGPC 2:49 PM https://twitter.com/Turk4Syria Davutoglu is talking at the UN: "I hope the absence of some of my colleagues here is not an indication of their level of interest in Syria" 3:45 PM Davutoglu: "It's time to stop with Cold War reflexes & the competition of interests between world & regional powers." 3:55 PM Davutoglu: "The longer the violence in Syria continues, the more radical & terrorist organizations will find fertile ground in Syria." 3:55 PM Davutoglu: "A growing sense that our absorption of the humanitarian crisis is used by the int'l community as a reason not to act on Syria." 3:59 PM Davutoglu called for safe zones inside Syria. You could sense his frustration at countries sending a low representation to this meeting. 4:08 PM https://twitter.com/DamascusSYR BREAKING: Jordanian FM @NasserJudeh at @UN: We've reached maximum capability of Syria'n refugees, we need help.4:03 PM https://twitter.com/SyrianSmurf 4 martyrs from Ariha today were burned alive to scare the people into submission. 3:25 PM Among the 20 martyrs in the massacre in Abu Althuhoor Idlib today, 8 were children and 9 were women. 1 of the women was pregnant. 3:42 PM 72 martyrs in Idlib as of now. 20 of them in a massacre in Abu Althohoor. 45 bodies discovered in Ariha tied up and executed. 4:08 PM 16 martyrs from the village of Alkarim, in #SahlAlghab #Hama. They were all extra judicially executed. 4:18 PM Personnel in the National Hospital in Idlib received a call from a checkpoint in Ariha to assist in the transfer of 3 soldiers. After arriving they are shocked to find 45 bodies with hands tied and smell of decomposition. 4:23 PM https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=2040366&l=f3c0581b02&id=217848338242310 The Local Coordination Committees in SyriaThe number of martyrs in Syria has risen 147 thus far: 72 martyrs were reported in Idlib, including 9 women, 8 children and 42 who were found handcuffed in Ariha; 31 in Damascus and its Suburbs, including 5 who are unidentified; 17 in Daraa, including a child; 11 in Homs, including 3 who were confirmed today and 3 martyred in Damascus Suburbs; 3 in Hama; 9 in Aleppo; 3 in Deir Ezzor, including a woman, and 1 in Tartous 3:45 PM Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
visionary Posted August 30, 2012 Share Posted August 30, 2012 http://www.huffingtonpost.com/rym-tina-ghazal/preassad-love-notes-from-_b_1829791.html?utm_hp_ref=tw Pre-Assad: Love Notes From Inside a Syrian JailTwo months had passed and no notes were delivered. It was an extremely difficult time on the families of the prisoners, as no visitations were allowed and no questions were ever answered directly. When you are down on your luck and targeted, most of the community will shun you and want nothing to do with you. It is only then you know who truly is your friend. My grandmother never forgot a neighbor who always made sure she had enough food and medicine by sending them up a basket that was hung and pulled up from grandmother's bedroom window. (This friend later become a very important Lebanese official.) There were no consistent house arrest rules followed by the guards of the regime. There were days they allowed the families to go out, and then there were times when they kept them locked in for weeks. The pain and worry of separation is not confined to one person or one period of time, it is always difficult and one can't imagine it until it happens to them. Today, hundreds of Syrians families, if not thousands, have a missing person they are struggling to find news about. Whether arrested and kept in jail, or suspected of being killed and lying somewhere in the rubble or even injured in an overwhelmed hospital, it is all horrific. My heart goes out to every single suffering family. After covering wars in Iraq and Lebanon, I prayed it doesn't show its ugly merciless head anywhere else again. When I recently interviewed a released Lebanese detainee from a Syrian jail, he said it was the "silence" that drove him mad. "It would sound like they were coming, their footsteps echoing, but then they would stop right outside the cell's door. You would see them, or their shadows. They would just stand there for a few minutes, quietly, and then they would leave. It happened almost daily." http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/middle_east/us-journalist-reportedly-in-syrian-custody/2012/08/30/bcf98ef8-f2d7-11e1-b74c-84ed55e0300b_story.html U.S. journalist reportedly in Syrian custodyAmerican freelance journalist Austin Tice, who has been unaccounted for in Syria for more than two weeks, has been captured and is being held in Syrian government custody, according to people familiar with the matter, including a senior diplomat. Tice, 31, contributed stories to The Washington Post, McClatchy Newspapers and other publications this summer after crossing into Syria in May. His reports offered glimpses into conditions on the ground in areas where the fighting was fast intensifying. The Georgetown law school student and former U.S. Marine Corps infantry officer has not been heard from since mid-August, when he told friends and family members that he intended to leave Syria. In an appearance on a Czech television station on Monday, Czech ambassador to Syria Eva Filipi said of Tice that “our sources report that he is alive and that he was detained by government forces on the outskirts of Damascus, where the rebels were fighting government troops.” The Czech Embassy has been responsible for U.S. interests in Syria since the U.S. Embassy was shuttered in February amid security concerns. Filipi said her staff would continue to seek information about Tice’s whereabouts and welfare in the coming days. Her account has subsequently been corroborated by others who are familiar with Tice’s whereabouts, and who said he had been detained near the Damascus suburb of Darayya. Damn it. I had a feeling he was in Darayya where the massacre was. Thank God he wasn't killed though. http://www.mcclatchydc.com/2012/08/30/164362/mcclatchy-contributor-austin-tice.html Tice’s parents, Marc and Debra, pleaded for his safe return."Austin is our precious son, and we beseech the Syrian government to treat him well and return him safely to us as soon as possible," they said in a statement. In recent months, Daraya had become a stronghold for the rebels who are battling to topple the government of President Bashar Assad. Syrian government forces began shelling the area in mid-August and then fought pitched battles with rebels there for several days, before the rebels reportedly abandoned their positions late Aug. 24 and Syrian troops entered the city Aug. 25. Hundreds of people died in the violence, though it was impossible to know how many of those were combatants. Tice, however, apparently had left the area before the fighting began A number of foreigners, including at least one other American besides Tice, are believed to be in Syrian custody, according to people familiar with the matter in Damascus and outside of Syria who asked not to be identified because of the sensitivity of the topic. It could not be determined if all the unnamed individuals remain in Syrian captivity. https://twitter.com/THE_47th @austin_tice please be safe ...5:42 PM https://twitter.com/AmbassadorRice Bashar al-Assad and those who still stand by him are now responsible for the deaths of more than 20,000 in Syria.5:29 PM My government is pursuing every avenue to provide humanitarian relief to those affected by the violence in Syria - $82m already this year. 5:32 PM Our aid has fed the hungry and bound up the wounds of as many of Assad's victims as we can reach. 5:32 PM But - Syria's crisis is not, at root, a humanitarian crisis. It is a political crisis caused by the regime's cruelty & callousness. 5:35 PM The question is not whether the Syria regime will fall; the question is when, and at what price. 5:40 PM Syria's people fully understand which countries have rallied to their cause and which have protected a doomed & desperate Assad. 5:42 PM Unfortunately I think the Syrian people's views on this differ somewhat from our administration's. https://twitter.com/MahirZeynalov By lobbying against the safe zone in the Security Council, US seems to be disengaged with the Syria crisis months before the elections.5:47 PM https://twitter.com/columlynch UNHCR chief on Syr safe zones:"bitter experience has shown..it is rarely possible to provide effective protection & security in such areas."5:47 PM UN deputy sec gen: proposal for Syr humanitarian corridors "raise serious questions and require careful and critical consideration." 5:49 PM https://twitter.com/MahirZeynalov Turkish FM to Security Council: How long are we going to watch while an entire generation is wiped out by bombardment and mass targeting? 6:18 PM Davutoglu: We feel that Turkey and other neighbors' open door policy is actually absorbing the potential international reaction on Syria. 6:23 PM https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=2040482&l=fc8eb4c4fa&id=217848338242310 Local Coordination Committees in SyriaLCCSY. could document 164 martyrs on Thursday, 72 of them in Idlib including 9 women and 8 children, 42 were found handcuffed in Areha, 31 martyrs in Damascus and its suburbs including 5 unknown, 19 in Hama including 16 were field executed in Sahg Alghab, 18 martyrs in Daraa including a child, 11 in Homs including 3 were documented today and 3 in Damascus suburbs, 9 in Aleppo, 3 in Deir Ezzor and a martyr in Tartous 5:39 PM Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
visionary Posted August 31, 2012 Share Posted August 31, 2012 http://blogs.aljazeera.com/liveblog/topic/syria-153 about 5 hours agoSyrians who sought refuge in schools in Lebanon's Bekaa valley are being told they have to leave before start of school year next week. Lebanese officials have been handing out tents, but refugees have had to find somewhere to erect them. https://twitter.com/columlynch Syria's U.N. envoy Jaafari mocks the Moroccan For Minister & the monarchy:U all "should stop kneeling before the king and kissing his hand."6:50 PM Syria's UN ambassador Jaafari: "The Turkish government...is becoming the executioner of Syria." 6:45 PM https://twitter.com/jenanmoussa McClatchy contributor Austin Tice likely held by Syria. No news about AlHurra reporter Bashar Fahmi &his cameraman: http://bit.ly/OvIX2l 6:58 PM https://twitter.com/NMSyria Residents of Zamalka in Damascus fleeing their homes, fearing a massacre. Heavy shelling also reported in the neighborhood.6:58 PM Media Office: FSA group has initiated Operation Volcano of the North in reply to Assad's interview. 7:42 PM https://twitter.com/DamascusSYR BREAKING: Major battles taking place between FSA and the Syria'n regime army in Aleppo. 7:41 PM “@NewsSyRev Aleppo :: renewed artillery shelling right now on Masakin Hanano, and sounds of large explosions in the district.” 7:45 PM https://twitter.com/SyrianSmurf Final Idlib martyr toll is 88.8:11 PM http://www.extremeskins.com/showthread.php?357480-Yahoo-Assad-predicts-disaster-if-West-meddles-in-Syria&p=9046975&viewfull=1#post9046975 26,757 people killed so far in Syria Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
visionary Posted August 31, 2012 Share Posted August 31, 2012 http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/08/31/us-syria-crisis-kurds-idUSBRE87U0KV20120831 Analysis: Syrian Kurds sense freedom, power struggle awaitsSome towns in northeastern Syria are flying yellow, green and red Kurdish flags as long-oppressed Kurds exploit an uneasy vacuum left by President Bashar al-Assad's retreating forces. Syrian Kurds may be enjoying a breath of freedom after Assad appears to have ceded control of some areas to focus on the battle against mainly Sunni Muslim Arab rebels fighting in Damascus and Aleppo. But their aspirations for autonomy could crumble into a complex power struggle involving rival Kurdish groups, Syrian opposition factions and nervous neighbors Turkey and Iraq. In the last few weeks, Assad's forces have withdrawn from Kurdish towns or left only a token presence, opposition activists, security experts and diplomats say. The rebel Free Syrian Army is also absent, leaving Kurds to their own devices. Or perhaps not quite. https://twitter.com/Avend93 Assad forces killed two Kurds from Tirpe Sipe in Damascus earlier today.6:54 AM Assad forces attacking a protest in Qamishlo- City center. 8:24 AM https://twitter.com/hisham_melhem Davutoglu:“If we do not act against such a crime against humanity happening in front of our eyes, we become accomplices to the crime"7:43 AM https://twitter.com/SyrianSmurf 3 more MiGs destroyed in the Abu Althuhoor airport today! Idlib9:14 AM Not yet...but the source has never been wrong yet...still waiting on the vids. 9:31 AM Alarabiya reporting 14 helicopters destroyed in the AbuAlthuhoor airport in Idlib. 9:46 AM https://twitter.com/WashingtonPoint Syria humanitarian position worsens, tens of thousands flee-ICRC http://reut.rs/OBM9b6 via @reuters7:34 AM @stevenacook would you please explain if the rebels already hold their own zone with their militias, why send more troops to create one? 9:12 AM Can someone,anyone explain to me why any foreign troops needed to protect safe zones after NFZ imposed beside cordination support for FSA? 9:57 AM https://twitter.com/jenanmoussa Syria: Pro-Assad site claiming @Austin_Tice was CIA agent, adviser 4 rebels in Daraya coordinating w/ @radwanziadeh: http://bit.ly/O8WpbC10:00 AM https://twitter.com/Psypherize The FSA so far has destroyed over 30 MiG jet fighters and attack helicopters in Teftanaz and Abo Zuhoor military airforce bases.10:07 AM Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
visionary Posted August 31, 2012 Share Posted August 31, 2012 http://www.huffingtonpost.com/huff-wires/20120831/eu-un-kofi-annan/ No Syrian peace in sight as Annan exits as envoyKofi Annan's time as a would-be peacemaker among Syria's warring parties is over, and he quietly exited the role Friday having failed to end the conflict in the Arab state. Now the task falls to another veteran U.N. diplomat, Lakhdar Brahimi. Unlike Annan, who for the past six months has been based in Geneva, his home, Brahimi will make his base in New York. There, he hopes he can better influence the U.N. Security Council to unite around a plan to end the violence in Syria. "It's a mission that could have been made possible had the international community been more united," Annan's spokesman, Ahmad Fawzi, told The Associated Press on Friday. "They have expressed support in various statements. But in fact, this support is not translated on the ground. And this means exerting the kind of influence that would make the parties listen." http://www.ipsnews.net/2012/08/long-wait-to-defect-from-assads-forces/ Long Wait to Defect From Assad’s Forces“Of course I want to defect but I cannot give up my salary. How could I possibly feed my 11 children?” The war is putting every Syrian on the brink, including this policeman on the side of President Bashar Al Assad. We meet at a private home in the Kurdish border village Gundik Shalal, 750 kilometres northeast of Damascus. The barracks where Furat Azir (that’s how the policeman wants to be identified) has spent the last two years is less than a kilometre away. “We were 13, but eight of my colleagues left 20 days ago. Some joined the Free Syrian Army (the main Syrian opposition armed group) and crossed to Iraqi Kurdistan. Those of us still in our post are from Deir ez Zor and Aleppo (430 and 355 kilometres respectively from Damascus),” the policeman tells IPS between sips of sweet Turkish tea and Lebanese pastry. After a series of protests led by various Kurdish movements last July, several Kurdish villages in the northeast of the country are enjoying an unexpected calm. The Syrian government still keeps troops in the area but they are reportedly folded inside their buildings and barracks. Furat’s testimony corroborates this picture. “We don’t go on patrol any more. We spend the days without leaving the barracks, following the news on TV. We have not fired a single bullet since the beginning of the revolution.” The Kurdish Regional Government admitted in July to have hosted and trained 650 Syrian Kurds who had defected from the Syrian army. It’s not certain whether they will join the FSA on return to Syria, or fight Al Assad’s troops on their own.After defecting from the army a few months after the uprising, former conscript Massoud crossed Syria’s northeastern border with Iraq to reach Erbil, administrative capital of the Kurdish Autonomous Region of Iraq, 300 kilometres north of Baghdad. “Upon arrival I applied for access to the Peshmerga (Iraqi Kurdistan Region’s armed forces). I passed the training course and, for the last three months, I have had a salary of 250 dollars,” Massoud says, in his brand new camouflage uniform. “I miss my family back in Syria but I want to start a new life on this side of the border.” https://twitter.com/OysteredPearl Jouret Al Shayah district in Homs 70% of it simply destruction due to continuous shelling on the 85th day now. pic.twitter.com/Qsrx5uVS11:33 AM Long isn't it? Its a queue for bread. They line up every morn & risk death by a sniper or attack by forces. pic.twitter.com/E0RfjG9P 2:35 PM https://twitter.com/josephwillits Increased reports of Syrian refugee children crossing borders alone - parents either dead or stayed behind http://bit.ly/NTNsas11:49 AM https://twitter.com/RulaAmin Activists r reporting dozens killed in Damascus countryside in Ein Terma, syria12:48 PM https://twitter.com/AmalHanano Heartbreaking: when I have to explain to my friend in Homs why I'm heartbroken when he keeps telling me he wants to die.2:01 PM https://twitter.com/SyrianSmurf An Alawite regime officers defects with the help of the FSA in Idlib.7:30 AM Aug 30 Another helicopter was shot down today...take a wild guess where...yup...you got it...Idlib! Sarmeen to be exact. 1:49 PM this one was shot down away from the airport. I highly doubt they have any heat seekers... 1:54 PM Apparently alot of people are confused as to the amount of aircraft that were destroyed in Idlib. Check next tweets for details. 2:20 PM Abu Althuhoor Thursday: 10 MiGs destroyed inside the airport and 1 was shot down. Abu Althuhoor Friday (as of now): 3 MiGs destroyed inside the airport and 1 helicopter was shot down. 1 helicopter was shot down in Sarmeen 2:22 PM Not including the ones in Taftanaz I guess. https://twitter.com/HamaEcho Fierce clashes taking place around the Hamdan military airport in Deir Ezzor. [DPN] It's a staging area for Assad's troops and artillery.2:50 PM FSA in Bokamal say they have captured the air defense battalion in the town and will post a statement and videos of the operation soon. 3:01 PM https://twitter.com/SyrianSmurf Shelling on those praying in a mosque in Maarat Al-Nouman Idlib2:50 PM [Taftanaz] At the moment they are being shelled like never before using all forms of heavy weaponry from tanks to MiGs. 2:56 PM The FSA in Abu Althuhoor, Idlib has breached an area of the airport and has seized a T62 tank and 2 anti-aircraft machine guns. They also destroyed 4 tanks and have taken control of the airports administrative buildings. 700 of the fighters have the rest of the pilots and soldiers inside the airport surrounded. 3:00 PM Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
visionary Posted August 31, 2012 Share Posted August 31, 2012 http://blogs.aljazeera.com/liveblog/topic/syria-153 about 3 hours agoThe Syrian military's daily bombardment of Turkmen villages in the western mountains is forcing more and more people to flee their homes in search of refuge. Turkmen elders say the government offered them federal control of the region if they stayed loyal to Damascus. The Turkmen refused and now find themselves under attack. Neighbouring Turkey says it cannot cope with the increasing number of refugees coming across its border. Al Jazeera’s Sue Turton has this exclusive report from the western mountains. http://www.reuters.com/video/2012/08/31/aid-becoming-sparse-in-besieged-syria?videoId=237433159&videoChannel=1 Aid becoming sparse in besieged Syria (1:11)Aug. 31 - Amateur video claims that Syria’s cities of Aleppo, Homs and Zabadani came under renewed attack on Thursday and Friday. And the dangerous conditions are jeopardizing aid delivery. Tara Cleary reports. ( Transcript ) https://twitter.com/NuffSilence Citizen journalist and electrical engineering student Mahmoud Al Basha was martyred in Aleppo today pic.twitter.com/CeuQCxfp2:56 PM This is the twitter account of citizen journalist Mahmoud Basha @TamTom_Bash. So sad. https://twitter.com/TamTom_Bash 2:59 PM https://twitter.com/THE_47th Asharq Alawsat newspaper saying it received a statemnt frm FSA warning civil airlines 2 NOT use Syrian Int'l Airports after this Tuesday3:15 PM Asharq Alawsat though did NOT mention who from the FSA gave it this statement http://www.aawsat.com/details.asp?section=4&article=693206&issueno=12330 3:15 PM but I mean such a BIG announcement should only come from the TOP command of the FSA..if true of course. 3:22 PM Such big announcements should come from Mohammad Michael Bin FSA himself to be taken seriously..not a dude with a last name of Dada 3:25 PM https://twitter.com/MahirZeynalov Turkish PM Erdogan: Bashar al-Assad has ended his political career.3:51 PM Turkish PM Erdogan: 58 percent of Turks say Turkey must intervene in Syria in case Turkey's security is threatened by Syria. 3:57 PM Turkish PM Erdogan: You cannot announce a buffer zone without No-Fly Zone in Syria. 3:59 PM Turkish PM Erdogan: Russia's support for the Syrian regime is weakening each passing day. 4:02 PM Erdogan: Morsi's speech in Tehran is noteworthy. Neither Khamenei, nor Ahmadinejad could say a single word. They can't defend their position 4:04 PM https://twitter.com/Brown_Moses Good example of what the FSA use for air defence in Aleppo against a L-39 3:37 PM I look forward to the day I can daily review of my Syria Youtube channel listings without seeing a dead child. 4:04 PM Video of a FSA controlled BMP firing at Abu Zuhair airport in Idlib 4:23 PM https://twitter.com/blakehounshell Jim Traub makes the case for intervention in Syria http://www.foreignpolicy.com/articles/2012/08/31/syria_the_time_for_action …4:29 PM Traub cites a U.S. intelligence official, who tells him "no serious military planning for a no-fly zone [is] currently under way." 4:33 PM https://twitter.com/HamaEcho FSA captured the Air Defence battalion in Bokamal, Deir Ezzor. Loading some missiles and guns from it: 4:55 PM previoustweet Clashes around the Military security branch in Bokamal are still ongoing. Free Army in Bokamal have been making good progress 5:00 PM Fierce clashes also in Hama tonight … The city has a heavy army presence because its strategic for attacking Homs5:07 PM Some FSA are finally wearing helmets! Homs city revolutionaries capture a shabiha base 5:37 PM Head injuries are a common cause of death, especially with the heavy shelling. Many helmets available, but rarely used. 5:40 PM https://twitter.com/Turk4Syria Erdogan just said: Syria needs safe zones & this cannot be uncoupled from no-fly zones. They go together.5:12 PM On the other hand, the US says they will not support no-fly zones. Big Turkey-US divide on Syria. 5:13 PM https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=2042938&l=0020cf6ca9&id=217848338242310 The Local Coordination Committees in Syria (LCC):LCC was able to document 112 martyrs on Friday: 38 martyrs were reported in Damascus and its suburbs (including 10 in Kafar Batna, 4 who were field executed in Jobar, and 4 children), 24 in Homs, 23 in Aleppo (including 10 in Al-Bab), 9 in Deir Ezzor, 5 in Hama (who were field-executed), 5 in Daraa, 2 in Hasakeh (who were martyred in Damascus Suburbs), 2 in Idlib, 2 in Lattakia, 1 in Banyas, and 1 in Raqqa 5:35 PM Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
visionary Posted September 1, 2012 Share Posted September 1, 2012 http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/bosnians-fled-syria-describe-hellish-war-17114776#.UEFSngiSD9M.twitter Bosnians Who Fled Syria Describe a Hellish WarA Bosnian woman who fled Syria says the war in the Arab country is worse than the fighting in her homeland 20 years ago. A group of 35 Bosnians landed at the Sarajevo airport Thursday, flying in from Istanbul after what they described as an eight-day walk across mountains from the Syrian town of Aleppo to Turkey. Mahmud Abas, his wife Dzenana, and their four children cried as they hugged relatives upon arrival. They said they were trapped in their Aleppo home for days as Syrian planes bombed the neighborhood. Dzenana Abas, 33, survived the 1992-95 siege of Sarajevo. But she said what she endured in Aleppo was "beyond belief. http://blogs.aljazeera.com/liveblog/topic/syria-153 about 3 hours agoThe AFP reports: The United States urged Syria on Friday to confirm it is detaining an American freelance journalist who has been missing in the country for more than two weeks.Austin Tice, 31, is believed to be held by forces loyal to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, according to The Washington Post and McClatchy Newspapers, who called this week for his release. "We have seen news reports that Mr Tice in Syrian custody," said Patrick Ventrell, a State Department spokesman. "However, the Syrian government has yet to confirm these reports with our protecting power. We urge the Syrian government to respond... as soon as possible." 40 minutes agoThe AFP reports: Turkey said Friday that UN agreement was necessary to set up safe havens in Syria to stem an exodus of refugees as fierce fighting raged in the north and protesters demanded the end of current Syrian government. UN chief Ban Ki-moon meanwhile told Syria's premier at a summit in Tehran that Damascus must stop using heavy weapons, and the International Committee of the Red Cross warned of a fast deteriorating humanitarian situation. In the battleground city of Aleppo, less than 50km from the Turkish border, clashes erupted while rebels attacked Abu Zohur air base in Idlib province on the border where they said they shot down a MiG warplane on Thursday, a rights group said. In some of Friday's heaviest fighting, rebels clashed with army troops in Albu Kamal, a town in the eastern province of Deir Ezzor, said Rami Abdel Rahman, director of the UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. "The rebels have seized several army posts, including a base in the Hamdan military airport," said Abdel Rahman. https://twitter.com/HamaEcho Night-vision clip of the Air Defence base captured in Bokmal Many soldiers arrested there: 6:04 PM https://twitter.com/MajdArar Sunni conscripts from hotspot cities & towns captured by FSA in Bukamal today. 6:11 PM https://twitter.com/NuffSilence Video from the town of Al Bab (Aleppo countryside) shows a military jet firing a rocket. 13 civilians died there today 6:36 PM https://twitter.com/SyrianSmurf And the 9 hour drive to DC starts.........now.7:35 PM https://twitter.com/NMSyria Media Office: The FSA attacked Kuwaires Military Airport in Aleppo, destroying at least fighter jets so far.7:52 PM https://twitter.com/BaradaAli Exclusive @An-Nahar: Brahimi will visit Damascus on Septmber 8 to meet with senior Syria officials including Assad http://annahar.com/article.php?t=main&p=1&d=2483512:13 AM http://www.extremeskins.com/showthread.php?357480-Yahoo-Assad-predicts-disaster-if-West-meddles-in-Syria&p=9046975&viewfull=1#post9046975 26,869 people killed so far in Syria Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
visionary Posted September 1, 2012 Share Posted September 1, 2012 http://www.cnn.com/2012/09/01/world/meast/syria-civil-war/index.html What you need to know about Syria todayBodies remained strewn on streets in Damascus suburbs because of heavy security presence, the Local Coordination Committees of Syria said. Heavy gunfire rang out as army tanks patrolled Damascus neighborhoods, according to opposition activists. Snipers remained perched on the roofs. In the opposition stronghold of Homs, large explosions shook neighborhoods in the besieged city. Opposition fighters, many of them defected soldiers, battled government forces at a major roundabout in Hama. The opposition fighters also attacked a village checkpoint, killing government soldiers, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said. Kind of odd to call Homs an opposition stronghold still. The government has control of most of what's left of the city these days. Of course the rebels still have Rastan, Qusair, and Talbiseh outside the city. http://uk.reuters.com/article/2012/09/01/uk-syria-crisis-idUKBRE88003P20120901 Syrian rebels hit back at Assad's air powerRebels seized an air defence facility and attacked a military airport in eastern Syria on Saturday, a monitoring group said, hitting back at an air force on which President Bashar al-Assad is increasingly relying to crush his opponents. The attacks in eastern oil-producing Deir al-Zor province follow rebel strikes against military airports in the Aleppo and Idlib areas, close to the border with Turkey. Rebels in Deir al-Zor overran an air defence building early on Saturday, taking at least 16 captives and seizing an unknown number of anti-aircraft rockets, said Rami Abdulrahman of the British-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.Video posted on the Internet by activists showed the officers and soldiers captured by the rebel fighters, and Al Arabiya television broadcast footage of what it said were rockets and ammunition seized in the raid. Abdulrahman said rebels also attacked the Hamdan military airbase at Albu Kamal, close to Syria's eastern border with Iraq, but did not succeed in breaking into it. http://blogs.aljazeera.com/topic/syria/jordan-seeks-700-mln-aid-syria-refugees Jordan seeks $700 mln in aid for Syria refugees September 1, 2012 - 17:48 Jordan needs $700 million in international aid to cope with an influx of 240,000 refugees from the conflict across the border in Syria, its planning and international cooperation minister said on Saturday. "The cost for Jordan to continue to welcome our Syrian brothers... is almost $700 million, to take in over 240,000 residents and refugees at Zaatari camp and outside," Jaafar Hassan told a joint news conference with the UN refugee agency. He said the Jordanian government would not be able to provide aid to the refugees without international assistance. "Jordan needs to be supported at this time," UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) representative Andrew Harper told reporters, urging the international community to "do whatever is possible to help." "We are going to see many more Syrians coming to cross the border. I can't see any indicator this number will be reduced," he said. There are currently 177,000 Syrians in Jordan, with around 26,000 in the Zaatari refugee camp, north of Amman, that the UNHCR opened five weeks ago, according to the minister. [source: AFP] https://twitter.com/WashingtonPoint @Barry_A82 I am very sorry to hear Barry.. God help you all w/dealing close losses everyday. Regime jets shell AlBab more often as I see8:51 AM Mahmoud...He took back me to Turkish border,right front seat in d car.marytried on Augst 31, airforce sheling @Barry_A829:32 AM Mahmoud, a great friend from AlBab, Aleppo, martyred yesterday in AlBab by regime airforce.. sits at the far right. pic.twitter.com/9glUWq24 9:34 AM In Idlib, Jabal al-Zawiya: singing with rebels.. a week ago.. via @youtube9:46 AM https://twitter.com/evanchill Rebel IED strike, allegedly on a government military convoy en route to Al Raqqa http://ow.ly/doxSJ 9:22 AM https://twitter.com/SyrianSmurf The Alshami checkpoint in Ariha [in Idlib] surrounded for days by the FSA has finally been breached. The FSA destroyed all its tanks and control it.11:14 AM unfortunately its not close [to completely liberated] yet...there are many checkpoints...it is very reminiscent of Baba Amr in Homs now. 11:58 AM Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FanboyOf91 Posted September 1, 2012 Share Posted September 1, 2012 I'm guessing the CIA is helping them take out Assad's air assets. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
visionary Posted September 2, 2012 Share Posted September 2, 2012 http://blogs.aljazeera.com/blog/middle-east/un-diplomacy-syria-take-two?utm_content=blogs&utm_campaign=Trial4&utm_source=twitter&utm_term=socialflow&utm_medium=tweet UN Diplomacy in Syria: Take TwoIf anyone was hoping the new UN/Arab League Special Representative for Syria had some dramatic new plan to bring peace to the country they are going to be sorely disappointed. "People say you aren’t doing much, people are dying. They are right," Lakhdar Brahimi admitted when we sat down for an interview at the United Nations headquarters in New York. The soft-spoken diplomat said he is doing all he can, nevertheless, to find something that will help ease the suffering. But ultimately it comes down to the Syrian government and the opposition to end the violence. Brahimi is keeping expectations low, faced with more fighting, a worsening humanitarian crisis, and an international community divided over how to end the conflict. "Change is necessary, indispensable, unavoidable," he said, declining to elaborate on what kind of change. He said it is too soon for him to say if President Bashar al-Assad must step down though his predecessor, Kofi Annan, and the UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon have both done so and the opposition Syrian National Council refuses to negotiate with him. http://blogs.aljazeera.com/liveblog/topic/syria-153 about 9 hours agoSyria's state-run news agency SANA reported on Saturday the release of 225 prisoners in Damascus. The release was the second of its kind to be reported in a week. On Monday, 378 prisoners from Damascus and the central province of Homs were apparently freed. SANA said the released men had previously taken part in anti-government protests, although at least one of those freed said he had been detained 27 days for doing nothing, and that he had been arrested at his home. The men cheered and clapped when a senior officer addressing them mentioned President Bashar Assad. Rights activists say tens of thousands of Syrians have been detained over the past 18 months. [source: AP] about 9 hours agoUS Senator Bob Corker, a representative from Tennessee and a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, met with Syrian refugees and opposition groups at Camp Kilis on the Turkey-Syria border on Saturday. He issued a statement, in which he commended Turkey for its humanitarian work along the border region. With regards to US involvement in Syria, Corker said: On one hand, there is much discussion here about the US arming the Free Syrian Army to deal with Syrian aircraft, and, while that may end up being the right course of action, their current loose alignment and lack of cohesiveness could make it a very problematic decision in the long run if Assad’s fall no longer gives common purpose to their efforts. On the other hand, the longer that the conflict goes on, the more lives will be destroyed and the greater the risk that the opposition becomes radicalized.Determining the proper role for further US involvement without committing ourselves to another long-term entanglement or fueling a greater conflict that destabilizes the region must be our goal.” about 8 hours agoThousands of Turkish supporters of Bashar al-Assad have marched through the town of Antakya, in southern Turkey, demanding that their government end its support for Syria's opposition. Many protesters are fed up with the number of Syrian refugees who have fled into Turkey, something that has become a political issue along the tense border region. During their rally, the protesters called for peace, but a peace that still leaves Assad running the country. Al Jazeera's Sue Turton reports from Antakya. https://twitter.com/GinnySacksMole A Syrian family have just arrived at the hotel, they escaped from Jobar, men had to left behind as not allowed to leave12:51 PM Syrian grandmother scared for future of Syria, all the young men are being killed by assad 1:31 PM https://twitter.com/HamaEcho Helicopters drop a barrel bomb on Hamdiyah, Homs: … One directly targeted the ancient Um al-Zenar church a few mins ago 10:16 AM Big destruction in the ancient Um al-Zenar church in Homs after it was shelled by helicopters today http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R-JE4cxlhwg 10:17 AM Helicopters shell another Church in #Homs after shelling nearby Um al-Zenar church. Most Churches & Mosques now shelled http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HbYgCr48lQ0 12:36 PM The moment a jet drops two bombs on Aleppo city. [sky News] pic.twitter.com/3D9rWg89 12:38 PM Have you seen the PKK checkpoints in N Syria? WTF is this cult of personality ****? Removing pics of Assad only to replace it with Ocalan's? 2:08 PM https://twitter.com/Avend93 another Kurdish LCC is going to be a part of TCK very soon, TCK is growing bigger every day in the Kurdish areas in Syria.12:31 PM BREAKING: PYD kidnaps 5 Kurdish activists of Avahi movement in Amude. 1:06 PM BREAKING: massive protest in front of the police station "under PYD rule" against the kidnapping of the 5 activists. 1:45 PM BREAKING: 4 armored vehicle are in the way from Qamishlo to Amude. 3:12 PM PYD released all the activists after firing at protesters last night in Amude. -UPDATE. 11:28 PM https://twitter.com/DarthNader Communist revolutionary and “Che Guevara of Homs”, Abu Khaled, killed by regime sniper today in Syria pic.twitter.com/Ln5uNyTG5:22 PM Abu Khaled would shout out, “Don’t believe we are all Salafis…I’m a leftist! Che Guevara, Che Guevara!” RIP to a fellow Homsi comrade. 5:25 PM https://twitter.com/NMSyria At least 20 people have been arrested at checkpoint between Jdaydet Artouz and Sahnaya today. Residents fear for their safety.8:16 PM http://www.twitlonger.com/show/j4i8vi "a pause of hope"Tiftinaz of Idlib has witnessed intense shelling and targeted air strikes over the past week. Thousands of people have fled the area no longer able to cope with the destruction of lives and sheer abuse to humanity. we spend our evenings here depending on open luck that a random shell will not land on our location, and each time we are lucky, even then someone else around us has paid the price of devastation. When a shell is launched by the regime from kilometres away it is heard loud and clear, we all pause and look at the floor counting the seconds, waiting for it to land shamefully hoping that we will hear it when it does. A sort of guarantee that we have not been hit. 4 shells were launched and landed nearby as I wrote this post alone. Where is humanity? 8:29 PM http://www.lccsyria.org/10065 The Local Coordination Committees in Syria (LCC):LCC was able to document 162 martyrs on Sutarday, including women and children: 55 martyrs were reported in Damascus and its Suburbs (including 4 martyrs, who were discrovered in Daraya, and 6 in Jobar), 34 in Deir Ezzor, 20 in Daraa (including 8, who were field-executed in Damascus), 16 in Homs, 18 in Aleppo, 11 in Idlib, 7 in Hama & 1 in Lattakia http://www.extremeskins.com/showthread.php?357480-Yahoo-Assad-predicts-disaster-if-West-meddles-in-Syria&p=9046975&viewfull=1#post9046975 27,031 people killed so far in Syria Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
visionary Posted September 2, 2012 Share Posted September 2, 2012 http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-fg-syria-fighting-20120902,0,5337293.story Syria rebels appear to be targeting air basesThwarted by aerial attacks, Syrian rebels appear to have begun systemically targeting government air bases and aircraft, while trying to capture antiaircraft missiles that can shoot down helicopters and fighter jets. The attacks seem to be directed at bases from which aircraft take off to strike opposition-held territory."When you can't hit the airplanes when they are flying, you will make sure they can't take off," said a rebel representative in Idlib province who goes by the nickname Abu Bashir. "There are not enough antiaircraft weapons and missiles, so targeting air bases … is a natural choice." http://www.nytimes.com/2012/09/02/world/middleeast/airstrikes-push-syrians-to-refugee-camps-in-jordan.html?_r=1&smid=tw-share Airstrikes Push Waves of Syrians to Jordanian CampsZAATARI, Jordan — The five Jamous brothers were early recruits to the Free Syrian Army, eager to oust President Bashar al-Assad. But two weeks ago, Mr. Assad’s air force began hitting their tiny village with new force, destroying houses and killing residents. With at least three brothers wounded and their own home destroyed, the Jamouses finally handed their Russian rifles to fellow rebels and fled, vowing to deliver their wives and passel of small children to the safety of a desolate refugee camp here in the Jordanian desert before returning to battle. “We tried to keep fighting but we can’t keep up,” said Mahmoud Jamous, 27, standing with his clan, “so we are here.” They joined a sudden and unexpected exodus of as many as 20,000 Syrians who have poured across the border from the province around Dara’a, the birthplace and symbolic heart of the Syrian uprising. The refugees describe burned-out villages all but emptied of residents. Some say their villages were deprived of power, water and communication for weeks before they left, or that graffiti scrawled after the shelling warned those who had fled not to return. Aid workers here who interviewed the refugees suggest there was a deliberate attempt to drive out any civilians who might sympathize with the rebels./SIZE] http://www.aljazeera.com/news/middleeast/2012/09/20129212533972856.html Twin blasts near Damascus military compoundSyrian state television said four people were wounded in twin explosions in Damascus on Sunday that appeared to target the country's military leadership. Damascus residents said the explosions occurred at a security building in the Abu Rummana district, not far from the compound housing the army and air force headquarters near central Umayyad Square. Video footage from activists showed plumes of white smoke rising from the district, an upscale neighbourhood in the heart of Damascus that is home to several embassies. "A terrorist attack with two bombs occurred in Al-Mehdi Street in the Abu Rummana district," state television said. The area contains several security service buildings, as well as the office of Vice President Faruq al-Shara. The explosion occurred near a security services building which is tasked with protecting the army's general staff. The Ahfad al-Rasul (Grandchildren of the Prophet) brigade of the rebel Free Syrian Army claimed responsibility for the attack in a statement on Facebook, in which it also threatened to attack Assad's palace."This operation was carried out in response to the massacres in Daraya," said the statement, referring to the killing last week of at least 330 people in a town near Damascus. Regime and rebel forces blamed each other for the massacre. Also on Sunday, state media reported that a car bomb explosion near a mosque at Sbeneh in the southern outskirts of the capital on Saturday killed 15 people. Sbeneh is a poor neighbourhood where anti-government sentiment is strong. https://twitter.com/HamaEcho Army HQ in the heart of Damascus was bombed a few minutes ago, state TV reports another bomb near in Guard battalion in Abu Rummaneh.6:57 AM The military buildings in Damascus have basements where meetings are held, since there is white smoke its most likely inside the building 7:00 AM https://twitter.com/jfoleyjourno Syrian army tankers video themselves shelling town and celebrating …8:37 AM https://twitter.com/SyrianSmurf Don't mess with Idlib...the remains of regime tanks in Ariha... pic.twitter.com/hmxtsigv8:14 AM 1000s of regime soldiers and 50 tanks are gathered on the Aleppo-Lattaqia highway in preparation of raiding JisrAlshughoor 8:13 AM The FSA in Salqeen Idlib captures many regime soldiers and seizes weapons. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6iuOQtz1wJE&feature=player_embedded 8:16 AM The entire village of Sarjeh in JabalAlzawiyah has fled due to intense ongoing shelling by regime warplanes. 8:17 AM https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=2047149&l=e05c46f665&id=217848338242310 Hama: Fan Shamali: The number of martyrs in the massacre committed in this village has risen to 35, most of them from one family. They were killed by the regime army's direct gunfire and they are: the 4 brothers Hassan Ali Al-Khalif, Abdulqahar Ali Al-Khalif, Sarhan Ali Al-Khalif and Abdullah Ali Al-Khalif. The 3 brothers Fadi Mohammed Al-Khalif, Ahmed Mohammed Al-Khalif and Abdulrazzaq Mohammed Al-Khalif. The 2 brothers Kanaan Hassan Al-Khalif and Ali Hassan Al-Khalif, with the 2 brothers Nour Eddin Obeid Al-Ali and Abdullah Obeid Al-Ali. Also, Mohammed Ali Al-Obeid, Abdulkarim Ali Al-Obeid,,Abdulmoeen Abdulhussein, Talji Khalaf Al-Obeid, Hamam Abdulhadi Al-Hussein, Hussein Abdulaziz Al-Hussein, Ahmed Hussein Al-Mohammed, Mohammed Khaled Al-Kheifa and Saloum Jassem Al-Ahmed. The names of the rest of the martyrs haven't arrived yet due to the siege of the village by security amid heavy gunfire 9:12 AM https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=2047210&l=e555ea8025&id=217848338242310 Aleppo: Maree: Fierce warplane shelling at Talalein village and it is concentrated at a school10:04 AM Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
visionary Posted September 2, 2012 Share Posted September 2, 2012 http://www.thenational.ae/news/world/middle-east/damascus-rocked-by-bombs-as-syria-august-toll-climbs-to-5-400 Damascus rocked by bombs as Syria August toll climbs to 5,400Syrian rebels said they planted bombs inside the Syrian army's General Staff headquarters in central Damascus yesterday as President Bashar Al Assad's forces bulldozed buildings to the ground in parts of the capital that have backed the uprising. Syrian state television said four people were wounded in what it called a terrorist attack on the General Staff compound in the highly guarded Abu Rummaneh district, where another bomb attack killed four of Mr Al Assad's top lieutenants two months ago. "The operation targeted officers in the Assad army who have been planning and giving the go ahead for the massacres against the Syrian people," said a video statement by the Grandsons of the Prophet brigade, a division of the Free Syrian Army. "Bombs were planted inside the army headquarters," said the video statement, which was broadcast on Arab satellite channels. http://blogs.aljazeera.com/liveblog/topic/syria-153 about 4 hours agoThe opposition Syrian National Council has agreed to expand to include more groups opposing President Bashar al-Assad and will reform to be more representative, a spokesman told the AFP news agency on Sunday. At a meeting in Stockholm late on Saturday, the SNC agreed to expand its membership and to hold a vote later this month to elect its leadership, spokesman George Sabra said. The move follows criticism from both within and outside the group that it is failing to unite the diverse opposition forces working against Assad, after more than 17 months of brutal conflict. "New currents of the opposition will join the SNC. There will be at least five or six new groups from inside and outside Syria" joining the organisation, Sabra said. The group's general assembly will grow from 300 to 400 members and each opposition group will be represented by 20 members, Sabra said. Under a reform agreed in Stockholm, the assembly will elect a general secretariat that will then choose an executive bureau and leader for the SNC. Leaders have previously been chosen by consensus in the group, which brings together diverse anti-government leaders ranging from liberals to Islamists. The mandate of current SNC leader Abdel Basset Sayda, which was due to expire on September 9, has been extended and he will stay on until the vote is held in late September, Sabra said https://twitter.com/farGar COME JOIN US AT WHITE HOUSE! #SYRIAMARCH pic.twitter.com/orzMwiDd10:24 AM Loool we're punching Batta [Assad] Beach Balls #syriamarch pic.twitter.com/QHVUgX8f 10:25 AM There are Sunnis here, Christian,.& Alawites. We're all here together against assad. 10:53 AM Kurds are here with us too pic.twitter.com/G1axn7pD 11:21 AM https://twitter.com/abuhatem Free Syria protest in DC pic.twitter.com/7foyQw4M12:04 PM Lots of Syrians here pic.twitter.com/baNI1N6k 12:05 PM https://twitter.com/WashingtonPoint Omar Offendum live--World Silence Killing Syria- protest, White House - LIVE at http://bambuser.com/v/2951681 10:58 AM Is there anyone I need to say hi here at the White House Free Syria Protest? pic.twitter.com/vchuZpJB 11:02 AM yes, I m here.. In front of the big statue.. W/ the horse! 11:57 AM Syrians in Washington DC has an impressive showing for a luncheon. pic.twitter.com/SHX9iVow 1:51 PM US Amb to Syria Robert Ford is here with the Syrian-Americans.. Having lunch and will be addressing the crowd shortly pic.twitter.com/vcT1EgDr 1:54 PM https://twitter.com/WashingtonPoint Amb Ford began giving a speech at the Grand Hyatt.. Will talk about what US doing since June.. Myself very curious! pic.twitter.com/lzkTStlG Amb Ford: "US position on Syria is not changing" "US wants political transition." "I mean a real change" ... pic.twitter.com/iw3ckUYs Amb Ford: "Assad is finished, he has to go!" Amb Ford: After failing at the UNSC now "We will work outside of the United Nations" 2:12 PM Amb Ford: Assad is holding the country hostage.. It's important to get ready for the day after now.. I've been in Iraq 2:16 PM People at the lunch shout while Amb Ford speaking: we need stingers! FSA needs stingers! pic.twitter.com/PpQmucA6 Amb Ford: "we have given permission to raise for FSA" this statement got the most applaud. 2:29 PM Amb Ford spoke in Arabic briefly and didn't take any questions..His speech has generally received well but fell short satisfying the crowd. While Amb Ford leaving the stage a few from the listeners shouted: "action not the words" ! pic.twitter.com/QCWUmDgJ 2:38 PM https://twitter.com/_Syria_ Aleppo: Intense clashes between the Suqour Al Shahba Brigade and regime forces in Al Eza'a neighborhood. [2 Sep 2012] 2:01 PM https://twitter.com/Mou2amara More weapons for the FSA. FSA capture a convoy transporting rockets in Harran 3:10 PM https://twitter.com/DSyrer FSA intercept Assad trucks carrying missiles in Al-Lajat + destroy them - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z2OGmT1xTqI&feature=plcp4:14 PM (They don't have the equipment to deploy them, hence that decision) 4:16 PM Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
visionary Posted September 3, 2012 Share Posted September 3, 2012 http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/us-intervention-in-syria-appears-unlikely-say-officials/2012/09/02/c1cd4e9a-f2bb-11e1-a612-3cfc842a6d89_story.html?wprss=rss_social-world-headlines U.S. intervention in Syria appears unlikely, say officialsA sharp escalation in fighting and civilian deaths in Syria, pleas for help from rebel fighters and a tide of war-zone refugees are focusing American attention on a high-stakes Mideast conflict nine weeks before the U.S. presidential election. Yet, as bad as the Syrian fighting looks, with an estimated 20,000 dead and hundreds of thousands of refugees in neighboring countries, intervention by the United States or international authorities appears remote. Even a limited expansion of the minimal U.S. role is unlikely for the next several months and perhaps beyond, according to American and foreign officials. “We could get dragged into this, no question, but we’re just not there yet,” said one of several senior U.S. officials who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss the complicated internal and diplomatic debates over Syria. http://www.weeklystandard.com/articles/no-red-lines-syria_651391.html No Red Lines in Syria http://blogs.aljazeera.com/liveblog/topic/syria-153 about 6 hours agoArab monarchies in the Gulf lambasted the Syrian government for deploying heavy weapons against civilians and told Iran not to interfere in their internal affairs. The six members of the Gulf Cooperation Council said at a meeting in Jeddah on Sunday that the international community should "assume their responsibilities and take measures to protect civilians" in Syria. In a statement, the GCC condemned "the ongoing massacres which are due to the obstinacy of the regime in using heavy weapons, including planes and tanks" against civilians. The monarchies ordered Iran to halt its "interference" in their internal affairs, citing an incident at the opening of the Non-Aligned Movement in Tehran when an official interpreter reportedly replaced the word "Syria" with "Bahrain" in a speech by Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi. They asked their powerful neighbour to "cease these acts and not resort to or threaten to use force".[AFP] https://twitter.com/NMSyria Reports that the FSA has taken control of military headquarters in DeirEzzor, Syria4:53 PM https://twitter.com/HasanSari7 BREAKING: A blaze is seen now at the Syrian Intelligence Headquarters in Aleppo now after being attacked by FSA.5:12 PM https://twitter.com/zimniya FSA does more than fight - here they are clearing rubble after Assad's destruction http://www.youtube.com/embed/whKdawGp4m4?rel=0 … via @knnarh5:28 PM https://twitter.com/abuhatem Tonight I met @SyrianSmurf and as I suspected he is an amazing human being. Had the funnest time ever! #Idlib #Matte FOLLOW HIM NOW.1:41 AM https://twitter.com/MidaniSpeaks Not to ruin it, but always remember as we are here in comfort enjoying one anothers company our people are under great duress.2:06 AM https://twitter.com/freeCritic2000 BREAKING: Town of Albab has been struck AGAIN by Assad's fighter jets. DOZENS of people killed and air strikes continue3:20 AM BREAKING: Assad's fighter jets have been pounding town of Albab since early hours of the morning. 25 people dead so far!!! 3:23 AM https://twitter.com/OnlySyrian Today morning in al-Myassar area in Aleppo We dug by our hands to get my cousin,a lady, out of debris. NewMassacre3:34 AM https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=2048216&l=bb1dae857a&id=217848338242310 Homs: Qusair: The Free Syrian Army has gained control of the National Hospital barracks4:44 PM https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=2048220&l=dbe633f5ca&id=217848338242310 Homs: Qusair: Very intense shelling targets the city in response to the liberation of the largest barracks belonging to the regime's forces 4:44 PM https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=2049125&l=968f17d61d&id=217848338242310 Aleppo: Due to the fierce shelling on the city, an entire building fell down in Maysar neighborhood1:53 AM http://www.lccsyria.org/10069 Local Coordination Committees in SyriaThe Local Coordination Committees in Syria was able to document 144 martyrs on Sunday including women and children: 74 martyrs in Damascus and it’s suburbs (including martyrs from a massacre discovered in Hazza and 15 in Erbeen), 36 martyrs in Hama 35 of which were killed in the Al-Fan village massacre, 14 martyrs in Aleppo, 7 martyrs in Deir Ezzor, 5 martyrs in Idlib, and 4 martyrs in each of Daraa and Homs http://www.extremeskins.com/showthread.php?357480-Yahoo-Assad-predicts-disaster-if-West-meddles-in-Syria&p=9046975&viewfull=1#post9046975 27,175 people killed so far in Syria Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
visionary Posted September 3, 2012 Share Posted September 3, 2012 http://blogs.aljazeera.com/liveblog/topic/syria-153 about 6 hours agoSyrian rebels said they smuggled parts of explosive devices that detonated on Sunday piece by piece into a building near the offices of the country's vice president and top military chiefs. State television reported that two blasts in the building wounded six people. It was unclear if the rebels missed their target, but in July, a similar bombing attack in the capital killed four of President Bashar al-Assad's top security advisers, including his brother-in-law, Assef Shawkat. The Revolution Leadership Council of Damascus, one of many activist groups, claimed that eight explosive devices had been detonated in the attack. This video, featuring small clouds of what looks like white smoke and dust, claims to show the aftermath of the attack: http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=yIkAdCVzfWs about 2 hours agoThese images from the AFP news agency show the scene of the car bombing that struck the capital's Jaramanah neighbourhood, a mixed area of Sunni Muslims, Christians and Druze, killing at least five people, according to the activist Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. about an hour agoAl Jazeera's Sue Turton has just been on live from Antakya, in southern Turkey, reporting on the situation in Syria. Regarding the bomb blast in Damascus, she said: The government has said that its blaming "terrorists", the same accusation it put out [on Sunday] after the bombs exploded in the heart of the military [district] of Damascus. Now that was an obvious target of the FSA and indeed they did claim responsibility, but this isn't quite the same thing. The area is a quite religiously diverse sector. Christians and Druze mostly make up the population there, and its the sort of bomb blast that if the FSA did plant it would make it extremely unpopular.An FSA colonel conjectured to Al Jazeera that the bomb had been detonated by the government as part of a tactic to cause explosions and mayhem in certain areas in the hope of making the FSA unpopular, or to stop people from harbouring FSA fighters in central Damascus. Regarding clashes in the western mountains, Turton reported:We're also hearing of the area to the west, the western mountains. When we were there, we knew that the FSA had managed to push the line of government forces all the way down from the Turkish border to Salma. We're now hearing that ... there have been clashes [in the neighbouring village to Salma] and across to the west right next to the coast in the town of Kasab. A really large and strategically important town really for the government. [...] Fighters are saying 11 of their number have died and 40 have been injured.The government it seems is really shoring up its defences there and really pushing hard to keep Kasab. If it managed to be pushed out of the way by the FSA, then they'd have a line all the way to the sea, something they don't have [presently]. Any sea access could mean supplies of medicines, which they desperately need, weapons and ammunition as well. about an hour agoDavid Petraeus, the chief of the US Central Intelligence Agency is visiting Turkey for meetings on regional issues, a US official told AFP on Monday. The official would not say with whom the CIA chief would be meeting and where. According to local media, Petraeus arrived in Istanbul on Sunday and his meetings with Turkish officials on Monday would focus on the Syrian crisis and anti-terror fight. about an hour agoLebanon's prime minister says that Beirut will urgently protest to Damascus over Syria's violations of its territory, warning of "negative repercussions" on the stability of the border areas. "Prime Minister Najib Mikati asked the ambassador of Lebanon to Damascus Michel Khoury... to send an urgent letter to the Syrian Ministry of Foreign Affairs to say that Syrian posts continue to shell Lebanese border villages," read a statement from the PM's office. "These violations could have negative repercussions... on stability and calm at the border," despite "security measures taken by the Lebanese army," said Mikati. Lebanon's growing a bit of a backbone maybe. Or it could be to appease the anti-Assad folks and Syrian refugees. To make them feel lke they're being looked out for, without actually doing anything. https://twitter.com/HamaEcho Liberation of the Qusair hostpital, Homs … Go to 3:00 to see dozens of Assad thugs blown to hell in a massive explosion.10:15 AM https://twitter.com/freeCritic2000 FSA looking after traffic in Aleppo yet this won't reach mass media as it can't be given a "jihadi" twist 11:17 AM https://twitter.com/Avend93 BREAKING: 1000 soldiers are getting ready to enter Qamişlo.10:58 AM regime forces with 4 armored vehicle invaded Ênteriye and took many Kurdish youth minutes ago. 11:06 AM PYD detained 7 regime soldiers. -ANF. 11:24 AM the number of Kurdish youth been kidnapped by regime reached 50. -UPDATE. 11:27 AM massive protest near Qasimo mosque now in Qamishlo against assad kidnappings. -UPDATE. 11:28 AM https://twitter.com/GinnySacksMole Bought my Syrian freedom bracelet from Tahir Sq ......... love it!11:37 AM https://twitter.com/SyrianSmurf Intense shelling on Jarjanaz Idlib using MiG jets leaves many martyrs and injured and destroyed homes. Exact numbers unknown.11:46 AM The regime army is shelling Salqeen Idlib with missiles that are releasing a thick smoke. A white smoke is covering the city's sky. 11:47 AM This cat was shot by a regime sniper in Daraa Syria...nothing is left alive... pic.twitter.com/oZq1oyQJ 11:50 AM Intense clashes btwn the FSA and regime forces in Salqeen Idlib. 9 soldier carriers destroyed in 3 diff locations, 155 soldiers killed. 11:58 AM Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
visionary Posted September 3, 2012 Share Posted September 3, 2012 https://twitter.com/MajdArar Repeated car bombs in Druze area of Jaramana is very suspicious, 4 cars in a week.5:48 AM https://twitter.com/Turk4Syria 5 Car bombs in one week in a Druze neighbourhood of Damascus. Has every landmark of regime provocation.12:45 PM https://twitter.com/Al_Sununu Turki AlamAldeen, the General who arrested & tortured me in the 90's is now retired & in his 70's.I just found out he's a very active Shabih1:20 PM He is in Sweidaa organizing and financing Shabiha gangs to kill and terrorize those who oppose the government. 1:37 PM https://twitter.com/Avend93 "Death toll raises to 25 in the Kurdish mountains due to the heavy shelling by Assad." -Kurdish LCC.2:05 PM https://twitter.com/HamaEcho Finally, FSA officers in Turkey unite and form the National Syrian Army with the leadership of Maj. Gen. Mohamad Ali 1:43 PM This was announced a long time ago and completed a few days ago, but they finally made the official statement today. 1:49 PM Defection speech of Major General Mohamad Haj Ali, leader of the new National Syrian Army. (With English subs.): 2:16 PM https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=2049980&l=bb46199fd9&id=217848338242310 Deir Ezzor: Bokamal: Clashes between the Free Syrian Army and the regime's army were reported along the perimeter of the Military Security branch and the military recruiting facility https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=2050158&l=35f6506f6f&id=217848338242310 Daraa: Hirak: 43 corpses were discovered in a mass grave north of the Air Force Defense battalion located along the road between Mleiha Al-Atsh and Hirak. All of the bodies remain unidentified1:30 PM https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=2050353&l=5cbda3557e&id=217848338242310 Hama: Al-Faraya: 21 people were martyred, some were slaughtered, and large number of wounded were reported. Random raid and arrest campaign was carried out by regime forces in the village3:21 PM https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=2050359&l=0283e62ba9&id=217848338242310 Local Coordination Committees in Syria The number of martyrs in Syria has risen to 235 thus far including 60 who were martyred due to the warplane shelling: 62 martyrs were reported in Aleppo, most of them in the aerial shelling of Bab and one in Sekari neighborhood;57 in Daraa including 43 unidentified bodies were found in Hrak, 36 in Damascus and its Suburbs, among them 16 in Qaboun;24 martyrs in Hama including 21 from Farayah neighborhood; 23 in Lattakia; 17 in Idlib ; 8 in Deir Ezzor; and 8 in Homs 3:27 PM Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
visionary Posted September 3, 2012 Share Posted September 3, 2012 http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5iClLeCPk9b9CWN2Aia7qve2cSIMQ?docId=CNG.220668f814f7842c845eed3ad4b8b211.4c1 Urgent need for Syria no-fly zone, medic tells AFPVeteran war surgeon Jacques Beres has his own compelling reasons for urging that a no-fly zone be imposed over Syria -- one bomb dropped by the regime leaves more wounded than doctors can fix in a day. Working under cover in the northern city of Aleppo, which has been pounded for weeks as President Bashar al-Assad's forces seek to overrun rebel bastions, Beres insists the death toll in the Syrian conflict is higher that what is reported. "At least 50,000 people have been killed without counting the disappeared," Beres, a French surgeon who daily patches up dozens of people in a hospital near the front lines of Aleppo, told AFP in an interview. http://www.npr.org/2012/09/03/160505172/under-the-shadow-of-jets-a-syrian-town-presses-on?sc=tw&cc=share Under The Shadow Of Jets, A Syrian Town Presses OnSyrian air force jets bombed the rebel-held town of Al-Bab in northern Syria Monday, killing at least 18 people, according to Syrian activists. Over the summer, the rebels gained control of a number of towns and villages along the Syrian-Turkish border. Now, those places are being bombarded from the air and from the ground by government forces. Azaz, in northern Syria's Aleppo province, is one of these places. There, the tombstones in the old section of the town's cemetery are laid out in neat rows. But in the new section, where the graves are fresh, the tombstones are pieces of stone; the names are handwritten. Death is a daily event now. A dozen new graves have been dug in anticipation of more funerals. Now, the residents of Azaz live with nightly shelling. Army troops still control a military airport eight miles away and regularly fire artillery shells into the heart of the city.Abu Ibrahim says a rocket fired from the military airport burst through a wall of his house. His panicked family packed up and left. "My mother was here and I took her away because this area is being targeted and I told her, 'Don't come back here anymore because it is dangerous,'" he says. https://twitter.com/HamaEcho FSA blows two Assad bases in Qusair, Homs sky high with two massive bombs … Amazing clip.3:38 PM https://twitter.com/CitizenGeo Just heard my friend has fled the country. He was summoned to join army yesterday. He was a pro Assad3:53 PM He has been neutral for few months now. Cursing both sides 4:00 PM https://twitter.com/THE_47th The silence, lack of political will and inaction to what's happening in Syria is beyond sickening. No words can explain.4:04 PM The world is setting usage of chemical weapons against civilians as a yardstick.. In the meantime Assad is free to kill 5K Syrian in August. 4:07 PM https://twitter.com/Turk4Syria The US isn't interested in "let's overthrow Syrian regime at all cost to weaken Iran & see what happens". To say so is Iranian narcissism. 3:55 PM 1- There are many things factoring in the US position, including concerns of Israel & Gulf states, rise of MB in Egypt, minorities etc. 4:00 PM 2- The US position is to be flexible & be able to adapt to facts on the ground basically. Watch carefully at a distance. 4:05 PM 3- I don't expect a change in the US stance with or without Obama, and directly connected to it, Turkey and GCC countries. 4:11 PM One thing certain is though. Neither the humanitarian situation in Syria nor Turkey's concerns play a serious role in US policy. 4:22 PM https://twitter.com/AlexanderPageSY number of Syrian female personalities will begin a hunger strike outside the Arab league HQ in Cairo tomorrow for Syria more details next4:45 PM HUNGER STRIKE FOR SYRIA (Syrian Female Personalities) Actress Louise Abdel Kareem Poets Lina Tibi & Rasha Omran Activist Salma Jazaerly Activist Rula al Khush will begin a hunger strike outside the Arab League HeadQaurters in Cairo tomorrow 4th of September 2012 at 5pm. this is to stress the importance of international priority for the children of Syria who pay the price of devastation. https://twitter.com/petegee1 Assad is still blocking humanitarian aid, baby food , medicine , blankets etc but only to areas that oppose the regime.5:00 PM https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=2050553&l=5aa3b2fc67&id=217848338242310 Local Coordination Committees in Syria By the end of Monday LCC documented 248 martyrs, including 60 who were martyred due to warplane shelling and the number can rise: 62 martyrs were reported in Aleppo (most of them due to warplane shelling in Al-Bab, and a martyr in Sukkary neighborhood), 60 in Daraa (including 43 bodies found in Hirak), 36 in Damascus and its Suburbs (including 16 in Qaboun), 30 in Lattakia, 24 in Hama (including 21 in Faraya neighborhood), 17 in Idlib, 10 in Deir Ezzor, and 9 in Homs 5:34 PM http://www.extremeskins.com/showthread.php?357480-Yahoo-Assad-predicts-disaster-if-West-meddles-in-Syria&p=9046975&viewfull=1#post9046975 27,423 people killed so far in Syria Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
visionary Posted September 4, 2012 Share Posted September 4, 2012 http://www.nytimes.com/2012/09/04/world/middleeast/in-syrian-conflict-children-speak-of-revenge-against-alawites.html?pagewanted=1&_r=1&smid=tw-share Syrian Children Offer Glimpse of a Future of Reprisals Depresing article, although I can't recall many NYT articles that have said anything positive about the revolution or Syria. http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/world/2012/0801/1224321232578.html#.UEYUtGTYp5w.twitter Irish Syrian fighters pass on lessons of revolutionMehdi al-Harati, leader of the Liwa al-Umma brigade, and his fighters are under no illusions about the challenges they face, writes MARY FITZGERALD, Foreign Affairs Correspondent in northern Syria EARLIER THIS summer Housam Najjair was in Dublin watching gruesome videos of some of the most violent episodes of the 16-month revolt against Syria’s president Bashar al-Assad. Now Najjair and Harati say they want to transfer the lessons learned during the Libyan revolution to Syrians hoping to achieve their own. “We feel as if we are their brothers,” says Najjair, sitting on the floor of a safe house with his gun by his side. “We want to assist in whatever way we can.” Liwa al-Umma, which was established three months ago, is made up of more than 6,000 men, 90 per cent of whom are Syrian. The rest are mostly Libyans and other Arabs. It is separate to the rebel Free Syrian Army and its units are scattered throughout the country. Recent YouTube videos show a number of Syrian rebel groupings announcing they have joined Liwa al-Umma. “We couldn’t understand why the world was failing to respond to the plight of the Syrian people,” says Najjair. “When they didn’t take a stand, we decided to act.” With Harati, a naturalised Irish citizen whose family lives in Dublin, and Najjair are several others from Ireland. They include an engineer who is helping Liwa al-Umma register all its members before distributing ID cards, and two men in their early 20s who are experiencing war for the first time. One, a thoughtful, bespectacled 22-year-old whose father is a surgeon in Ireland, admits his parents were concerned when he announced he wanted to go fight in Syria. “They respect and trust Sheikh Mehdi so when they learned I was coming to join him here, they felt a little better,” he says. “But, yes, they are still worried for my safety out here.” He frames his reasons for coming to Syria in philosophical terms. “I see my life as being about three things: searching for the truth; defending the weak against injustice and the oppressors; and helping to build peace in the world. The battle here in Syria combines all three.” Harati is back in Libya at the moment. I'm not sure what that means for the brigade though. Maybe he's trying to get more funds, weapons and such. http://www.cnn.com/2012/09/04/world/meast/syria-civil-war/index.html?hpt=hp_t1 More than 100,000 refugees flee Syria in one monthMore than 100,000 Syrians fled the country in August, by far the most of any previous month in the crisis, the United Nations said Tuesday. More than 103,400 Syrians fled to neighboring countries in August, bringing the total to more than 235,300 refugees who are registered or awaiting registration, the U.N. refugee agency said. Syria's entire population is about 22.5 million, according to the CIA World Factbook. The number of refugees is more than 1% of the population. Inside the war-torn country, the head of the Red Cross is negotiating with Syrian officials this week for better access to civilians tormented by the bloody civil war. Peter Maurer, president of the International Committee of the Red Cross, met Tuesday with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, an agency spokeswoman said. http://blogs.aljazeera.com/liveblog/topic/syria-153 about 16 hours agoSyrians fleeing war start to trickle into Europe: Ali Jamal travelled thousands of miles on foot, by train and road to flee violence in Syria while Jomaah piled his family into a camper van to smuggle them north to Europe. They have now reached safety in Sweden, some of the growing thousands of Syrians who are evading the European Union's frontier controls to escape the turmoil of the past 18 months. That is raising calls for a more focused European response to a refugee crisis that has seen over 200,000 Syrians flee to Jordan, Iraq, Lebanon and, especially, Turkey. [source: Reuters] about 15 hours agoSome migration experts are urging the European Union to make it easier for Syrians - and to arrange a more organised welcome. Noting that Sweden expects 17,000 Syrians to arrive this year and next, making them the biggest national group of asylum-seekers next year, Mikael Ribbenvik, a director at the Swedish Migration Board, said: "Resources are clearly stretched. "That is a big number for a small country," he told Reuters. Philippe Fargues, director of the Migration Policy Centre thinktank at Florence, said Europe should do more to open its borders by saying that anyone coming from Syria could be counted as a refugee, rather than formally have to prove refugee status. "We are facing a huge crisis at the external border of Europe and that should not continue," he said. [source: Reuters] about 13 hours agoA Syrian military airplane bombed a building in Azaz on the border with Turkey early on Monday destroying a house, local residents said. Although the building was flattened, no casualties were reported.[/iZE] "At three in the morning, the MIG flew over and bombed this house. I live right next to here," said Abu Abdu, standing close to piles of rubble. Such attacks are reportedly common in the border region where rebels claim to control some areas. [source: AP] about 13 hours agoAbout a thousand are stranded on the Syrian side of the border waiting to be allowed entry into Turkey. On Monday a new group of displaced civilians arrived at Bab Al Salameh border crossing, seeking refuge in Turkey. They joined other displaced families in three large hangars once used for cargo inspections of trucks. Some said they had been there a week or more. "We heard that my brother was killed five days ago and we came to Azaz to bury him and while we were in the cemetery burying him, the plane came and fired two rockets and two fell right behind our home," said Youssef Al Hajjy. "So we ran away and came here. This is much safer than where we were in our place about 12 hours agoSyrian National Council President Abdul-Baset Seida said on Monday that entire areas of Syria had been razed, leaving at least three millions people without a home. https://twitter.com/EmadDlala Libyans should support Syrians by money, food, and weapons. Not by manpower10:26 PM Sept 3 In my opinion, Libyans should not go and fight in Syria (against Assad). I think we're creating Fitna more than gain. Syria has its men 10:25 PM Sept 3 https://twitter.com/MidEasternist Who could have imagined on that fateful day in March of last yr that we'd see 30,000 Syrians murdered in cold-blood b/c they wanted freedom?11:22 PM Sept 3 Assad doesn't care that he killed 30K. He'll kill another 20K if he can before it's over. 11:25 PM Sept 3 https://twitter.com/HamaEcho A ****ing disaster has happened in Daraa regarding infiltrators. Where there hell is the Jordanian army to secure its own borders?? Nusra thugs operating INSIDE Jordan have been helping AQ pigs from Iraq cross into Daraa through the Jordanian border. Several groups inside. Assad helped out these groups a few years ago, it's all very fishy how easy they can cross through.5:07 AM Remember that group in Daraa which executed a man in a satement carrying brand new rifles? This is an AQ unit orginlly in Iraq. 5:13 AM No mercy for these Jabhat al-Nusra pigs. Threatening and attacking the Free Army, murdering civilians, looting, burning buildings for months 5:39 AM A Lebanese extremist tried to set up an "emirate" in Homs a few months ago, all he got was several bullets in the head from the Free Army. 5:46 AM https://twitter.com/BigAlBrand Some of the families who are still in Old Homs under seige by Assad troops are eating tree leaves cause they haven't had vegetables in weeks 9:54 AM https://twitter.com/ZeinakhodrAljaz UNHCR :Refugees continue to cross into Jordan at a rate of about 1,000 a day; reports of increasing numbers of displaced in southern10:17 AM https://twitter.com/omarsyria Mortar shelling in several areas in Damascus, mostly NE and SW suburbs. Also first time I’ve actually seen a helicopter in over a week.10:35 AM Mortars being shelled upon Damascus from Qassiyoun. Sound of missile launching much louder than that of it hitting. 10:41 AM https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=2052305&l=e9f2615530&id=217848338242310 Local Coordination Committees in SyriaThe number of martyrs has risen to 82 thus far, including 7 martyrs killed by aerial bombardment, 2 women, and 3 children. The remainders of the martyrs were distributed as follows; 31 in Damascus and its suburbs, including 10 field executions in Mudamieh Sham, and 10 martyrs discovered in Daraya; 15 in Hama,10 in Daraa, 8 in Aleppo, 6 in Deir Ezzor, 5 in Idlib, 4 in Homs and 3 in Latakia 11:14 AM Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
visionary Posted September 4, 2012 Share Posted September 4, 2012 Wow. Check out his sketches. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-19468300 War artist observes Syrian life amid chaosWhen British artist George Butler recently crossed the border from Turkey into Syria, he was greeted in the town of Azaz by abandoned tanks and piles of rubble from war-damaged buildings. But normal life was continuing amid the chaos, and George - under the protection of the Free Syrian Army - started to sketch and paint watercolours of the scenes he observed. http://www.npr.org/2012/09/04/160535679/syrian-rebel-leader-keeps-order-on-the-border?sc=tw&cc=share Syrian Rebel Leader Keeps Order On The BorderThe Bab al-Salam border crossing, on Syria's northern border with Turkey, has settled into an orderly routine. Back in July, rebel brigades wrested this border post in Syria's strategic Aleppo province from President Bashar Assad's army in a fierce battle. Now, passports are stamped and cars inspected by the rebels — polite, young, bearded men who wear mismatched military uniforms or civilian clothes. While the military confrontation was a joint operation, bringing together many rebel brigades, the Northern Storm brigade retains exclusive control of the border post. It's a tightly run organization. The rebels manage thousands of displaced Syrians camped out in abandoned customs inspection sheds and anywhere else they can find that offers some protection from the burning heat. They wait for a chance to cross the border and find a place in one of Turkey's freshly built tent camps. http://www.cnn.com/2012/09/03/world/meast/syria-desperate-family/index.html One Syrian story: A sniper's bullet, a dying child, a family's desperationRena was playing on her lounge floor, in her mother's lap, when the shot tore through her cheek. She grimaced, cried for her mother and then went silent, as the blood began to flow in her mouth. The bullet came from nowhere, bursting through the frosted-glass window on the family balcony, knocking out one of her teeth, and shattering her family's world. But in Aleppo, their ordeal had just begun because the struggle here is always to find medical help, fast. Her neighbor -- the women looking after Rena can't leave their home unaccompanied by male relatives -- then rushed her to the street, carrying her body. That's when we saw him, the sight of a man carrying a limp girl still striking even amid the daily atrocities of Aleppo. He flagged down a truck and they began to race towards the hospital. We followed, unsure what had happened. After a minute, the neighbor noticed us and clearly decided our car might move through the traffic faster. He stopped the truck he was in, leapt out and ran towards us, Rena bleeding in his arms, and screamed for help. http://world.time.com/2012/09/04/the-making-of-a-syrian-rebel-the-saga-of-abboud-barri/ The Making of a Syrian Rebel: The Saga of Abboud BarriHis callousness is more pronounced than most, but the story of Abboud Barri reflects the universal struggle to preserve humanity in the face of the exigencies of war http://blogs.aljazeera.com/liveblog/topic/syria-153 18 minutes agoA Syrian opposition leader has called for a massive aid programme to help rebuild his country after President Bashar Assad's regime falls, reports the Associated Press news agency. Abdelbaset Sieda, the head of the Syrian National Council, warned that a lack of economic development could open the door to extremism. Sieda told a meeting of Syrian opposition representatives and diplomats in Berlin that Syria would need a programme similar to the Marshall Plan, the post-World War II European reconstruction effort, if the Assad regime collapses. 7 minutes agoKazutaka Sato, the husband of reporter Mika Yamamoto - shot dead in Aleppo on August 20 - has called for Damascus to investigate her death. Sato, 56, said his wife - a 45-year-old veteran war correspondent - was ambushed by pro-government forces, and that the international community could never forgive the deliberate targeting of reporters. "I suspect the government side is afraid to see Western journalists, including us, report facts... What they fear most is a camera," Sato told a news conference in Tokyo after accompanying Yamamoto's body home from Syria. https://twitter.com/tweets4peace Muhammed Badea al-Qasim has been martyred today as he covered clashes between Syrian regime forces and the FSA in Deir Ezzor. Al-Qasim was an media activist and one of the media center founders in Deir Ezzor province. May he RIP. 4/9/2012.12:40 PM https://twitter.com/Psypherize Heading to Syria's Embassy. 11:37 AM We're about a 100 people here. Join us. Tahrir SyriaMarch 12:20 PM We have a couple of people from Algeria and Morocco here. 12:28 PM The march has started. 12:44 PM The Syrian women with us are leading the chants. 12:58 PM https://twitter.com/MahirZeynalov Turkey's main opposition leader says won't be Ankara's pawn in "training foreign fighters in Turkey and sending them to terrorize Syria."1:10 PM https://twitter.com/SyrianSmurf FSA in JisrAlshughoor stopped a regime attempt to enter Harem. They destroyed a BMP and 3 soldier carriers INP. Videos soon. Idlib1:19 PM https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=2052501&l=61b2250027&id=217848338242310 Local Coordination Committees in SyriaThe number of martyrs has risen to 111 thus far, including 7 martyrs killed by aerial bombardment, 3 women, and 4 children. The remainders of the martyrs were distributed as follows;55 in Damascus and its suburbs, including 17 who were slaughtered in Douma, 10 field executions in Mudamieh Sham, and 10 martyrs discovered in Daraya; 15 in Hama,10 in Daraa, 9 in Aleppo, 7 in Idlib, 6 in Deir Ezzor,6 in Homs and 3 in Latakia 12:43 PM Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
visionary Posted September 4, 2012 Share Posted September 4, 2012 http://www.foreignpolicy.com/articles/2012/09/04/assad_s_massacre_strategy?page=0,1 Assad's Massacre Strategy https://twitter.com/SyrianSmurf THIS! Stop Islamophobia! pic.twitter.com/4zaInsFL1:23 PM A MiG was shot down near the northern Hama suburbs. A MiG and a helicopter were shot in Abu Althuhoor near the airport. And all 3 by the Idlib FSA battalion Shuhadaa Jabal Alzawiyah (Martyrs of Jabal Alzawiyah) 4:07 PM Video of the downed MiG 23 in Idlib! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5mImdgv_9nQ&feature=youtube_gdata_player 3:11 PM Another video of the MiG that was downed in Idlib today. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7kquGass0l0&feature=player_embedded … The pilot was shot in the head while parachuting. 3:24 PM The city of Sarmada in Idlib has been without electricity for 5 days now. 3:26 PM https://twitter.com/THE_47th Just had a one hour conversation fwith my source, I have new info on the FSA & Assad's Army. To be outlined in the tweets that follow.3:57 PM The Syrian Ntl Army now commands major FSA factions across all Syrian Governorates, inc. bt nt limited 2: Attawheed (biggest in Aleppo). Syrian Natl Army now includes: - Ansar Al Sham (Damascus) - All of Deraa (All of Horan Vallery) - Most of Latakia (inc Costal Turkmen Brig). Over the next few days (expected on Thu), the Syrian Nat'l Army will announce it's new structure & what it encompasses (brigds + leadrship). 4:06 PM Negotiations w/ Al Farooq Brigade(s) have failed, they still want 2 follow cmmnd of Syrian Mil Council of Middle Syria (Mantika Al Wusta). Al Farooq Brigade of Homs hs become like a successful franchise, arming & training franchisee brigades in Rastan, Qusoor & elsehwre in Homs. Talks with FSA factions fighting in Edlib are ongoing (a little tough), given their track record, it is hard to convince them 2 change. Also, Edlib FSA factions usually have different financiers, so they can't be enticed to join Syr Natl Army via financial motives. FSA in Edlib has been operating autonimously since the begining and have had the best track record in kicking Assad Army ass since the revo. In the mean time, FSA and as I have said b4, confirm they have MANPADS, but u know how it is..better to say u don't have for more to come. Then we come to Assad Forces; to sum up what my source said eloquently: they are ****ed. Assad forces land supply lines are like walking on thin ice, almost every convoy is attacked. Tanks can't be movd, no air freight …etc. That's y u c more & more jets dropping barrels filled w/ screw drivers, metal shrapnel & TNT, Assad no longer cn trnsprt big bombs remotely. Troops from the 4th, 5th, 9th & 17th Division who are based (all together estimated at around 100k, mostly cannot leave their basis. They can only shell towns from their new basis, and majority of these troops haven't taken a break off their tour since deployment. In short, Assad Army morale is at an all-time low, latest losses (inc. jets & mil basis) hav increasd dfctions & r slowly getting desprt. 4:21 PM FYI: new commander of the Syrian National Army is from Horan (Deraa), and is one of the reasons why ALL Deraa factions joined. 4:24 PM http://www.reuters.com/video/2012/09/04/syrian-rebel-commander-claims-government?videoId=237469990&videoChannel=117760 Syrian rebel commander claims government troops ordered to target journalists (1:07)Sep. 4 - The commander of a Syrian opposition militia group claims president Bashar al-Assad's regime has deliberately killed foreign journalists. Sarah Sheffer reports. https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=2052809&l=79c6152b96&id=217848338242310 Local Coordination Committees in SyriaThe number of martyrs has risen to 150 thus far, including 7 martyrs killed by aerial bombardment, 3 women, and 4 children. The remainders of the martyrs were distributed as follows;77 in Damascus and its suburbs, including 18 who were slaughtered in Douma, 10 field executions in Mudamieh Sham, and 10 martyrs discovered in Daraya; 15 in Hama,15 in Aleppo, 12 in Daraa,10 in Idlib,9 in Homs 6 in Deir Ezzor, and 4 in Latakia 4:12 PM Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
visionary Posted September 5, 2012 Share Posted September 5, 2012 http://wireupdate.com/un-envoy-says-destruction-in-syria-is-reaching-catastrophic-proportions.html UN envoy says destruction in Syria is reaching ‘catastrophic proportions’ http://www.nytimes.com/2012/09/05/world/middleeast/iran-supplying-syrian-military-via-iraq-airspace.html Iran Supplying Syrian Military via Iraqi AirspaceIran has resumed shipping military equipment to Syria over Iraqi airspace in a new effort to bolster the embattled government of President Bashar al-Assad of Syria, according to senior American officials. The Obama administration pressed Iraq to shut down the air corridor that Iran had been using earlier this year, raising the issue with Prime Minister Nuri Kamal al-Maliki of Iraq. But as Syrian rebels gained ground and Mr. Assad’s government was rocked by a bombing that killed several high officials, Iran doubled down in supporting the Syrian leader. The flights started up again in July and, to the frustration of American officials, have continued ever since. Military experts say that the flights have enabled Iran to provide supplies to the Syrian government despite the efforts Syrian rebels have made to seize several border crossings where Iranian aid has been trucked in. “The Iranians have no problems in the air, and the Syrian regime still controls the airport,” said a retired Lebanese Army general, Hisham Jaber, who heads the Middle East Center for Studies and Research in Beirut. http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/70-percent-of-aleppo-under-control-rebels.aspx?pageID=238&nid=29403&NewsCatID=352#.UEaMmG1JOHI.twitter 70 percent of Aleppo under control: RebelsField leader of the rebel al-Tawhid Brigade in Syria, Abdulkader Saleh, has claimed that they have so far secured control of 70 percent of the city of Aleppo on the ground, and that they are fighting to seize control of the remaining 30 percent. “The battle for Aleppo will end this stalemate. We control the ground in Aleppo, but the regime has air forces and they have control in the air. They are bombing us with jets. We will solve this by destroying airports and air bases,” Saleh told journalists at a press conference in Istanbul. His comments came a day after a senior Syrian commander said the Syrian army will recapture Aleppo from rebel forces within 10 days. The general said that about 3,000 government troops were involved in the fight against about 7,000 “terrorists,” a term used by regime officials to describe the rebels. http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-fg-syria-azaz-rebels-20120905,0,7357399.story Syria rebel-captured town Azaz lies mostly in ruinsThis battered agricultural hub near the Turkish border is one place where the Free Syrian Army has triumphed, scattering the forces of Syrian President Bahar Assad. It has proved to be something of a Pyrrhic victory. Shot-up buildings, burned tanks and a pile of twisted rubble where a MiG fighter jet dropped a bomb last month attest to the heavy fighting required, the danger that remains, and how hard it will be to rebuild a normal life any time soon. Like Azaz, many rebel-held towns in northwestern Syria are depopulated and heavily damaged. Refugees filter through Azaz on their way to safety in Turkey. A heavily guarded military base, still under the control of Assad's forces, is only about 10 miles away. Artillery shells and the occasional airstrike shatter the calm. None of that is likely to change until the fighting is over. But with the conflict grinding on, those who remain here are focused on just getting by, aware that they are fortunate to at least have electricity and running water. Few in this conservative Sunni Muslim town, once home to about 50,000 people, mourn the collapse of government rule. Hatred for Assad and his leadership circle — made up largely of members of the Alawite sect, an offshoot of Shiite Islam — runs deep. Near the site where the MiG dropped the bomb in mid-August, a man with a neatly trimmed beard squatted, contemplating the debris. The man, who identified himself as Abu Shado, said he lost 17 family members in the airstrike, including two brothers, his father and his mother. https://twitter.com/DSyrer Looks like the al-Hamdan Military Airport in Abu Kemal was successfully "decommissioned" by FSA.6:50 PM https://twitter.com/cjchivers Good pt. Commentators <obsess> over big-ticket weapons, missing point that most violence in most wars is by "ordinary" arms8:25 PM no, not just. rifles, mortars, machine guns, RPGs, artillery, g-t-g rockets etc. these kill by volume, to less comment/outrage. 8:29 PM but hint at "cluster munition" or "chem" etc & people take notice, even as the other systems kill at MUCH higher rate. 8:32 PM https://twitter.com/omarsyria Father Paolo, a symbol of Syrian unity and interfaith tolerance, has joined Twitter. Follow up. @AbunaPaolo8:12 PM https://twitter.com/NMSyria Who remembers the video of the FSA guy that shoots an RPG at a tank in Douma, Damascus at point blank range, just few meters away? Here he is. His name is Abu Taleb. Damascus8:42 PM Aleppo: Bab Nairab: 3 women and 7 children killed in new massacre following air strikes that destroyed several buildings. 9:35 PM New massacre in Aleppo, at least 15 killed. 2 unidentified children and 2 women, presumably their mothers. Also 10 members of single family 9:49 PM Nevermind. Make that 52 martyrs. Number is going up faster than I can tweet it. Screw this world. 10:31 PM The majority of those killed are women and children after their homes collapsed over their heads. 10:31 PM https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=2053262&l=c029de75b3&id=217848338242310 Aleppo: Regime forces shelled and destroyed the Rashid Mosque in the Izaa district10:54 PM https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=2053278&l=243af4afa1&id=217848338242310 The Local Coordination Committees in SyriaWednesday started with 63 martyrs, including at least 20 children; 52 in Aleppo, 5 in Deir Ezzor, 5 in Damascus and its suburbs, and 1 in Homs. 11:06 PM http://www.lccsyria.org/10088 Local Coordination Committees in SyriaTuesday has ended with 155 martyrs in Syria, including 7 martyrs killed by aerial bombardment, 3 women, and 4 children. The remainders of the martyrs were distributed as follows;80 in Damascus and its suburbs, including 18 who were slaughtered in Douma, 10 field executions in Mudamieh Sham, and 10 martyrs discovered in Daraya; 17 in Hama,15 in Aleppo, 12 in Daraa,10 in Idlib,9 in Homs 6 in Deir Ezzor, and 4 in Latakia http://www.extremeskins.com/showthread.php?357480-Yahoo-Assad-predicts-disaster-if-West-meddles-in-Syria&p=9046975&viewfull=1#post9046975 27,578 people killed so far in Syria Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
visionary Posted September 5, 2012 Share Posted September 5, 2012 http://www.aljazeera.com/news/middleeast/2012/09/201295101651371417.html Egypt president calls for 'change' in SyriaMohammed Morsi, Egypt's president, has told an Arab League conference that "change" of government is needed in violence-wracked Syria and that time should not be wasted "speaking of reform". "This time has passed now. Now it is time for change," Morsi, who was making his first presidential address to the league, said on Wednesday in the capital Cairo. He said that a quartet of regional states - Saudi Arabia, Iran, Turkey and Egypt - would meet to discuss the Syrian crisis, which started 17 months ago as an insurrection but has turned into a civil war with opposition fighters battling to dislodge Bashar al-Assad from power. "The quartet which Egypt has called for will meet now," Morsi told a meeting of Arab foreign ministers, without giving more details of the gathering. http://blogs.aljazeera.com/liveblog/topic/syria-153 about 5 hours agoThree US senators voiced concerns to Iraq's prime minister that Iran has resumed using Baghdad's airspace to fly weapons and equipment to bolster Bashar al-Assad's regime in Syria, they said on Wednesday. US Senators John McCain, Joe Lieberman and Lindsey Graham told reporters in Baghdad that while Tehran had told Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki the planes were carrying humanitarian aid, the US believed they had military equipment on board. about 4 hours agoTurkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Wednesday that Syria had become a "terrorist state" carrying out massacres against its own people. "The regime in Syria has become a terrorist state," Erdogan told his ruling AKP meeting in Ankara. "Syria is not an ordinary country to us. We do not have the luxury to remain indifferent to what's happening there." about 2 hours agoThree children, a woman and as many as 27 rebel fighters were killed after regime forces shelled the villages of Esterbeh and Doreen in Latakia Province yesterday, using mortars and artillery, according to activists. Activist Ahmad said: “The regime forces tried to storm into the villages of Doreen and Esterbeh, and clashes erupted between the FSA and regime forces, before the shelling started on a rate of 8 bombs per minute, killing 3 children, a woman and 27 FSA fighters and injuring 45 FSA fighters, 16 of them are critical.” Dr Abu Rahal from a local field hospital told Avaaz: “We took in 15 injuries from the village of Doreen. Nine others were transferred to Turkey due to the lack of medical equipment necessary for anesthesia and a lack of medical staff. The field hospital was shalled, but luckily it wasn't a direct hit and only suffered minor damage." Abu Majdi, from nearby Salma, told Avaaz: “Very few civilians remain, most of them are elderly. The majority of residents fled the area since the incidents in Haffa and Kurds Mount, those men who remained joined the FSA.” He claimed that the military observation point of Burj al Qasab, which had been used by regime forces to shell Haffa, Salma and Kurds Mount, in the village of Kefrayya was liberated on Monday. about 2 hours agoHundreds of people in Venezuela have taken to the streets to protest the government's backing of the Syrian regime, which has been accused of atrocities in its bid to crush a 18-month protest movement. Hugo Chavez, the Venezuelan president, has continued to support his Syrian counterpart Bashar al-Assad, along with the leaders of Russia and Iran, despite international condemnation of alleged war crimes. Caracas has sent at least three shiploads of oil to aid the Syrian government, which has been hit with Western embargoes over its crackdown on dissent. There's 800,000 people of Syrian origin in Venezuela? Wow. https://twitter.com/rajshah Just announced $21 million in new support for Syria crisis to bring food to 120K ppl in all 14 districts in Syria and refugees elsewhere.6:26 AM Total US assistance for Syria is now over $100M--at Camp Za'atari now where we provide food, medical supplies & care for refugees. 6:33 AM For more info on additional $21 million for Syria and our work there & with refugees: http://usaid.gov/crisis/syria http://1.usa.gov/OaBGsj 6:53 AM https://twitter.com/DSyrer A Mosque in 'Iaza'a, Aleppo being shelled (Minaret is gone now) - … v @SirianoDeAleppo 8:23 AM Another helicopter bites the dust in Damascus ... 9:32 AM Looks like it's new. Happened during a checkpoint raid (Acc. to the brigade's official page) - http://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=519792524702419&id=194149697377303 9:45 AM https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=2053746&l=cd5104f80a&id=217848338242310 The Local Coordination Committees in Syria:The number of martyrs in Syria has risen to 103 so far, including more than 25 children. 54 martyrs were reported in Aleppo, 20 in Damascus and its Suburbs, 16 in Deir Ezzor, 9 in Homs, 3 in Idlib, and 1 in Raqqa; who was martyred in Aleppo 8:01 AM https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=2053784&l=e84f871676&id=217848338242310 Aleppo: Six people were martyrs and 15 were injured when a shell landed on a public transport car in Sukkary neighborhood8:43 AM Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
visionary Posted September 5, 2012 Share Posted September 5, 2012 http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/09/03/us-syria-crisis-bulldozers-idUSBRE8820BC20120903 Syria army destroys houses in "collective punishment"Syrian army bulldozers razed houses in western Damascus on Monday, pursuing what activists called the first campaign of collective punishment targeting people's property in areas of the capital hostile to President Bashar al-Assad. In northern Syria, 18 bodies were found in the rubble of a house bombed by a Syrian warplane in the rebel-held town of al-Bab and 13 more are missing, an opposition watchdog group said. Bulldozers backed by combat troops demolished buildings in the poor Tawahin district, near the Damascus-Beirut highway, activists and residents said. "They started three hours ago. The bulldozers are bringing down shops and houses. The inhabitants are in the streets," said a woman who lives in a high-rise building overlooking the area. http://edition.cnn.com/2012/09/05/world/meast/syria-under-fire/index.html?iid=article_sidebar Baby survives as family dies in Syrian onslaughtIt is impossible to get used to. The roar of a jet overhead, the hum of helicopter blades hovering around your block, the sudden thud of a blast. When you hear it, at least you know you are safe. Yet this has become daily life for residents of Aleppo. People living in rebel held territory, among whom the Free Syrian Army (FSA) mingle, and upon whom the Syrian regime's wrath is visited. The blasts continue throughout the day and also haunt the night. There is no perceivable pattern as to where they strike, for they don't appear to aim themselves at the few targets the FSA present. Their timing is also hard to follow: they hit most at dawn and dusk, yes, but the shells are sometimes few, sometimes sustained. And above all, they don't follow a pattern that suggests the artillery weapons are trying to hit-and-miss their way towards an objective. They simply fire, strike, and then move to a completely different place altogether. The only pattern to divine is that there is really no pattern, unless your aim is to terrify. But the bodies kept coming, 11 dead in total, nine of them children. They are rushed by the furious FSA to the hospital, the children placed under blankets and laid in the back of a pickup truck. Aged from four to 11. Omar, Mohamed, Fatma. One of their fathers is too distraught to name all the dead -- two related families, one of which had gone to visit the otherBut amid the incomprehensible brutality, the people in this corner of Aleppo find a gift. He is barely a year old and called Hussein. He was pulled from the rubble, a simple act of care having saved his life.. Hussein's mother, Najah, was breastfeeding him when the rockets struck. Najah was killed by the rubble, but her body sheltered Hussein. He is brought to the hospital, the men cursing Syrian President Bashar al Assad as a "dog" and hoping Hussein will live to see him hanged. They tear off his dusty clothes and clean his body, a symbol of their perseverance. Born into this bloody and continuing revolution, they pray he will grow up in a very different Syria. http://blogs.aljazeera.com/topic/syria/opposition-sources-rebels-attack-syrian-military-airport Opposition sources: Rebels attack Syrian military airportFree Syria Army (FSA) rebels have been laying siege to Hamadan airport in the city of Albu Kamal on the country's eastern frontier in Deir ez-Zor province for the past three days. Struggling to put down a 17-month-old uprising against his rule, President Bashar al-Assad has been increasingly relying on aircraft to attack the rebels, who are comparatively lightly armed with machineguns and rockets. The opposition said the airport, where dozens of soldiers are still holding out, has been used by helicopters to launch bombing runs against rebel strongholds. "The airport has effectively fallen after many soldiers defected," Nawaf al-Bashir, a senior tribal figure from Deir ez-Zor who is in contact with rebels, said from Istanbul.Abu Teif Ziad, another opposition campaigner from Deir ez-Zor, said that the airport was the last base where government forces were present in Albu Kamal after rebels overran several army compounds in the town, which is situated on the Euphrates river a few kilometres from a crossing point with Iraq. "If the Hamadan airport falls, Albu Kamal will come completely under rebel control," he said. Attacks by rebels have already rendered two military airports in the northern province of Idlib - Taftanaz and Abu Thuhur - inoperational, according to an opposition source and diplomats. https://twitter.com/SyrianSmurf VERY excited about this new Idlib project! 5:20 PM 4 Sep At the moment it is all about raising funds...we might need to get the medical supplies there as well later. I'll let u know. 5:37 PM - 4 Sep I have medical equipment donors ready if we need them...but Shafi said he just needs funds :/ 6:26 PM - 4 Sep https://twitter.com/SyrianSmurf In the past few hours, the FSA in Harem Idlib killed 35 Shabiha and captured 30, including the leader of the Shibeeha in the area.10:14 AM Jamal Maaroof, the commander of the battalion that shot down the 2 MiGs and helicopter yday, says they did so using 14.5 mm machine guns. 10:23 AM [Regime convoy that was headed to Salqin, Idlib] They haven't entered Salqin but are shelling them intensely. 3 martyrs there today. Major clashes are in Harem though. 11:09 AM https://twitter.com/2011feb17 BREAKING: NILESAT TAKES SYRIAN TV CHANNELS OFF AIR (via Al-Jazeera)11:17 AM They were supposed to do that months ago. https://twitter.com/BigAlBrand Syria TV, Syria news, and Dunia TV are no longer on Nile Sat. However Syria drama is still working and showed new frequencies. No pun.11:08 AM https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=2053897&l=c2c7515264&id=217848338242310 The Local Coordination Committees in Syria:The number of martyrs in Syria has risen to 173 so far, including 25 children. 80 martyrs were reported in Aleppo, 40 in Damascus and its Suburbs, 23 in Deir Ezzor, 10 in Homs, 10 in Idlib,6 in Hama,3 in Daraa and 1 in Raqqa; who was martyred in Aleppo 10:34 AM https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=2053920&l=b559cfc430&id=217848338242310 Deir Ezzor: Fierce clashes are reported between the Free Syrian Army and the regime's forces in the city, this was accompanied by sounds of huge explosions that could be heard around the city10:54 AM Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
visionary Posted September 6, 2012 Share Posted September 6, 2012 http://edition.cnn.com/2012/09/05/world/meast/turkey-erdogan-interview/index.html Turkish PM: U.S. elections hampering Syria actionTurkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said the United States is "lacking of initiative" on Syria and suggested that could be because of the upcoming U.S. election. During a wide-ranging interview in Istanbul with CNN's Christiane Amanpour, Erdogan discussed the 18-month crisis in Syria and touched on a number of other topics, including Iran's suspected nuclear program. "Right now, there are certain things being expected from the United States. The United States had not yet catered to those expectations," the prime minister said when asked whether he was surprised the United States is not offering anything but "nonlethal support" to the Syrian opposition. "Maybe it's because of the elections -- maybe it's because of the pre-election situation in the States. Might be the root cause of the lacking of initiative. Nobody has spoken to us about their reasons, and they are not obliged to state anything. We are very thankful and pleased they have stated that they're against this regime," he said through a translator. http://amanpour.blogs.cnn.com/2012/09/05/a-journalists-dying-moments-in-syria/ A journalist's dying moments in SyriaCNN's Paula Han****s reports on the death of a Japanese journalist, killed within hours of arriving in Syria. A CNN news crew in Syria rushes an injured 4-year-old girl to the hospital. She had been shot in the face. https://twitter.com/farGar Free Syria Army distributes bread for residents of Yalda and al Tadamon 1:25 PM https://twitter.com/Turk4Syria There is so much stuff going on it's impossible to tweet eveything that would normally be deemed worthy of doing so.12:10 PM Example: a boat with more than 50 Syrian refugees going to Greece got in trouble in sea & was saved just in time by Turkish coast guards. 12:11 PM 1- According to the Turkish media, visit of CIA chief Petreaus to Turkey was only for 1- Post-Assad planning 2- Chemical weapons 1:32 PM The US continues to ignore both the humanitarian situation in Syria & the concerns of Turkey arising from th situation in Syria. 1:32 PM According to the press, Turkey provided extensive intelligence to the CIA about number of FSA soldiers, weapons & supporting tribes. 1:33 PM https://twitter.com/omarsyria Helicopters have been shooting missiles at SE Damascus for over an hour. 11:35 AM Loudest sound is that of mortars shelling from Qassiyoun. Loud explosion every 10 minutes. Can be heard clearly throughout all Damascus. 5:03 PM Worth mentioning though helicopters haven't showed up yet. Strange. 5:22 PM https://twitter.com/DSyrer The full story is on Tawheed's page - http://www.facebook.com/lewaaltawheed/posts/112108928939977 - he's a known thug who killed protesters in Aleppo5:01 PM They claim to have given him a trial, and he was executed after he confessed to 2 counts of kidnapping, rape & murder 5:03 PM The names of his victims are mentioned in that post, and the video is filmed in the Sukkari district of Aleppo 5:07 PM He confessed to: Murdering the Zreiq family, Financing Shabiha, informing AF Intel. on activists Nur/Mhd. Kheirallah 5:23 PM https://twitter.com/RamiAlLolah FSA shoot down a helicopter in Assali neighborhood in Aleppo!6:22 PM This is what the FSA spokesman from Aleppo just confirmed to Aljazeera now! 6:38 PM https://twitter.com/SyrianSmurf The people of Syria are an endangered species. If you won't treat us like humans at least treat us like Pandas. Thank you.1:24 PM A friend just found out her cousin was martyred in Idlib as she was translating the news report. 8:03 PM https://twitter.com/NMSyria Fierce clashes between FSA and army on the Damascus - Daraa Highway near al-Qadam.12:02 PM Breaking: 5 tanks and an APC on the Southern Bypass Road heading towards Tadamon and Hajaf al-Aswad in Damascus. 11:40 PM https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=2054640&l=a385f9a9af&id=217848338242310 Local Coordination Committees in SyriaThe number of martyrs in Syria has risen to 272 thus far, among them more than 100 martyrs due to aerial shelling (more than 30 of them are children). 115 martyrs were reported in Aleppo, 67 in Damascus and its Suburbs, 40 in Deir Ezzor, 15 in Homs, 14 in Idlib, 8 in Daraa, 7 in Hama,5 in Lattakia and 1 from Raqqa who was martyred in Aleppo 5:29 PM http://www.extremeskins.com/showthread.php?357480-Yahoo-Assad-predicts-disaster-if-West-meddles-in-Syria&p=9046975&viewfull=1#post9046975 27,850 people killed so far in Syria Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
visionary Posted September 6, 2012 Share Posted September 6, 2012 http://www.abc.net.au/news/2012-09-05/syrian-rebels-seeking-to-launch-attacks-from-jordan/4245408 Syrian rebels seek to launch attacks from JordanAs Syrians stream across the border in increasing numbers, Jordan is being confronted with a series of vexing dilemmas. Rebel fighters Hamza and Ayman Jamous are among those who have fled to Jordan. The brothers were badly injured when their home in southern Syria sustained a direct hit from Syrian government forces. "I was hit, one leg is broken, my jaw was broken, the other leg was fractured," Hamza told ABC's Lateline. Now they want the rebels to be allowed to use Jordan the way they use Turkey - as a base to strike back at the Syrian army. "It would help the revolution a great deal. We've been asking for this for a year. If they opened a route for us to go back and forth we'd have enough power to win. Our strength would quadruple," Ayman said. It is that sort of request that has Jordan's King Abdullah II on the horns of a dilemma. He wants Syrian president Bashar al-Assad to go, but he has also spoken against foreign intervention. "We don't want to turn Jordan into an extension of the conflict in Syria," Jordan's minister of state for communication, Sameeh Ma'ayta, said. A dangerous idea, although we should keep in mind that the Syrian regime has already repeatedly shot at and killed refugees (women and children specifically) fleeing to Jordan across the border, as well as on Jordanian troops trying to help them get across. http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/david-ignatius-syrias-eerie-parallel-to-1980s-afghanistan/2012/09/05/90652434-f781-11e1-8398-0327ab83ab91_story.html Syria’s eerie parallel to 1980s AfghanistanThe United States should be cautious about embracing the Sunni-vs.-Shiite dynamic of the Syrian war. Rage against Shiites and their Iranian patrons has been a useful prop for the United States and Israel in mobilizing Sunni opposition against Assad, who as an Alawite is seen as part of the Shiite crescent. But this is a poisonous and potentially ruinous sectarian battle, the kind that nearly destroyed Iraq and Lebanon and is now plunging Syria into the inferno. The Saudis want to fight Shiites, yes, and further from home than in Bahrain, or in Qatif in the kingdom’s eastern province. The United States should not endorse the sectarian element of this conflict. ●The United States should work hard (if secretly) to help the more sensible elements of the Syrian opposition and to limit the influence of extremists. This policy was ignored in Afghanistan, where the United States allowed Pakistan (aided by Saudi money) to back the fighters it liked — who turned out to be among the most extreme and dangerous. America is still trying to undo the mess caused by that exercise in realpolitik. Don’t do it again. ●Finally, the United States should subtly play the tribal card, which may be as crucial in Syria as it was in Iraq. The leaders of many Syrian tribes have sworn a blood oath of vengeance against Assad, and their power is one reason the engine of this insurgency is rural, conservative and Sunni. But Iraq showed that the tribal leaders can be the best bulwark against the growth of al-Qaeda and other extremists. The rebels fighting Assad deserve limited U.S. support, just as the anti-Soviet mujahedeen did. But be careful: This way lies chaos and extremism that can take a generation to undo if the United States and its allies aren’t prudent. http://edition.cnn.com/video/?hpt=hp_c1#/video/world/2012/09/06/walsh-syria-old-city.cnn September 6, 2012 CNN's Nick Paton Walsh on Syrian rebels struggling to gain 100 feet of ground in Aleppo. Camera: Ricardo Garcia Vilanova Pictures of Syrian regime soldiers in action and posing. http://www.imageforum-diffusion.afp.com/ImfDiffusion/Search/Results.aspx?numPage=1&srchMd=1&ID_Fulcrum=389784661_0&mui=1 https://twitter.com/SyrianSmurf Suqoor Alsham in JabalAlzawiyah Idlib use bulldozers and heavy machinery to fix the roads ruined by shelling. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bajzQYzDJJ8&feature=player_embedded2:05 AM 5 shells fell near the police station in Turkey near a Syrian village. The Turkish soldiers ran after the power went out in the station. 2:12 AM 25 soldiers killed after explosion military depot Afyon. Governor insists it was accident2:23 AM İn both US and Dutch elections Syria being ignored by campaigns. 1600 people died this week, but somehow not relevant 2:26 AM Why Syria is relevant: many Syrians fleeiing to Europe, Syria was transit for trade to Middle East, also for Europe. 2:27 AM https://twitter.com/NMSyria Only In Syria: FSA sniper has one hand holding rifle, one finger on trigger, and a cigarette in the other. Cup of tea on sand bag.2:45 AM Fierce shelling on towns of Hjeira and Bowaida, both Damascus suburbs. 4:18 AM Intense shelling amid fierce clashes between FSA and regime forces taking place in Tadamon, Damascus. 4:18 AM https://twitter.com/clarissaward Putin on FSA- "U might as well unlock Guantanamo...and bring them to Syria to do the fighting. They're practically the same kind of people,"4:31 AM https://twitter.com/hhassan140 In nxt 4 tweets, I sum up my conversation with a western diplomat who works closely on Syria. Only details that don't reveal his job.5:15 AM He said: Don't be fooled by rising rhetoric by western leaders, esp French. They do that coz of public pressure, 2 be seen as "leading". Safe havens, NFZ et al are out of the question - at least for the next three months - because they mean war. Plain & simple. Military intervention, by the consensus of "all military experts" is non-viable and won't happen for the foreseeable future. When I told him the Syria regime can last for at least another year, he said his assessment is a few months. He said West public opinion won't accept intervention, unless chemical weapons used & thousands of ppl killed. Public then be "shocked". 5:20 AM https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=2055501&l=37511921e5&id=217848338242310 Daraa:Tal Shihab:Security forces invade the city after the heavy ongoing shelling3:39 AM Miitary Reinforcements heading to Daraa, Tal Shihab Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
visionary Posted September 6, 2012 Share Posted September 6, 2012 http://www.thenational.ae/news/world/middle-east/morsi-history-is-not-on-assads-side Morsi: History is not on Assad's side"I tell the Syrian regime that there is still a chance to halt the bloodshed," Mr Morsi said in his speech at the Arab League's Cairo headquarters yesterday. "Don't listen to the voices that tempt you to stay because you will not be there for much longer. "It's too late to talk about reform, this is the time for change. The Syrian regime must learn from recent history," he said. http://www.dailystar.com.lb/News/Politics/2012/Sep-06/186915-mikati-lebanon-cannot-tolerate-further-syrian-border-aggression.ashx#axzz25hhcbNk9 Mikati: Lebanon cannot tolerate further Syrian border aggressionBEIRUT: Prime Minister Najib Mikati Wednesday described accusations by Damascus that Lebanon was transfering arms to Syrian rebels as “unfortunate,” while March 14 urged President Michel Sleiman to act swiftly to protect his country from Syria’s attempts to destabilize it. Responding to claims by Syrian Information Minister Omran al-Zoabi that Qatar and Saudi Arabia are funneling arms to Syrian rebels via Lebanon, Mikati said that Lebanese authorities are doing what they can to stop arms shipments. “It is regrettable that anyone can use Lebanon as a tool to threaten [others] ... This is an unfair statement,” he said, pointing to the May interception of a ship carrying weapons to Syria and the fact that some other consignments were seized at the Beirut airport. In an interview with Reuters, Mikati said Lebanon is still committed to its policy of disassociation from the Syrian crisis, but warned that the country cannot tolerate further aggression at the border. The interview came just two days after Mikati requested that Lebanon’s ambassador to Syria articulate the government’s frustration with the Syrian army’s continued shelling of Lebanese border towns. “We have kept out of interfering in Syria, but we cannot turn a blind eye to any act being committed against Lebanon – or to the crisis being imported,” Mikati said. http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/09/06/us-turkey-boat-idUSBRE8850GQ20120906 Migrant boat sinks off Turkey, children among 60 deadAt least 60 migrants, most of them Palestinian and more than half of them children, died after their overcrowded boat sank just tens of meters off Turkey's western Aegean coast on Thursday, a district official said. Tahsin Kurtbeyoglu, governor of the coastal district of Menderes in Turkey's western Izmir province, said an initial investigation showed the small vessel sank due to overcrowding around dawn. Its destination was unclear but the small Turkish town of Ahmetbeyli from where it left is only a few kilometers from the Greek island of Samos. Greece is a common entry point for migrants trying to get into the European Union. "The latest death toll we have is 60 people, including 11 men, 18 women and 31 children, including three babies," Kurtbeyoglu told Reuters by telephone. https://twitter.com/AJELive Turkey: Scores of people are dead, while dozens of survivors, mostly from Iraq & Syria, were able to swim to shore http://aje.me/NUm4Ui11:59 AM http://www.thenational.ae/news/world/middle-east/the-demands-of-war-turn-damascus-into-checkpoint-city The demands of war turn Damascus into checkpoint cityAs Damascus turns into a city at war, it is also turning into a city of checkpoints. In these violent times they have become an inescapable fact of life for residents of the Syrian capital, every bit as much as unemployment, long searches for overpriced cooking gas and waking up to the thump of artillery shells or stutter of machine gunfire. A source of fear to many, a source of comfort to others, there seems to be widespread agreement in this deeply divided country on at least one point - that checkpoints are an inconvenience for all. While ostensibly uniform in their purpose - to monitor people and vehicles passing along a particular street - checkpoints are wildly different in character. At some, bored government troops dressed in odd ****tails of army fatigues and civilian clothes - memorably, one solider in combat uniform and a black fedora worn at a jaunty tilt, with large, round film star-esque sunglasses shading his eyes - hardly bother to inspect anything. Some checkpoints do have fearsome reputations. Qaboun, a neighbourhood of eastern Damascus that had been heavily involved in the initial protests and, subsequently, the armed rebellion, and that is also home to military police, special forces and Republican Guard bases, is notorious for having among the worst in the capital.The outer cordon of soldiers around the district is feared by many residents. But it is the inner system of checkpoints, policed by plainclothes security forces and a locally recruited militia - many of them members of the ruling Alawite sect, according to people living in the area - that creates real dread. Those manning them are notorious for pulling young men out of minibuses and either beating them senseless by the side of the road or dragging them away into detention, never to be seen alive again. "The army are OK but the shabbiheh [pro-regime militia] have started looking at IDs and if they see you are from one of the original Qabouni families, they take you and you are never seen again," said one Qaboun resident in his late 20s. He recounted almost being dragged off by the militia, until one of its members recognised him and remembered he was a regime supporter whose father serves in the military. https://twitter.com/JMiller_EA Syria Live: Free Syrian Army commander in Turkey rejects reorganizing the FSA http://bit.ly/RPc0g6 10:06 AM I'm not sure how much say he has in it though. Unless of course he is speaking on behalf of others. https://twitter.com/MaryFitzgerldIT Syrian media/pro-Assad sites incorrectly claiming Libyan-Irish fighter Hosam Najair killed/injured in Aleppo. He was in Dublin this morning10:34 AM https://twitter.com/farGar yrs ago, my mom's friend was arrested & tortured for 20 days bc he parked illegally for 5min & argued w secret police RealSyria under assad10:39 AM it's so ****ed up. 2 of my grandmas cousins were executed for accused of being MB. they werent even conservative people. 11:05 AM https://twitter.com/SyrianSmurf 23 bodies were found in Zamalka in Damascus suburbs. Most were women and children and old men that had their throats slit.7:22 AM The tweet I sent out this morning has been confirmed. The FSA in Idlib has shot down another helicopter south of the AbuAlthuhoor airport. 12:13 PM The CCs are saying its a helicopter...there are no videos though...at least not yet. 12:22 PM The FSA in Abu Althuhoor in Idlib shells the regime army using tanks! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-TUnyIlFJJU&feature=youtu.be … 12:14 PM Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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