twa Posted September 29, 2012 Share Posted September 29, 2012 Panetta: We’ve Lost Track of Some Syrian Chemical Weapons http://e-ring.foreignpolicy.com/posts/2012/09/28/panetta_we_ve_lost_track_of_syrian_chemical_weapons no worries, it is probably just in the rebels control Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
visionary Posted September 29, 2012 Share Posted September 29, 2012 http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/09/29/us-syria-crisis-idUSBRE88J0X720120929 Ancient souk burns as fighting rages in Syria's AleppoHundreds of shops were burning in the ancient covered market in Aleppo on Saturday as fighting between rebels and state forces in Syria's largest city threatened to destroy a UNESCO world heritage site. The uprising-turned-civil war that is now raging across Syria has killed more than 30,000 people, according to activist groups like the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. But beyond the dramatic human cost, many of Syria's historic treasures have also fallen victim to an 18-month-old conflict that has reduced parts of some cities to ruins. Rebels fighting to topple President Bashar al-Assad announced a new offensive in Aleppo, Syria's commercial hub of 2.5 million people, on Thursday, but neither side has appeared to make significant gains. In Aleppo, activists speaking via Skype said army snipers were making it difficult to approach the Souk al-Madina, the medieval market of vaulted stone alleyways and carved wooden facades in the Old City, once a major tourist attraction. Videos uploaded to YouTube showed dark black clouds hanging over the city skyline. Activists said the fire might have been started by shelling and gunfire on Friday and estimated that between 700 and 1,000 shops had been destroyed so far. The accounts were difficult to verify because of government restricts on foreign media. Activists also reported heavy clashes at Bab Antakya, a stone gateway to Aleppo's Old City, which sits on ancient trade routes and survived a parade of rulers throughout its construction between the 12th and 17th century.Rebels said they had taken the gate, but some activists said the fighting continued and neither side was truly in control. An advisor to Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said he was confident Syria's government would beat the rebels."The victory of the government of Syria against internal opponents, America, and their other Western and Arab supporters, is counted as a victory of the Islamic Republic of Iran," said Ali Akbar Velayati, according to state news agency IRNA. "The victory of the Syrian government is certain. http://blogs.aljazeera.com/liveblog/topic/syria-153 about 6 hours agoMohamed Farouq Tayfour, a Syrian National Counsel deputy, has told Al Jazeera that a new counsel, comprised in part by the leadership of 80 per cent of the Syrian opposition, is a "first of its kind step in the history of the Syrian revolution in which all participants in revolution connects at political, revolutionary, and military levels”. Tayfour says the new counsel was the result of a "tireless effort". The joint leadership for the military revolutionary counsels was first announced in the suburbs of northwestern Idlib on Friday. https://twitter.com/7__r Assad's forces left my house while ago. They checked IDs, searched the rooms and stole some money, not much though.5:35 AM Sep 28 They are still outside however. There are hundreds all over Barzeh, on every corner there are few soldiers. Damascus 5:41 AM Sep 28 Just got this about the explosion I heard minutes ago: Assad's forces blew up a water well nearby. 5:47 AM Sep 28 Shelling on Barzeh intensifies, my building is shaking. 10:01 AM Sep 28 Two tanks just arrived to Barzeh with donzes of soldiers. Gunfire by heavy machine-guns can be heard in the neighborhood. 1:40 AM https://twitter.com/THE_47th Russia is realizing: Assad can't liberate border crossings anymore, has had most of N. Syria out of reach for months now...Supply routes cut4:38 AM In areas where they cnt resupply w/ weapons, he is filling barrels with nuts, bolts, shrapnel & TNT thn dropping from planes. Desperation 4:45 AM https://twitter.com/SyrianSmurf Regime forces in JisrAlshughoor Idlib arrest 10s of young men who are wanted for military duty.6:03 AM https://twitter.com/NMSyria Large fire in Idlib reaching all the way to Turkish border.2:20 AM Columns of smoke over western Harasta after regime forces set fire to structures in the area. Residents fleeing neighborhood. Damascus 6:02 AM https://twitter.com/javierespinosa2 Turkey sends diplomatic note to Syria over mortar bomb that hit turkish territory http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/turkey-sends-diplomatic-note-to-syria-over-mortar-bomb.aspx?pageID=238&nID=31282&NewsCatID=338 … 6:04 AM https://twitter.com/Turk4Syria Good news: Saudi Relief Communities & Campaigns will build a container camp for about 10 000 Syrian refugees in Kilis, Turkey. 6:07 AM Saudi Relief Communities & Campaigns, which gets most of its donations from the Saudi people, will also build a prefab hospital for Syrians. 6:19 AM The number of registered Syrian refugees in Turkey is now at 91 219. 6:20 AM https://twitter.com/MidaniSpeaks Really got nothin for you guys today. People dying. Half my neighborhood destroyed. Half my country destroyed. What can you say?9:55 AM https://twitter.com/DavidKenner Al Arabiya docs alleges pilots in Turkish jet that was shot down were executed by Syrian military. http://english.alarabiya.net/articles/2012/09/29/240805.html12:56 PM Having a hard time believing the Turkish army (or especially Erdogan) would cover up the execution of the pilots. 12:59 PM https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=2116567&l=33c169485b&id=217848338242310 Local Coordination Committees in SyriaThe number of martyrs in Syria has risen to 94 thus far, among them 7 women and 5 children. 49 were reported in Damascus and its Suburbs, among them 8 field-executed in Qudsaya, 15 field-executed in Tal Al-Mastaba, 7 slaughtered in Barzeh and 5 field-executed in Maaraba; 17 in Aleppo; 11 in Deir Ezzor; 4 in Hama; 3 in Homs; 2 in Daraa; and 1 in Idlib Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
visionary Posted September 30, 2012 Share Posted September 30, 2012 http://www.egyptindependent.com/news/aleppo-dispatch-among-syria-s-internally-displaced Aleppo dispatch: Among Syria's internally displacedThe distant thud of an artillery strike breaks the illusion of tranquility in a small village several kilometers to the north of Aleppo, Syria. There is little else to hear except children in the distance and a light breeze blowing through the dry and dusty roads. The children are amusing themselves outside a small hut in the village, which used to be a school. Its two small rooms are now home to 30 people from four families who have fled the violent battle that has engulfed Aleppo. “The situation here is absolutely desperate; there is no electricity, or bread or drinking water,” says Abu Tariq, a father of one of the families in the hut. Abu Tariq, his wife and their three young children are among the 1.2 million internally displaced people within Syria, according to a recent estimate by the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. The eruption of fighting between the opposition Free Syrian Army (FSA) and the forces of Bashar al-Assad's regime in late July caused hundreds of thousands of people to flee the city, compounding the dislocation of Syria’s people. “I made the decision to move as soon as they started bombing with the airplanes. At the beginning of Ramadan the FSA entered Aleppo and there were clashes for a few days before the government started bombing from the sky,” says Abu Tariq. While the FSA has managed to take control of over half of the territory within the city, the government has unleashed a ferocious campaign of aerial bombardment from fighter jets, attack helicopters and artillery. The destruction it has meted out on the city has been extensive and arbitrary. Homes, schools, factories and hospitals have all fallen victim. The countryside only offers partial protection. Two hundred meters from the families’ hut there is a small store, which was hit by an artillery strike only weeks before. By an ironic stroke of good luck, the store was closed owing to the bad economy and hence nobody was inside when the shell smashed through the roof. http://blogs.aljazeera.com/liveblog/topic/syria-153 about 6 hours agoOpposition fighters from the Tawhid brigade and other northern brigades announce that they have partially taken over the Jandoul roundabout in Aleppo. Fighters also say 15 government soldiers were killed and three tanks were destroyed. They say the takeover is a bid to restore security to the area after the forces of Bashar al-Assad, the Syrian president, were targeting civilians passing through. The fighters also vow to continue their push in the coming days until they kick the Assad forces out of the entire city of Aleppo. about 5 hours agoThe Iraqi government has said that Syria-bound flights departing from Iran and passing through their airspace will be asked to land for weapons inspections. Sunday's call for random inspections comes after Washington said outbound flights from the Islamic Republic could be ferrying weapons to the forces of Bashar al-Assad, the Syrian president. In an interview with the London-based al-Hayat newspaper, Hoshiyar Zebari, the Iraqi foreign minister, had said US cocnerns first came about on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in New York: We have informed Mrs Clinton and US officials that the government plans to bring planes down and conduct random inspections about 3 hours agoAt least eight members of forces loyal to Bashar al-Assad, the Syrian president, have been killed in a car bomb in north-eastern Syria. Sunday's attack in al-Hasakah province has also wounded 15 of Assad's forces. The blast occurred in al-Qameshli's al-Gharibi district, home to several branches of security forces. A preliminary investigation indicates that the explosion mainly targeted the Political Security branch. https://twitter.com/SyrianSmurf my boysss destroy a checkpoint! SuqoorAlsham Idlib JabalAlzawiyah … 4:07 PM no this is a different one. This is a 7ajiz at the electric company, the other one was in Jabal Alarb3een. 4:14 PM https://twitter.com/KareemLailah Armed operations in the old souk of Aleppo must stop. Assad doesn't care about our ruins but we should care.5:43 PM the need for peace keeper forces is becoming now urgent! Nothing else would stop Assad's canons. 6:14 PM FYI: The 13 km long old souk being shelled in Aleppo now, is the oldest souk in history. 6:29 PM https://twitter.com/Psypherize Syria - 5:35 pm, 100 martyrs including an entire family that was field executed in Deir Ezzor.10:37 AM https://twitter.com/WilliamsJon Free Syrian Army claims has captured three border posts with Jordan. Already control Turkey & Iraq crossings. If true, significant10:56 AM Yesterday: http://www.lccsyria.org/10278 Local Coordination Committees in Syria:The Local Coordination Committees in Syria documented 126 martyrs including 7 women and 5 children. 64 martyrs were reported in Damascus and its suburbs (8 were field-executed in Qudsaya, 15 were field-executed in Tal Al-Masbagha, 7 were stabbed to death in Barzeh and 5 were filed-executed in Ma’rba); 27 in Aleppo; 18 in Deir Ezzor; 6 in Idlib; 4 in Hama; 4 in Homs; 2 in Daraa; and 1 in Haskaa but was martyred in Damascus Suburbs http://www.extremeskins.com/showthread.php?357480-Yahoo-Assad-predicts-disaster-if-West-meddles-in-Syria&p=9046975&viewfull=1#post9046975 31,696 people killed so far in Syria Today: https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=2118768&l=f04e235374&id=217848338242310 Local Coordination Committees in SyriaThe number of martyrs in Syria has risen to 115 martyrs, including women and children. 57 were reported in Damascus and its suburbs, including 30 field-executed in Assali and 8 field-executed in Barzeh; 34 martyrs in Deir Ezzor, including 9 due to aerial shelling and 8 from the same family were field-executed; 10 in Aleppo; 4 in Idlib; 3 in Homs; 2 in Hama; 2 in Daraa, one of whom was martyred in Damascus Suburbs; and one martyr in Hasakeh 10:58 AM Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
visionary Posted October 1, 2012 Share Posted October 1, 2012 http://www.lccsyria.org/10282 Local Coordination Committees in SyriaThe LCC has managed to document 154 martyrs on Sunday, including women and children. 76 were reported in Damascus and its suburbs, including 30 field-executed in Assali, 8 field-executed in Barzeh and 10 in the shelling of Harasta; 41 martyrs in Deir Ezzor, including 9 due to aerial shelling and 8 from the same family were field-executed; 21 in Aleppo; 4 in Idlib; 3 in Homs; 2 in Hama; 3 in Daraa, one of whom was martyred in Damascus Suburbs; 3 in Raqqa; and 1 in Hasakeh http://www.extremeskins.com/showthread.php?357480-Yahoo-Assad-predicts-disaster-if-West-meddles-in-Syria&p=9046975&viewfull=1#post9046975 31,850 people killed so far in Syria http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/middle-east/syrian-rebels-backers-block-arms-cache-until-bickering-factions-unite-8191522.html Syrian rebels' backers block arms cache until bickering factions uniteStockpiles of arms, including anti-aircraft and anti-tank missiles, are being held in Turkey for use by rebels in Syria's civil war, but their distribution is being held up because of disunity and feuding between the different groups of fighters, The Independent has learned. In high-level discussions, Qatari and Turkish suppliers told opposition representatives that heavy weapons would not be made available until the various factions agreed to form a coherent command structure. After 18 months of fighting and an estimated 30,000 people dead, rebel fighters are convinced that the time for a negotiated end to the conflict is over. But they have been forced back from many areas by tanks, artillery and air strikes. The regime, meanwhile, has not faced any significant shortage of supplies, with US officials claiming that daily flights bearing arms are coming in from President Bashar al-Assad's ally, Iran. One attempt to set up an arms supply chain took place in the Turkish capital, Ankara, in early August. Opposition representatives were seeking weapons for Aleppo where the regime forces were beginning to push forward and recapture areas held by the rebels. According to those present, the Turks were acting as facilitators while the Qataris controlled the flow of material. Both the Qataris and Turks are said to have stressed to the opposition emissaries that the revolutionaries in the main cities, starting with Aleppo, needed to form structured military councils and come up with co-ordinated operational plans. "Instead of getting operational plans and what would be required to implement them, we were getting shopping lists from individual khatibas (battalions)," said a Turkish organiser of supplies of arms and communications equipment. "If you give to one khatiba, others get annoyed and ask why they are being left out." https://twitter.com/ProfKahf DrAbdulAziz Khayyir's arrest days ago ws scoffed atby some hardcore revvies, becz the Alawite activst is NCB, regarded as soft opp. However, Khayyer's arrest may be more signif than meets the eye.Seems to have domino'd a series of events in Qardaha, prez hometown. Reportedly,there are now anti-asaad protests in Qardaha, hometown& supposed stronghold of asaad fam. Maybe domino effect of Khayir arrest. 12:23 AM Allegedly, a member of Khayir fam has killed key shabiha founder Mohamed Asad, a major regime financier w Rami Makhlouf &Mohamad Hamsho 12:32 AM Reportedly, regime has closed roads to Qardaha as violent clashes have broken out among asaad, Othman, Abboud, & Khayir families there. 12:35 AM To clarify, alleged clashes in Qardaha are between Othmans, Abbouds, Khayyirs on one side, vs bashar asaad family members on the other. 12:53 AM https://twitter.com/SyrianSmurf The number of martyrs in the Salqeen massacre has increased to 30. Idlib [LCC] 3:01 AM 11 of the 30 bodies in Salqeen have arrived to the mosque in the city completely burned. 3:07 AM The massacre occurred when TNT Barrels were dropped on Saleen Idlib 3:14 AM 4 Turkish ambulance vehicle arrive into Salqeen Idlib which is near the border through Bab Alhawa to pick up the injured. 4:11 AM Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
visionary Posted October 1, 2012 Share Posted October 1, 2012 http://blogs.aljazeera.com/liveblog/topic/syria-153 Syrian forces shell rebels in east DamascusSyrian government forces have shelled the eastern suburbs of Damascus and clashed with armed rebels there, activists and residents say. Residents reported hearing heavy gunfire from about 6:00am local time (03:00 GMT) on Monday. They said the capital was shaken by several loud blasts, possibly artillery fire, two hours later. "Every one of them feels like an earthquake," a resident in the central district of Adawi told the Reuters news agency, in a telephone call punctuated by two loud explosions. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a UK-based anti-government rights group, said that government forces were targeting rural areas around the Zamalka and Ain Terma suburbs on the eastern fringes of Damascus, a rebel stronghold in recent months. It said Monday's army offensive came after President Bashar al-Assad's forces suffered heavy losses in the area on Sunday, when several military checkpoints came under attack. http://blogs.aljazeera.com/liveblog/topic/syria-153 about 4 hours agoThe number of Syrians fleeing the conflict in their homeland and seeking refuge in Turkey has climbed close to the 100,000 threshold, Turkish authorities said. Turkey is currently home to 93,576 refugees housed in several camps in the southeast along the Syrian border, the AFAD disaster agency said in a statement. But 30,000 more Syrians are estimated to be unregistered and staying in hotels or apartments in the country. Turkey, a fierce opponent of the Damascus regime, has said it can handle no more than 100,000 refugees and has called for safe zones to protect people on Syrian soil. - Agence France Presse 32 minutes agoAl Jazeera's Andrew Simmons, reporting from Antakya, Turkey (near the Syrian border) said that the battle for control of a strategic area west of Aleppo has grown in ferocity. "It is a colossal fight - it's an unusual one because it's not urban, like Aleppo. It's over open ground, open terrain, and, of course, despite the numbers, we're told that there are something like 1,500 rebel fighters on the ground, at any given time, matching up to around that same number in the Assad forces," said Simmons. "The numbers might be the same, but of course, the military resources are totally different, because the Assad forces have heavy artillery, they have air cover, they have helicopters dropping bombs, so this is a really big fight. Big losses are being taken, we understand, from both sides." Rebel fighters are attempting to take control of a base belonging to a government troop of fighters called Force 46. http://www.enduringamerica.com/home/2012/10/1/syria-and-beyond-live-coverage-and-so-another-week-of-killin.html#1546 One such report caught our eye today. According to a Lebanese news agency, a former Assad army officer reports that he defected after he was ordered by his superiors to rape girls.A former Syrian Army special forces sergeant named Mohamed, 23, told the Beirut-based news site Ya Libnan that he defected after being ordered “to rape teenage girls in Homs at the end of last year.” “Some of my friends who refused to rape were shot,” Mohamed said. “I managed to disobey, and fortunately, the officers got distracted,” he adds. “The officers were mostly Alawite, and they would target the houses of [opposition] activists in Homs and gather the younger girls and rape them,” Mohamed said. “After they’d finished they’d tell the soldiers outside to come in and rape the girls, too. The girls would generally be shot when everyone had finished. They wanted it to be known in the neighborhoods that the girls had been raped, but they didn’t want the girls to survive and be able to identify them later.” https://twitter.com/Reuters U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon criticizes Syrian government for killings, rights abuses, aerial and artillery attacks11:55 AM Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
visionary Posted October 1, 2012 Share Posted October 1, 2012 http://blogs.aljazeera.com/liveblog/topic/syria-153 about 2 hours agoThe AFP reports: In Homs province of central Syria, at least 18 soldiers were killed and more than 30 wounded "by improvised explosive devices in an ambush of their convoy on the highway linking Damascus to Palmyra," said the Britain-based group. about an hour agoThe AFP reports: Syrian rebels claimed on Monday to have seized an undisclosed number of missiles from the army's arsenal in the east of Damascus province. "With the help and grace of God we overcame an air defence unit specialising in missiles," said a rebel commander, in a video posted on YouTube and publicised by the UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. The Eastern Ghuta area is home to some of the best-organised rebel Free Syrian Army groups. A number of high-profile operations in Syria's 18-month conflict have been claimed by battalions based in the area. about an hour agoThere's a major battle taking place west of Aleppo near the city of al Atarib. An alliance of rebel brigades started an offensive on a government battalion known as Force 46 more than a week ago. Our correspondent Andrew Simmons gained exclusive access to the fighters and a field hospital near al Atarib. GOOD. Too bad she isn't in prison somewhere. https://twitter.com/columlynch Daughter of UN Syria ambassador defers start of Columbia University studies a year, due to "harassment." http://columbiacommunique.org/sheherazad-jaafari-ill-wait-for-next-year-to-study-at-sipa/3:48 PM Weird joke by Syrian ambo's daughtr in interview w/ Columbia University journo "say something bad and I'll kill you." 3:54 PM https://twitter.com/NMSyria BREAKING: The Syrian National Council has refused the proposal from the Assad regime to begin talks and negotiations.4:10 PM Not sure how much influence they have these days anyway. Not that it matters, since it's a joke proposal in the first place. http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/video-shows-austin-tice-journalist-who-disappeared-in-syria/2012/10/01/63944c5c-0bd9-11e2-a310-2363842b7057_story.html?wprss=rss_social-world-headlines Video emerges of Austin Tice, U.S. journalist who disappeared in SyriaVideo footage has emerged showing U.S. freelance journalist Austin Tice being held by a group of masked men toting assault rifles in the first direct evidence of his condition since his disappearance in mid-August. The video opens with shaky footage of a convoy of three vehicles moving through scrubby mountain terrain, before cutting to a small knot of armed men, faces obscured, leading Tice up a mountain path while calling “Allahu al-Akbar,” or “God is great.” A blindfolded Tice is then pushed to his knees and filmed speaking a partially indecipherable prayer in Arabic. Tice, visibly distressed, cries out “Oh Jesus, oh Jesus” in English, before reverting to Arabic, seconds before the footage is cut. The emergence of the video comes amid other reports suggesting Tice has been in the custody of the Syrian government. Experts on Monday cautioned against taking the apparent content of the video clip at face value because, they said, there are clear discrepancies between the footage of Tice and other videos released by Islamist extremist groups operating in Syria. Those discrepancies included the clothing of Tice’s apparent captors, the production quality of the film, the means of distribution and other signs that cast doubt on whether Tice was actually being held by one of the extremist groups that has become active in battling Syria’s government. Assad’s government has been eager to portray the country’s conflict, which has claimed more than 30,000 lives to date, as a struggle against Islamic extremist groups within Syria. In the video, the captors are wearing Afghan-style salwar khameez — tunic and pants — that appear to be freshly pressed and clean. The video would mark the first time Syrian rebels have been seen wearing such clothes, said Joseph Holliday, who researches Syrian rebel groups at the Washington-based Institute for the Study of War. Islamist extremists typically address the camera head-on with statements, but in this instance the film has been carefully edited to avoid displaying any faces, he said. And the only comments made are the phrases “Allahu al-Akbar” and “takhbir,” which means praise. “It’s like a caricature of a jihadi group,” he said. “It looks like someone went to the Internet, watched pictures of Afghan Activists and analysts alike across twitter have ridiculed the video. http://cjchivers.com/post/32684387807/austin-tice-journalist-missing-in-syria-shown Austin Tice, Journalist Missing in Syria, Shown Alive in Video.The McClatchy report is here. The video answers one question, but raises many more. No matter the answers to those questions, two senior executives at news organizations that published Austin’s work put the issues straight. “Austin Tice is a journalist, risking his life to tell the story of what’s happening in Syria to the rest of the world,” McClatchy Vice President for News Anders Gyllenhaal said in a statement. “We ask in the strongest possible terms for his immediate release.”“We call on those who are holding Austin to release him promptly, unharmed,” Marcus Brauchili, executive editor of The Washington Post, said in a statement. “Austin is a journalist who was doing his job. He should be allowed to return to his family.” https://twitter.com/Brown_Moses Okay Twitter hive mind, time to figure out as much as possible from this video of @Austin_Tice 3:12 PM I can't ever remember seeing a group of rebels dressed like the ones in the Austin Tice video in the region he was in 3:23 PM Anyone know if Youtube can be contacted for more information on the Austin Tice video, like the IP it was uploaded from? 3:31 PM I've watched hundreds of videos from Syria, and that Austin Tice video just seems off to me, like it's from a different conflict. 3:58 PM I've never seen so many people agree one video is so obviously staged. 4:33 PM https://twitter.com/THE_47th STAAAAAGED!!! Even the Arab actors pretending to be Islamists don't sound like it. STAAAAAGED!3:19 PM Idiots could have just grabbed a few captured FSA soldiers and forced them to act the role.. But this? 3:29 PM Poor Austin Tice. Poor man.. So sorry 3:30 PM These are the worst acting, non Islamic sounding, impostors I have ever seen since Waleed Muallem's first press conf. 3:40 PM Heartbreaking and sickening to see Austin Tice being used by the Syrian Gov to prove a point.. Like they used the lives of +30k Syrians. This gov has no regard 4 life.. They will kill him to prove a point.. Just like how they killed thousands of other Syrians. This video is bad news... I hope I am wrong. But it is bad news.. The Gov will use his life to make a point 3:51 PM https://twitter.com/MajdArar certainly you can't find such terrain in south of Damascus where he was captured.3:49 PM The men pronounce Arabic very well, they must be Arabs if not Syrians. But why to wear Afghan outfit!? 4:06 PM https://twitter.com/jenanmoussa After seeing vid of Austin Tice I can only think of Bashar Fahmi, Alhurra reporter, kidnapped in Syria. Pls get out soon 4 ur wife & kids.3:54 PM I'm still watching vid of Austin Tice. I want to note that Jabhat Al Nusra guys I saw when I was in Syria didn't wear Afghan outfits. 4:12 PM Jabhat AlNusra fighters I saw w/ @HaraldDoornbos in Syria had military fatigue. Few fighters had long Dashdasha, not afghan Shalwar Kameez. 4:15 PM Is it selfish to say that I am so so so grateful I got out of Syria safe? 4:47 PM https://twitter.com/vvanwilgenburg Spoke with PYD spokesperson. He said FSA helped out PYD when their funeral convoy from Aleppo to Efrin was bombed by airplanes 6:40 AM Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
visionary Posted October 2, 2012 Share Posted October 2, 2012 http://www.cnn.com/2012/10/01/world/meast/syria-hama-neighborhood/index.html Thousands displaced as Syrian authorities demolish Hama neighborhoodSyrian forces are uprooting thousands of people and then demolishing their homes in part of a flashpoint city that has been the center of an anti-government rebellion, according to residents there. Tanks and bulldozers have been tearing down houses in the Mesha Alarbeen district of the city of Hama, the site of intense fighting during an uprising against the Syrian government. The displacement and demolition has conjured fears of something that happened in the western city 30 years ago. The Hama Massacre of 1982 is fresh in the minds of Syrians. Acting under orders from Hafez Assad -- the father of the current Syrian president -- the Syrian military brutally suppressed a revolt in Hama. Estimates of the number of casualties vary from 3,000 to 40,000. A 1983 Amnesty International report put the death toll on both sides as between 10,000 and 25,000. http://www.npr.org/2012/10/01/162102569/turkey-pushes-syrians-into-limbo-across-border?sc=tw&cc=share Turkey Pushes Syrians Into Limbo Across BorderLong before the Syrian uprising, Antakya, Turkey, was a storied place. Once known as Antioch, the city was home to Greeks, some of the earliest Christians, Jews and Armenians. It once was a major stop on the Silk Road. Most recently, the Turkish city became a hub for the Syrian rebellion. For many months, Turkish authorities tolerated Antakya's status, and even encouraged it. Turkey built refugee camps for tens of thousands of Syrians, and even one for officers who defected from the Syrian army to join the rebel cause. That support, however, is starting to fade. At a recent protest, Turkish citizens living in Antakya called for the rebels to be expelled. At the same time, Turkish authorities began knocking on doors of Syrians who rent apartments in Antakya, telling them they have only a few days to get out of town. The refugee camps have also stopped taking new arrivals, meaning desperate Syrians trying to get into Turkey are stuck in limbo. Just across the border into Syria from Turkey, groups of families have taken up shelter in an olive grove. Underneath rows of olive trees, families have built their own tents out of carpets; they're just living out under the sun, and on the dusty, rocky ground. Em Abdo is one of 3,000 people living there. She says she left her nearby town when the shelling seemed like it would never stop. For now, she says she feels safer under the trees. In the grove, the branches provide shade and blankets make walls. Many of the children have sores on their faces and are covered in flies. Abdo says she has no idea when the family might be able to leave. http://www.strescom.org/briefings/daily-round-ups/item/375-db01102012.html Rebels seize control of air defence base in DamascusSyrian rebels seized control of an air defence base that contains surface-to-air missiles in the Eastern Ghuta district of Damascus province. The rebels captured big quantities of ammunition and arms including missiles after fierce shelling and clashes that left scores of regime troops dead while destroying a big part of the site. Heavy fighting continued for the 4th consecutive day throughout the city of Aleppo and its suburbs, whereby regime forces killed scores of civilians and wounded many more as they resumed their indiscriminate and fierce shelling using artillery and fighter jets resulting in the death of at least 11 civilians in the neighbourhood of Masaken Hanano and 16 more in the neighbourhood of Karm Jabal. Dozens more people were also killed due to the fierce shelling in the neighbourhoods of Maharqa, Sheikh Maqsoud, Ameriya and Bab Janin.In the meantime, regime forces resumed their fierce and indiscriminate shelling of densely populated areas throughout the country, leaving scores of civilians dead and wounded while destroying dozens of houses. They shelled a number of neighbourhoods in the city of Daraa as well as its provincial towns of Wadi Yarmouk, Tal Shihab, Mzereib, Yadouda, Um Mahathen, Ghariya Ghabiya, Ghariya Sharqiya, Mahajeh and the Lajat discrtict. They also shelled the neighbourhoods of Ommal, Hamidiya and Sheikh Yasin in the city of Deir Azzour in addition to its provincial town of Boukamal. They bombarded the Raqa suburb of Tal Abyad and a number of villages in the suburbs of Latakia as well as the Homs suburbs of Rastan, Houleh, Hosh Hajo and Abel. https://twitter.com/AmalHanano We know US gov doesn't care about Syrians, but what about US citizens? Or must we wait until after elections to #FreeAustinTice? 3:28 PM Sep 1 https://twitter.com/Mou2amara Going to answer the question about going to Syria & fighting: if you can't buy your own weapon & ur bullets then NO you shouldn't go.12:52 AM https://twitter.com/THE_47th Anyway, back 2 regular programming: here's a vid of FSA ambushing a convoy of Assad troops in Ghouta, Damascus http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ydjSlttqYoU2:59 AM https://twitter.com/LccSy The Free Syrian Army Puts Out a Fire in Bab Al-Naser, Aleppo 3:31 AM https://twitter.com/damspleet I was in a small village in the Jebel Zawiya. The army occupied the place for 9 months and was pushed out mid-summer.3:11 AM The army used to dump the bodies of the one it killed, in the fields, where those bodies where eaten by dogs. 3:12 AM This was so frequent that dogs started proliferating. Nowadays they are moving in pack around the villages, attacking the livings. 3:13 AM For a week, I followed an insurgent who was looking for a weapon both reliable and affordable. He didn't find any. 3:15 AM All he could buy, eventually, were shotgun shells to hunt the dogs down. Those dogs had eaten the body of one of his cousins. 3:16 AM https://twitter.com/SyrianSmurf 45 martyrs in Idlib today...forty five... 7:43 PM Intense clashes now in Idlib city at the checkpoint located at the southern entrance to the city. 4:35 AM FSA in Idlib City destroy a checkpoint. It was a coordinated effort between Tawheed brigade and Ahrar Alsham.6:10 AM FSA in Albab, Aleppo suburbs shoots down a military aircraft. Type of aircraft hasn't been reported yet. 6:28 AM https://twitter.com/janearraf Journalists barred from entering Jordan's Zaatari Syrian refugee camp today after angry protests over living conditions.9:04 AM Rumors sweep Syria refugee camp in Jordan of dead child, fuel protests. UNICEF says it checked and not true. But still no access to camp 9:15 AM Allowed in to Jordan's Syria refugee camp after riots earlier in day. Trailer burned, fence torn down - it was like a war, 1 official says 12:44 PM https://twitter.com/martinchulov Lebanese press (Arabic) says senior Hezbollah man, Ali Hussein Nassif, killed 'on operational activity'. Buried in Baalbek y'day6:00 AM 2nd acknowledgement 2day of Hezbollah member dying in 'jihad'. Syria not mentioned. New candour interesting http://www.jebchit.com/article.php?arid=10947 12:49 PM http://www.lccsyria.org/10286 Local Coordination Committees in SyriaThe LCC managed to document 183 martyrs in Syria for Monday, including more than 30 people who were martyred due to aerial shelling, women and children. 55 martyrs were reported in Damascus and its Suburbs (including 13 in Douma and 10 in Harasta), 48 in Aleppo (including 11 martyrs in Masaken Hanano, and 12 in Karm Al-Jabal), 42 in Idlib (30 of them were martyred in a massacre in Seqlein), 20 in Daraa, 10 in Deir Ezzor, 4 in Homs, 2 in Hama and 2 in Lattakia http://www.extremeskins.com/showthread.php?357480-Yahoo-Assad-predicts-disaster-if-West-meddles-in-Syria&p=9046975&viewfull=1#post9046975 32,033 people killed so far in Syria Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
visionary Posted October 2, 2012 Share Posted October 2, 2012 http://www.haaretz.com/news/middle-east/as-civil-war-rages-across-syria-assad-s-own-community-may-pose-new-challenge-for-regime-1.467904 As civil war rages across Syria, Assad's own community may pose new challenge for regimeAre the battles in Syria closing in on President Bashar Assad's lion's den? According to recent reports in the country, in the past few days violence has been raging among different Alawite "clans" in the city of Kardaha, located in the Alawite mountains in the country's northwest. Assad is of Alawite descent. According to the reports, Mohammad al-Assad, leader of the regime's Shabiha organization, was killed in the gunfire that erupted in Kardaha. The reports added that fighting began following an argument in a coffee shop in the city, when Alawite youth openly criticized Assad. A firefight then ensued. Syrian television channel Addounia – owned by businessman Rami Makhlouf, a cousin of Assad – confirmed the reports of a firefight but insisted that the event was a local one, having no effect on the nationwide situation. On the other hand, some see the incident as the catalyst for a rebellion within the Alawite community against Assad and the families who support him – citing as evidence some families' announcements that they now support the rebels. Critics also point to the regime's heavy hand against its citizens, namely by means of arrests and torture. http://www.aljazeera.com/video/middleeast/2012/10/201210214515113382.html?utm_content=automate&utm_campaign=Trial6&utm_source=NewSocialFlow&utm_term=plustweets&utm_medium=MasterAccount Syrian opposition takes Homs hospitalOpposition fighters in Syria have taken over a hospital in the town of al-Qousair in the central province of Homs. The fighters claim that the forces of Bashar al-Assad, the Syrian president, had turned the facility into barracks. Al Jazeera has gained exclusive access to the unit involved in the three-day battle for the hospital turned military base. Imran Khan reports. http://www.aljazeera.com/video/middleeast/2012/10/201210215395058626.html Civilians plead with Syrian fightersMore than 500,000 people are estimated to have fled to the northern city of al-Raqqa over the year-and-a-half long conflict in Syria. That influx of internally displaced Syrians has doubled al-Raqqa's population. Now, as opposition fighters say they plan to take the city from the forces of Bashar al-Assad, the Syrian president, civilians are pleading with the fighters to spare them the violence that would ensue. Al Jazeera's Andrew simmons reports exclusively from Tal Abyad on the Turkish border, from where the opposition forces are trying to advance. http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10000872396390443862604578032381512705730.html?mod=rss_middle_east_news&utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter Syria's Kurds Build Enclaves as War RagesDERIK, Syria—A teacher's request sends a dozen young arms skyward, with high-pitched pleas to showcase new skills. One by one, the excited pupils walk to the front of their dusty classroom to recite or write in Kurdish—a language outlawed from public life in Syria. While civil war has shut many schools across the country, here in the Kurdish-dominated northeast, education is expanding into new territory—just one way in which the Assad regime's focus on fighting rebels in the biggest cities has allowed the emergence of autonomous Kurdish enclaves. https://twitter.com/Raniaab Was in Syria so just seeing Austin Tice video. If those dudes r Jihadis, I'm Queen Elizabeth II1:44 PM https://twitter.com/ruslantrad My friend escape Syrian violence. He is in Turkey, depressed, "All doors are closed for Syrians", he said me. "We are absolutely alone".1:57 PM https://twitter.com/nicholas_seeley last night there was a dust/rain storm in camp, refugees were breaking into offices for shelter, climbing over fences. UN staff had to pull out because refugees youth fighting with Jordanian security again; camp lost power and water.1:37 PM UN now saying it needs another USD20 million just for basic housing in #refugees camp to end of year; money just isn't coming 1:41 PM Jordan I'd say is trying very hard to keep FSA from using jrdn camps or cities for R&R, smuggling or fundraising. Desire to keep FSA from coming and going is probably reason for heavily military presence/movement restrictions on refugees. 1:47 PM A major push to improve camp facilities, and less ostentatious policing might help, but too much openness increases the chance camp could be used by fighters rather than refugees. Jordan between rock and hard place... again. 2:01 PM https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=2124303&l=1e88f7322b&id=217848338242310 Aleppo: Heavy artillery shelling of Saif Al-Dawleh and Itha'aa neighborhoods is reported, with columns of smoke rising from the buildings5:32 PM Aleppo: Fierce clashes between the Free Syrian Army and the regime's army are reported next to Nairab Airport, accompanied by large explosions which shook the area 6:51 PM https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=2124224&l=9d73d84bbf&id=217848338242310 Raqqa: Tabaqa: Fierce clashes between the Free Syrian Army and the regime's army are reported inside the town5:34 PM https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=2124229&l=3c1aa9cdff&id=217848338242310 Raqqa: Tabaqa: Artillery shelling of Souk Al-Hal area in the city is reported 5:35 PM https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=2124256&l=497ee4b8cc&id=217848338242310 Raqqa: Tabaqa: Several wounded were reported due to shelling of the town with warplanes and heavy artillery 5:53 PM https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=2124219&l=3e34dd1b90&id=217848338242310 Local Coordination Committees in SyriaBy the end of Tuesday in Syria the LCC managed to document 160 martyrs, among them women and children. 54 martyrs were reported in Damascus and its Suburbs (most of them in Eastern Ghota and 17 in the shelling of Harasta); 30 in Aleppo (most were field-executed in Jami'yat Al-Zahra neighborhood); 29 in Daraa; 21 in Deir Ezzor; 18 in Homs; 5 in Idlib; and 3 in Hama (one of them was martyred in Aleppo) 5:30 PM http://www.extremeskins.com/showthread.php?357480-Yahoo-Assad-predicts-disaster-if-West-meddles-in-Syria&p=9046975&viewfull=1#post9046975 32,193 people killed so far in Syria Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
visionary Posted October 3, 2012 Share Posted October 3, 2012 http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2012/oct/02/hezbollah-operative-killed-syria?CMP=twt_gu Syria bomb blast kills Hezbollah operativeOne of Hezbollah's most senior operatives has been killed in Syria and buried in his home village in Lebanon's Bekaa valley, the militant group has confirmed. Ali Hussein Nassif, a founding member of the organisation, was killed near Homs over the weekend in what is believed to have been a roadside bomb explosion. A Lebanese government official confirmed on Tuesday that his body had been transferred from Syria through the Masnaa border crossing. Media outlets loyal to Hezbollah, including al-Manar television and the moqawama.org website both carried stories acknowledging Nassif's death, which they said had happened as he "carried out his jihadi duties". The reports did not specify where he had been killed. Officials in Nassif's home village of Buday suggested that seven other Hezbollah members had recently been wounded in Syria. A separate report claimed that a second Hezbollah member, Zain al-Abidin Mustafa had also been killed "while carring out his obligation". Senior party officials are reported to have traveled from Beirut to attend his funeral in the party's heartland of Baalbek. http://www.aljazeera.com/news/middleeast/2012/10/2012103748476383.html Deadly explosions hit central AleppoA Syrian government official says at least 25 people have been killed and more than 70 people wounded in a series of bombings that struck the northern city of Aleppo. The official also says that scores of people were wounded in the explosions, which went off Wednesday in a main square in the city, near an officers' club. Aleppo-based activists also reported on the bombings, saying they went off minutes apart. The blasts occurred at Saadallah al-Jabiri Square near a military officers' club and a hotel, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said, adding that there were "dozens of dead and wounded." The Britain-based Observatory, which relies on a network of activists on the ground, reported that most of them members of the regime forces. https://twitter.com/And_Harper 171 arrived @ nite. increase in no. wounded, in need of medical attention. Return today after Excom. Jordan thanked 4 refugee efforts.1:39 AM https://twitter.com/THE_47th In the coming days it seems, the world will have a crash course in the various locations in the Governorate of Latakia.2:41 AM Formation video of the First Battalion of the Free Syrian Army, named "Sham Falcons" http://youtu.be/pDWMpRaPEdg 2:54 AM https://twitter.com/OrozcoSpeaks After an artillery shell fell on this baby's house & killed his family, a FSA fighter carries him to safety: pic.twitter.com/uWslH64I 3:14 AM https://twitter.com/NMSyria Close up photo of damage to buildings following explosion in Saad Allah Square - Aleppo pic.twitter.com/soZqXce8 3:08 AM What's left of the hotel on Saad Allah Square following huge explosion earlier this morning. via @Syria_Horra Aleppo pic.twitter.com/zvGJ4sBF 3:13 AM With all this rubble and mangled steel, there must be tens of bodies buried. Aleppo pic.twitter.com/wePkBGfV 3:31 AM Damage caused to buildings adjacent to square. Aleppo pic.twitter.com/ezwaIeMi 3:29 AM Civil defense workers trying to uncover bodies, dead or alive, trapped under rubble. Aleppo pic.twitter.com/wFDgK3FE 3:35 AM https://twitter.com/NMSyria There is an extremely large convoy of military vehicles and tanks heading towards Qudsaya, Damascus.4:00 AM Large number of troops heading up through Dumar towards Qudsaya in Damascus. pic.twitter.com/0OvIHqJz 4:02 AM Mounted machine gun on Island 16 in Dumar protecting the military convoy from above. Damascus pic.twitter.com/Q8ogwkn7 4:04 AM Qudsaya is being shelled by mortar fire and a large military convoy is on its way to the suburb. Damascus 4:05 AM https://twitter.com/Brown_Moses Map of Saad Allah Square with effected buildings and bomb locations marked https://maps.google.com/maps/ms?msid=205601907815351498927.0004cb23028a484aac0e6&msa=0&ll=36.206481,37.148595&spn=0.002143,0.005262 Aleppo 4:32 AM https://twitter.com/NMSyria Abu Firas al-Halabi - spokesman for Revolution Military Council for Aleppo and suburbs on this morning's bombings. 5:09 AM Spokesman: "Three explosions took place inside Saad Allah Square in Aleppo" 5:10 AM Spokesman claims bombing as a great victory, targeting buildings housing "hundreds" of Assad thugs. 5:10 AM Spokesman: Violent clashes between FSA and regime forces near Military Airport in Aleppo along with Aleppo International Airport. 5:11 AM Stupid spokesman couldn't bring it to himself to mention that PERHAPS MAYBE POSSIBLY civilians were killed in the bombings. 5:13 AM https://twitter.com/SyrianSmurf FSA in JisrAlshughoor Idlib destroy 2 checkpoints in a huge attack over the course of many hours. http://youtu.be/-yHqTzlxuW45:01 AM Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
visionary Posted October 3, 2012 Share Posted October 3, 2012 http://www.aljazeera.com/news/middleeast/2012/10/201210314222861555.html Deaths reported in Lebanon explosionsSeveral blasts have struck the Hezbollah-controlled Bekaa Valley of eastern Lebanon, killing at least nine people and wounded seven more, according to a Lebanese security official quoted by AFP news agency. Among the wounded in Wednesday's explosions were four Syrian workers, the official said. Another security official said the cause of the explosions, near the city of Baalbek, was not immediately clear, but that the nature of the blasts suggested there were explosives or weapons stored inside the building. He said the force of the blasts destroyed the house, which appeared to be under construction. The Associated Press news agency said three explosions killed two people and wounded two others. Local residents confirmed that the blasts hit an arms stockpile in a building under construction, in an uninhabited area between the villages of Nabi**** and Khodr. http://www.egyptindependent.com/news/fm-egypt-will-never-send-forces-syria FM: Egypt will never send forces to SyriaForeign Minister Mohamed Kamel Amr has asserted that Egypt has not, and will never, send military forces to Syria to intervene in the conflict between government troops and rebel forces seeking to oust President Bashar al-Assad. While in Peru attending the South American-Arab Summit , Amr told state-run news agency MENA that Egypt is seeking a solution that preserves Syria’s regional integrity and its position in the Arab system. Amr said that, more than any other country, Egypt is communicating with all facets of the Syrian opposition. He said Egypt had told opposition groups that they would not be treated seriously unless they unite and form an alternative for countries that are anxious to maintain their interests should Assad’s regime fall.Concerning the inclusion of Iran in a four-country initiative previously proposed by Egypt to help resolve the Syrian conflict, Amr said Egypt had decided that Iran should not be bypassed, though some believe it should be excluded from negotiations because of its support for Assad. The initiative also includes Saudi Arabia and Turkey. The minister said Cairo had stressed to Tehran that it would remain a part of the crisis if it maintains its support for the Syrian regime. http://amjadofarabia.wordpress.com/2012/09/08/capitulation-of-a-revolution/ How to Advocate the Capitulation of a Revolution Without Actually Using the Word “Surrender” https://twitter.com/OnlySyrian I've been to SalahAddin neighbrhood in Aleppo today Just a few meters away from SalahAddin Square (dowar).12:11 PM Yes in Aleppo now. well I'll DM u 12:11 PM FSA is controlling most of SalahAddin neighborhood in Aleppo including SalahAddin Square (Dowar) 12:28 PM FSA is attacking not defensing in SalahAddin neighborhood in Aleppo 12:30 PM https://twitter.com/MahirZeynalov Syrian mortar shells hit Turkey's Akçakale district on the Syrian border, injuring nine people, including two police officers.9:45 AM Death toll in Syrian mortar shelling that hit Turkey's district rises to five -- a Turkish mother and her four children. 10:29 AM Turkish foreign minister holds an emergency meeting with ministry officials after talking to Turkish army chief, UN Syria envoy Brahimi. 10:40 AM Turkish FM Davutoglu calls UN chief Ban Ki-moon, briefing on Syria mortar shelling that killed five Turks. 11:26 AM UN chief Ban Ki-moon urges Turkey to keep all channels of communication open with Syria to avoid tension over mortar bomb. 12:19 PM https://twitter.com/WashingtonPoint Spox Nuland @StateDept : Condemns the mortar attack in the Turkish town Akcakale, sends condolences to the families!12:30 PM https://twitter.com/MahirZeynalov Turkish deputy PM: Turkey is a sovereign nation. It has been attacked. It absolutely has a response within international law.12:25 PM Turkish deputy PM: Turkey is a NATO member country. Gov't is closely monitoring developments. I hope this would be Syria's last madness. 12:27 PM Turkish deputy PM on Syrian mortars that killed five Turks: Syria will answer to this. 12:27 PM Turkish deputy PM: Syrian bomb that killed five Turks is the last straw. 12:31 PM https://twitter.com/DSyrer More progress on the Raqqa front, with the police station in the town of Tabaqa captured by revolutionaries - 12:31 PM I think Tabaqa will fall out of regime control soon. The Raqqa offensive is progressing nicely, even though it's a bit underreported. 12:34 PM FSA flips the tank in al-Aqroub, Aleppo - 12:36 PM Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
visionary Posted October 3, 2012 Share Posted October 3, 2012 http://thecable.foreignpolicy.com/posts/2012/10/03/memo_state_to_expand_assistance_to_opposition_groups_in_aleppo Memo: State to expand assistance to opposition groups in AleppoAs the battle for Aleppo intensifies, the U.S. State Department is trying to direct more non-lethal aid to opposition groups inside the strategic Syrian city, according to a memorandum by Secretary of State Hillary Clinton obtained by The Cable. At least 40 residents of Aleppo were killed when a series of bombs exploded in a government-controlled area Wednesday. The government blamed rebel groups, and the pro-opposition Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said most of the deaths were caused by regime security forces during a gun battle that preceded the explosions. Clinton announced Sept. 28 that the State Department would give an additional $45 million to the effort to bring non-lethal assistance to thsoe Syrian opposition members who can get to Istanbul, Turkey, to get it. In a memorandum to relevant congressional committees, she explained that the goal was to expand the assistance to reach new opposition groups in Aleppo and other areas of Syria that have not yet gotten U.S. assistance The new assistance will include communications gear, radio broadcast equipment, the training required to use it, and workshops on issues such as civil administration, leadership, human rights, and mitigating sectarian strife, with a focus on the revolutionary councils, Clinton wrote."While U.S. assistance alone is not a silver bullet, it remains a crucial component of our multidimensional campaign to support a peaceful political transition in Syria, an end to the Assad regime, and the emergence of a stable, responsible government," she wrote. "Our assistance has helped the opposition to organize and communicate, but additional support to emerging civilian leadership is needed to forestall the chaos that could emerge in a power vacuum and to help prevent conditions that might promote the interests of extremist elements, threatening our vital national security interests." According to the memo, State wants to take $15 million away from the Pakistani Counterinsurgency Capability Fund (PCCF) and use that money to aid the Syrian opposition. OH ****.... https://twitter.com/mpoppel REU: NATO SECTY GENL RASMUSSEN VOICES STRONG CONDEMNATION OF MORTAR STRIKE IN SOUTHEASTERN TURKEY -NATO SPOKESWOMAN1:48 PM https://twitter.com/MahirZeynalov Turkey's second army chief came to Akcakale district on the Syria border where Syrian mortar bombs killed five Turks.1:18 PM NATO statement on Syria's bombing of Turkey: NATO is following the developments and the issue is on the alliance's agenda. 1:19 PM EU external affairs rep. Ashton: EU is concerned over tensions between Turkey and Syria, calls on both countries to exercise restraint. 1:23 PM [size"4"]U.S. State Secretary Clinton says outraged over mortar fired from Syria into Turkey.[/size] 2:14 PM https://twitter.com/WashingtonPoint According to the official statement by Ankara, the Turkish military shelled the Syrian targets in respond which were determined by radars. 2:57 PM https://twitter.com/Reuters TURKEY SAYS HAS STRUCK TARGETS IN SYRIA IN RESPONSE TO MORTAR STRIKE ACROSS BORDER - STATEMENT FROM PRIME MINISTER'S OFFICE2:57 PM TURKEY SAYS HAS AGREED WITH NATO SECRETARY GENERAL TO CONVENE URGENT MEETING OF NATO MEMBERS 3:05 PM U.N. CHIEF BAN KI-MOON URGES SYRIA'S GOVERNMENT TO RESPECT TERRITORIAL INTEGRITY OF ITS NEIGHBORS, END VIOLENCE AGAINST SYRIANS 3:12 PM https://twitter.com/djfxtrader Turkish Strike Came Immediately After Syrian Shells Hit Turkish Border Town, Says Turkey PM Statement [WSJ]3:05 PM Turkey Says it Will Hit More Targets if Syrian Attacks Are Repeated (WSJ) 3:05 PM Haven't really seen any mention of what targets were hit specifically, or any response by the Syrian regime. https://twitter.com/CBSWalsh NATO spox: emergency NATO meeting in Brussels tonight, after reports Turkey has stuck Syria targets in response to mortar attacks3:25 PM Most folks seem to think this won't escalate though, that this was, "a slap for a slap". Have to wonder what happens next time though, or the time after that...etc. Will they keep with the same response? Then again there is this: https://twitter.com/WashingtonPoint Ankara adm bringing a resolution to Parliament tmrw to ask permission for cross-border operation, calling on NATO to convene3:17 PM and this (both from Turkish reporters): https://twitter.com/MahirZeynalov Turkey says it will never leave similar provocations by Syria unanswered in line with its engagement rules and international law. 3:18 PM Sources on the ground say Turkey is now deploying huge number of tanks, artillery and missile batteries to the Syria border. 3:24 PM Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
visionary Posted October 3, 2012 Share Posted October 3, 2012 TURKEY https://twitter.com/Reuters NATO ambassadors to meet under NATO Article 4, for consultations when a member state feels territorial integrity under threat - official 3:35 PM https://twitter.com/influxTR Tomorrow's meeting of Turkish National Assembly is more important than Turkey striking Syria back, they will discuss military intervention [or cross border operations]3:20 PM For the record what's happening is not war but a retaliation.But it "can" be after Turkish Parliament's emergency meeting to be held at 10am 3:57 PM https://twitter.com/NATOSource Tonight's NATO meeting officially described as an Art 4 consultation. NATO unlikely to mention Art 5 publicly until after vote approving it4:01 PM I'm skeptical about this. https://twitter.com/WashingtonPoint don't think 'decision' is taken yet.It's gonna be a long night in Ankara&before Parliamentary mtg 3:49 PM1)NATO ambs will convene @5pm EST/12am in Europe to discuss article 4th-when member state feels territorial integrity under threat 3:54 PM 2)Adm working on cross-border resolution 2 bring to parliament tmmrw 10am,first they'll consult w/oppositions tonight/early mornin [to allow cross border operations like in Iraq] 3:56 PM Breaking: NATO already began its meeting at the level of Ambassadors in Brussels to discuss article 4 & shelling in the Turkish town 4:10 PM https://twitter.com/Reuters British U.N. envoy says U.N. Security Council discussed Syria, Turkey tensions, awaiting Turkish letter before considering possible moves4:15 PM NATO DEMANDS IMMEDIATE CESSATION OF AGGRESSIVE ACTS AGAINST NATO ALLY TURKEY - STATEMENT 4:37 PM https://twitter.com/Mou2amara NOW: Getting information from contact in Syria, Turkey is hitting Tal Abyad in Raqqa, an Assad air defenses center.4:21 PM Got confirmation on Tal Abyad & contacts say Turkey threatened other border posts w/in Syria,but haven't hit anything else yet 4:36 PM https://twitter.com/WashingtonPoint Breaking: NATO meeting concluded. And guess what! All members strongly condemned Syria's shelling and killing of 5 Turkish citizens! 4:33 PM Pentagon: We are not expecting clashes CNNTurk btw Turkey and Syria bcs of the shelling 4:37 PM https://twitter.com/Reuters Update: NATO says it stands by Turkey, urges Syria to put an end to "flagrant violations of international law" - statement4:40 PM SYRIA https://twitter.com/NMSyria There is a massacre taking place in al-Hidariya, Aleppo. At least 20 killed. 3:51 PM https://twitter.com/SyrianSmurf At least 21 martyrs in a massacre in JisrAlshughoor Idlib...at least 10 of which were children. 4:08 PM The massacre was in a small village called Alsahn. Idlib 4:17 PM Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Predicto Posted October 3, 2012 Share Posted October 3, 2012 Turkey going into Syria could be the final straw that brings Assad down. Or maybe it could be Assad's last chance to use nationalism to rally the Syrian people back to his side. So confusing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
visionary Posted October 3, 2012 Share Posted October 3, 2012 Turkey going into Syria could be the final straw that brings Assad down.Or maybe it could be Assad's last chance to use nationalism to rally the Syrian people back to his side. So confusing. I don't think Turkey is going to go into Syria in any major way...this time at least. It seems they may be considering some actions around the border though. I think if Turkey were to intervene completely I think the response from Syrians would depend on how they did it. If they just started randomly shelling places there would be problems. But people in Syria would most likely welcome targeted strikes on air bases or other such places. (I think a lot of people in Aleppo would probably even welcome peace keeping forces at this point) ---------- Post added October-3rd-2012 at 05:18 PM ---------- http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2012/10/03/austin-tice-believed-held-by-assad-forces-said-reporting-in-syria-is-greatest-feeling.html Austin Tice, Believed Held by Assad Forces, Said Reporting in Syria Is ‘Greatest Feeling’ https://twitter.com/mpoppel REU: SYRIA SAYS INVESTIGATING SOURCE OF SHELL THAT HIT TURKEY, EXTENDS CONDOLENCES TO TURKISH PEOPLE 4:53 PM REU: SYRIA SAYS RESPECTS SOVEREIGNTY OF NEIGHBOURING COUNTRIES, URGES "STATES AND GOVERNMENTS" TO ACT WISELY AND RATIONALLY 4:58 PM REU: PENTAGON SAYS SYRIA MORTAR FIRE ANOTHER EXAMPLE OF REGIME'S DEPRAVED BEHAVIOR AND WHY IT MUST GO, MONITORING SITUATION CLOSELY 5:00 PM REU: WHITE HOUSE URGES OTHER NATIONS TO PRESS ASSAD TO STEP ASIDE, DECLARE CEASEFIRE, BEGIN POLITICAL TRANSITION 5:09 PM https://twitter.com/JShahryar Turkey: "He hit me! :(" Nato: "Aw, it's okay. Who wants some meaningless condemnation?" Turkey: "Me, mommy, me!" Nato: "Good boy. :)" 5:04 PM Nato: "We condemn Syria's attack on Turkey & warn Assad, if this ever happens again... we'll place an adjective before the word condemn!" 5:10 PM https://twitter.com/WashingtonPoint Acc CNNTurk resolution that authorizes the Parliamentary cross-border operation has opened to be signed by the MPs tonight.5:21 PM Acc local CNNTurk reporter reporting out of Akçakale, where shelling incident occurred, the shelling by Turkey continues in last half hour. 5:22 PM https://twitter.com/iyad_elbaghdadi Today's body count: 5 killed in Turkey and a world war almost starts. 122 killed in Syria and nobody cares.5:30 PM Anti Regime Protest in Tehran. Some Chants: "Let the Syrian people free (leave them alone), Think of us instead Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
visionary Posted October 4, 2012 Share Posted October 4, 2012 https://twitter.com/OnlySyrian Avoc. Mahmoud Hamam was arrested today in Aleppo by Air-force Intelligence.4:40 PM A canon's shelled just in the next street .. Damn you Assad! Aleppo 5:20 PM WTF another shell just hit on the next! Aleppo 5:50 PM https://twitter.com/Libyan4life One of the injured thuwar in Germany I used to check up on just told me he's decided to go to Syria.4:22 PM What a mixed bag of emotions. I want to help Syria and liberate but at the same time, This guy already paid a price in Libya 4:23 PM https://twitter.com/mpoppel REU: TURKEY SAYS IN LETTER TO U.N. SECURITY COUNCIL THAT SYRIA MORTAR ATTACK WAS 'FLAGRANT VIOLATION OF INTERNATIONAL LAW' 7:03 PM REU: TURKEY ASKS U.N. SECURITY COUNCIL TO TAKE 'NECESSARY ACTION' TO STOP SUCH 'ACTS OF AGGRESSION' BY SYRIA 7:05 PM https://twitter.com/NMSyria Update: 200 were killed on Wednesday in Syria according to counts so far. I'd name all the massacres, but there's too many to recall.7:10 PM https://twitter.com/Mou2amara 200 Syrians dead today. 200. Dear God. It's just been a long day and for 200, their last.7:12 PM https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=2126802&l=dbf74552fc&id=217848338242310 Local Coordination Committees in SyriaThe number of martyrs in Syria has risen to 200 thus far, including 15 children and 6 women; 67 martyrs were reported in Damascus and its Suburbs, among them 16 field-executed in Douma and 19 martyrs in Qudsaya; 43 in Aleppo; 29 in Idlib including an entire family who were martyred due to the shelling on Sahen town; 27 in Hama most of them are children and women;16 in Daraa ; 8 in Homs; 7 in Deir Ezzor; and 3 in Raqqa 7:09 PM https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=2126868&l=6ea3c2f1be&id=217848338242310 Aleppo: The Free Syrian Army frees Seif Al-Dawla as the fierce clashes continue in order to free the rest of the district7:55 PM http://www.extremeskins.com/showthread.php?357480-Yahoo-Assad-predicts-disaster-if-West-meddles-in-Syria&p=9046975&viewfull=1#post9046975 32,393 people killed so far in Syria Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
visionary Posted October 4, 2012 Share Posted October 4, 2012 http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/10/04/us-syria-crisis-bombardment-idUSBRE89308V20121004 Syrian soldiers killed in Turkish strike: Syrian ObservatorySeveral Syrian soldiers were killed in an overnight Turkish bombardment of a Syrian military post near the border town of Tel Abyad, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said on Thursday. It gave no figure for the number of soldiers killed in the Turkish attack, which came after a mortar bomb fired from Syrian territory killed five Turkish civilians on Wednesday. http://www.aljazeera.com/news/middleeast/2012/10/2012103181110169706.html Turkey strikes targets inside SyriaTurkish armed forces have launched artillery attacks against Syria in response to a mortar attack which killed five members of the same family in southeastern Turkey. In a statement on Wednesday, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Turkey's prime minister, said the attacks, carried out following radar tracking, were within the rules of engagement. Separately, Bulent Arinc, the deputy prime minister, said: "There has been an attack on Turkey's mainland and its citizens lost their lives. There is definitely a response to it in international law ... We are not blinded by rage, but we will protect our rights to the end in the face of such an attack on our soil that killed our people." The government in Ankara is expected to ask the parliament on Thursday to authorise cross-border military operations in Syria, according to Turkish media reports. Al Jazeera's Andrew Simmons, reporting from Antakya on the Turkish-Syrian border, said Arinc's mention of "certain responsibilities" contained within NATO treaty articles, could mean that Turkey responded without consulting international bodies first. http://syriasurvey.blogspot.com/ The Fight for Northern Idlib ProvinceBy Asher Berman The rebels of northern Idlib Province have consolidated control of the entire northern border area and are attacking the regime’s remaining positions along the eastern border. Idlibcity has remained out of the rebel’s grasp since they were pushed out in early March, but attacks in the provincial capital are rising. Although rebels brigades in northern Idlib collaborate during specific operations, they have yet to form the larger regional command structures that have emerged in Aleppo province and Damascus city, and are not collaborating with the powerful rebel groups in southern Idlib Province. The regime’s position in northern Idlib has weakened significantly since early 2012, but the rebels are not yet strong enough to mount a final push against the regime. Northern Idlib province borders Turkey to the north and West, Aleppo province to theeast, and the Jebel al-Zawiyah region to the south. The area is mostly rebel-controlled with the exception of Idlib city, the provincial capital which sits between the rebel-held Jebel al-Zawiyah region to the south and the rebel-held north. Despite the presence of strong rebel groups on all sides, the regime has maintained tight control of Idlib city and the Mastouma military base located six kilometers to the south. The regime alsocontrols the town of Harem near Idlib’s northwestern border with Turkey. The dominant rebel groups in northern Idlib are the Shuhada Idlib and Tawhid Brigades based outside Idlib city, the Dera al-Thawra Brigade and Farouq al-Shamal Battalion based around Sarmada near the Turkish Border, The Ahrar al-Shamal Idlib Battalion based in Sarmin. http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2012/oct/03/turkey-syrian-mortar-bomb?CMP=twt_gu The Aleppo bombings were among the biggest seen in Syria in 18 months of uprising. Attackers, believed to have been dressed in military fatigues, are thought to have convinced regime soldiers stationed in Saadallah al-Jabiri Square to let them enter the secure zone. They are then thought to have detonated the bombs believed to have been packed into cars.Devastation was immense in the square. State television pictures also revealed significant damage to nearby residential buildings and offices. Both the Free Syria Army and a jihadist group, known as the Jabhat al-Nusra, claimed responsibility for the attack. Both said the blasts had targeted a military officer's club. Regime officials said the bombings were a suicide terrorist attack that had killed scores of civilians. Saadallah al-Jabiri Square is not far from Aleppo's ancient market, parts of which have been destroyed in recent days during intense clashes between regime troops and rebels. The battle for Aleppo is taking an increasingly heavy toll on the city's historical sites as battle lines, which are drawn largely through a north to south line, slowly shift. https://twitter.com/SkyNewsBreak Reuters: Security sources say Turkish artillery continue bombardment into Syria targeting Tel Abyad district around 10km from border1:29 AM http://www.france24.com/en/20121004-turkey-artillery-hits-syrian-targets-again-security-source?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=twitter Turkey artillery hits Syrian targets again: security sourceTurkish artillery again hit targets in Syria on Thursday morning in reprisal for cross-border fire that killed five Turkish civilians the previous day, a security source told AFP. "Artillery fire resumed at 0300 GMT this morning," the source said on condition of anonymity. https://twitter.com/LeShaque Some reports say Iran is amassing IRGC troops and long-range missile launchers towards Turkey. Khamenai would be quite stupid to do that.2:49 AM Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
visionary Posted October 4, 2012 Share Posted October 4, 2012 http://www.nytimes.com/2012/10/04/world/middleeast/syria-rebels-press-harder-to-gain-more-fighters.html Cajoling, Drugging and More as Rebels Try to Draw DefectorsFor months, the disparate militias known as the Free Syrian Army relied on defections from the Syrian military to lead a credible if halting challenge to the government of President Bashar al-Assad. Every day seemed to bring word of new recruits. Soldiers fled in packs, or officers stole across a border, lifting the rebels’ morale while swelling their ranks. But now opposition commanders say defections have slowed to a trickle. Some commanders have given up trying to entice defectors, and others have resorted to more desperate measures: cajoling, duping, threatening and even drugging and kidnapping military men to get them to change sides, or at least stay out of the fight. Without defections, they say, the opposition cannot hope to grow, never mind prevail. As Syria’s fighting burns into its 19th month, Mr. Assad’s forces have moved effectively to cut off what amounts to the armed rebellion’s most significant resource: soldiers with training and weapons who change sides. In a shift in strategy, the government has preferred to attack towns and neighborhoods from a distance using artillery and air power, preserving its resources and distancing its soldiers from rebel fighters — and from the public, including friends and neighbors, who might encourage defections. Several commanders said they were still trying to persuade. Mr. Qunatri, the rebel commander, said in an interview here in Antakya that he preferred sending innocent-seeming emissaries to soldiers at military checkpoints. A 12-year-old boy, for example, helped turn one soldier, teasing him mercilessly until he relented. “Dude, why don’t you defect,” the boy would scold, repeatedly, as if the heavily guarded checkpoint was a schoolyard. Another rebel officer, who uses the nom de guerre Abu Ali, sent a barber, Walid, who made friends with the soldiers by offering haircuts or doing laundry. “They want to defect,” Abu Ali said. “They don’t know how, or who can help.” Another of the former merchant’s operatives, a food delivery man, identified six recruits, but the checkpoint they guarded was too well secured for them to leave: there was no way past the officers. “We thought of sending sleeping pills,” the commander said. The recruits spiked the water and the tea. “Thirty-eight soldiers fell asleep,” said a soldier named Shadi, one of those who defected that day. Rebel seized the sleeping soldiers along with their weapons. Some willingly flipped and others were made to promise they would not return to the fight, he said. “Two of the 38 returned to the army,” he said. http://bigstory.ap.org/article/report-turkey-renews-artillery-strikes-syria#overlay-context=article/phone-home-ny-teens-pay-valets-store-devices Turkish PM aide: Turkey won't declare war on SyriaAn aide to Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan says Turkey has no intention of declaring war on Syra. The aide says Thursday that Turkey's shelling of Syria following a mortar attack that killed five civilians in Turkey and the proposed bill to authorize military actions against its neighbor should be seen as a "warning to Syria." Turkey's Parliament on Thursday was debating a bill to authorize the military to launch cross border operations in Syria, while Turkey resumed artillery shelling of Syrian targets near the border. http://www.cnn.com/2012/10/04/world/meast/syria-television-rants/index.html As regional leaders shift stance, Syrian state TV aims rants at friends turned foesAs former friends turn against Syria for its brutal crackdown on anti-government protesters, the country's state television -- the government mouthpiece -- has taken to insulting and belittling those regional leaders in scathing editorials read to camera. Egypt's president, Mohamed Morsy, is "Mr. Thank You" for allegedly taking money from Western ally Qatar to betray Syria. Qatar's leader Sheikh Hamad, who has spoken out against the bloodbath, is "nothing but a kitchen knife only good for chopping off onions." And other Arab states that have called for military intervention are "NATO's orphans." In the past, criticism of former allies-turned-foes has abounded on Syrian TV. But hurling undignified language at neighboring heads of state has been rare. Over the weekend, a male anchor twisted Morsy's name into "Mr. Merci" (Mr. Thank You), as he accused Egypt of taking payoffs from Qatar in an alleged plan to send 100,000 Egyptian troops via Jordan to fight in Syria. "Mr. Merci Qatar is hallucinating, and he must have a high temperature," the anchor said. "Why don't you send your troops to liberate Gaza or Jerusalem?" He ended by calling Egypt a young donkey leading the camels -- meaning other Arab states -- in an allusion to an Arabic proverb. http://blogs.aljazeera.com/liveblog/topic/syria-153 14 minutes agoAn explosion followed by an exchange of fire with rebels in the Syrian province of Qudsaya has now claimed the lives of 21 Republican guards, according to Al Jazeera's Rula Amin, who is reporting from Lebanon. Quoting the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, Amin said several ambulances are now rushing to scene west of the capital Damascus. https://twitter.com/THE_47th More Hizbollah bodies arrive from Syria, Hizbollah covers up by saying another weapons depot exploded in the S. Lebanon, reports casualties.2:59 AM Hizbollah wants u to believe that no weapons depots ever mysteriously exploded in S. Lebanon in 5 yrs, but somehow 2 in a row in 24hrs. 3:01 AM Homs is now Hizbollah's #1 enemy, overtaking Israel. It has been shipping Hizbollah fighters in body bags like Apple shipped iphone 5. 3:11 AM https://twitter.com/RT_com Damascus should publicly promise that it will not let new military incidents happen on border with Turkey - Lavrov http://on.rt.com/udaxd9 4:11 AM https://twitter.com/NMSyria Turkish Parliament voting on Syria situation as we speak. 4:43 AM Turkey's parliament in secret-session to discuss bill giving PM Erdogan extensive war powers after cross-border shelling with Syria. 4:49 AM https://twitter.com/BreakingNews CORRECTION: Turkey's response to Syrian mortar fire is understandable, but escalation should be avoided, UK foreign minister says - @Reuters4:43 AM https://twitter.com/MahirZeynalov Russian FM says Syria must openly declare that mortar attack on Turkey was an accident. But it is happening almost every week.5:14 AM Actually from what reporters have said the Syrian army shells constantly along the border every day, but I assume they don't hit anything much most of the time. (not to mention raiding across the Lebanese border and gunning down women and children fleeing to Jordan.) Turkish return fire last night Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
visionary Posted October 4, 2012 Share Posted October 4, 2012 http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/10/04/syria-crisis-turkey-fears-idUSL6E8L480L20121004?type=marketsNews Turks wary of greater military action against SyriaMany Turks on Thursday welcomed their army's swift reprisal for deadly Syrian artillery fire into Turkey but their anger was tempered by fears of being dragged into full-blown intervention in a war that could blow back across their borders. After shelling from Syria's civil war killed five people in a Turkish border town on Wednesday, parliament authorised the government to take military action in Syria if there was a further spillover of violence. But while Turks voiced widespread support for a retaliatory round of Turkish shelling that killed five Syrian soldiers, fears of greater military involvement in Syria's civil war grew. The Turkish slogan "savasa hayir" ("no to war") was the top trending item on Turkey's Twitter on Thursday morning. A small group of anti-war protesters chanted "We don't want war!" and "The Syrian people are our brothers!" outside parliament in Ankara. Police fired tear gas to stop them approaching the building. Opposition parties and civil society groups, expressing misgivings over the Turkish military response, called a further protest in Istanbul for later on Thursday. Russia proposes diluted UN text on Syria attack in TurkeyRussia on Thursday blocked the adoption of a draft statement condemning a deadly Syrian mortar attack on a Turkish town and proposed a weaker text that would call for "restraint" on the border without referring to breaches of international law. "The members of the Security Council called on the parties to exercise restraint and avoid military clashes which could lead to a further escalation of the situation in the border area between Syria and Turkey," said Russia's proposed statement, which was obtained by Reuters. If adopted, the non-binding statement would also call on the two neighbors to "reduce tensions and forge a path toward a peaceful resolution of the Syrian crisis." However, the Russians proposed removing the following sentence, which diplomats said was crucial language: "Such violations of international law constitute a serious threat to international peace and security."The language removed by the Russia, U.N. envoys say, was intended to signal that the Security Council, which is supposed to be the guardian of international peace and security, should remain involved in the matter. Council diplomats said they would continue negotiating on the draft statement. U.S. Ambassador to United Nations Susan Rice told reporters before heading into a council meeting on other issues: "Let's go work on it." http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-19830928#TWEET251124 Turkey's parliament authorises military action in SyriaTurkey's parliament has authorised troops to launch cross-border action against Syria, following Syria's deadly shelling of a Turkish town. The bill, passed by 320 to 129, also permits strikes against Syrian targets. But Deputy Prime Minister Besir Atalay insisted this was a deterrent and not a mandate for war. https://twitter.com/THE_47th Reports: Iran dispatches its VP & Deputy FM -Asian Affairs to Istanbul.5:32 AM https://twitter.com/CFKlebergTT Shells hitting several areas in Damascus outskirts, local activist tells me:"We hear explosions and shelling, MiG's and mortars being used"5:40 AM https://twitter.com/SyrianSmurf FSA operation by Suqoor Alsham in Ariha Idlib.An attack on a regime checkpoint. 7:34 AM https://twitter.com/NeilMacFarquhar UNSC stalled on Syria Turkish tension as usual. West wants to condemn govt, say dips, Russia wants more muted "shelling from Syria"12:23 PM https://twitter.com/DSyrer Salhab (Alawite village) FB page complaining about random & illegal drafts - pic.twitter.com/TJQYqVtW12:40 PM Tel Abyad is very quiet right now. Not a single regime shell fell on the town since yesterday. 12:47 PM Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
visionary Posted October 4, 2012 Share Posted October 4, 2012 http://www.theatlantic.com/infocus/2012/10/destruction-comes-to-aleppo/100381 Destruction Comes to Aleppo https://twitter.com/OnlySyrian I captured [photographed] yesterday: A FSA sniper in SalahAddin front in Aleppo pic.twitter.com/6paO9cbU11:01 AM FSA has killed +30 soldiers including high-rank officers & destroyed a military vehicle in al-Sefira town in Aleppo 1:44 PM alZebdyia & alSalheen neighborhoods in Aleppo r now under Assad's heavy cannon shelling. 2:45 PM The area between Qadi Askar & Hawouz squares (douwar) in Aleppo is under Assad's cowered shelling. 2:53 PM https://twitter.com/Avend93 very heavy clashes now at the airport. Qamishlo3:46 PM basically, there are three FSA battalions near Qamishlo who could be the ones clashing with Assad forces now. 3:58 PM is FSA trying to take the airport? would be a great catch for them and a Knockdown for Assad in the north. 4:01 PM there must bee a plan with full support coming for them from other places.. i'm amazed: VERY HEAVY CLAHSES 4:08 PM https://twitter.com/DSyrer @Avend93 Don't think they have enough power to do it... Unless the airport is lightly-defended (Not sure)4:06 PM Only target I think might be worth it is the Rûmelan pipeline. Regime doesn't have much presence in Hasaka. 4:11 PM Meanwhile, UNSC still failing to pass a resolution condemning Assad's mortar attacks. 4:13 PM https://twitter.com/MahirZeynalov Turkish PM Erdogan: No state should test Turkey's determination in protecting our borders. 1:46 PM Turkish PM Erdogan: On the one hand, Syria says mortar attacks were an accident. But one mortar bomb fell in Hatay today again. 1:47 PM Turkish PM Erdogan goes very angry: How can it be an accident when Syria fires into Turkey eight times. 1:47 PM Despite Turkey's announcement that Syria apologized to Turkey, UN envoy Jaafari says there is no apology, investigation continues. 1:52 PM Syrian opposition sources say Turkey's bombing of Syria leaves at least four tanks destroyed, ten Syrian soldiers dead. 5:08 PM https://twitter.com/IvanCNN Syria's UN Ambassador says 2 army wounded by Turkish artillery, rebels tell CNN 13 Syrian soldiers killed & army withdrew from border base4:57 PM https://twitter.com/SyrianSmurf Conditions in Qudsayya Damascus are getting worse by the minute. My cousin and her family barely got out 2 days ago Alhamdulillah.5:53 PM https://twitter.com/MajdArar All hills are controlled by Assad Republican Guards; small Qudsaya is turned into rubble, hammered with shells & rockets. Damascus5:57 PM Qudsaya had a truce for 2 weeks, when #Assad was engaged in south of #Damascus. Week ago his loyalist militants invoked the fighting 6:05 PM http://www.bnowire.com/inbox/?id=1161 UN Security Council statement on Syria-Turkey tensionsPosted on 10-04 at 21:14:02 CST Security Council press statement The members of the Security Council condemned in the strongest terms the shelling by the Syrian armed forces of the Turkish town of Akcakale, which resulted in the deaths of five civilians, all of whom were women and children, as well as a number of injuries. The members of the Security Council expressed their sincere condolences to the families of the victims and to the Government and people of Turkey. The members of the Security Council underscored that this incident highlighted the grave impact the crisis in Syria has on the security of its neighbours and on regional peace and stability. The members of the Council demanded that such violations of international law stop immediately and are not repeated. The members of the Security Council called on the Syrian Government to fully respect the sovereignty and territorial integrity of its neighbours. The members of the Security Council called for restraint. Wow! It looks like they went with a much harsher version than the one Russia was proposing.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
visionary Posted October 5, 2012 Share Posted October 5, 2012 http://www.lccsyria.org/10302 Local Coordination Committees in SyriaThe LCC managed to document 120 martyrs by the end of Thursday including 5 children and 3 women; 52 martyrs were reported in Damascus and its Suburbs; 35 in Aleppo, 11 in Homs; 9 in Deir Ezzor; 5 in Hama; 4 in Daraa; 3 in Lattakia; and 1 in Qunaitera http://www.extremeskins.com/showthread.php?357480-Yahoo-Assad-predicts-disaster-if-West-meddles-in-Syria&p=9046975&viewfull=1#post9046975 32,513 people killed so far in Syria http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/10/05/us-syria-crisis-idUSBRE88J0X720121005 Turkey warns "not far" from war after Syrian attackTurkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan said on Friday his country was "not far" from war with Syria following cross-border attacks this week - words which highlighted the danger that the uprising against Syrian President Bashar al-Asaad will drag in its neighbors. In a belligerent speech to a crowd in Istanbul, Erdogan warned the Assad government it would be making a fatal mistake if it picked a fight with Turkey. AIR DEFENCE BASE CAPTUREDThe rebels said they had captured an air defense base with a cache of missiles outside Damascus on Thursday, a boost to their campaign after a series of setbacks in the capital. Video posted on YouTube of the aftermath of the assault showed dozens of rebels dressed in army fatigues celebrating as black smoke rose from a military installation behind them. A middle-aged man holding a rifle says the attack was carried out by a rebel battalion from the town of Douma. It also showed rebels at a weapons cache which included what appeared to be part of a surface-to-air missile. http://www.todayszaman.com/news-294362-syria-keeping-military-10-km-away-from-turkish-border-report-says.html Syria keeping military 10 km away from Turkish border, report saysThe Syrian administration has told its military to keep aircraft at least 10 kilometers away from the Turkish border and to avoid artillery fire near the border one day after the Turkish government received a mandate from Parliament for military operations in foreign countries, a news report said on Friday. Turkey's ntvmsnbc.com news portal claimed, citing “reliable sources,” that the Syrian regime had ordered all kinds of military aircraft, including warplanes and helicopters, to stay at least 10 kilometers from the Turkish border. The report also said a number of Syrian warplanes which approached within 10 kilometers of the Turkish border despite this warning had been ordered to turn back immediately by Syrian authorities. http://www.todayszaman.com/news-294361-number-of-syrian-refugees-in-turkey-nears-100000.html Number of Syrian refugees in Turkey nears 100,000The Prime Ministry's Disaster and Emergency Management Directorate (AFAD) announced on Friday that the number of Syrian refugees in Turkey has reached 96,397, as raging battles have forced thousands of Syrians to flee their tumultuous country, seeking shelter in neighboring countries. In a written statement, AFAD noted that there are five tent cities in the southern province of Hatay, and such cities in other provinces include two in Şanlıurfa, three in Gaziantep and one each in Osmaniye, Kahramanmaraş and Adıyaman, with one container city in Kilis. http://carnegieendowment.org/sada/2012/10/04/in-land-of-free-syrian-army/dyzg In the Land of the Free Syrian ArmySince July, the rebel battalions of the Free Syrian Army (FSA) have increased their attacks on Damascus and Aleppo, while regime forces have reinforced garrisons in the cities with forces drawn from other areas. This has weakened government authority in the northern province of Aleppo, as well as in large swaths of Idlib, Daraa, Homs, Deir el Zour, and in the predominantly Kurdish regions. In the vacuum created by the regime’s absence, new self-governing structures are filling in. In August, I crossed the Turkish border cities of Kilis and Antakya into Syria twice and entered rebel-held Aleppo province and the towns of Binnish and Jabal al-Zawiya in Idlib, where the rebels have also claimed large tracts of territory. I wanted to see how the daily life of locals continued in the aftermath of the fighting and the regime forces' withdrawal. The district of Al Bab in the broader province of Aleppo boasts a population of 200,000. Peaceful protests began there as early as April 2011—only three weeks after demonstrations first broke out nationwide—and they endured despite the government’s brutal crackdown. A year later, according to local accounts, the newly founded (first) FSA battalion in Al Bab started its armed uprising in April 2012, when the regime began its unprecedented use of force. FSA battalions eventually consolidated control of the area, chasing out 400 regime troops and a few tanks. The present fifteen FSA battalions stationed in and around the city recently united to form the Umawiyeen Brigade under the command by Zaher Sharaqad, the former commander of the Abu Baqr Battalion—Al Bab’s largest unit. Now under FSA control but lacking access to public services, residents have been making do. In order to reestablish Al Bab’s city council, the various facets of society have been conducting forms of consensus-building with new stakeholders: revolutionary youth, elders (who kept open channels with regime authorities until their departure), and “educators” (some of the earliest backers of protests). I participated in three of the meetings where these various segments came together in sessions usually over two hours long. On the last day of my stay, August 11, mediations with the groups (conducted mainly by the youth team) seemed to bear fruit: the council’s 21 members agreed on a new structure of 36—twelve from each party—and concurred on issues to be tackled. https://twitter.com/THE_47th Kafranbel solidarity shout-outs to Assad's hometown of Qerdaha 11:05 AM https://twitter.com/Brown_Moses Two videos showing a helicopter crashing and it's remains in East Ghouta, near Damascus … 11:18 AM New video on that same channel showing the debris field …11:18 AM Here's two shots of the helicopter actually getting hit 11:32 AM https://twitter.com/CFKlebergTT Regime forces have shelled several areas around Damascus today, local activists tell me. Eastern and Western suburbs hit hard.11:09 AM "Terrible things" have happened today in Douma, Damascus activist tells me. Syrian rebels present but shelling affects everyone. 11:18 AM In Qudsayya, regime forces break into homes, drag out those who haven't already fled, Damascus activist tells me. 11:19 AM "They're not letting any men leave the town", Damascus activist tells me abt Qudsayya. "Several people have been killed." 11:20 AM https://twitter.com/NMSyria FSA has shot down a Mig fighter jet over Mohsen, Deir_Ezzor 11:46 AM Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
visionary Posted October 5, 2012 Share Posted October 5, 2012 http://www.todayszaman.com/news-294454-turkey-strikes-syria-again-after-mortar-bomb-falls-in-hatay.html Turkey strikes Syria again after mortar bomb falls in HatayTurkish authorities have said Turkish army fired back at targets in Syria in a third straight day after a mortar shell fell in a non-residential area in southern Turkish province of Hatay amid cross-border attacks this week. Hatay Governor Mehmet Celalettin Lekesiz told reporters on Friday that a mortar shell fell in Aşağıpulluyazı village of Yayladağı district, 50 meters away from the Syria border and Turkish army immediately “fired back at targets” within Syria. The governor said there were no causalities. Turkey’s state-run news agency Anatolia also reported that Turkey fired back at Syria on Thursday night after another mortar shell fell in Altınözü district of Hatay. https://twitter.com/LizSly Iraq PM Maliki: "He who starts a fire will be destroyed by fire in the end" (on those arming Syria rebels) http://bit.ly/Q0vVLu 12:03 PM https://twitter.com/Reuters U.N. Security Council strongly condemns Wednesday's "terrorist attacks" in Aleppo, Syria that al Qaeda-linked group says it carried out 12:06 PM https://twitter.com/MahirZeynalov A Syrian mortar bomb falls into Turkey's border province of Hatay and Turkey says it fired back on Assad targets within Syria. 12:03 PM This is overlooked but Turkish state news agency reported five minutes ago that Turkey also struck Assad targets inside Syria last night. 12:07 PM Today's bombing of Syria by Turkey is a third straight day of fighting between Turkey and Syria. 12:09 PM https://twitter.com/siruan_h 3 Kurds killed and 7 wounded after attack by Syrian Air Force between Aleppo and Efrîn http://kurdi.onkurd.net/balafireke-ser-a-suri-se-kurd-kustin/ 12:38 PM https://twitter.com/Reuters TURKISH MILITARY RETURNS FIRE AFTER MORTAR BOMB FROM SYRIA LANDS IN FARMLAND IN TURKEY'S HATAY PROVINCE - STATE NEWS AGENCY12:44 PM https://twitter.com/AcrossTheBay Ex-LAF officer: "Hezbollah regularly fires Grad rockets from Lebanese territory into al-Qusayr in Syria." http://bit.ly/RhxeF3 (in German) 12:47 PM Ex-LAF officer: "Always, whenever the fighting is close for Assad's soldiers, 'the firing [by Hezbollah] begins from across the border.'" PT 12:53 PM Süddeutsche Zeitung: "They [Hezbollah] always carry their dead and wounded back to Lebanon [from al-Qusayr]. This happens almost daily. 12:56 PM https://twitter.com/pdanahar Diplomat at UN told me 2-3 bodies a day of Hezbollah fighters killed in Syria arriving back in Lebanon for discreet burials7:01 AM Oct 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
visionary Posted October 6, 2012 Share Posted October 6, 2012 http://www.nytimes.com/2012/10/06/world/middleeast/rebels-say-wests-inaction-is-radicalizing-syria.html Rebels Say West’s Inaction Is Pushing Syrians to ExtremismMajed al-Muhammad, the commander of a Syrian antigovernment fighting group, slammed his hand on his desk. “Doesn’t America have satellites?” he asked, almost shouting. “Can’t it see what is happening?” A retired Syrian Army medic, Mr. Muhammad had reached the rank of sergeant major in the military he now fights against. He said he had never been a member of a party, and loathed jihadists and terrorists. But he offered a warning to the West now commonly heard among fighters seeking the overthrow of President Bashar al-Assad: The Syrian people are being radicalized by a combination of a grinding conflict and their belief that they have been abandoned by a watching world. If the West continues to turn its back on Syria’s suffering, he said, Syrians will turn their backs in return, and this may imperil Western interests and security at one of the crossroads of the Middle East. This is a theme that has resonated in recent days, not just in Syria, but in Turkey, where the government fired artillery shells into northern Syria this week after a Syrian mortar round hit a Turkish town and killed five civilians. In Turkey, there is a growing sense of frustration shared by the Syrian rebels that the West, the United States in particular, called for Mr. Assad to leave power, only to sit quietly on the sidelines as the crisis transformed into a bloody civil war. “We are now at a very critical juncture,” wrote Melih Asik in the Turkish newspaper Milliyet. “We are not only facing Syria, but Iran, Iraq, Russia and China behind it as well. Behind us, we have nothing but the provocative stance and empty promises of the U.S.” http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/david-ignatius-syrian-resistance-needs-us-help/2012/10/05/0332ec44-0f2e-11e2-bb5e-492c0d30bff6_story.html?hpid=z3 David Ignatius48 hours in Syria This scene Thursday afternoon captured several basic facts about the war in Syria, which is pulverizing a city that in calmer days was one of the jewels of the Arab world. First, there aren’t enough weapons for the rebels to defeat Assad’s forces, and almost every Syrian I talked to thinks this is America’s fault; second, the commanders of the Free Syrian Army are trying to exercise better command and control over what has been a disorganized, ragtag operation; and third, in this chaotic and underresourced fight, the power of the Salafist jihadists — who ask only to be martyrs — appears to be growing. If the United States wants the rebels to coordinate better, it should lead the way by coordinating outside help. The shower of cash and weapons coming from Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait and other Arab nations is helping extremist fighters and undercutting any orderly chain of command through the Free Syrian Army. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/middleeast/syria/9590775/A-family-destroyed-as-the-shadow-of-Syrias-war-looms-over-Turkey.html A family destroyed as the shadow of Syria's war looms over TurkeyZuleyha Timuqin was killed instantly, along with three of her girls and a female relative. Had this random act of bloodletting taken place inside Syria, where 180 people are believed to have died on Thursday alone, it would probably have passed unremarked. But Mrs Timuqin, 39, and her daughters were cut down in Turkey, making their tragedy an international incident and demonstrating how Syria's conflict is spilling over the country's borders. The Timuqin family lived in the Turkish town of Akcakale, found on the southern frontier with Syria. They fell victim to the bloodiest cross-border attack of Syria's conflict, with five mortar rounds being fired into Turkey on Wednesday, provoking the country's army to retaliate by striking targets inside its neighbour with heavy artillery. https://twitter.com/zaidbenjamin BREAKING: Turkish army shells a Syrian army post near al-Qaysaria town north of Syria in response to an earlier shelling by Syrian army2:29 PM https://twitter.com/MahirZeynalov A report quoting officials as saying that in the 1st day of bombing, Turkey destroyed 3 Syrian tanks, 2 armored vehicles, killed 10 soldiers2:42 PM https://twitter.com/Turk4Syria Assad forces have fired 2 mortar shells on the centre of Tal Abyad, falling at a point very close to the Turkish border.5:32 PM https://twitter.com/NMSyria Fierce artillery shelling reported on Yabroud. Family there told me it's so consistent, as if the shells are being launched on timer. 6:30 PM https://twitter.com/SyrianSmurf The FSA in Darkoosh JisrAlshughoor in Idlib took control of a checkpoint today along with all the tanks and weapons after a week long op.12:52 AM they also captured 18 regime soldiers. Idlib 12:54 AM https://twitter.com/And_Harper 316 last & 219 the previous nite x'd into jordan. Zaatri calm. Great news w UNICEF school open kids can resume education12:59 AM Oct 5 311 refugees x'd into Jordan @ nite. Mainly families w large number of children. All registered by HCR nite shift. 1:07 AM https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=2131482&l=c9f76001c5&id=217848338242310 Local Coordination Committees in SyriaThe number of martyrs in Syria has risen to 127 thus far. including 10 children and 4 women; 36 martyrs were reported in Aleppo; 28 in Damascus and its Suburb; 19 in Daraa; 16 in Deir Ezzor;12 in Homs; 11 in Idlib; 3 in Lattakia and 2 in Hama 6:37 PM http://www.extremeskins.com/showthread.php?357480-Yahoo-Assad-predicts-disaster-if-West-meddles-in-Syria&p=9046975&viewfull=1#post9046975 32,640 people killed so far in Syria Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
visionary Posted October 6, 2012 Share Posted October 6, 2012 https://twitter.com/SkyNewsBreak Reuters: State TV says Turkish military returns fire after mortar bomb from Syria lands in Turkey's Hatay Province1:51 AM https://twitter.com/javierespinosa2 Another incident in the border and it's already the fourth, turkish returns fire after mortar lands in Hatay Turkey2:02 AM https://twitter.com/AP State-run agency: Turkish artillery return fire at Syria for fourth day after mortar lands: http://apne.ws/QZXCWQ -JM1:55 AM http://bigstory.ap.org/article/report-turkey-responds-syrian-shelling Another mortar shell from Syria struck Turkish territory on Saturday, prompting a fourth day of retaliatory artillery fire from Turkey, the state-run Anadolu Agency reported.The mortar landed in a rural area near the village of Guvecci, during intense fighting between the forces of Syrian President Bashar Assad's regime and the rebels in Syria's Idlib province across the border. No one was hurt by the mortar. But Turkish troops near Guvecci immediately responded with "counter-fire," the agency said. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
visionary Posted October 6, 2012 Share Posted October 6, 2012 http://www.nytimes.com/2012/10/06/world/middleeast/syria.html?_r=0 Syrian Forces Attack Rebel Stronghold Near PalaceA large armored contingent of Syria’s elite Republican Guard stormed a western Damascus suburb near the presidential palace on Friday, residents and antigovernment activists said, bringing intense combat with insurgents unusually close to the doorstep of the embattled Syrian leadership. Hundreds of residents fled the fighting, which followed days of shelling by government forces after a three-month truce collapsed in the area. Home to hundreds of Guard members and their families, the suburb extends to within a mile of the palace, the residence of President Bashar al-Assad, which overlooks the capital. The government and its armed opponents blamed one another, each claiming that residents of the neighborhood, Qudsaya, had requested protection from the other side. “I feel there is no secure district or suburb in the whole of Damascus,” a 40-year-old Qudsaya resident, who gave only a nickname, Abu Mohammed, said in an interview. “We can see the Republican Palace, and I am sure that Bashar al-Assad is hearing his elite forces attack us. He will not feel happy and sleep well if the fighting is next to his palace.” Antigovernment activists reported that security forces, led by 4,000 Republican Guard forces, stormed the Qudsaya area with artillery and tanks. The government said its forces had entered because citizens were “fed up with the acts of killing, abduction, sabotage and blocking of roads committed by the terrorists,” its term for its armed opponents. Syria’s SANA state news agency said that rebels had evicted residents and turned homes into firing positions. Abu Mohammed, the Qudsaya resident, said that three months ago the president had sent senior Republican Guard officers to negotiate with the people of Qudsaya and Hameh, a neighboring area where fighting also flared on Friday. He said an agreement had been reached that neither security forces nor insurgents would enter the area. “The agreement was good for both sides; there was no arresting, no killing and no shabiha,” he said, referring to pro-government militias. But recently, he said, shabiha from the president’s Alawite minority had violated the truce by killing three young men and attacking women, so residents sought protection from rebels, who began attacking government checkpoints. The government has shelled the area since Tuesday, according to residents and video posted by activists. http://www.voanews.com/content/resident-of-war-battered-aleppo-struggle-to-survice/1521734.html Residents of War-Battered Aleppo Struggle to SurviveAleppo, Syria's most populous city, which saw its historic market go up in flames in recent days - has been an epicenter of fighting in Syria's 18-month-long conflict. Government snipers have been shooting people in the streets. Thousands have been killed in Aleppo in the past few months. Parts of the Old City, a UNESCO heritage site, have been heavily damaged as government forces bomb areas they do not control. In a nearby residential area, people line up to buy bread despite mortar shells exploding a few kilometers away. Taxi driver Abu Hedar wants to leave, but has to stay to care for his cousin who is wounded and cannot be moved. "Life is miserable here. People are leaving," Hedar said. "There is no food or drink. When there is bombing, people run away to the villages or into their basements." http://blogs.aljazeera.com/topic/syria/mokhtar-lamani-head-theun-arab-league-peace-envoys-office-met-members-syrias-armed Mokhtar Lamani, head of theUN-Arab League peace envoy's office, met with members of Syria's armed oppositionMokhtar Lamani, the head of UN-Arab League peace envoy Lakhdar Brahimi's office in Syria, met members of the armed opposition on Saturday, a UN official told AFP. Lamani visited the Lajat area some 50 kilometres (30 miles) south of Damascus and "met leaders of the armed opposition," spokesman Khaled al-Masri said. The meeting came "as part of Lakhdar Brahimi's mission to make contact with and discuss with all Syrian parties to hear their points of view regarding the Syria crisis," he added. Masri said Lamani visited Lajat after a trip to Daraa in the south, cradle of the anti-regime uprising that broke out in March of last year. On September 30, Lamani met a rebel Free Syrian Army commander in the town of Talbisseh in Homs province. He held talks with Colonel Kassem Saadeddine and other members of the FSA, which is made up of army deserters and civilians who have taken up arms against President Bashar al Assad's regime. Lamani also met the governor of Homs province, Ghassan Abdelaal, and representatives of the International Committee of the Red Cross and Syrian Red Crescent. - Agence France Presse https://twitter.com/MahirZeynalov Turkey continues bombing Syria's Idlib city in the fourth day of attacks after three mortar bombs fell in Turkey's Hatay since 7 am today.12:02 PM https://twitter.com/javierespinosa2 In the border with Syria, heavy clashes near by, you can see the explosions less than 1 km away Turkey5:43 AM Locals confirmed that 1 shell landed in Turkish territory near guveci. Regime is using now rockets to try to fight back a rebel offensive in this area 6:12 AM In my way back to Antakya I just passed an army convoy heading to guveci with 1 piece of artillery. Turkish military deployment continues at Syrian border, including military vehicles (Anadolu Agency) 9:58 AM FSA attack on the border of Syria Turkey is part of its plans to take control of all that border between Idlib and Aleppo 12:42 PM Many FSA members waiting in Guvecci to join the fight in Syria, "the problem is that we don't have weapons", told me 1 12:44 PM https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=2134224&l=e60a48014a&id=217848338242310 The Local Coordination Committees in Syria: The number of martyrs in Syria has risen to 105 thus far, including 10 members from the FSA, 3 women and 2 children: 31 martyrs were reported in Damascus and it's Suburbs; 24 in Homs, most of them in Houla; 22 in Aleppo ; 10 in Lattakia; 9 in Idlib; 7 in Daraa; 1 in Hama; and 1 in Deir Ezzor Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
visionary Posted October 7, 2012 Share Posted October 7, 2012 http://www.nytimes.com/2012/10/07/world/middleeast/citing-us-fears-arab-allies-limit-aid-to-syrian-rebels.html?smid=tw-bna&bna=2664&_r=0 Citing U.S. Fears, Arab Allies Limit Syrian Rebel AidFor months, Saudi Arabia and Qatar have been funneling money and small arms to Syria’s rebels but have refused to provide heavier weapons, like shoulder-fired missiles, that could allow opposition fighters to bring down government aircraft, take out armored vehicles and turn the war’s tide. While they have publicly called for arming the rebels, they have held back, officials in both countries said, in part because they have been discouraged by the United States, which fears the heavier weapons could end up in the hands of terrorists. As a result, the rebels have just enough weapons to maintain a stalemate, the war grinds on and more jihadist militants join the fray every month. “You can give the rebels AKs, but you can’t stop the Syrian regime’s military with AKs,” said Khalid al-Attiyah, a state minister for foreign affairs in Qatar. Providing the rebels with heavier weapons “has to happen,” he added. “But first we need the backing of the United States, and preferably the U.N.” http://www.haaretz.com/news/middle-east/syrian-rebels-reportedly-capture-president-bashar-assad-s-cousin-1.468579 Syrian rebels reportedly capture President Bashar Assad's cousinSyrian rebels announced Saturday that they have captured Hussam Assad, the cousin of Syrian President Bashar Assad. The arrest was announced on the Twitter page of Sheikh Adnan Al Arour, who is considered one of the Salafi leaders in Syria. Al Arour claimed that his men successfully captured Hussam Assad, who is one of the men at the center of Assad's security establishment. http://www.tripolipost.com/articledetail.asp?c=1&i=9268 5+5 Summit Update: Magharief Says Libya is Supporting Syrian People in Attaining Freedom and to Choose Their Own GovernmentAt the concluding press conference of the 5+5 Dialogue in Malta on Saturday, the president of Libya's National Congress, Mohammed Magharief, said that the new Libya is supporting the Syrian people in their fight to enjoy freedom and choose their own government. He said that what is happening in Syria is a serious problem, and that it also an Arab problem. He said that Libya is with the Syrian people in their revolution and will continue in tis efforts to support the people in order to gain their rights against the regime that is committing crimes against its own people. Referring to President Bashar al-Assad, he said he has lost all reason to exist in that country. Other Arab leaders who addressed the conference also expressed their agreement on the issue that also was raised during the summit that unanimously agreed to condemn the Syrian regime and also included the condemnation in the final declaration http://blogs.aljazeera.com/liveblog/topic/syria-153 about 6 hours agoForty government soldiers and nine rebels were killed on Saturday when rebels took a town in the northwestern province of Idlib near the border with Turkey, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said. "The clashes at Khirbat al-Joz... ended when fighters of the rebel brigades took control of the area," said the Britain-based watchdog. "The fighting lasted more than 12 hours and resulted in at least 40 dead among the regular forces, including five officers, and nine (rebel) fighters," it added after earlier reporting 25 soldiers and three rebels dead. - Agence France Presse https://twitter.com/HamaEcho Total destruction in Qusour neighbourhood of Homs and remaining homes burning from shelling 10:05 AM Heavy shelling near the man filming in Qusour neighbourhood of Homs today: What's left of Qusour: 10:07 AM Fierce clashes in Khaldiyah, Homs after another invasion attempt by shabiha https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eeskU-FfWnA&feature=player_embedded Repelling invasion: 10:14 AM Massive destruction in Mashaa al-Arbain neighbourhood of Hama after Assad's thugs demolished most of the neighbourhood http://ow.ly/egRjb 10:23 AM https://twitter.com/SyrianSmurf The FSA in Darkoosh Idlib seizes control of a checkpoint and all its tanks and BMPs and weaponry. 7:08 AM FSA in JisrAlshughoor seize control of the village of Khirbet Aljoz after killing 50 regime soldiers. Idlib 7:01 PM https://twitter.com/HamaEcho Lt. Abdulrazaq Tlass has been removed from all positions in the Farouk Brigade after he admitted that video was authentic. [sexting and exposing himself online to a girl who turned out to be a regime spy, which he later lied about and blamed on a conspiracy]4:35 PM Also why did this happen now? Circumstances are strange. I wonder what political links the new leader has. 6:47 PM I'm currently working with the FSA with some things, I feel I can't do any useful things for the revo if I left. 6:59 PM For Qubair, for Houla, for Daraya, for Baba Amr, for Arbain, for Rastan, it's time to join the fight at last. Won't be back on here, bye. 7:15 PM Yes. For this boy … and this boy … and all the martyrs. See you one day. 7:22 PM https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=2134635&l=a43e5cf264&id=217848338242310 The Local Coordination Committees in Syria:As Saturday ended in Syria the LCC managed to document 110 martyrs, including 10 members from the FSA, 3 women and 2 children: 31 martyrs were reported in Damascus and it's Suburbs; 24 in Homs, most of them in Houla; 22 in Aleppo ; 10 in Lattakia; 10 in Idlib; 7 in Daraa; 2 in Hama; 2 in Deir Ezzor and 1 in Raqqa 5:08 PM http://www.extremeskins.com/showthread.php?357480-Yahoo-Assad-predicts-disaster-if-West-meddles-in-Syria&p=9046975&viewfull=1#post9046975 32,750 people killed so far in Syria Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.