visionary Posted November 1, 2012 Share Posted November 1, 2012 http://www.csmonitor.com/World/Middle-East/2012/1101/Support-for-jihadists-in-Syria-swells-as-US-backing-of-rebels-falls-short#.UJLBkUoHtiM.twitter Support for jihadists in Syria swells as US backing of rebels falls shortWhen asked about the role of Islamic jihadists in Syria's long-burning civil war, an Aleppo hospital doctor recalled what prompted one Syrian to join their ranks. The man had returned to his house one day to find it destroyed by a bomb, his wife and children among the dead. "Give me one reason why I should not join the jihadists!" the man cried, recalls the doctor. "They will give me my revenge, while all the rest of the world drinks a cup of tea and says, 'Oh, it's so sad.' " Aleppo has become the crucible of the 20-month rebellion against the rule of President Bashar al-Assad. But despite a rising death toll and a shared aim of removing the Syrian leader, US officials have stopped short of giving decisive support to rebel forces, citing fears that weapons and cash would find their way to Islamist fighters – many of them from abroad – with an anti-US agenda who have joined the fight. Still, as the desperation in Syria mounts, with tens of thousands dead and no end to the conflict in sight, rebel commanders say the American effort to limit rebel capabilities may be spurring exactly what the US hoped to avoid, by extending the war and deepening the influence of Islamist fighters. But on the ground, many Syrians say the US reluctance to support their cause is yielding more jihadists, and more radical ones. And it's questionable whether American reluctance is significantly hampering the flow of weapons to jihadists. "If the Americans do not give us weapons, then the jihadists will get them from somewhere else," says Abu Baraa, a local Aleppo commander. In his view, current US policy "has opened the doors for jihadist Islam, not for moderates.” Another result, often voiced in this embattled city, is that even though the US shares rebel aims, its limited support for the fight itself has ignited widespread anger toward Washington – and even prompted speculation that the US wants the Syrian regime to win. http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2012/nov/01/syria-rebels-fear-foreign-jihadis Syria's rebels fear foreign jihadis in their midstIn early summer, Abu Ismael, a six-year veteran of al-Qaida, left the insurgency still blazing in his homeland of Iraq and travelled to what he believes is the start of the apocalypse. He secured cash from a benefactor in the northern Iraqi city of Erbil, then approached a weapons dealer in Anbar province, a desolate corner of the country that was not long ago a staging point for jihadis arriving from Syria and is now a gateway for those going the other way. "It was easy," he said, in the sitting room of a house in the Syrian city of Aleppo. "The money was no problem, neither was the weapon, or the motivation. This will be a fight against the great enemy." Around the hard-bitten 23-year-old sat three members of a Syrian rebel militia who were acting as his hosts. They looked at the floor as the young jihadi explained Qur'anic teachings that he said were shaping the battle ahead. "I don't care about the future," he said. "I care about today. Muhammad the Messenger said there would be a battle between the Persians and the Sunnis. And it is coming. "When the regime falls, all those who fought against the Muslims will be my enemy, especially the Shias," he said, reiterating a view held by some Sunni extremists that Shia are their biggest foes. The hosts shifted nervously, still avoiding eye contact. The stranger in their midst had sought refuge among them two months ago. Since then he had rented a house, won a ride to the battle zone whenever he wants and earned the support of some of the area's rebel units. http://www.cnn.com/2012/11/01/world/meast/syria-civil-war/index.html Opposition group accuses Syrian government of using 'vacuum bombs'An array of explosives, from shells to barrel bombs, fell on Syrian cities in another day of bloodshed Thursday, according to activists fighting to overthrow President Bashar al-Assad. The Local Coordination Committees accused the government of using "vacuum bombs." Also known as thermobaric explosives, they are effective at spreading destruction through urban areas, according to military experts. The LCC also repeated claims that the government used cluster bombs. http://gulfnews.com/opinions/editorials/syrians-want-change-not-reform-mirages-1.1097136 Syrians want change, not reform mirages https://twitter.com/rozalinachomsky resistance fighters destroyed a military checkpoint on aleppo - latakia motorway (near the town of al-taranbeh) resistance fighters killed +20 assad troops, seized a military tank & a bmp vehicle & destroyed a bmp1:01 PM resistance fighters destroyed 2 tanks & killed many assad troops in idlib (near the motorway). details later 1:10 PM resistance fighters destroyed 2 military tanks in kafr naha (aleppo countryside). heavy clashes continue 2:37 PM resistance fighters destroyed 2 military tanks today in al-mayadin desert (deirezzor) 2:48 PM the military situation in & around al-haffah (latakia) is not encouraging. resistance fighters need urgent help 2:54 PM https://twitter.com/MidaniBatman **** this video. [of rebels executing dozens of captives after they'd surrendered]. Anyone who perpetuates the same crimes as the regime deserves death. Even if theyre FSA -2:39 PM at least hold some kind of local field trial. Give it some sort of legitimacy. Execute them humanely. I’m not against execution. 2:43 PM I’m against FSA acting as barbaric as the regime. I hold them to a much higher standard. 2:44 PM definitely been a difference. Perfect quote: “be careful when you fight monsters lest you become one.” 2:53 PM https://twitter.com/NMSyria ****ing disgusting. And what's worse are people who downplay their actions. "Oh it's okay, because it's the regime"2:42 PM This is exactly what the regime wants. "Look at these terrorists, they executed our surrendered soldiers" **** them. 2:44 PM Every single time a video like this comes out, I just imagine the FSA shooting themselves in the foot. That's the outcome. 2:45 PM Don't compare the FSA to the regime in order to downplay their wrongdoings. We hold the FSA to the highest of standards, not regime filth. 2:55 PM I'm talking about those responsible for crimes like these, not the entire FSA and those who are good. 2:58 PM https://twitter.com/BSyria The SNC model is not working. I am open to new efforts, even if they are sponsored by Satan himself. (No pun intended.)3:44 PM He's referring to the current initiative by the US for a new more representative Syrian Council. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
visionary Posted November 2, 2012 Share Posted November 2, 2012 http://www.mcclatchydc.com/2012/11/01/173336/syrian-opposition-group-tells.html#storylink=cpy Syrian opposition group tells U.S. to stay out of internal politicsA U.S. decision to de-recognize a Syrian exile umbrella group and to propose a new political forum – and even who should be on it – drew an angry response from opposition figures Thursday, who charged that Washington was trying to impose its will on them while passively watching the bombardment of cities and towns by the Assad regime. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said Wednesday that the United States would no longer view the Syrian National Council “as the visible leader” of the opposition and said she had “recommended names and organizations which we believe should be included in any leadership structure.” “The politics of the United States are very, very bad, very stupid,” said Mohammed Sarmini, spokesman for the Syrian National Council, whose 310 members represent most of the major parties and organizations in exile. “This may be an American project, but it is very offensive to the Syrian people. You should support us on the ground, not get into our politics.” In her remarks, Clinton disparaged the SNC as “people who have many good attributes but have, in many instances, not been inside Syria for 20, 30 or 40 years.” She called for representation of those “who are on the frontlines, fighting and dying today to obtain their freedom.”In fact, dozens of military and civilian personnel from inside Syria took part in Ziadeh’s conference, including representatives of “every military command, without exception,” he said. They included Abdel Rizaq Tlass, the founder of the powerful Farouk Brigade in Homs, Lt. Ammar al-Wawi, leader of the Ababil Battalion in Aleppo, and Col. Afif Suleiman, head of the revolutionary council in Idlib. The three-day conference was said to be the biggest and most inclusive gathering of its kind. There were more than 20 officers and fighters from the armed resistance in attendance, some 70 civilian activists from inside Syria, and representatives of 18 political parties and factions. They reached accord in four major areas, the most important of which is probably the plan for a transitional government. The accord calls for an assembly of 300 Syrians, to be held inside the country if possible, to elect the government. Most of the participants would be from the inside, intended to give the legitimacy that many transitional governments do not have. One-quarter of the participants would represent the municipal councils set up to run liberated areas, one-quarter from the armed resistance groups, one-quarter of state bureaucrats who have defected to the opposition and one-quarter from the Syrian National Council. Other points agreed to at the meeting were to build a new constitution, based on the 1950 constitution, which put heavy stress on civil rights; to institute an election law that provides for multiple parties and a parliamentary system; to institute a new national security administration and to make it a constitutional requirement that the military stays out of politics. There has been a lot of disorganization and confusion though, and lack of minority support. Plus it's unclear how much is being done to help things on the ground so far. http://www.foreignpolicy.com/articles/2012/11/01/winter_is_coming Winter Is ComingEven as the United States picks up from the wreckage left in the wake of Hurricane Sandy, Mother Nature has a much larger humanitarian disaster in store for Syria -- and aid workers are scrambling to contain the damage. Winter is approaching, threatening the millions of Syrians who have been displaced from their homes by the 19-month conflict. Temperatures are dropping fast: In the city of Aleppo, which has been ravaged by fierce guerrilla fighting since June, the average low in December is 39 degrees Fahrenheit; the average rainfall is 2.5 inches. That's about on par with the weather in Raleigh, North Carolina. Along the Turkish border, where an estimated 170,000 refugees are living, the conditions are even colder and wetter. "It is hard. We lack the donations to purchase the supplies, we lack the people on the ground to help us, and we lack safety while working," said Diana Rifai, a Syrian from the city of Homs working to provide aid to refugees in north Lebanon. "I am actually speechless. It makes me cry every time I discuss it with anyone." The latest report by the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) paints a picture of a rapidly expanding refugee population, and international organizations struggling to keep up with their growing needs. There are currently 350,00 refugees registered in the countries bordering Syria, the UNHCR reports, and another 1.2 million people displaced from their homes inside the country. But those numbers are expected to grow dramatically in the months ahead: The refugee agency projects that the number of external Syrian refugees could double to 710,000 people by the end of the year. https://twitter.com/rozalinachomsky update: resistance fighters destroyed the college of law military checkpoint in idlib3:47 PM the liberation of hamisho military checkpoint in idlib countryside 3:50 PM the liberation of saririf military checkpoint in idlib countryside 4:00 PM from al-islam brigade:resistance fighters seized a tank near douma 4:17 PM heavy clashes in aleppo city center have been going on for 5 hours. no reports on casualties 4:40 PM https://twitter.com/SyrianSmurf A friend was martyred today in the village of Bzaboor in JabalAlzawiyah Idlib.11:16 PM Samir Aldrai` had his house shelled...several of his family members were injured...he was martyred. 11:19 PM https://twitter.com/hisham_melhem US sources say they r impressed w/ Riyad Saif's 'plan' re. opposition's next move. Riyad Hijab will be invited to Doha's meeting11:28 PM US source: In Doha we expect a hard time convincing Turkey & Qatar to support a broad Syrian opposition, mostly from the inside to replace SNC 12:10 AM http://www.lccsyria.org/10439 Local Coordination Committees in Syria: Local Coordination Committees was able to documented 149 martyrs for Thursday, including 8 children and 5 women, 53 martyr in Damascus and its Suburbs, 28 martyr in Idlib, 25 martyr in Aleppo, 19 martyr in Hama mostly have been executed in the neighborhood of Kazuo, 9 martyrs in Deir Ezzor, 4 martyrs in each of Raqqa, Daraa and Homs and 3 martyrs in Lattakia http://www.extremeskins.com/showthread.php?357480-Yahoo-Assad-predicts-disaster-if-West-meddles-in-Syria&p=9046975&viewfull=1#post9046975 36,784 people killed so far in Syria Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
visionary Posted November 2, 2012 Share Posted November 2, 2012 http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/middle-east-live/2012/nov/02/syria-conflict-rebel-war-crime-video-live?CMP=twt_gu Executions blamed on SalafisA rebel fighter from Idlib province has blamed the execution of government soldiers on Thursday on a Salafi group that he says are increasingly influential in the area. Abu Abdul Rahiem, a fighter in Jebal al-Zawiyia, said that the incident occurred in al-Nayrab to the west of Saraqeb. Speaking to Mona Mahmood he said: Yesterday there was a massive fight near a checkpoint in al-Nayrab led by the Salafi Dawood brigade, part of Suqur al-Sham organisation.Assad’s soldiers were inside a military camp in the town. Fighters from the Salafi Dawood brigade overran the camp and captured the soldiers. Initially there were only ten of them so they could not take the soldiers captive, and had to kill them immediately. No trial could be held because the fighting was still going on. This is guerrilla warfare. The soldiers there included snipers who had shot four fighters from the Dawood brigade. The Dawood brigade and the Suqur Al-Sham organisation do not answer to any military council affiliated to the FSA. They work independently and have their own leader whom they call Ameer and his name is Abu Issa. We do not wish to turn Syria into another Afghanistan, but we can't stop these extremists groups. We are really worried about the future of Syria. We need weapons and media support, but there is nothing on the ground.We have four Salafi groups who are fighting in Idlib province. The biggest group is Jabhat al-Nusra which has members all over Syria. There is also the Ansar al-Islam group, the Majless al-Shura group and Suqur al-Sham group. These Salafi groups are gaining support in Idlib province as they are well equipped unlike the FSA brigades. People also admire their bravery. They are tough fighters and when they get hold of soldiers, they kill them at once. They are getting more powerful and in in the future could start forcing people to follow sharia law. It is a big problem. On the other hand Suqur Al-Sham is one of the most if not the most sucessful brigades in Idlib, ad maybe in Syria right now. They have liberated a lot of towns and checkpoints and taken out military bases and aircraft. Of course the question is how much of that is due to possibly having more outside support. http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/middle-east-live/2012/nov/02/syria-conflict-rebel-war-crime-video-live?CMP=twt_gu Rebels claim to have liberated SaraqebThe rebel leadership has confirmed that Assad forces have left Saraqeb, the town near scene of Thursday's execution of captured soldiers. In a statement emailed to the Guardian the Free Syrian Amry's joint command council said: Today the last tank and soldier of Assad's brigades and shabiha left Saraqeb and the independence flag is flying high in the town. Saraqeb was surrounded by four military checkpoints. All of these checkpoints fell after a sophisticated operation. Sarageb is an important strategic gain as it connects many cities and lies on the highway between Aleppo and Damascus. http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-201_162-57544000/family-of-austin-tice-u.s-journalist-missing-in-syria-since-earlier-august-hopes-to-find-answers-in-beirut/ Family of Austin Tice, U.S. journalist missing in Syria since earlier August, hopes to find answers in BeirutThe family of a freelance journalist who disappeared while covering the war in Syria plans to travel to Beirut to work for his release. Austin Tice's father, Marc Tice, said in a statement Thursday the family plans to travel to Beirut "soon." Tice declined to elaborate on the timeline during a phone conversation from Houston, Texas. Tice says he wants the family "complete" when they celebrate Thanksgiving later this month. The 31-year-old former Marine went missing in August. He had been one of a few journalists to report from Damascus. Marc Tice says his last contact with his son was on Aug. 12. https://twitter.com/Avend93 So, acoording to Xeber24 the killer of YPG commander is Kurdish and a member of Selaheddin Battalion. 3:47 AM PYD has gone crazy, kidnapped a Kurdish activist in Qamishlo earlier morning in front of his house & now attacking a Kurdish demo. 8:18 AM https://twitter.com/SyrianSmurf The Harem citadel...the last regime stronghold in Harem...now has the revolutionary flag waving on its walls. Idlib6:29 AM The FSA in the Hama suburbs get their hands on the largest regime weapons warehouse in the area! 7:11 AM There are reports of a massacre in Harem Idlib...not confirmed...but the reports estimate 70 martyrs. 8:20 AM The massacre in Harem was a result of shelling on a mosque during Friday prayers. At least 70 martyrs...hundreds of injured. Idlib 9:03 AM https://twitter.com/rozalinachomsky resistance fighters destroyed a tank near al-adnan mosque military checkpoint in zamalka (damascus countryside)9:12 AM from the battlefield in douma: resistance fighters liberated the municipality building 10:03 AM from the battlefield in douma: resistance fighters destroyed masraba bridge military checkpoint 10:13 AM resistance fighters liberated the public transport company in aleppo city http://youtu.be/TmKhnOnBrBA 10:33 AM heavy clashes continue in maysaloun neighborhood (near the political security building) in aleppo city 10:35 AM https://twitter.com/rozalinachomsky fierce clashes are going on now near the artillery brigade in al-mayadin desert. 3 resistance fighters were killed10:51 AM sayf al-sham brigade declares responsibility for the 2 explosions in al-zahirah (damascus) that killed & injured +100 assad thugs 10:56 AM resistance fighters request the people in damascus to stay away from military checkpoints. there will be surprises!!! 11:05 AM update: 36 troops defected yesterday in palmyra 11:42 AM https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=2203894&l=f21602fed6&id=217848338242310 Damascus Suburbs: Douma: The Free Syrian Army takes over the police station and the Town hall9:16 AM https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=2204321&l=22b5d81cf4&id=217848338242310 Local Coordination Committees in SyriaThe number of martyrs in Syria has risen to 95 so far including 6 children and 2 women; 40 martyrs were reported in Damascus and its Suburbs; 14 in Deir Ezzor; 10 in Idlib; 9 in Aleppo: 8 in Lattakia; 7 in Daraa; 6 in Homs; and 1 in Hama There's no mention of Harem in this report. Maybe because the dead are still being counted. Not certain how much has been verified yet though. Lots of protests going on today, here's one from Aleppo: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
visionary Posted November 3, 2012 Share Posted November 3, 2012 https://twitter.com/rozalinachomsky resistance fighters destroyed a military tank & killed assad troops near the town of tal sha`ir (aleppo countryside)12:46 PM resistance fighters attacked a military convoy on aleppo-latakia motorway, & destroyed 2 bmp vehicles, a tank & a car 3:31 PM resistance fighters destroyed al-rabi` military checkpoint in douma 4:08 PM resistance fighters have liberated the state security building in douma 6:03 PM resistance fighters destroyed 2 military tanks near al-walid sanatorium in douma 6:08 PM https://twitter.com/rozalinachomsky resistance fighters in homs countryside are not far away from the besieged city. that's all what i can say now!!4:47 PM some troops have defected from al-mubarakiyah military checkpoint (south of homs) 6:38 PM update: resistance fighters have entered 'al-duwailah' airforce base & seized a tank. they have also captured the chief of the base. north west of idlib 6:25 PM ahrar al-sham brigades say the battle is still going on in 'al-duwailah' military base 6:53 PM https://twitter.com/SyrianSmurf The FSA near Dwaila in Idlib have shot down a MiG today.1:03 PM FINALLY! Video of the MiG that was shot down in Salqeen Idlib today. 5:05 PM 67 martyrs in Idlib today, 45 of which are unidentified as of now. 7:42 PM Just a reminder...there was a massacre in Harem Idlib today with hundreds between martyrs and injured...ok...carry on... 8:24 PM The FSA in Harem Idlib set up a trap for regime forces killing 40 of them...the bodies are now in Lattaqia. We will avenge every martyr! 8:34 PM https://twitter.com/WashingtonPoint Breaking: FSA: we won't accept former Prime Minister Riad Hijab as the head transitional council v @Turankislakci8:11 PM That's going to be a problem for us. I think a bunch of people were saying he was corrupt when he defected though. Then again I'm not sure how many Syrian politicians aren't corrupt. https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=2205099&l=07bfc63c19&id=217848338242310 Idlib: The FSA gains control of all Dowaila military area at the northen west part of Idlib7:13 PM (where the base was being attacked earlier?) https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=2205227&l=0eabfc3fc4&id=217848338242310 Aleppo: Fierce clashes between the FSA and regime forces at Zahraa Association9:03 PM https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=2205194&l=ad32c4d876&id=217848338242310 Local Coordination Committees in SyriaBy the end of Friday the LCC documented 182 martyrs in Syria including 14 children and 8 women; 51 martyrs were reported Aleppo most of them in Ameriah massacre; 47 in Damascus and its Suburbs; 34 in Deir Ezzor; 20 in Idlib; 13 in Homs; 8 in Lattaki; 8 in Daraa; and 1 in Hama I think most of the martyrs from the massacre in Harem have yet to be indentified. http://www.extremeskins.com/showthread.php?357480-Yahoo-Assad-predicts-disaster-if-West-meddles-in-Syria&p=9046975&viewfull=1#post9046975 36,966 people killed so far in Syria Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
visionary Posted November 3, 2012 Share Posted November 3, 2012 http://www.dailystar.com.lb/News/Local-News/2012/Nov-03/193708-government-waives-$200-residency-fee-for-syrians.ashx#axzz2B8wo04bo Government waives $200 residency fee for SyriansThe Lebanese government has decided to waive the $200 residency renewal fee for Syrians, and is now allowing permits to be renewed within Lebanon, rather than on the Syrian border, which represented an increasingly perilous journey for refugees. The U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees has been lobbying the government to waive the $200 per person fee for months, and Dana Sleiman, information associate for the agency in Beirut, welcomed Friday the positive step. For those who had entered Lebanon legally, at six months they would have to return to the Syrian border to renew their residency, and after one year would have to pay the $200 fee, a cost which Sleiman labeled “prohibitive.” Now, she said, the agency is trying to spread the word to all displaced Syrians, and to make sure that it is being implemented fully across Lebanon. The Lebanese government has also decided to allow those who entered the country unofficially to regularize their status, according to the latest weekly report from the UNHCR. http://mobile.reuters.com/article/idUSBRE8A117O20121102?irpc=932 Syrian dissident pushes to unite fragmented oppositionThe fragmented Syrian opposition will attempt once again this weekend to forge a common policy to gain international respect, obtain weapons and, most importantly, topple Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, a formerly imprisoned dissident said. "An alternative to the regime is dearly needed," said Riad Seif, a liberal politician who is battling cancer and managed to leave Syria only a few months ago after having been imprisoned. "We are talking about a temporary period that begins with forming a political leadership until a national assembly that represents all Syrians meets in Damascus, once Assad falls," Seif said in an interview with Reuters in Amman. On Wednesday, the United States called for an overhaul of the Syrian opposition's leadership, saying it was time to move beyond the Syrian National Council (SNC), the largest of the groupings abroad, and bring in those "in the front lines fighting and dying". Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, signaling a more active stance by Washington in attempts to form a credible political opposition to Assad, said the meeting in Qatar would be an opportunity to broaden the coalition against him. Unlike previous efforts that failed to come up with a unified leadership, Seif said the Doha assembly will be more inclusive, representing a myriad of religious and activists' groupings as well as more members of Assad's minority Alawite sect and Kurdish political leaders. Among those Seif met in Amman was former Syrian Prime Minister Riad Hijab, who defected to Jordan three months ago and is playing a major role in the new effort led by Seif. He also met with Suhair al-Atassi, an organizer of peaceful street demonstrations early in the revolt, and physician Kamal al-Labwani, a long-time political prisoner who is now an outspoken advocate for armed struggle. https://twitter.com/And_Harper Some 300 arrived last nite 2 jordan incl. 180 childrn (15 new born) of the 62 families, 41 were female headed.1:55 AM https://twitter.com/NMSyria The FSA has announced the launch of an offensive attack on the Taftanaz Military Airport in Idlib1:34 AM FSA is shelling Taftanaz Military Airport using mortars. Funny how the tables turn eh? Idlib 2:20 AM Breaking: The FSA has stormed and taken control of the Police HQ and Municipality building in Douma, Damascus. 2:21 AM The FSA in Taftanaz launching home-made rockets on the military airport. 2:23 AM https://twitter.com/THE_47th Shd be noted that Jordan has escalated it's role in the Syrian Revo: from denying that defectors came thru its soil 2 hosting top oppo mtgs. 2:53 AM When Manaf Tlass goes back to Syria, he will be heading Southern Front of the Syrian National Army from Deraa, directly supplied from Jo. 2:54 AM https://twitter.com/SyrianSmurf The FSA has announced the battle to liberate the Taftanaz airport in Idlib. Reports that they shot down a MiG there just now.1:28 AM The regime forces at the Taftanaz airport have gone berserk...The entire area around the airport is getting shelled like never before. 3:01 AM Explosions INSIDE the Taftanaz airport Idlib 3:16 AM MiG shells Ta`oom mosque...which is in the vicinity of the Taftanaz airport. 3:17 AM Shelling on the village of Ta`oom in Idlib left us with this view... pic.twitter.com/5lQ65xvf 3:28 AM https://twitter.com/AlexCrawfordSky FSA attack Taftanaz airport in Idlib. It's very important as most helicopters leave from there. 3:59 AM Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
visionary Posted November 3, 2012 Share Posted November 3, 2012 http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/11/03/us-israel-syria-tanks-idUSBRE8A208C20121103 Three Syrian tanks enter demilitarized zone in Golan: IsraelThree Syrian tanks entered the demilitarized zone in the Golan Heights between Israel and Syria on Saturday, an Israeli military spokeswoman said. "The Israeli Defense Forces have filed a complaint with the U.N. (peacekeeping) force in the area," the spokeswoman said. She had no further information on what the tanks were doing. Israeli media said the tanks were involved in fighting rebels trying to overthrow Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. http://blogs.aljazeera.com/liveblog/topic/syria-153 about 7 hours agoThe talks starting Sunday in the Qatari capital Doha come amid US criticism of the main exiled opposition group, the Syrian National Council (SNC), which Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said this week was not representative. Reports have emerged that Washington is pressing for an overhaul of the opposition, with long-time dissident Riad Seif touted as the potential head of a new government-in-exile dubbed the Syrian National Initiative. Seif and about two dozen other leading opposition figures gathered in Jordan's capital Amman this week and came up with proposals for a new body to represent the disparate groups opposing President Bashar al-Assad. Among those in attendance were some SNC members, former premier Riad Hijab, who defected in August, Ali Sadreddin Bayanuni of the Muslim Brotherhood and Kurdish and tribal representatives, participants said. In a statement Saturday, participants sought to quell concerns the overhaul is aimed at building an opposition that would be willing to negotiate with Assad. "Assad and his entourage leaving power is a non-negotiable precondition for any dialogue aimed at finding a non-military solution, if that is still possible," the statement said. The Amman meeting also came out in support of "efforts underway to put in place a unified political body for the whole of the opposition," according to the statement. It examined "the means to unify the opposition in a way worthy of the sacrifices on the ground and to secure the international, regional and Arab support needed to overthrow the regime." The group backed the rebel "Free Syrian Army and the movements behind the revolution on the ground as legitimate means to topple the criminal regime." about 5 hours agoOpposition fighters say they have destroyed helicopters in a major attack on Taftanaz air force base in northwest Syria. The base came under attack at dawn. Internet video shows rebels firing mobile rocket launchers and heavy weapons. The Free Syrian army is also using tanks captured from government forces. Rebel sources are telling Al Jazeera they have surrounded the airbase. They say the Syrian army has retaliated by attacking rebel positions. More internet video shows scenes from the conflict around the airfield. https://twitter.com/DamascusTribune A new massacre in Zamalka city in Damascus suburbs;16 human (most of them children & women)were martyred following a MiG airstrike, LCC2:01 PM FYI: There was a protest in Swaida, a Druze stronghold province. Prepare yourselves to a blast in a Druze majority city as usual. 2:08 PM https://twitter.com/vvanwilgenburg YPG commander Nojin Derik might be still alive, armed group told FSA, YPG will investigate http://ar.firatnews.com/index.php?rupel=nuce&nuceID=49792:14 PM https://twitter.com/rozalinachomsky resistance fighters had forced assad's forces to leave the town of al-qaysariyah in al-raqqah10:44 AM resistance fighters destroyed another military tank in jisr al-shughour countryside (i've stopped counting!!) 10:52 AM resistance fighters attacked a military checkpoint, killed assad troops & destroyed 2 tanks in al-jdeydeh neighborhood in aleppo 11:17 AM the liberation of the administrative affairs college (kafr joum, aleppo) http://youtu.be/Oacd2NzfmuQ 4:11 PM once again, ferocious clashes are going on now around al-nayrab military airport in aleppo city 4:12 PM https://twitter.com/rozalinachomsky resistance fighters control most the area near the 'israeli border' in al-qunaytirah. many assad troops & thugs were killed4:21 PM update: resistance fighters attacked 3 military checkpoints today in al-yarmouk camp (damascus) & killed assad troops 4:27 PM update: resistance fighters destroyed 2 military tanks today in taftanaz military airport. fierce clashes continue 4:31 PM the liberation of an artillery base in al-qaysariyah (al-raqqah) 5:23 PM resistance fighters have re-liberated jdeydeh neighborhood in aleppo city 6:43 PM https://twitter.com/omarsyria I am for the Riyad Seif-led imitative. He is an honest man and the council has many credible figures. Hope it works. 6:43 PM https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=2207288&l=e35e183b27&id=217848338242310 Local Coordination Committees in SyriaNumber of martyrs in Syria has risen to 134; including 10 women and 16 children; 47 martyrs were reported in Idlib most of them were martyred due to the warplane shelling on Kafar Takharem; 37 in Damascus and its suburbs most of them in Zamalka; 13 in Aleppo; 11 in Daraa; 9 in Qunaitera all of them from the FSA; 8 in Homs; 6 in Deir Ezzor; 2 in Hama; and 1 in Raqqa 3:56 PM Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Renegade7 Posted November 4, 2012 Share Posted November 4, 2012 I can totally see Assad getting outsed when it's all said and done, but this is moving at a very slow and painful pace. Do you think we're going to be having this same conversation this time next year? Love seeing stuff like taking over the air force intelligence command center, I do feel resistance is going to win this eventually... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
visionary Posted November 4, 2012 Share Posted November 4, 2012 I can totally see Assad getting outsed when it's all said and done, but this is moving at a very slow and painful pace. Do you think we're going to be having this same conversation this time next year? Love seeing stuff like taking over the air force intelligence command center, I do feel resistance is going to win this eventually... I don't know. For a while it seemed like anything could happen and the regime could collapse at any moment, but now things have been pretty steady and there haven't been any major defections in a while. The government seems to have lost most of Idlib and Aleppo, and some parts of Homs and Raqqa and Deir Ezzour. Around the capital things go back and forth a lot. It's hard to say how long this could all take. I hope the initiative being worked in in Qatar right now will help speed things up somewhere down the line and work to unify the opposition and hopefully head off some of the problems that are bound to come up with different militias and extremists running around after the revolution is over. It's hard to say when that will be though. The regime has lost a lot of tanks and aircraft and soldiers, but these kind of governments always have a lot more weapons at their disposal than one would think. It's also unclear how much funds they have to work with or how much assistance they're getting from places like Iran that could extend the regime's existance. I wish I could say how much longer it will take, but I have no clue on that right now. If someone big gets assasinated again, everything could fall apart in days. If not, it may take months, or even another year or more. http://www.lccsyria.org/10448 Local Coordination Committees in SyriaBy the end of Sataurday the LCC managed to document 162 martyrs including 10 women and 22 children; 52 martyrs were reported in Damascus and its suburbs most of them in Zamalka; 47 in Idlib most of them were martyred due to the warplane shelling on Kafar Takharem; 15 in Aleppo; 13 in Daraa; 12 in Homs; 11 in Deir Ezzor; 9 in Qunaitera all of them from the FSA; 2 in Hama; and 1 in Raqqa http://www.extremeskins.com/showthread.php?357480-Yahoo-Assad-predicts-disaster-if-West-meddles-in-Syria&p=9046975&viewfull=1#post9046975 37,128 people killed so far in Syria http://www.sltrib.com/sltrib/world/55205556-68/syrian-assad-battery-forces.html.csp Syria rebels take control of air defense battery, group says Syrian rebels clashed with armed forces loyal to President Bashar Assad near Idlib’s Taftanaz military airport after taking control of an air defense battery in the city, an opposition group said. Battles between the rebel Free Syrian forces and government troops Saturday involving the battery killed nine people, according to the London-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. "We are surrounding the airport from all sides and will soon capture it," Mithqal al-Btesh, a rebel brigade commander in Idlib told Al Jazeera television. The fight had been fierce around Taftanaz airport, and his men blew up a military jet on the runway, he said. http://m.apnews.com/ap/db_289563/contentdetail.htm?contentguid=QPaxVYeb Car bomb hits near major hotel in Syrian capitalA car bomb exploded near a major hotel in the Syrian capital of Damascus on Sunday, wounding several people. The powerful blast shook the Dama Rose hotel and shattered much of its glass, according to an AP reporter at the scene. The hotel has been used in the past by U.N. observers visiting Syria, including the Damascus representative of the new U.N.-Arab League envoy to Syria, Lakhdar Brahimi. The bomb, which the state news agency said weighbed around 50 kilograms (110 pounds), went off about 500 meters (yards) from the army chief-of-staff's building. It's not the first blast to rattle the Dama Rose - on Aug. 15, a bomb attached to a fuel truck exploded outside the hotel, wounding three people. The pro-government Ikhbariyeh TV said the bomb Sunday was planted under a car parked in an outdoor lot near the government Labor Union building. The union chief, Mohammad Azouz, told The Associated Press that at least 12 people - all syndicate members - were wounded by shattered glass and two of them are in critical condition In northeast Raqqa province, the state news agency reported that gunmen assassinated a leading member of the ruling Baath party. It said the gunmen broke into the home of Ismail al-Hamadeh at dawn and sprayed him with bullets as he slept. http://m.apnews.com/ap/db_289563/contentdetail.htm?contentguid=QPaxVYeb Syrian rebels capture oilfield near Iraqi borderSyrian rebels firing mortars and rocket-propelled grenades captured an oilfield in the country's east on Sunday after three days of fierce fighting with government troops protecting the facility, activists said. The head of the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, Rami Abdul-Rahman, said rebels overran the Al-Ward oilfield in the province of Deir el-Zour near the border with Iraq early Sunday. About 40 soldiers were guarding the facility that the rebels had been pounding for the past three days, he said, adding that opposition fighters also captured several regime troops. Oil was a major source of revenue for the cash-strapped regime of President Bashar Assad before the European Union and the United States imposed an embargo on Syria's crude exports last year to punish the government for its brutal crackdown on protesters early on in the uprising. "This field used to supply the regime with fuel for its tanks and our aim was to stop these supplies," Omar Abu Leila, an activist in Deir el-Zour, told The Associated Press by telephone. He said there was heavy fighting recently near the oil facility that is located just east of the city of Mayadin. Abu Leila said that the oilfield had been functioning up until shortly before the rebels seized it. It was not clear whether the facility was damaged in the fighting or sabotaged by regime forces. http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/middle_east/syria-dissident-trying-to-forge-new-opposition-leadership-says-it-would-win-global-backing/2012/11/04/4aabd316-267f-11e2-ac64-5d52a2c5953e_story.html Syria dissident trying to forge new opposition leadership says it would win global backingA plan to shake up Syria’s widely criticized opposition leadership and forge a more representative team has won the backing of several key countries, the proposal’s author said Sunday, even as other anti-regime groups pushed back against the idea. The dispute, which reflects the infighting and deep rifts that have hobbled the opposition since the Syrian revolt began in March 2011, is to be resolved at a five-day opposition conference that got under way Sunday in Doha. Much is at stake, since failure to reform could cost those trying to oust Syrian President Bashar Assad badly needed international assistance. The West has been reluctant to send money and other support, such as weapons, because the opposition is seen as fractured and leaderless. Riad Seif, a prominent Syrian dissident, has proposed to set up a new leadership team of about 50 people, including more representatives from inside Syria, such as military commanders and local leaders in rebel-held areas. Those fighting in Syria, including the rebel Free Syrian Army, have been particularly dismissive of opposition leaders in exile. Seif’s plan would significantly dilute the influence of the current main opposition group, the Syrian National Council, which largely consists of exiles and academics and has been criticized as ineffective and out of touch. Seif told reporters at the Doha conference that a dozen or so key countries backing the Syrian opposition support his plan. He did not specify which nations, or explain why he was confident about having won their support. https://twitter.com/zaidbenjamin BREAKING: The Joint Military Council calls on all councils to arrest those who killed 40 army soldiers in Hamsho checkpoint, Saraqeb12:21 AM Video: Rebels took over al-Dewala air-defense base in Idlib 12:41 PM https://twitter.com/THE_47th "The Prophet's Grandchildren Brigade" claims the Damascus explosion just now. 5:04 AM Confusing news: bt it seems like a sloppy attempt. Huge explosion, but damage was limited to the HQ's parking lot, again. No solid news yet. 5:21 AM The Prophet's Grandson's Brigade spksmn on SkyNews Arabia: this explosion was a retaliation for our martyrs blood, including Wessam Hassan. Prophet Grandsons Brigade spks: target was the HQ of the Chief of Staff, the brain of Assad's brutal military campaign. 5:41 AM When asked about collateral damage & killed innocent civilians, the spokesman denied any of them & said damage is strictly military. 5:42 AM Initial video of the Damascus explosion from Syrian State TV 'Al Ikhbareya'https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=FW1Oounl-Xw 5:53 AM https://twitter.com/khaladk looks like explosion was internal? No crater and damage to external walls up above.5:55 AM https://twitter.com/Mathidiot Exactly 1:04 on the video, the damage is to a room on the top floor. No damage to the windows below? Could cars be falling rubble? 6:11 AM https://twitter.com/javierespinosa2 Bab al salam border post in Syria closed, no access from turkey7:42 AM Rebels in charge of bab al salam border post said they are expecting an attack from kurdish/regime forces 7:46 AM https://twitter.com/ptombola @javierespinosa2 I believe the latest clashes are between fsa affiliated clans rather than against the gov or pkk. 9:36 AM bab el salam border shut after showdown btw Jabhat Alnusra and ammar dadkhi groups, latter defeated, border likely to reopen soon 9:38 AM wondering when kurds in syria will openly challenge pkk's grip on power and join the revolution in mass. 9:40 AM certainly, though the border was a mess lately with high fees and irresponsible behavior, might stabilize things 11:13 AM however, I've been working with kurds in aleppo and they see clash with pkk as inevitable. that would certainly be a mess! 11:14 AM https://twitter.com/DamascusTribune Five people were martyred b/c of Assad shelling onto Yarmouk Camp in Damascus.11:49 AM Helicopters & rocket launchers are bombarding Deir al-Assafeer village in Damascus suburbs 11:52 AM Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
visionary Posted November 4, 2012 Share Posted November 4, 2012 http://www.todayszaman.com/newsDetail_getNewsById.action?newsId=297141 SNC in sharp response to US's Syria initiativeUS Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has announced that the US no longer considers the Syrian National Council (SNC), the main opposition group seeking the fall of the Syrian regime, to be the sole representative of the Syrian opposition -- a move that has received sharp criticism from SNC members. “We've made it clear that the SNC can no longer be viewed as the visible leader of the opposition. They can be part of a larger opposition, but that opposition must include people from inside Syria and others who have a legitimate voice which must be heard,” Clinton said recently. Khaled Khoja, a member of the SNC, said Clinton's statement was “unfortunate, untimely and unnecessary.” Implying that the US government should also take some credit for the flaws that are attributed to the SNC, Khoja said that from the early days of the uprising, the SNC has been questioning why the Syrian opposition was deprived of the international support provided to the Libyan opposition. “The Americans, so far, did little to strengthen the Syrian opposition, since they refrained from providing political, military and financial support,” said Khoja. http://www.csmonitor.com/World/Middle-East/2012/1103/In-rebel-held-Aleppo-Syrian-civilians-try-to-impose-law-through-courts-not-guns In rebel-held Aleppo, Syrian civilians try to impose law through courts, not gunsThe United Legal Council of Aleppo, formed by lawyers and judges, hears about 15 cases daily, and has buy-in from some rebels. But it faces a tough challenge from those who want to impose their own justice in the war-torn city. http://www.voanews.com/content/syrian-opposition-in-key-qatar-meeting-to-unify-ranks/1539090.html Syrian Opposition in Key Qatar Meeting to Unify RanksSyria's fractured opposition factions began key talks in the Qatari capital, Doha, Sunday aimed at forming a united front to gain international recognition and bolster their chances to oust President Bashar al-Assad. The first four days of meetings are focused on transforming the Syrian National Council, the largest opposition grouping outside Syria, into a representative government-in-exile. SNC leaders said the group is expected to expand from some 200 members to 400. A separate meeting of the wider opposition movement in Doha on Thursday aims to form a united coalition that includes rebel fighters and others inside Syria. Influential opposition figure Riad Seif has proposed a structure that blends the rebel Free Syrian Army, regional military councils and other insurgent units alongside local civilian bodies and prominent opposition figures. A Western diplomat said Seif's initiative is "supported by the United States, Britain, France and possibly by some Arab countries, Qatar and Turkey." The U.S. last week called for an overhaul of Syrian opposition leadership, saying it is time to move beyond the SNC and bring in those "on the front lines fighting and dying." The exile-dominated SNC would receive only 15 seats of about 50 in Seif's proposed new united assembly. SNC chief Abdelbaset Sieda said his group would demand a 40 percent share of any new leadership body. https://twitter.com/ZeinakhodrAljaz ICRC delivers aid to districts of Khaldiyeh and Hamidiyeh in old city of Homs for the first time in months1:01 PM Turkey says PKK detonated car bomb in town of Semdinli in southeast, killing an 11-year-old child and wounding 18 other people 1:03 PM https://twitter.com/DamascusTribune Hajar Aswad neighborhood in Southern Damascus is under very fierce bombardment by choppers & tanks.12:56 PM Number of martyrs in shelling Yarmouk Camp has reached 24. 1:10 PM https://twitter.com/RafifJ How many hundreds of Syrian villages have been obliterated? HangAssad1:23 PM Tourists used to visit Syria's remaining "dead" cities. Today the whole country is a dead city. HangAssad 1:25 PM https://twitter.com/rozalinachomsky resistance fighters are still unable to liberate taftanaz airport because of heavy bombardment4:35 AM it is controlled by assad's forces. 2 miles sq. it is not functional now because of clashes 6:00 AM resistance fighters have destroyed a military tank in the town of sallat al-zuhour (jisr al-shughour countryside) 5:51 AM resistance fighters destroyed al-lairmoun military checkpoint in aleppo city 1:31 PM resistance fighters are defending south damascus. a real war is going on now. assad's troops are bombing people's homes 1:39 PM https://twitter.com/OnlySyrian FSA is harshly attacking Allyiramoon military checkpoint in Aleppo & very soon it'll be taken for FSA.1:50 PM https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=2209568&l=78258b6817&id=217848338242310 The Local Coordination Committees in Syria:The number of martyrs in Syria has risen to 152 including 5 children and 6 women: 60 martyrs were reported in Damascus and its suburbs including 7 field-executed martyrs in Sabina, 8 due to shelling Yarmouk Camp; 29 in Darra including 23 in Tariq Al-Sad massacre; 27 in Aleppo; 20 in Idlib; 10 in Homs; 3 in Deir Ezzor; 1 in Quneitra nd 1 in Lattakia 12:21 PM Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
visionary Posted November 4, 2012 Share Posted November 4, 2012 http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5jlTtv7LIspfQ4MGy96deooSUXH9w?docId=CNG.576899a3b855ce2049cb5b64172fb008.fa1 Hollande backs transition government for SyriaFrench President Francois Hollande voiced support on Sunday for a transitional Syrian opposition government and called Iran's nuclear ambitions a "threat" to the region and the world. "France is very keen on the formation by the opposition of a transitional government that would give it full legitimacy and ensure democratic transition in Syria," he told reporters after meeting Saudi King Abdullah. It is "absolutely necessary for the opposition to restructure," he said, as the Syrian National Council began meetings aimed at broadening its membership which has been criticised by the US. Details have emerged of plans to reshape the SNC into a representative government-in-exile, after US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton charged that the opposition bloc, in its current structure, was not representative. Asked about military aid to the Syrian rebels, Hollande said that only if "a temporary government is formed... we could only then ensure where the arms that could one day be provided go." Syria has been rocked by a deadly war that a rights group says has left more than 36,000 people dead since the uprising against President Bashar al-Assad's rule erupted in March 2011. Paris and Riyadh have "very similar views" on the nearly 20-month conflict, French sources had said. http://www.freep.com/usatoday/article/1680931?odyssey=mod%7Cnewswell%7Ctext%7CFRONTPAGE%7Cp Divisions emerge at Syria opposition conferenceSharp disagreements arose Sunday on the first day of a Syrian opposition conference meant to forge a more cohesive leadership that the international community says is necessary before it will boost its support for those trying to overthrow President Bashar Assad. The main opposition group in exile, the Syrian National Council, balked at a U.S.-backed plan that would largely sideline it to make room in a new leadership council for fighters and activists inside Syria. However, with international pressure mounting, the SNC also suggested it is willing to negotiate a compromise that would give the SNC more influence in a new leadership team. The international community has long urged the SNC, widely seen as dysfunctional and out of touch, to broaden its base and include a greater spectrum of Syrian society, especially those fighting inside the country. Last week, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton was unusually harsh, suggesting the SNC's leadership days are over. Failure to reach a deal in Doha could further heighten tensions between Syria's political opposition and the international community. Opposition leaders feel abandoned by the U.S. and other foreign backers, saying they are not providing the money and weapons the rebels need to defeat Assad in a stalemated civil war. Washington and others say they can't step up aid unless the opposition stops bickering and establishes a more representative and unified leadership. https://twitter.com/RamyYaacoub It seems that the US Embassy in Turkey is strictly limiting number of visas given out to Syrians. Bad public diplomacy move.9:29 PM https://twitter.com/OnlySyrian Assad'a army is trying to pull its dead soldiers bodies out of Allyramoon military checkpoint in Aleppo2:23 PM https://twitter.com/NuffSilence FSA acquiesces to @Brown_Moses's request to see the "rocket factory" from inside. Here's a small tour Aleppo2:23 PM https://twitter.com/Brown_Moses If the FSA really is taking requests from me let them know to stop picking up cluster bomblets 2:37 PM https://twitter.com/rozalinachomsky resistance fighters say they have liberated 2 military brigades in al-ghutah al-sharqiyah (i don't know the exact places now)2:08 PM resistance fighters have liberated al-tadamon neighborhood in damascus city. assad's troops & thugs were kicked out. 2:18 PM resistance fighters destroyed a military checkpoint in the town of zarzour (idlib) & killed assad troops 2:32 PM resistance fighters destroyed a military checkpoint in sidi miqdad (babbila, damascus countryside) & a tank & killed assad troops 2:50 PM update: resistance fighters destroyed a military checkpoint near amouda crossroads (idlib countryside) & destroyed 2 military tanks 3:08 PM https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=2210244&l=cf0011e360&id=217848338242310 Local Coordination Committees in Syria The number of martyrs in Syria has risen to 212 thus far; 94 martyrs were reported in Damascus and its Suburbs (including 7 martyrs who were field executed in Sbeina and 22 martyrs due to the shelling of Yarmouk Camp); 39 in Idlib; 31 in Daraa (including 23 in a massacre near Sadd Road); 29 in Aleppo; 10 in Homs; 3 in Deir Ezzor; 3 in Hama; 2 in Lattakia; and 1 in Qunaitera 2:17 PM Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
visionary Posted November 5, 2012 Share Posted November 5, 2012 http://www.libyaherald.com/2012/11/05/libya-the-main-funder-of-syrian-opposition/ Libya the main funder of the Syrian oppositionThe Syrian National Council says it has received over $20 million in aid from Libya since it was founded in October 2011. It makes Libya its most important donor by far. These figures were released against the background of increasing pressure on the SNC to marginalise extremist elements within its ranks. In a detailed financial report published on Thursday, 1 November, the SNC states that total foreign donations have reached $40.4 million, half of which was given by Libya and the other half by Qatar and the United Arab Emirates. In more precise figures, $20.4 million originated from Libya, followed by $15 million from Qatar and $5 million from the UAE. The money was said to have been deposited in two bank accounts in Qatar and Turkey. Having officially recognized the SNC as Syria’s legitimate government in October 2011, the Libyan authorities unveiled several aid packages – both material and financial – destined to the Syrian opposition in the course of 2012. In parallel, a large number of Libyan fighters have fought alongside with armed opposition groups on Syrian territory and considerable amounts of weapons from Libya are said to have been channeled to these groups. http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2012/nov/03/syria-military-council-aleppo-rebels?CMP=twt_gu Jihadist killing of captives widens the split among rebel fighters in SyriaRebel groups are accusing Syria's military council of infighting and nepotism and a failure to lead in the wake of a video that shows an opposition unit killing around two dozen captured regime soldiers. Armed opposition units across the Aleppo hinterland say the western-backed council is failing in its bid to create a co-ordinated opposition army, partly because of its refusal to deal with Islamist-leaning Syrian groups. The groups say the military council's favouritism towards some units means other militias are unwilling to act with discipline or to be held accountable. The disturbing scenes of the captured regime troops being killed, shortly after their post near Damascus was overrun, have angered rebel units in the north. "We have to show we are different from the regime," said Sheik Omar Othman from the Islamist-leaning Liwat al-Tawheed unit in Aleppo. "Because they do it, it means that we don't." Syrian Islamist groups have been at the vanguard of the fighting in Aleppo for the past three months, but are not able to match the better-armed and funded global jihadist units, who are increasingly taking centre stage in the war for the north of the country. "This will soon mean that Jabhat al-Nusraf (an al-Qaida-aligned group) will be the only group capable of mounting the lethal operations on bases and security headquarters," said a leader of Liwat al-Tawheed, which has been a key player in the fighting in Aleppo. "It already means that we can't win without them." Islamist groups in Aleppo say that they aim to do no more than oust the Assad regime. Most of their clerics and leaders reject the ideology of the jihadists, who openly view the battle in Syria as a vital phase of a global sectarian war. https://twitter.com/Mathidiot If all you can write about tonight is SNC and US, look to Syria and count the dead, at least 230+ by now. The bombardments are horrendous.6:10 PM https://twitter.com/tweets4peace FSA calling it the "freeing of Damascus" operation but then again the "freeing of Homs" operation failed in less than a day, so we wait.6:35 PM FSA seem to be doing some big things in Damascus tonight including Ahfad Al-Umaweyin Brigade, makes sense shelling's hard. Prayers. 6:30 PM https://twitter.com/SyrianSmurf We lost contact with my family in Idlib Syria again...Allah Yistur.11:06 PM 6 ppl from MaaratAlNouman were martyred when they were trying to escape the shelling to Albarra when their vehicle was hit with a shell. 5:59 AM Ghariyah Ahmad Khalil, an 11 yo girl from Alziyadiyeh in Idlib, died tdy when her heart stopped due to fear when there was shelling nearby. 7:31 PM shelling in Syria kills even when the shells don't hit anyone... 7:33 PM https://twitter.com/farGar I miss my grandparents so much, but in a way im happy they passed, not living under shelling, watching the destruction of their Syria7:39 PM https://twitter.com/NMSyria LCC: Armed clashes taking place between the FSA and regime forces on al-Thawra Street and Pakistan street in central Damascus.9:28 PM al-Thawra street is one of the most important streets in all of Damascus, most people pass through it on a daily basis. 9:28 PM The FSA has downed its FOURTH helicopter today over Idlib. 9:38 PM https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=2210767&l=b8d1238e8b&id=217848338242310 Local Coordination Committees:By the end of Sunday the LCC managed to document 234 martyrs in Syria (including 17 women and 11 children), 100 martyrs were reported in Damascus and its Suburbs (including 9 martyrs who were field-executed in Sbaina, 22 martyrs due to shelling of Yarmouk Camp and 5 martyrs due to Warplane shelling on Kafarbatna), 42 martyrs in Idlib, 31 martyrs in Daraa (including 23 martyrs due to massacre in Sad Road), 35 martyrs in Aleppo, 14 martyrs in Homs, 4 martyrs in Deir Ezzor, 4 martyrs in Hama, 3 martyrs in Lattakia and 1 martyr in Qunaitra. 6:54 PM http://www.extremeskins.com/showthread.php?357480-Yahoo-Assad-predicts-disaster-if-West-meddles-in-Syria&p=9046975&viewfull=1#post9046975 37,362 people killed so far in Syria Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
visionary Posted November 5, 2012 Share Posted November 5, 2012 http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/middleeast/syria/9652931/Syria-rebel-sniper-takes-inspiration-from-Jude-Law-film.html Syria rebel sniper takes inspiration from Jude Law filmJude Law probably doesn't know it, but Aleppo's best-known rebel sniper is called after him. He claims to have notched up 76 kills – up to when he stopped counting - and says he has no name other than "Sniper Moscow". In Syria's war, Sniper Moscow's role is not so different. He crawls through gaps hammered between apartments to find vantage points from which to fire on his regime counterparts. The Hollywood reference is natural: melodrama looms large in the Syrian conflict, and Sniper Moscow and his pals are not the only ones to think of themselves as figures from the silver screen. Sniper Moscow certainly played up to the role. Unlike many of his colleagues, he was a professional soldier, trained in the Assad army before he defected six months ago. Now he divides his time between the closest of front lines and stints at the rear training the raw recruits with whom he is forced to work. It was an incident involving those recruits - and the raw and bloody reality that their inexperience adds to their Hollywood scripts - that led us to Sniper Moscow. On Wednesday, there had been a battle in Karem Jabal in the east of Aleppo that had led to a catastrophic, if minor, defeat for the rebels, and its circumstances were unclear. Sniper Moscow was there. When we found him, he was sitting astride a motorbike. Smart in a regular uniform and with neatly trimmed hair - unlike the shaggy mops and beards, jeans and second-hand tunics of the irregulars - he narrowed his eyes as he told us about himself. He said he had stopped counting his kills last month after reaching 76, when it seemed pointless to go on. His rifle had brought him a measure of notoriety, but it was not much use against the regime's tanks and heavy artillery, except for his three best hits, when he managed to hit tank navigators through their vision-flaps. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/huff-wires/20121105/as-japan-syria/ Japan to host int'l talks on wider Syria sanctionsJapan says it will host international working-level talks in late November on sanctions imposed against Syria. Chief Cabinet Secretary Osamu Fujimura said Monday that participants would be seeking ways to isolate Syrian President Bashar Assad through wider sanctions. A coalition of 60 countries, including the U.S., the European Union and Arab League, met in September seeking fresh ways to increase pressure on the Assad government. The group was established after the U.N. Security Council failed to agree on a resolution condemning the Syrian regime, due to opposition from Russia and China. Existing sanctions include freezing assets of the Syrian president and military leaders and an embargo on oil and arms trade with Syria. http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/11/05/syria-crisis-mezzeh-idUSL5E8M5BQO20121105 Damascus bomb kills at least 11A bomb attack in the Damascus district of Mezzeh killed 11 people and wounded dozens more on Monday, including children, Syrian state media and an activist group reported. http://www.todayszaman.com/newsDetail_getNewsById.action?newsId=297177 Suicide bomb kills 50 Syrian troops in Hama, fighting ragesA Syrian activist group said on Monday that a suicide car bomber has killed more than 50 Syrian soldiers and pro-government gunmen. The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the attack in the village of Ziyara in the central province of Hama was carried out by Jabhat al-Nusra, an al-Qaeda-inspired militant group. The death toll could not be independently verified. State-run news agency SANA said the blast occurred outside a state-run development agency. It said Monday's blast caused deaths but gave no figure A suicide car bombing killed at least 50 members of the Syrian security forces and gunmen loyal to Assad on Monday in Hama province, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said. “A fighter from the [al-Qaeda inspired) Nusra Front blew himself up ... in the Hama countryside. At least 50 were killed,” said Rami Abdelrahman, the head of the observatory. Meanwhile, at least 20 Syrian opposition fighters were killed in an air strike in the northwest province of Idlib on Monday, the UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said. The Observatory said in a statement that a rebel commander was also probably killed in the air strike on the town of Haram. An activist named the commander as Basil Eissa, head of the Idlib Martyrs' Brigade. https://twitter.com/javierespinosa2 Northern border btwn Lebanon and Syria is now almost a war zone at night,you can see houses hit by shelling and bullets, people displaced1:50 AM Lebanese in Noura al Tahtah village have learned to escape shelling,as soon as they listen the firing they run to shelters Lebanon 1:53 AM Shelling affecting all border villages in Nahar al Kebir Lebanon, sunnies like Noura al Tahta but also christians like Menjez 1:55 AM https://twitter.com/rozalinachomsky resistance fighters have liberated most of the areas around the airforce intelligence compound in al-lairmoun in aleppo city4:07 AM resistance fighters destroyed a building, killed +25 assad troops & seized a bmp vehicle in al-lairmoun neighborhood in aleppo city 4:09 AM ahrar al-sham brigades have liberated the 2nd icarda military checkpoint on aleppo - damascus motorway 4:13 AM resistance fighters liberated a military center & killed many assad troops in al-aqabah neighborhood in aleppo city 4:18 AM https://twitter.com/rozalinachomsky update: resistance fighters destroyed 19 military checkpoints in damascus & its countryside. +80 assad troops & thugs were killed4:28 AM to the residents of damascus & its countryside: please, stay away from military centers & checkpoints. operations are on the way! 4:31 AM resistance fighters seized a military tank in deirezzor countryside 4:51 AM resistance fighters blew up a military checkpoint & killed many assad troops & thugs in the town of al-ziyarah in hama countryside 6:41 AM https://twitter.com/hashemahel The sense among participants at the Doha meeting is that the Americans are trying to enforce a new body that will make painful concessions. But there is an agreement that SNC should reinvent itself, reach out to groups inside Syria if it wants to lead Anti Assad movement4:36 AM SNC to counter attack with new a idea to sell : national conference inside Syria where 300 members will meet to decide post Assad Syria 7:27 AM 300 members picked equally from SNC- Technocrats-FSA- local councils- of course they want to gather in an area controlled by the rebels 7:29 AM Former SNC chief Burhan Ghalioun: The new initiative is dead, impractical, the west must respect the will of the Syrian people 9:05 AM Riad Seif: my initiative will pass, I have the backing of many SNC members, soon we will form an interim government inside Syria 9:17 AM https://twitter.com/WashingtonPoint "2 Syrian rebel groups "engaged in a power struggle," fighting each other for control of Bab el-Salameh border crossing" Turkish official10:06 AM https://twitter.com/NMSyria Fighter jets bombed the city center of Kafarnabel in Idlib. Bodies of the dead were burned and unidentifiable.... 10:44 AM At least 23 killed in this attack on Kafranbel, the majority of the victims were burned beyond recognition. 10:46 AM https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=2212352&l=d9675e410b&id=217848338242310 Local Coordination Committees in Syria:The number of martyrs has risen to 130 so far (including 7 children and 8 women), 72 martyrs were reported in Idlib (23 of them were martyred due to massacare in Kafranbel), 18 martyrs were reported in Damascus and its Suburbs (5 of them were martyred in Yarmouk Camp), 15 martyrs in Aleppo, 9 martyrs of one family in Raqqa, 9 martyrs in Deir Ezzor, 4 martyrs in Lattakia, 2 martyrs in Daraa and 1 martyr in Homs 10:17 AM Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
visionary Posted November 5, 2012 Share Posted November 5, 2012 http://blogs.aljazeera.com/liveblog/topic/syria-153 about 2 hours agoLebanon will not take sides in the deadly conflict in neighbouring Syria, Prime Minister Najib Mikati said Monday during a visit to Bulgaria. "Lebanon is firmly resolved not to take anyone's side in Syria. This has to do with our own stability and security so Lebanon is not in any way interfering in Syria's internal affairs," Mikati told a news conference with Bulgarian Prime Minister Boyko Borisov. "We hope that the international community will understand Lebanon's position in this extremely difficult and delicate moment." Mikati's cabinet, dominated by powerful Syrian ally Hezbollah, has already come under fire from the opposition, which accuses it of complicity with the regime of embattled Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and has pressed it to resign. Calls for Mikati to quit were also spurred by a massive car bombing in central Beirut on October 19 that killed three people including a top security official, in an attack the opposition blamed on Syria and its allies in Lebanon.[AFP] about 2 hours agoBritish Prime Minister David Cameron on Monday lashed out at the United Nations for its failure to take a strong stance against the Syrian regime, insisting that embattled President Bashar al-Assad must go. "I think in the case of Syria, the United Nations has let the world down," Cameron said during a visit to the United Arab Emirates. "Like-minded countries like our two countries (Britain and the UAE) should go on working together to try to see what more can we do to help the Syrian people throw off this brutal dictator who's murdering so many," Cameron told students at Zayed University in Abu Dhabi. "You know that Bashar al-Assad cannot possibly stay running his country ... He has to go," he added. about an hour agoSyrian security forces have allegedly stormed Hamas offices in Damascus and sealed them with red wax. https://twitter.com/NMSyria My friend's cousin owns a small clothes shop in Mazzeh at the site of the explosion. He was killed. His mother hospitalized in shock.1:45 PM After hearing news of the explosion, his mother and father rushed to his store to check up on him. They walked in to see the store..covered in blood. Pieces of burnt flesh all over the floor. The neighbors walked in and gave them the news, and the mother fainted. 1:49 PM https://twitter.com/OnlySyrian 30m: FSA s destroyed 2 Assad's tanks at Allyaramoon Aleppo while they were fleeing to Air-force Intelligence HQ.2:35 PM https://twitter.com/SkyNewsBreak An Israeli forces jeep has been hit by Syrian gunfire on routine patrol near Israel-Syria border in the Golan Heights, no injuries reported2:36 PM https://twitter.com/rozalinachomsky resistance fighters destroyed a tank & killed +15 assad troops in maysaloun neighborhood in aleppo city3:50 PM resistance fighters liberated an important area (al-durayhim) near al-safirah (aleppo countryside) 3:55 PM the liberation of al-shumou` military checkpoint in douma 4:02 PM https://twitter.com/Brown_Moses Just flares [dropped from planes], they started using them more frequently the time the videos of the opposition firing SA-7 appeared. Countermeasures against the SA-7s targeting systems3:28 PM Unusual footage of a opposition tank attacking a Syrian army tank in Aleppo 3:53 PM https://twitter.com/jfoleyjourno local fixer/journo says Jebhat Nusra not responsible for #Idlib executions bc of use of haram words in vid5:30 AM Nov. 2 amazing see ambulance U all donated for at work in crisis #Aleppo. will post pics & vid 2moro. Lets keep raising funds! http://www.crowdrise.com/amulance4daralshifaa/fundraiser/concernedjournalists 3:45 PM heavy night of fire aleppo, no idea where it's coming from 3:59 PM https://twitter.com/SyrianSmurf In a refuge camp in Atmeh Idlib...a child wears a plastic bag instead of shoes...waiting for food handouts... pic.twitter.com/wZGcdjdf4:05 PM https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=2212823&l=28521b77aa&id=217848338242310 Local Coordination Committees in Syria:The number of martyrs has risen to 159 so far (including 7 children and 8 women), 72 martyrs were reported in Idlib (32 of them were martyred due to massacare in Kafranbel); 47 in Damascus and its Suburbs, 17 in Aleppo 9 in Deir Ezzor; 5 in Daraa; 4 in Lattakia; 3 in Homs; and 2 in Hama 2:32 PM Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
visionary Posted November 6, 2012 Share Posted November 6, 2012 http://www.boston.com/news/world/middle-east/2012/11/06/syria-main-opposition-group-broadens-base/QBSQFHpHKZZBH4MygjjVwN/story.html Syria's main opposition group broadens baseThe main Syrian opposition bloc on Monday broadened its ranks to accommodate more activists and political groups from inside the country, officials said, in an apparent nod to international demands for a more representative and cohesive leadership. However, the Syrian National Council’s reforms, approved on the second day of a five-day convention in Doha, may not suffice to counter a U.S.-backed plan to create a new opposition leadership that would greatly dilute the SNC’s influence. The U.S. has criticized the SNC, dominated by exiles and academics, as ineffective and out of touch with those fighting in Syria to overthrow President Bashar Assad. Under the U.S.-backed plan, proposed by prominent dissident Riad Seif, the SNC would become part of a new leadership group, holding only 15 of the organization’s 50 seats — thus making room for more representatives from inside Syria. ‘‘The SNC is in an existential struggle right now,’’ Doha-based analyst Salman Shaikh said of the wrangling within the Syrian opposition. After four days of internal SNC meetings, the group will meet with Seif and his supporters on Thursday to discuss the new leadership plan. The SNC would risk further strain with its increasingly impatient foreign backers if it is perceived as the main obstacle to a unified opposition. On Monday, SNC members floated counter proposals to Seif’s plan in an attempt to circumvent it. The outgoing SNC leadership, to be replaced in elections Tuesday and Wednesday, said Thursday’s meeting should focus on the formation of a transitional government instead of the composition of the opposition’s leadership, according to Anas Abdah, an SNC conference organizer. U.S.-based Syrian academic Radwan Ziadeh proposed convening a 300-member national conference in rebel-controlled Syrian territory close to Turkey. The conference, representing SNC members, military commanders, technocrats and local council leaders in equal measure, would form a transitional government to administer the rebel-run areas, he said. https://twitter.com/rozalinachomsky resistance fighters have liberated a military field 20 miles to the east of al-safirah (aleppo countryside)4:40 PM https://twitter.com/farGar i still cant believe they killed Yasser what a crazy regime he was on the way to work and they just executed him what the **** is that7:50 PM i cant believe we tweet the death of our family and friends like it's nothing 7:52 PM Syrians arent numbers each one killed had a story, family and friends, a life, a neighborhood, a daily routine just like you and me 7:53 PM he was a great swimmer..great Syrian. Great man.. so many memories. he will be missed and remembered forever. 8:58 PM always smiling, always honest , always so generous...a great storyteller... ='( 9:13 PM https://twitter.com/SyrianSmurf One of the main activists in MaaratAlNouman, Adham Beetar, was martyred today...this man was...and will remain a legend! Idlib5:45 PM After the shelling on Kafranbil, several vehicle from Albarrah headed there to rescue the injured and donate blood. Idlib 9:37 PM These vehicles were shot at by regime forces which led to even more martyrs. 9:37 PM https://twitter.com/samersniper The battle is not finished and loud explosions are echoing in all Homs ... please pray for FSA7:36 PM Another good news, FSA attacked the convoy of army vehicles that was heading 2 Damascus causing losses in the convoy and killing 30 Shabiha 8:08 PM https://twitter.com/And_Harper 1,000 Syrians hve x'd 2 safety of jordan in past two nites. More arriving in Zaatri. Reports refugees being fired upon - again. 11:22 PM While refugees r not the top news 2day lets hope that jordan will receive well deserved $ € support to help it continue protect syrians. 11:43 PM https://twitter.com/OmarShakir91 BreakingNews Homs FSA now destroyed two major checkpoints in Bab Amr orchards and killed more than 80 Shabiha12:15 AM http://www.lccsyria.org/10456 Local Coordination Committees in Syria:By the end of Monday the LCC managed to document 162 martyrs (including 7 children and 8 women), 72 martyrs were reported in Idlib (32 of them were martyred due to massacare in Kafranbel); 47 in Damascus and its Suburbs; 17 in Aleppo; 12 in Deir Ezzor; 5 in Daraa; 4 in Lattakia; 3 in Homs; and 2 in Hama http://www.extremeskins.com/showthread.php?357480-Yahoo-Assad-predicts-disaster-if-West-meddles-in-Syria&p=9046975&viewfull=1#post9046975 37,524 people killed so far in Syria Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
visionary Posted November 6, 2012 Share Posted November 6, 2012 http://blogs.aljazeera.com/topic/syria/uk-prime-minister-says-possible-immunity-prosecution-president-bashar-al-assad-could-be UK Prime Minister says possible immunity from prosecution for President Bashar al-Assad "could be arranged"A safe exit and possible immunity from prosecution for President Bashar al-Assad "could be arranged" if it would end Syria's increasingly bloody conflict, British Prime Minister David Cameron said on Tuesday before a visit to Saudi Arabia. Some 32,000 people have been killed in Syria during a revolt against Assad that began with peaceful protests in March 2011 but became an armed rebellion after a deadly military crackdown. "Done. Anything, anything, to get that man out of the country and to have a safe transition in Syria," Cameron told the Saudi-based Al Arabiya news network in Abu Dhabi when asked about offering Assad safe passage. "Of course I would favour him facing the full force of international law and justice for what he's done. I am certainly not offering him an exit plan to Britain but if he wants to leave he could leave, that could be arranged," he said. So how long can he keep killing for before deciding to leave at the last minute to get this immunity? http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/11/06/us-syria-crisis-kurds-idUSBRE8A507F20121106 Iraqi Kurdish president warns Syrian Kurds over infightingIraqi Kurdish President Masoud Barzani warned Kurds in Syria against being sucked into the "fires of discord," urging them to preserve Kurdish unity as tensions between rival factions threaten to spillover into violence. Syria's Kurds see the war ravaging their country as an unprecedented opportunity to gain the kind of freedoms enjoyed by their ethnic kin in neighboring Iraq, where they live autonomously from the federal capital in Baghdad. Rivalry between two main camps, the Kurdish National Council (KNC) and another group, the Democratic Union Party (PYD) risks devolving into Kurd-on-Kurd conflict and further complicating the civil war in Syria. Earlier this year, Barzani brought the KNC and PYD together in Iraqi Kurdistan, where they formed a joint council to present a united front for Kurdish interests. But the agreement has struggled to work on the ground in Syria, where the PYD has the strongest presence. The PYD is also aligned with PKK separatist guerrillas fighting a 28-year-old war against Turkey, and the group's strong presence in northeast Syria has Ankara worried about a potential PKK safe haven over its border. Members of the KNC recently accused the PYD's militia, known as People's Defense Units (YPG) of kidnapping a member of their politburo, a charge denied by the PYD. "We call on all sides to release captives to safeguard the unity of (Kurdish) ranks and not to allow room for the fires of discord," Barzani was quoted as saying in a statement in Arabic on the regional government's website. https://twitter.com/OmarShakir91 BreakingNews Homs Al Houla town heavy airplanes "MIG" shelling on the town and there are about 20 injured 1:34 AM https://twitter.com/MidaniBatman People going into Syria for photo ops piss me off. Unless you're fighting or shooting food/warmth out of your ass, no reason to be there.4:14 AM I know plenty of people taking the trip to bring 10k cash and medical supplies. That’s respectable to assure where it goes. 4:27 AM ya. I know a dude that got sent back home for having 40k cash on him in the airport. Lol FBI went nuts 4:33 AM https://twitter.com/rozalinachomsky resistance fighters, from #homs countryside, are now near baba amr neighborhood in homs city5:07 AM resistance fighters destroyed 3 military checkpoints in baba amr's farms (homs), killed many assad troops & seized weapons 5:09 AM resistance fighters have destroyed all the security stations that guard the petrol pipeline in the western areas of daraa 5:52 AM resistance fighters arrested assad troops & seized weapons in daraa 5:55 AM https://twitter.com/SyrianSmurf There are currently 4 main battles going on in Idlib between the FSA and the regime forces... 1) The battle at Wadi Aldayf military base and Alhamdiyah checkpoint in MaaratAlNouman. 2) The Maasara checkpoint in Mhambil Idlib...which is composed of 2 buildings...one has been liberated, the other still surrounded. 3) The battle to liberate the Taftanaz airport. 4) The battle to liberate Harem Idlib...most of the city has been liberated... Shelling on MaaratAlNouman resulted in explosions that martyred at least 7 civilians and injured 10..the number is expected to rise. Idlib 7:48 AM At least 6 martyrs in Saraqib Idlib after regime MiGs shelled the city with 2 TNT barrels. 8:01 AM https://twitter.com/rozalinachomsky resistance fighters destroyed a military tank & a bmp vehicle & killed many assad troops near the town of al-mubarakiyah (homs)6:59 AM resistance fighters attacked a large military convoy near the town of mahmbel (#idlib). this convoy came from ariha 7:04 AM al-islam brigade declares responsibility for killing usamah al-lahham. it says he was the chief of assad's spies & thugs in midan 7:44 AM heavy clashes 've been going on near mahmbel for 5 hours. resistance fighters destroyed military vehicles & killed many assad troops 8:06 AM https://twitter.com/OnlySyrian Anies alKhoudr's body was found next to Air-force Intelligence HQ in Aleppo killed & tortured by Assad's multi-killing-way machine.7:53 AM Now : alBab city in Aleppo is being shelled by Assad's brutal TNT barrels. thx SNC 8:21 AM https://twitter.com/tweets4peace We keep getting calls saying urgent aid is needed in areas like Sahnayah in Damascus as it's bubbling with displaced people.8:50 AM She told us that just yesterday 4 ladies arrived to her door in nightgowns with kids after homes fell by plane attacks on Harasta 8:52 AM She said they need so much help, Sahnaya Damascus is equivalent 2 refugee-filled Alwaar in Homs. But there's little aid for them 8:53 AM https://twitter.com/farGar yeah assad, you can leave Syria..no worries...we'll follow you to Russia and slice u up there 9:03 AM Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
visionary Posted November 7, 2012 Share Posted November 7, 2012 http://dailystar.com.lb/News/Middle-East/2012/Nov-07/194222-uk-to-start-talks-with-armed-syria-opposition-downing-st.ashx#axzz2BWJTl08C UK to start talks with armed Syria opposition: Downing StBritain is to begin talks with armed opposition groups in Syria as it seeks to help end the violence, Prime Minister David Cameron's office said Wednesday. The government has authorised officials to have contacts with military representatives of the groups, Downing Street said, although government sources stressed the initative was about political dialogue, not providing weapons. Err...what does that mean? http://www.nowlebanon.com/NewsArticleDetails.aspx?ID=454455 Syria rebel chief says escapes assassination bidThe Syrian rebel commander in central Homs province, Colonel Kassem Saadeddine, said in a video posted Wednesday that he had escaped an assassination attempt by forces loyal to President Bashar al-Assad. "Thanks be to God, we have returned after having escaped from the hands of Assad's bands," Saadeddine, also the spokesperson for the Joint Command of the Free Syrian Army (FSA), said in the video posted overnight. In a statement with the video, the FSA Joint Command said Saadeddine had been ambushed by pro-regime militia forces, known as "shabiha" by the opposition, in an assassination attempt. It said the colonel's driver was lightly wounded in the attack, but no one among rebel forces was killed, and provided no further details. http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/group-of-golan-druze-comes-out-in-support-of-anti-assad-uprising.premium-1.475422 Group of Golan Druze comes out in support of anti-Assad uprising Several dozen Druze have met in the Golan Heights and openly declared their support for the uprising against President Bashar Assad's regime in Syria. Fausi Abu Jabal, who spoke at the meeting in Majdal Shams, the Golan's largest Druze village, told Haaretz that both pro- and anti-government movements agree the Golan is part of Syria; the only difference is their view on the violence next door. "We believe in the revolution of the Syrian people against the dictatorship and therefore decided to set up a movement that would unite all who believe in this principle," he said. Abu Jabal notes, however, that this movement is not actively involved in the Syrian revolution. http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/middle_east/syrian-chaos-deepens-as-rebel-rivals-fight-at-border-crossing-palestinians-clash-in-damascus/2012/11/05/8bcb59ac-27ba-11e2-ac64-5d52a2c5953e_story.html Syria UN envoy warns country could turn into Somalia as world struggles for viable optionsThe U.N.-Arab League envoy for Syria warned Tuesday that the country could become another Somalia — where al-Qaida-linked militants and warlords battled for decades after the ouster of a dictator — if the civil war is not ended soon. Battles between regime forces and Syrian rebels left more than 140 people dead across Syria on Tuesday, while the brother of Syria’s parliament speaker was gunned down in Damascus — the latest victim of a wave of assassinations targeting high-ranking supporters of President Bashar Assad’s regime. The violence aroused new concern about the faltering diplomatic efforts to try to end the conflict, with the U.N. political chief warning that the Syria crisis risks “exploding outward” into Lebanon, Turkey and Israel. Britain’s prime minister offered the latest long shot — that Assad could be allowed safe passage out of the country if that would guarantee an end to the fighting. But there has been no sign the embattled Syrian leader is willing to step down as part of a peaceful transition to save the country. Assad has vowed to militarily crush the nearly 20-month old rebellion against his rule, and aides say a new president will only be chosen in elections scheduled for 2014. https://twitter.com/rozalinachomsky resistance fighters have liberated the police station in al-tadamon neighborhood in damascus city 11:12 AM resistance fighters confirm they killed colonel muhammad ali zaidan in front of his house in rukn al-din neighborhood in damascus 12:13 PM resistance fighters blew up rankous military checkpoint. this checkpoint was big & one of the most dangerous places 4:07 PM resistance fighters (damascus) killed brigadier general suleiman isa al-isa on damascus-daraa motorway 4:27 PM update: resistance fighters destroyed 7 tanks, 4 armored vehicles, a brigade & 4 checkpoints in rankous (damascus countryside) 4:33 PM https://twitter.com/rozalinachomsky the explosion in al-qadam neighborhood has shaken the whole city of damascus5:31 PM update: activists say the last explosion happened near the great mosque in al-qadam neighborhood in damascus city 5:41 PM update: the last explosion in al-qadam has destroyed many houses. a report says +2 people were killed 5:44 PM osoud al-islam brigade fired mortar missiles on the presidential palace, the cabinet building & al-mazzaeh military airport 2:39 AM resistance fighters destroyed 2 military checkpoints & killed many assad thugs near al-sheikh sa`id neighborhood in aleppo city 2:50 AM https://twitter.com/hhassan140 Syria: About 10 people were killed at the second checkpoint from Jordan to Syria for raising uprising flag in Mecca. Hajj2:06 AM https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=2215805&l=6edb987377&id=217848338242310 Local Coordination Committees: By the end of Tuesday the LCC managed to document 156 martyrs in Syria (including 10 children and 4 women), 60 martyrs were reported in Damascus and its Suburbs (15 of them were martyred in Kafarbatna in Damascus Suburbs), 38 martyrs in Idlib ( 20 of them were martyrd in Saraqeb), 24 martyrs in Aleppo, 14 martyrs in Homs (9 of them were martyred in Houla), 10 martyrs in Daraa, 8 martyrs in Deir Ezzor, 1 martyr in Raqqa and 1 martyr in Hama 6:30 PM http://www.extremeskins.com/showthread.php?357480-Yahoo-Assad-predicts-disaster-if-West-meddles-in-Syria&p=9046975&viewfull=1#post9046975 37,680 people killed so far in Syria Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
visionary Posted November 7, 2012 Share Posted November 7, 2012 http://www.nowlebanon.com/NewsArticleDetails.aspx?ID=454583 Regime grabbing most aid sent to Syria Red Crescent, NGO saysAlmost all international aid sent to the Syrian Arab Red Crescent is being confiscated by the regime and never reaches civilians in need, an umbrella relief group for the war-ravaged country said Wednesday. "Ninety, even 95 percent of everything that is sent to Syrian Red Crescent headquarters in Damascus goes to support the Syrian regime, especially the soldiers," said Tawfik Chamaa, spokesperson for the Union of Syrian Medical Relief Organizations. "It will not reach the civilians who are bombed every day or besieged," he told reporters in Geneva. He charged that cash or materials sent to the Red Crescent in Damascus was being "confiscated by the regime.” However, the World Food Program denied that its aid to Syria was being seized by President Bashar al-Assad's regime. https://twitter.com/Reuters Turkish foreign minister says NATO preparing to deploy patriot missiles in Turkey - Turkish media 11:09 AM https://twitter.com/WashingtonPoint Signals came from UK and Turkish govs asking immediate US help for Syria right after the elections are not coincidence-- justsayin11:07 AM Prominent Turkish columnist @Asliaydintasbas reports Turkish & American officials been working ‘No Fly Zone’ for months http://www.milliyet.com.tr/d/t.aspx?ID=1622950 11:09 AM Acc @asliaydintasbas 1)two NFZ considered, btw Kilis-Halab& near Jordan 2)NFZ created by patriots, no boots, no airstrikes 11:14 AM yes, fighter jets will deter Syrian jets bombing NFZ @asliaydintasbas says US officials been working on th plan for 4 months 11:19 AM I'm somewhat skeptical as I saw a report overnight that US officials had told the SNC (who admittedly I don't particularly trust) that there would be no no-flyzone or military intervention. Now maybe that doesn't include these Patriot missles. I'm curious as to what circumstances they would be used in though. I am kind of happy to see so much being done about Syria lately, with the meetings in Qatar and possibly now this, but I wonder if Turkey has the balls to go through with this. (I also really hope the US initiative works out and the groups can put aside their self interests long enough to make some positive impact and keep it, though I have some doubts) https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=2217044&l=c24ddcd81f&id=217848338242310 Local Coordination Committees in Syria:The number of martyrs in Syria has risen to 81 martyrs (including 5 children and 3 women), 52 martyrs were reported in Damascus and its Suburbs (including 25 martyrs in Beit Sahm), 15 martyrs in Idlib, 3 martyrs in Daraa, 3 martyrs in Raqqa, 3 martyrs in Lattakia, 4 martyrs in Aleppo and 1 martyr in Homs 10:08 AM Ok this is getting very interesting now.... http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2012/nov/07/cameron-obama-syria-top-priority Cameron: I'll work with Obama to ensure Syria is top priorityDavid Cameron is to tell Barack Obama that Britain and the US must place the Syrian conflict at the top of their list of priorities after he heard at first hand "appalling stories" of the suffering endured by refugees. As the prime minister spoke out on the final day of his trip to the Gulf and the Middle East, the UN called on Britain and other developed countries to offer more financial support to Jordan. The kingdom, which is struggling with high levels of debt, is hosting 110,000 Syrian refugees. "I wanted to hear for myself the stories of people who have been bombed and shot and blasted out of their homes in Syria by a deeply illegitimate and unpleasant regime that is raining down death and destruction on its own people," he said during a visit to the Za'atri refugee camp, which houses 23,000 Syrians.The prime minister added: "It is truly horrendous to hear those stories and just redoubles my determination that now, with a newly elected American president, we have got to do more to help this part of the world, to help Syria achieve transition. "Right here in Jordan I'm hearing appalling stories of what is happening inside Syria and one of the first things I want to talk to Barack about is how we must do more to try and solve this crisis." Cameron travelled by helicopter to the al-Wahdah dam, which is one of the busiest crossing points from Syria. It was recently struck by Syrian shells. The local Jordanian military chief told the prime minister that some refugees fleeing the violence had walked for up to 15 days. The prime minister later toured the Za'atri camp hours after 518 refugees had arrived overnight from Syria. Has Obama been around the Middle East lately? I know Hillary was out there recently. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
visionary Posted November 7, 2012 Share Posted November 7, 2012 ****ing hell! http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/middleeast/syria/9662598/Syrian-opposition-plans-fall-apart.html Syrian opposition plans fall apartKey opposition factions with strong followings inside the country pulled out of the plan, which was due to be presented at a conference in Doha, Qatar, today. Three of the dissident bodies seen as integral to the US-backed initiative said yesterday that they had refused to attend, diplomats and opposition figures told The Daily Telegraph. "There are too many people against this initiative for it to work now," said a Western diplomatic source in Doha. Riad Seif, the Syria dissident who had championed the movement and was set to emerge as one of the new leaders, withdrew after he lost his seat in the executive council of the main opposition, the Syrian National Council (SNC). Furious at being publicly side-lined by the conference, the SNC voted against the proposal at its separate convention. Representatives from the National Coordinating Committee, the Syrian democratic platform, and the Kurdish ethnic minority had rejected the plan. The plan's failure is a blow to Hillary Clinton, the US secretary of state, who had announced it a week ago, and to Britain, which had strongly favoured it. http://www.aljazeera.com/news/middleeast/2012/11/201211718412509760.html?utm_content=automate&utm_campaign=Trial6&utm_source=NewSocialFlow&utm_term=plustweets&utm_medium=MasterAccount Arab League says Assad days are numbered Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's regime will not stay in power for much longer, Nabil al-Arabi, the head of the Arab League, has said, urging the opposition meeting in the Gulf state of Qatar to put aside their differences. "It is important to unify the opposition's visions, especially because everyone knows that the regime in Syria will not remain for long and one day there will be a new situation in Syria," he told reporters in Cairo on Wednesday. Al-Arabi's comments came as the Syrian National Council's (SNC) general assembly of nearly 420 members meeting in the Qatari capital Doha moved to choose two leadership bodies and a president. Attempts at new leadership have followed intense international pressure from critics who say the exile-dominated group needs to be overhauled as it does not represent Syrians risking their lives on the frontlines to oust al-Assad's regime. Al Jazeera's Omar al-Saleh, reporting from the conference in Doha, said: "The electing process is ongoing. By Thursday morning there will be a new leadership, but the problems will remain huge as the SNC are seen to be weak." https://twitter.com/Nora0315 Syrian girl to Michelle Obama: "Pls tell Mr Obama to help women & children of Syria." She says: "We're so proud of u." 12:13 PM https://twitter.com/blakehounshell Don't look now, but the Syria conference in Doha seems to be going down in flames.1:54 PM https://twitter.com/rozalinachomsky resistance fighters entered al-itmah bazaar in aleppo city & killed many assad troops. heavy clashes continue11:44 AM resistance fighters destroyed a military tank & killed +12 assad troops near al-ghutah al-sharqiyah 12:28 PM resistance fighters in hama say 25 troops have defected in hama countryside 1:32 PM heavy clashes are going on now near aleppo-damascus motorway near al-nabk. resistance fighters want to control the motorway 3:07 PM resistance fighters attacked the baath party's building in deirezzor city. the building is on fire 3:21 PM https://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=246203482172337&id=102993809826639 2 hours agoPeople in Aleppo, Syria - "Will Obama help us now?" Me - "I don't know." I have been telling them to wait until after the election and see what happens.... https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=2217320&l=ca4d8d49be&id=217848338242310 The Local Coordination Committees in Syria:The number of martyrs in Syria has risen to 109 including 8 children and 4 women: 69 martyrs were reported in Damascus and its suburbs, including 25 in Bait Sahem; 15 in Idlib; 7 in Aleppo; 4 in Homs; 4 in Lattakia; 3 in Daraa; 3 in Raqqa; 2 in Hama and 2 in Deir Ezzor 1:35 PM Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
visionary Posted November 8, 2012 Share Posted November 8, 2012 http://news.yahoo.com/syria-opposition-exile-fails-elect-women-001926533.html;_ylt=AiVBflzRLKbwhcn0g6xnygm1qHQA;_ylu=X3oDMTQ4cm1pb2ZvBG1pdANUb3BTdG9yeSBXb3JsZFNGIE1pZGRsZUVhc3RTU0YEcGtnAzU2Mzc1YTM1LWUxMmEtMzE5NS1iNzBiLTQ0YzRlYWM4MDAwOQRwb3MDMQRzZWMDdG9wX3N0b3J5BHZlcgNiMDFmMjA3MC0yOTNkLTExZTItYjM3OS04NzlmZjU5Zjc5MTc-;_ylg=X3oDMTF1cDZjaTBwBGludGwDdXMEbGFuZwNlbi11cwRwc3RhaWQDBHBzdGNhdAN3b3JsZHxtaWRkbGVlYXN0BHB0A3NlY3Rpb25z;_ylv=3 Syria opposition in exile fails to elect womenSyria's main opposition bloc elected an all-male leadership team early Thursday, undermining its own bid to showcase itself as a more diverse group that can represent all those trying to oust President Bashar Assad. The Syrian National Council's general assembly of some 420 members chose a 40-member leadership body after hours of voting at a conference held at a hotel in the Qatari capital of Doha. The 40-member group is to choose an 11-member executive body and an SNC president later Thursday. When the SNC election results were announced, women delegates jumped up in protest. Some of the male delegates joined their demands that several women be added to the leadership group retroactively. SNC officials said Wednesday that the internal election may not be enough to deflect criticism of the group and halt U.S.-backed efforts to set up a broader opposition leadership council in which the SNC's influence would be diluted.Under that plan, Syrian dissident Riad Seif initially proposed the SNC would receive only 15 out of 50 seats in the new group, to make room for activists from inside Syria. Seif's plan is to be discussed Thursday at a wider meeting of opposition groups. SNC spokesman George Sabra said he believes the U.S. and Qatar support a new opposition leadership along those lines, even if the final details still need to be sorted out. He said the opposition is under intense pressure to conclude a deal before leaving Doha. SNC leaders met Tuesday with U.S. diplomats on the sidelines of the Doha conference, said Sabra, who attended the discussions. The diplomats, including the U.S. ambassador to Syria, Robert Ford, told the SNC that Washington wants to see a unified opposition negotiate a political transition with members of the Syrian regime who don't have blood on their hands, said Sabra and another participant, SNC political strategist Louay Safi. http://www.nytimes.com/2012/11/08/world/middleeast/turkey-may-deploy-patriot-missiles-near-syria.html?smid=tw-share Turkey Considers Deploying Missiles Near SyriaTurkey raised publicly for the first time on Wednesday the idea of stationing Patriot missile batteries along its southern border with Syria. The move would effectively create a no-fly zone that could help safeguard refugees and give rebel fighters a portion of Syrian territory without fear of crippling airstrikes by Syrian forces. In the weeks before the presidential election, a plan for limited no-fly zones in Syria circulated in Washington policy circles and won advocates in the State Department, a person briefed on the matter said. According to this plan, safe zones would be enforced by Patriot missile batteries under NATO authority and positioned in Turkey and Jordan. The plan, according to this person, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because the discussions were confidential, was presented in recent weeks to Turkey’s leaders as a possible option, although the Obama administration has not signed off on it. At a briefing in Washington, the State Department’s spokeswoman, Victoria Nuland, said that Turkey’s request for the missiles was unrelated to establishing safe zones. “On the no-fly zone itself, you know that we’ve been saying for quite a while we continue to study whether that makes sense, how it might work,” she said. http://www.todayszaman.com/news-297516-obama-would-make-his-first-foreign-visit-to-turkey.html Obama would make his first foreign visit to TurkeyThe US Ambassador to Turkey said on Wednesday that US President Barack Obama who was re-elected to the White House on Tuesday would make his first foreign visit to Turkey. Turkish Habertürk daily claimed on Wednesday that Francis J. Ricciardone said Obama will make his first foreign trip to Turkey after the reelection. Today's Zaman cannot verify the report. When? https://twitter.com/rozalinachomsky resistance fighters arrest brigadier general radwan al-lubbad 5:06 PM there are huge bunkers behind al-mazzeh military airport 5:26 PM resistance fighters say they have attacked the '2nd building' in the presidential compound (damascus) 5:29 PM heavy clashes are going on now in al-mazzeh neighborhood in damascus 5:35 PM it seems that the resistance fighters have started major attacks on assad's forces in damascus city 5:48 PM https://twitter.com/MahirZeynalov Turkey intercepts a Syria-bound cargo plane took off from Armenia suspected of carrying arms. Security forces are investigating the plane. 12:39 AM US State Department says Washington haven't yet received formal request from NATO to deploy Patriot missiles to Turkey-Syria border. 1:24 AM Sources say Turkish security forces found only food in the Syria-bound Armenian cargo plane forced to land in Turkey, will let it go. 3:11 AM https://twitter.com/javierespinosa2 Unfortunately, syrian regime has also managed to drag palestinians into the civil war,as Hamas members fights FPLP-GC in Yarmouk1:20 AM Bashar is his father's script, using palestinian militias allied and Palestinian Liberation Army, used by Hafez in Lebanon 1:23 AM 1 palestinian fighter with FSA told me: "all camps are fighting,leadership is with the regime but people with the revolution" 1:25 AM In Syria is compulsory for palestinians to serve some years in the Palestinian Liberation Army, part of the syrian army 1:28 AM 1 fighter who escaped with me from Bab al Amar was a Palestinian from Hama, still fighting in Homs along with many other palestinians 1:47 AM http://www.lccsyria.org/10468 The Local Coordination Committees in SyriaBy the end of today, the LCC was able to document 168[159] martyrs, including 4 women and 16 children. 73 martyrs were reported in Damascus and its suburbs, including 25 martyrs in Beit Sahem; 32 martyrs were reported in Aleppo; 25 in Idlib; 8 in Raqqa; 6 in Homs; 4 in Lattakia; 4 in Deir Ezzor; 4 in Daraa; and 3 in Hama. The total seems off a bit this time. http://www.extremeskins.com/showthread.php?357480-Yahoo-Assad-predicts-disaster-if-West-meddles-in-Syria&p=9046975&viewfull=1#post9046975 37,839 people killed so far in Syria Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
visionary Posted November 8, 2012 Share Posted November 8, 2012 https://twitter.com/AlexCrawfordSky FSA has taken some governmental offices: the governor's building, the mayor, the police station in Ra'as Al-Ain on Turkish border. 2:12 AM The Ra'as Al-Ain attack by rebels is notable because it is mostly populated by Kurdish people 2:16 AM Syrians waiting to see what effect the US elex will have. On Wed, rebels attacked some Alawite areas in Damascus 2:23 AM https://twitter.com/dickinsonbeth Buzz at Doha talks this morning: Riad Seif initiative dying Fast, new calls for SNC to set up Shop in liberated areas of Syria2:13 AM SNC set to bring 2 women into leadership by decree, after wide criticism of their all male elected team of 30 2:16 AM https://twitter.com/hhassan140 Just a couple of thoughts about what is happening, or not happening, in Doha in the following three tweets.2:48 AM Let's wait till the end of today to see if the US-backed initiative is dead. But the initiative won't die, it'd be shelved & nothing changes 2:48 AM The winner from its failure will be MB & its partners, the losers Syrians. US will simply strangle any effort to help the rebels, big time.. 2:48 AM The plan will be shelved & pressure will increase on countries that aid the rebels, till we're back to Doha again. (meeting now) 2:49 AM https://twitter.com/dalalmawad SNC needs to come up with new leadership this morning to be able to dialogue with diplomats and other opposition grps here in doha2:12 AM Foreign ambassadors and delegations now entering the room to start discussions, SNC still not here 2:14 AM Riad hijab defected PM just entered the meeting Syria so did Haitham almaleh 2:50 AM SNC executive bureau election results postponed till tomorrow. Not a good sign 2:51 AM Syria opposition discussion expected to last a few more days 2:54 AM https://twitter.com/NMSyria Dozens wounded and other killed by the heavy shelling of Al-Sheikh Meskeen in Daraa.3:06 AM https://twitter.com/dalalmawad Haitham al maleh tells us he is not happy with some amendments made to the Seif plan last night 3:08 AM riad Seif refused to answer my questions on amendments made to his plan regarding the SNC seats number in his proposal 3:09 AM Sieda [current head of SNC] says he is sorry they couldn't agree on women names and will work on adding at least 4 names to the secretariat SNC 3:10 AM Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
visionary Posted November 8, 2012 Share Posted November 8, 2012 http://www.theatlantic.com/infocus/2012/11/syria-in-ruins/100402/ Syria in RuinsWhile much recent media attention has been focused on Hurricane Sandy and America's presidential election, Syria's horrific civil war continues. In some places, it has worsened. Aerial bombardment of civilian neighborhoods, deadly sniper fire, brutal street fighting, assassinations, and summary executions have become the norm in Syria. Cease-fire agreements have collapsed, rebel forces remain disorganized, foreign intervention is still hamstrung, and no path to peace appears to be forming yet. Britain is now reportedly looking for options to circumvent an arms embargo in order to supply rebels with weaponry. Syrian President Bashar al-Assad remains defiant, stating in an interview with Russia Today that he planned "live and die in Syria," adding, "I am tougher than Gaddafi." Collected here are images of this bloody conflict from just the past few weeks. Maybe not the best statement for him to make.... http://uk.reuters.com/article/2012/11/08/uk-syria-crisis-idUKBRE8A40X920121108 QATAR, TURKEY CHIDE OPPOSITIONBacked by Washington, the Doha talks underline Qatar's central role in the effort to end Assad's rule as the Gulf state, which funded the Libyan revolt to oust Muammar Gaddafi, tries to position itself as a player in a post-Assad Syria. Qatari Prime Minister Hamad bin Jassim Al Thani urged the Syrian opposition to set its personal disputes aside and unite, according to a source inside the closed-door session. "Come on, get a move on in order to win recognition from the international community," the source quoted him as saying. Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmed Davutoglu delivered a similar message, saying, according to the source: "We want one spokesman not many. We need efficient counterparts, it is time to unite." An official text of a speech by Qatari Foreign Minister Khalid Mohamed al-Attiyah showed he told the gathering: "The Syrian people awaits unity from you, not divisions ... Your agreement today will prove to the international community that there is a unity ... and this will reflect positively in the international community's stance towards your fair cause." http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-20250743 Red Cross says it cannot cope with Syria emergencyThe Red Cross has said it "can't cope" with the worsening situation in Syria. "The humanitarian situation is getting worse despite the scope of the operation increasing," said Peter Maurer, president of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC). http://turkeywonk.wordpress.com/2012/11/08/turkeys-nato-patriots/ Turkey’s (NATO) PatriotsAfter months of bluster, and repeated threats to intervene in Syria, Turkey may be preparing to try and implement a no-fly-zone. The plan, as it has been reported, is to use Patriot to deter Syrian aircraft from entering airspace on or near the Turkish-Syrian border. The Patriot is an anti-balistic missile system designed to track and intercept long range missiles. The PAC-3 missile uses hit-to-kill technology – meaning that the missile’s warhead does not explode, but rather destroys the missile and its accompanying warhead (everyone hopes) – with kinetic energy. Patriot has a mixed track record in combat. http://edition.cnn.com/2012/11/08/world/europe/turkey-border-defense/index.html?sr=sharebar_twitter Turkey mulls defensive measures on Syrian borderTurkey is drawing up contingency plans with the NATO military alliance to fortify its border with Syria, and a Patriot missile deployment is one option on the table, Turkish officials say. Turkish President Abdullah Gul told reporters Thursday that due to the ongoing civil war in Syria and its possible repercussions for NATO-member Turkey, every measure was being considered to counter the risks. Discussions have been ongoing "within NATO... in terms of defensive measures" and many defensive scenarios are being looked at as a precaution, Gul said when asked whether Turkey was seeking to acquire Patriot missiles from NATO. International and Turkish media reported Wednesday that the government planned to ask NATO to station Patriot missiles along the border with Syria, but the prime minister denied the report. "We have not made such a request. Let me be clear, we are not thinking about or in a position to buy Patriots at this time," Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan told reporters during a visit to Bali Wednesday. He seemed angry about the media reports, insisting that the foreign ministry official said to be the source for the information had no right to make such a statement. Schools were closed in the Turkish border town of Ceylanpinar Thursday as intense fighting raged in the area between loyalist Syrian forces and fighters from the rebel Free Syrian Army."We can hear the sounds of fighting. The town is very quiet today, not a lot of stores opened up," said Mehmet Saitavci, a neighborhood mayor from Ceylanpinar. "People here have a lot of relatives on the other side and they are coming up to the border and the Turkish military takes them and brings them into Turkey. We were told we can have our relatives be our guests for a few days by the municipal mayor," said Saitavci, who also reported that two Turks were injured, but not seriously, due to stray gunfire. http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/11/08/us-syria-crisis-discipline-killing-idUSBRE8A70YD20121108 Syrian rebels kill prisoner as war fuels hatredUnarmed and cornered by Syrian rebel fighters, the man seemed to accept his death with more silent sorrow than surprise; his killers did not hesitate as they shot their prisoner. The incident, filmed by a Reuters video crew, happened last week in Harem, near Aleppo, where rebels have surrounded hundreds of troops and militiamen loyal to President Bashar al-Assad. Taking one neighborhood after days of bitter street fighting, opposition fighters went from house to house. From one building they hauled a man in middle age, dressed in casual clothes, black bearded and without a weapon. He seemed anxious and shied away as he stumbled into the street. Three rebels fighters casually raised their Kalashnikov rifles. A shot rang out, then another. A third. The man began to fall. Still silent. More shots. He lay still. A final round hit his head. Brigade commander Basel Eissa did shout at his men but was unable to stop them. Leaders of the unit said the fighters were angry at taking casualties. They also justified their action by saying they later found documents showing the dead man was a loyalist army officer - though that would be no defense in a war crimes court."I try to remind them that there are moral reasons we do not just kill soldiers," Eissa said. "And beyond that, I tell them that strategically it is bad - we get help or information when we spare these men's lives. We are not their judge, God is." Commanders are also aware that bad publicity could hamper rebel efforts to secure arms and funding from abroad that might allow them to better match the tanks, aircraft and artillery which Assad's forces are using against them to deadly effect - Eissa himself was killed in an air strike earlier this week. https://twitter.com/farGar 7 killed after assad aerial strikes on Maaret al Nouman, including 5 from the same family. RIP. Idlib10:23 AM https://twitter.com/WashingtonPoint Riad Seif to AJ: An agreement in principle has been reached on forming a political entity w/ participation of SNC Naharnet12:35 PM FSA seizes a long-range missile battalion Al afteras reportedly in Damascus http://youtu.be/uGOG4ykSgug 1:01 PM Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
visionary Posted November 8, 2012 Share Posted November 8, 2012 http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/11/08/us-syria-crisis-discipline-idUSBRE8A71B420121108 In Syria, siege is test for new rebel order As Assad's opponents and their Western, Arab and Turkish backers meet in Qatar this week seeking elusive unity, Harem shows rebel commanders struggling to forge a single, disciplined force which might ease foreign powers' fear that arms sent to shadowy groups may simply fuel carnage - or even be turned against their donors.Whether the opposition can succeed, remains unclear. Its political leadership has appeared as divided as ever in Doha, frustrating the hopes of allies like U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, who is pushing for a united approach that gives a strong voice to those "in the front lines fighting and dying". The fighting at Harem has shown rebels under the guidance of defectors from Assad's army like Abu Osama out-maneuvering better armed troops. But it also demonstrates the firepower, notably in the air, which Assad is deploying to defend his rule as the 19-month-old conflict, now all-out civil war, grinds on. Abu Osama, a muscular artillery major who stands tall above his comrades in his tan army boots, joined the battle for Harem as a representative of the Joint Leadership of the Military Councils - a body whose own ultimate command structure is opaque but which says it aims to use funding and weaponry apparently mainly from Gulf states to take charge of the overall rebellion.Imposing that leadership is not easy. The Councils have met skepticism from some rebels and are flatly rejected by others. The bands of fighters, recruited from villages or city blocks, or by small political or religious groupings, have been left to their own devices so far; many suspect senior army defectors of corruption and trying to grab power for themselves. But Harem, whose stone houses clustered under the fortress and surrounded by pomegranate groves are home to about 20,000 people, has provided the Councils and men like Abu Osama with a chance to show them what tactical leadership can provide. https://twitter.com/Avend93 5 civilians wounded as a result of FSA-Assad army clashes in Sere Kaniye. 1:45 PM leader in Ghurabaa Al-Sham "FSA" says that they have liberated Sere Kaniye and confirms to KNC that they will hand it over to Kurds. 1:50 PM "Three FSA fighters have lost their lives in the operation" Stated Abu Sayyaf "Operation leader" to Welati. RIP 1:58 PM At least 20 soldiers were killed, dozen more have been captured. RIH thx @Alexblx 2:10 PM If Azadi, PDK and Yekiti united, Kurds will finally have a powerful opposition to face the PYD (not by clashes, representing ppl politically 2:50 PM https://twitter.com/hhassan140 AJA correspondent in Doha cites a diplomat saying SNC meetings might be up to four days but the meetings will be decivise. Has to end here.3:06 PM https://twitter.com/AlexCrawfordSky FSA takes the military security in Ra'as Al-Ain on the Turkish border as Pres Assad tells Russian tv he will 'live and die in Syria' 3:14 PM https://twitter.com/rozalinachomsky resistance fighters have liberated the national hospital in abukamal city (the hospital was a military place for assad's troops)2:35 PM resistance fighters have repulsed an attack on al-rastan city. heavy clashes continue in the northern countryside 3:18 PM assad's troops entered the town of al-mubarakiyah in homs countryside. 3:21 PM assad's troops have entered al-tabqa city in al-raqqah. heavy clashes continue 3:24 PM correction: resistance fighters liberated the military security compound in ras al-ain in al-hasakah. 10 assad thugs were killed 3:29 PM Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
visionary Posted November 9, 2012 Share Posted November 9, 2012 http://www.naharnet.com/stories/en/60017 Assad Foes Near to Opposition Unity DealSyrians from a broad spectrum of opposition to President Bashar Assad seemed close Thursday to reaching agreement on a unified political structure that world powers will accept as credible and representative. "We are moving towards agreement," said Burhan Ghalioun, former chief of the main opposition Syrian National Council hours after the meeting started. Any agreement on unifying opposition ranks "could boost the uprising" as it will enable the opposition later to unite the different military groups battling regime troops, he added. Prominent dissident Riad Seif, who had proposed a Western-backed initiative to unite the opposition and form a transitional government, shared the optimism. "We are very optimistic" an agreement can be reached "tonight or tomorrow," Seif told reporters. The opposition is moving towards creating "a political leadership that would satisfy the Syrians and be recognized by the international community," he said, adding that there were "big chances" the initiative would "succeed." http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/11/08/us-syria-crisis-northeast-idUSBRE8A71LF20121108 Syria rebels take Turkish border town, Kurds alarmedFree Syrian Army fighters captured a town on the Turkish border on Thursday in a push to seize control of frontier areas from President Bashar al-Assad's forces, a rebel commander and opposition sources said. Ten people were killed in clashes as rebels took Ras al-Ain, an Arab and Kurd town in the northeastern oil-producing province of Hasaka, 600 km (375 miles) from Damascus, the sources said. "The crossing is important because it opens another line to Turkey, where we can send the wounded and get supplies," said Khaled al-Walid, a commander in the Raqqa Rebel Division, based in a neighboring province. Speaking by phone from Ras al-Ain, Walid said the rebels controlled a wide area along the Turkish border, 80 kms (50 miles) deep, including a road from the contested city of Aleppo to Hasaka.In the last three months, the mainly Arab Sunni rebels have captured several outposts on the 800-km (500-mile) border, steadily moving toward the northeast, home to a large proportion of Syria's one-million-strong Kurdish minority. At least one of the kurdish activists I follow actually seemed excited about it though. (He's usually pretty critical of the FSA) http://www.seattlepi.com/news/world/article/UN-warns-of-escalating-humanitarian-need-in-Syria-4022174.php UN warns of escalating humanitarian need in SyriaThe United Nations is warning that the number of people inside Syria needing humanitarian aid could rise sharply from 2.5 million now to 4 million by early next year if the civil war grinds on at its current deadly pace. http://www.nytimes.com/2012/11/09/world/middleeast/in-syria-missteps-by-rebels-erode-their-support.html?smid=tw-share&_r=0 Rebels’ Missteps Weaken Support Among SyriansSyria’s rebel fighters — who have long staked claim to the moral high ground for battling dictatorship — are losing crucial support from a public increasingly disgusted by the actions of some rebels, including poorly planned missions, senseless destruction, criminal behavior and the coldblooded killing of prisoners. The shift in mood presents more than just a public relations problem for the loosely knit militants of the Free Syrian Army, who rely on their supporters to survive the government’s superior firepower. A dampening of that support undermines the rebels’ ability to fight and win what has become a devastating war of attrition, perpetuating the violence that has left nearly 40,000 dead, hundreds of thousands in refugee camps and more than a million forced from their homes. The rebel shortcomings have been compounded by changes in the opposition, from a force of civilians and defected soldiers who took up arms after the government used lethal force on peaceful protesters to one that is increasingly seeded with extremist jihadis. That radicalization has divided the fighters’ supporters and made Western nations more reluctant to give rebels the arms that might help break the intensifying deadlock. Instead, foreign leaders are struggling to find indirect ways to help oust Syria’s president, Bashar al-Assad. The most significant shift is among the rebels’ supporters, who chant slogans not only condemning the government but also criticizing the rebels. “The people want the reform of the Free Syrian Army,” crowds have called out. “We love you. Correct your path.” Small acts of petty humiliation and atrocities like executions have led many more Syrians to believe that some rebels are as depraved as the government they fight. The activist from Saraqib said he saw rebels force government soldiers from a milk factory, then destroy it, even though residents needed the milk and had good relations with the owner. “They shelled the factory and stole everything,” the activist said. “Those are repulsive acts.” http://news.sky.com/story/1009015/syria-assad-employing-cluster-bombs-in-war Syria: Assad 'Employing Cluster Bombs' In WarSky News has found overwhelming evidence that the Syrian regime is using cluster bombs against its own people in contravention of international laws. It comes despite repeated denials by Bashar al Assad's government, which has insisted the regime does not even possess the weapons. The claims had already been made by rebel activists who are denounced by the Assad regime as terrorists and were then backed up by Human Rights Watch. But until now the accusations could not be independently verified and have been repeatedly written off as lies and propaganda by the Syrian government. This week, the UN political affairs chief told the Security Council that there was "credible evidence" that the regime had used cluster bombs. https://twitter.com/rozalinachomsky ferocious clashes are going on right now in deirezzor. resistance fighters are trying to inter into the military security compound 5:48 PM a bloody & fierce war is going on now in dayr ba`albah (60 street) neighborhood in homs city' loud explosions have rocked the city 5:53 PM ansar al-haqq brigade says resistance fighters are attacking assad's troops in the security compound in deirezzor city. 5:58 PM http://www.lccsyria.org/10472 Local Coordination Committees in SyriaLCC could document 123 martyrs on Thursday, 47 in Damascus and its suburbs, 18 in Idlib, 25 in Aleppo, 13 in Daraa, 8 in Deir Ezzor, 5 in Hama, 4 in Homs and 3 martyrs in Raqqa http://www.extremeskins.com/showthread.php?357480-Yahoo-Assad-predicts-disaster-if-West-meddles-in-Syria&p=9046975&viewfull=1#post9046975 37,962 people killed so far in Syria Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
visionary Posted November 9, 2012 Share Posted November 9, 2012 http://www.dailystar.com.lb/News/Middle-East/2012/Nov-09/194475-syria-rebels-to-reorganise-lead-from-front-general.ashx#axzz2BiCdDucx Syria rebels to reorganise, lead from front: generalSyria's largest armed opposition group is undergoing a drastic reorganisation and relocating its leadership to rebel-held territory in a bid to win vital international support, a general told AFP. Mustafa Sheikh heads the military council that presides over the Free Syrian Army (FSA) but which has been criticised for failing to bring order to an organisation some of whose members have been implicated in suspected war crimes. Its units fighting to bring down Syrian President Bashar al-Assad are poorly equipped and increasingly resentful of the international community -- particularly the West for refusing to provide it with heavy weapons and implement a no-fly zone. But in an interview with AFP in northern Syria, Sheikh said that in the past 10 days, the FSA had started to restructure itself into five divisions -- north, south, east and west, and the coast -- and would elect new leaders. "We are getting closer and closer to becoming organised, so that we can get to a stage that is accepted by the international community," he told AFP. He said the FSA's priorities were organisation and securing heavier weapons than the Kalashnikovs and improvised rockets many units currently make do with. https://twitter.com/GinnySacksMole FSA Hamza Brigade leader Lt Ayoub has been injured in an FSA op, but will be recover cc @mamounjoma @Da3m_mubasher Rastan2:59 AM https://twitter.com/rozalinachomsky heavy clashes are going on now near the town of mahmbel (idlib). resistance fighters are attacking a big military checkpoint2:59 AM https://twitter.com/Ugariti_Homsi Aljazeera: Tens of civilians killed and wounded as the regime forces targeted a busy market in Alqouriya town in Deir Ez-Zor city.3:07 AM https://twitter.com/MahirZeynalov 2 Syrian generals, 11 colonels, 2 lt. colonels, 2 majors, 4 captains, 5 sergeants, dozens of soldiers defected to Turkey this morning.3:16 AM Total number of Syrian generals who defected to Turkey rises to 44. 3:17 AM Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
visionary Posted November 9, 2012 Share Posted November 9, 2012 http://www.enduringamerica.com/home/2012/11/9/syria-and-beyond-live-coverage-opposition-still-seeking-lead.html#1637 1637 GMT: Syria. As I predicted yesterday while talking to Monocle 24, the Local Coordination Committees have resigned from the Syria National Council, and have posted the following statement on Facebook:Several attempts have been made by the Local Coordination Committees in Syria to push the Syrian National Council and its leadership to adopt a serious and effective general reform plan so that the SNC can assume its role as a political representative of the great people of Syria. It is clear to us now that the Syrian National Council is not fit to assume such role, especially after the disappointing results its restructure attempts.Therefore, the Local Coordination Committees hereby declares its withdrawal from the Syrian National Council. This is a major blow to efforts to reorganize the Syrian opposition leadership into a group that better represents the people in Syria. The LCC is one of the few organizations that has large representation inside the country, and its resignation is a clear sign that the SNC is falling apart. This is not unanticipated, however. The LCC has tried to play hardball with the SNC before, and after months of trying it has decided that the group is beyond saving. The question is whether the Syrian National Initiative will reform with less representation from the SNC and more from other groups, including the LCC. Right now, it appears that the inclusion of the SNC in the new group has derailed any serious attempt to for an alternative to the failed leadership group. Things were looking much more promising last night. https://twitter.com/Joyce_Karam The withdrawal of LCC from SNC is setback but not surprising.11:29 AM SNC cannot exist without internal support. Withdrawal of LCC today, leaves no option but create a new cohesive body. 11:32 AM https://twitter.com/farGar We will never kneel -- Kafranbel's response to Assad's bombardment of Kafranbel earlier this week Idlib pic.twitter.com/8NIIcs5s11:46 AM https://twitter.com/KareemLailah Sooner or later, it will become a complete chaos in the Kurdish area due to conflicts of Kurdish council, FSA & PYD.11:48 AM https://twitter.com/rozalinachomsky resistance fighters destroyed 2 military tanks & killed & arrested +35 assad troops in al-qunaytirah (south syria) 10:15 AM resistance fighters have forced assad's troops to leave the farms in darayya 10:19 AM resistance fighters have forced assad's troops to leave al-liwan area in kafr soseh (damascus) 10:26 AM ansar al-islam brigade in damascus & its countryside denounces the syrian national council 11:17 AM just in: resistance fighters attacked the military base in jab`adeen (north of damascus). many assad troops were killed & injured 12:00 PM https://twitter.com/Avend93 Some of TCK activists tried to put the Kurdish flag over Assad security center in SerêKaniyê, but FSA didn't allow them 11:32 AM it is somehow [surprising], they showed a good Intention at the beginning and promised to hand it over to Kurds. 12:16 PM The thing that you still didn't get is, FSA left the majority of Kurdish neighborhood and only controls on non-Kurdish ones. But of course they didn't apply everything they promised but also applied some. 1:02 PM And it's good to mention that because of them, Assad security has been collapsed in the town and a high-ranking officer has been killed. 1:03 PM And the Kurdish flag has been raised on the top of majority centers besides the Syrian Independence ones. 1:07 PM https://twitter.com/OnlySyrian FSA s destroyed Assad's T72 tank in Khan-al'sal area at Aleppo borders.12:24 PM https://twitter.com/jenanmoussa As for refugees, in last 24 hrs alone, 9000 Syrians fled to Turkey.12:36 PM Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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