visionary Posted January 5, 2012 Share Posted January 5, 2012 http://www.aljazeera.com/news/middleeast/2012/01/20121514550985525.html There haven't been nearly enough big defections in Syria so far. Nice to see one though. Interesting claims too. Senior Syrian official defects over crackdownDefence ministry official denounces government claims that ongoing violence is caused by terrorists as "all lies". Mahmoud Souleiman Hajj Hamad, the head inspector of the country’s defence ministry, held a press conference on Wednesday in Cairo to announce his defection. In an interview with Al Jazeera, Hamad, who was also an auditor for the interior ministry, denied government claims that the ongoing violence was caused by “terrorists” aided from abroad. “We were analysing and seeing for ourselves that the regime's story about armed gangs going out and killing protesters was all lies," he said. "I confirm there are no armed gangs, they are all unarmed protesters.” Hamad said the government has spent about $40mn on loyalist militias to crush demonstrations since March, as security forces, at times backed by tanks, laid siege to protests hubs across the nation. “While auditing, I found two billion Syrian pounds [$40m] paid out to the regime's paid thugs, and seen an increase in the spending of the intelligence and defence ministries for the purpose of paying thugs. “We saw them preparing and heading out in their armoured vehicles and buses toward the young protesters and killing them. It has been happening since the beginning of the protests.” https://twitter.com/#!/freesyria74 Another 30 people were killed today in Syria by Assad's forces.1 hour ago Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
visionary Posted January 6, 2012 Share Posted January 6, 2012 http://blogs.aljazeera.com/liveblog/Syria 5 hours 13 min ago - SyriaAs part of the "noise campaign", activists posted several videos purporting to show residents from neighbourhoods in different cities making loud noises from their homes to express disapproval of the Syrian government. The first video below is reportedly from the city of Hama, the second from Homs' al-Khaldiyeh neighbourhood, and the third from the Damascus suburb of Douma. OpRkgBHWIKw 1 hour 33 min ago - SyriaThe head of the Free Syrian Army has called on the Arab League to admit that its observer mission to the country is a failure, urging the bloc to seek UN help to end almost 10 months of bloodshed. Colonel Riyadh al-Asaad's statement came as 11 more people were reported killed in Syria and after the Arab League turned to the United Nations for help and admitted "mistakes" in its almost two-week old mission. A UN spokesman said, meanwhile, that the observers could receive UN training to help them in their mission. The "Syrian Revolution 2011" group, one of the driving forces on the Internet behind the uprising, called on Facebook for demonstrations on Friday to urge the "internationalisation of our cause". Also there is a report out now that Arab League monitors were shot at and forced to flee in Damascus, by Syrian security forces. The report is by Al Arabiya though, so keep that in mind. ---------- Post added January-6th-2012 at 02:46 AM ---------- And now apparently the SNC head is calling for UN intervention in the form of a No Fly Zone in Syria. This is pretty interesting.... I hadn't heard anything this specific from them before. I don't see it happening though unless there's a major escalation by the regime. NATO/US/Europe have mostly stayed out of this, other than to criticize the regime and put sanctions on them, (which while a decent effort doesn't seem to have done a lot so far). Russia and China are very much against anything concrete coming out of the UN. And the Arab League and company have tried to do everything they can to avoid actually doing anything. Here's the details of what's being said. This just popped up on my twitter feed a few minutes ago. https://twitter.com/#!/ZeinakhodrAljaz SNC head Burhan Ghalioun says the ArabLeague must acknowledge the failure of it's observer mission in Syria Ghalioun said ArabLeague should press for a UN resolution imposing a no fly zone over the most vulnerable parts of Syria Ghalioun told the daily telegraph that ArabLeague should still lead the international response to the Syria crisis Ghalioun :Any intl military operation could be conducted in a much more limited scale than in Libya and not necessarily led by NATO 5 minutes ago Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
visionary Posted January 6, 2012 Share Posted January 6, 2012 http://www.aljazeera.com/news/middleeast/2012/01/20121610858777140.html Dozens of people are reported to be dead after a blast in the Syrian capital, Damascus.Syrian state TV said at least 25 people died and 46 more were wounded in Friday's attack which it blamed on a suicide bomber. The explosion, which targeted the central district of al-Maidan, a hub for anti-government protests, was described by the opposition as a government plot. Syrian television showed residents and paramedics carrying human remains, holding them up for the camera. Other footage showed a police bus with blood on its seats, and cars with blown-out windows and riddled with shrapnel. Mohammed Shaar, the Syrian interior minister, also blamed a suicide bomber for "detonating himself with the aim of killing the largest number of people". The blast came exactly two weeks after twin bombings killed 44 people in the city. The head of the Arab League said on Friday he had asked the Damascus-based leader of the Palestinian group Hamas to ask the Syrian government to work to halt violence in the country. The Syrian Free Army and the SNC have denied any responsibility and have blamed the government for staging this to divert attention away from the protests and their killings by security forces. https://twitter.com/#!/LeShaque Defecting officer on AJM accuses AL monitors of ignoring his pleas to visit mass graves. 1 minute ago https://twitter.com/#!/ZeinakhodrAljaz French FM Juppe: We support the ArabLeague which sent observers to Syria but this mission is not at present able to do its job properly 23 minutes ago ---------- Post added January-6th-2012 at 10:19 AM ---------- http://www.cnn.com/2012/01/05/world/meast/syria-defector/index.html?hpt=hp_t3 Mahmoud al-Haj Hamad was a financial inspector in the Ministry of Defense in Damascus until his recent defection to Egypt. In an interview with CNN this week, he provided a firsthand account of the wheels of repression at work, as seen from his former 12th-floor office."I used to see them bringing in blindfolded and handcuffed detainees on buses who are kept in underground prisons, even some built under the streets," he said. During protests in the streets of Damascus, city buses filled with armed gangs left the ministry, flanked by four-wheel-drive vehicles "filled with weapons," Hamad said. "What is more horrific is the intelligence vans marked with the Syrian Red Crescent insignia that would drive through the protests as ambulances and start firing at protesters," he added. Hamad said he supported the revolution from the start, as did many of his colleagues. He said he would even disguise himself to join the demonstrators sometimes.For a while, he said, "We were hoping the killing would stop and the regime would understand that the revolution will win, and maybe find a way to appease the people. But there was no hope." As the opposition continued, the ministry began to put restrictions on its own staff, Hamad said. Vacations and travel had to be approved by the intelligence department. So he lied to get out in late December. "I traveled to Egypt through the airport with the excuse of registering my son in college in Cairo," he said. "When the rest of my family followed me, I announced my defection in protest of what is happening in Syria." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
visionary Posted January 6, 2012 Share Posted January 6, 2012 https://twitter.com/#!/arwaCNN activists report 35 dead in syria on friday, most in various damascus suburbs16 minutes ago https://twitter.com/#!/jenanmoussa LCC: 35 killed 2day in syria. Hama 9, Damascus & suburbs 14, Homs 8, Idlib 3, Daraa 1. 27 seconds ago Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
visionary Posted January 7, 2012 Share Posted January 7, 2012 I'm seeing a lot of reports of multiple explosions in Damascus right now. It seems there might be something major going on there at the moment. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
visionary Posted January 7, 2012 Share Posted January 7, 2012 I haven't really heard much about the explosions since last night. http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/01/07/us-syria-league-idUSTRE80609E20120107 Arab foreign ministers meet on Sunday to discuss whether to ask the United Nations to help their mission in Syria which has failed to end a 10-month crackdown on anti-government protests in which thousands have died.The proposal by Qatar is to invite U.N. technicians and human rights experts to help Arab monitors assess whether Syria is honoring a pledge to stop its crackdown, sources at the Arab League said. A source said it might request that U.N. staff helping the mission be Arabs. The foreign ministers, who will consider an initial report by the monitors, will also discuss measures to allow the mission to operate more independently of the Syrian authorities, media sources at the League said. http://www.aljazeera.com/news/middleeast/2012/01/20121772734954345.html Scores more soldiers defect from Syrian armyColonel and 50 of his men say they have taken on new mission to keep protesters in Hama safe during demonstrations. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
visionary Posted January 8, 2012 Share Posted January 8, 2012 http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/01/08/us-syria-idUSTRE8041A820120108 The Arab League will renew a call for an end to violence in Syria on Sunday, but stop short of asking the United Nations to send experts to bolster an Arab peace mission to the country, according to a draft statement under discussion by the League."The (Arab League) Secretary General will continue to coordinate with the Secretary General of the United Nations to enhance the technical abilities of the monitors' commission," said the draft statement obtained by Reuters. https://twitter.com/#!/wissamtarif A large Russian naval flotilla led by an aircraft carrier has docked in the Syria port of Tartus **** you Putin 31 minutes ago Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
visionary Posted January 9, 2012 Share Posted January 9, 2012 http://www.cnn.com/2012/01/08/world/meast/syria-unrest/index.html?hpt=hp_t3 Arab League officials urged opposition parties Sunday to increase their efforts to seek a political solution to the impasse by uniting under one government. The regional alliance also acknowledged "partial" steps taken by Syria's government to address the situation, as recommended by the league.Human Rights Watch noted that League Secretary General Nabil el-Araby has said that "Syria has already taken some steps under the terms of the agreement, withdrawing heavy weapons from Syrian cities, and releasing about 3,500 prisoners." The advocacy group also highlighted what is says are examples of Syria not abiding by the league initiative, including continued attacks by security forces on peaceful demonstrators. Early morning clashes between government security forces and army defectors killed at least 11 people Sunday in the village of Basr al-Harir in Daraa, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a London-based opposition human rights group with contacts throughout the country. Later Sunday, opposition activists from the Local Coordination Committees of Syria said that at least 21 people were killed in attacks throughout the country. The LCC's tally listed 14 deaths in Homs, five in the Damascus suburbs, one death in Deir Ezzor and one death in Daraa. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
visionary Posted January 9, 2012 Share Posted January 9, 2012 http://www.cnn.com/2012/01/09/world/meast/syria-robertson-qa/index.html?hpt=hp_c1 CNN's Nic Robertson has been following around the Arab Leagiue monitors and talking with the protesters in Syria. http://blogs.aljazeera.com/liveblog/Syria 5 hours 8 min agoToday's death toll in Syria has been raised to 18, according to the Local Coordination Committees (LCC), a loose umbrella group representing opposition activists. The LCC said in a statement that the 18 dead included "two women, a child and three defected recruits". They added that nine of those killed "died under excruciating torture". The LCC also said that military machinery including tanks are being hidden in the Deir Ezzor municipality garage before the arrival of observers from the Arab League to the city. 2 hours 27 min ago - SyriaTurkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan has warned on Monday of a "civil war" in neighbouring Syria, where President Bashar al-Assad's regime is persisting with a deadly crackdown on opponents. "The situation that has emerged there is right now heading towards a religious, sectarian and racial civil war. This must be stopped," Erdogan said at a televised press conference. "Turkey must play a leading role here. A civil war which could emerge would put us in difficulty... and pose a threat to us," he said. . "Syria right now has an administration which mercilessly murders its own citizens. Nobody can expect us to applaud... authoritarian regimes," said Erdogan. 2 hours 15 min agoSyrian opposition leaders meeting in Istanbul gave Burhan Ghalioun a one-month extension as head of the Syrian National Council (SNC) on Monday, after earlier rejecting a draft accord he had signed with a rival opposition group. "Ghalioun's three-month tenure was renewed for another month until a better mechanism to elect a head of the council is devised," the source, in direct contact with delegates attending the closed meeting, told Reuters in Amman. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
visionary Posted January 10, 2012 Share Posted January 10, 2012 So big surprise: Assad came out today and blamed everything on a conspiracy of foreign powers. He said that the foreign media is out to get him and destroy Syria. Interestingly he's also claiming that ABC and Barbara Walters fabricated the interview with him. And according to him the Arab League monitor initiative was all his idea. He says that he will leave power only when everyone in Syria wants him to. (So I guess as long as he's in Syria and still wants to be in power.....) Now he's ranting about the Arab League and how useless they are. https://twitter.com/#!/CFKlebergTT Yesterday in Bab Seba, Homs, one lone family received 6 dead on their door step, according to LCC activists. 42 minutes ago https://twitter.com/#!/LeShaque SRGC: 10 killed by security in Syria so far today. 15 minutes ago AssadSpeech: There are instances where the army entered a town and the people immediately set up support committees. 20 minutes ago https://twitter.com/#!/pdanahar Syria's Assad says no national unity government needed because nation isn't divided 48 minutes ago https://twitter.com/#!/alihashem_AJA Assad calls the Muslim brotherhood the satanic brotherhood17 minutes ago Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
visionary Posted January 10, 2012 Share Posted January 10, 2012 CNN is reporting that 33 people have been killed in Syria today. Also the Arab League is claiming that some of their monitors were attacked by pro-Assad forces. Here's some comments by our Ambassador to the UN: https://twitter.com/#!/AmbassadorRice At least two ArabLeague monitors were roughed up today. ArabLeague has released a statement blaming pro-regime elements. 1 hour ago By any standard, a deeply alarming UN briefing. Long past time for Asad to yield to his people's wishes and step aside. 1 hour ago The UN just reported an estimated 400 people killed since the arrival of ArabLeague monitors in Syria. 1 hour ago ---------- Post added January-10th-2012 at 03:24 PM ---------- Apparently one of the Arab League monitors is talking on Al Jazeera. Holy crap! This guy is going to be a dead man walking after what he's said about the regime. Ah, apparently he already left Syria in protest of the regime. I guess he's safe for now then. I wouldn't expect hin to be allowed back anytime soon though. https://twitter.com/#!/ahmed Arab League observer Anouar Malek on what he saw in Homs: I've seen lies, I've seen deception and I've seen dead bodies 1 minute ago https://twitter.com/#!/KareemLailah By the way, The Arab observer on Aljazeera is human rights activists and writer from Algeria. I known him since couple of years. 5 minutes ago Arab Observer - Anwar Malek: I announced my attitude against the regime from Syria & they tried to assassinate us yesterday. 1 minute ago https://twitter.com/#!/M_akbik AnwarMalek: Regime uses many misleading methods including changing the names of streets at last moment. 4 minutes ago https://twitter.com/#!/RanaKabbani58 So far 38 ppl murdered by Assad forces in Syria 2day -- at least 3 were children. Assad speech was incitement 2 murder + more murder 7 minutes ago Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
visionary Posted January 11, 2012 Share Posted January 11, 2012 https://twitter.com/#!/ZeinakhodrAljaz Syria Observatory for Human Rights:Western journalist & six Syrians killed when shells hit a group of reporters covering a story in Homs. 2 hours ago French television journalist Gilles Jacquier was killed in the Syria city of Homs, his employer, the public France 2 channel, said. 1 hour ago ArabLeague is putting on hold a decision to send new observers to Syria after monitors were slightly wounded in an attack this week 9 minutes ago ArabLeague official also dismissed remarks by Anwar Malek, a monitor who said he quit Syria mission, accusing the govt of war crimes 10 minutes ago France demands investigation after French journalist killed in Homs Syria 3 seconds ago https://twitter.com/#!/CFKlebergTT 8 killed, 25 "very severely" injured in Homs attack that killed French journo today, Syria Observatory for Human Rights tell me. 46 minutes agoSpksmn för Syria Obs. for HRs accuses regime for #Homs attack that killed French journo + others. Claims residents saw tank fire 2 shells.44 minutes ago On the other hand there is this: http://blogs.aljazeera.com/liveblog/Syria A witness in Homs, who asked not to be named, said the casualties were caused by rocket-propelled grenades fired duringa pro-Assad rally. He said he had seen three bodies. From what Syrians on twitter are saying though, the area is completely impossible for anyone to get into that is not let in by security. Most seem convinced that this was done by the regime. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
visionary Posted January 11, 2012 Share Posted January 11, 2012 http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/01/11/us-syria-monitor-idUSTRE80A1VP20120111 Exclusive: Second Arab monitor may quit Syria over violenceAn Arab monitor said on Wednesday he might quit a fraying Arab League team of observers in Syria because the mission was proving ineffectual in ending civilians' suffering there, exposing rifts in an Arab peace effort. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dan T. Posted January 11, 2012 Share Posted January 11, 2012 Assad's speech yesterday essentially released the wolves. (Vowing to use an "iron hand" to crush the "terrorists".... denouncing the Arab League... threatening Syrians trying to stay out of the confilict by declaring that "those who stand in the middle are traitors.") I have a sick feeling that things are going to escalate horrifically in the days ahead. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
visionary Posted January 12, 2012 Share Posted January 12, 2012 Some more details about the incident in which the renowned French journalist was killed. http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2012/jan/11/syria-homs-attack-convoy?CMP=twt_gu Homs, with a population of 1 million, is more a warzone than a city, with the majority Sunni population increasingly separate from the Alawite minority. It has suffered badly during the unrest. Parts of the city are without electricity or phones and shortages are rife. Snipers on rooftops are a regular hazard.The Guardian was also in Homs on Wednesday, but in a separate group from Jacquier, and until a few minutes before the attack had been at the place where he died, near the al-Ahali hospital in the Ikrameh quarter. Film of the incident shot by the pro-regime Addounia TV showed chaotic scenes as the injured were carried into cars and taxis. One of Jacquier's companions said a grenade fell close to the journalists after they had spoken to some young people and fled into a building. A Dutch journalist was among more than 25 people who were injured. Joseph Eid, a photographer with the AFP news agency, said the attack had come without warning. "We were expecting there to be violence, yes, but we never expected there to be an attack. They had warned us that the two districts attack each other in the evening, they said that after three o'clock in the afternoon it's dangerous, we were there at three, and it started, it kicked off." Following unconfirmed reports that mortar bombs were used in the attack, the local revolutionary council blamed government forces – claiming that only the Syrian army had mortars. Sana, Syria's official news agency, blamed "terrorists" for the attack and said that mortars had been used. But the Syrian Revolution General Commission said in a statement: "This is what the regime does to justify its attitude in front of the Arab observers … and also to terrorise the media coverage of [the] Syrian revolution." France immediately demanded an investigation into the killing. "Gilles Jacquier was just doing his journalist's job by covering the violent events in Syria resulting from the regime's unacceptable repression of the population," said President Nicolas Sarkozy, one of the most hawkish of western leaders on the Syrian crisis. Jacquier, 43, was a special correspondent for the acclaimed flagship documentary programme Envoyé Spécial on France 2. He had spent two decades covering conflicts from Algeria to Iraq, Afghanistan, Congo, the Balkans and the Arab spring. Bertrand Coq, who won the Prix Albert-Londres with him, told Agence France Presse: "He was an excellent war reporter. He was fearless. He was the kind of person who stuck his neck out but he never took unnecessary risks … He never came back without the images, never." Earlier, the journalists had been given a selective tour of Homs, skirting areas deemed dangerous, such as Baba Amr and Khalidiyeh. The itinerary seemed designed to deliver a uniformly pro-government account of life in Syria's third largest city. Many people in the centre of the town were members of the Alawite community, backbone of the Assad regime. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
visionary Posted January 12, 2012 Share Posted January 12, 2012 The protesters across Syria have declared today Gilles Jacquier Thursday, in commemeration of the French reporter who was killed. http://blogs.aljazeera.com/liveblog/Syria 4 hours 2 min ago - SyriaAccording to the Local Coordination Committees, the number of people killed across Syria [Thursday] has risen to 18. 1 hour 54 min ago - SyriaThe head of the Arab League's monitors mission to Syria, Lieutenant-General Mohammed Al Dabi, issued a statement deriding the remarks made by Algerian monitor, Anwar Malek. Al Dabi said Malek's statement "had nothing to do with reality." "Since he was assigned to the Homs team, Malek didn't leave his hotel for six days and wasn't been part of the field visits with the team, citing illness," Al Dabi said. Al Dabi added that Malek had requested leaving to Paris for treatment and had in fact traveled ahead of schedule on his personal expense and without turning in work property first. Al Dabi said Malek broke the oath that he took and that his remarks are strictly personal. Al Dabi concluded by urging the media to be accurate and objective. Malek responded to the remarks in this statement in an interview with Al Jazeera, saying: "This is all lies and a kind of tactic because in fact I appeared quite a lot in videos that appeared on the internet and were broadcast by satellite channels even Syrian TV aired about 20 packages that had me in them when I was visiting hospitals, prisons, schools and out on the streets talking to people. I am clearly shown meeting and talking to people in these videos..... http://www.aljazeera.com/news/middleeast/2012/01/2012112132827128857.html Turkey stops 'Freedom convoy' entering SyriaPolice prevent 150 Syrian expatriate activists from crossing border to deliver aid to people affected by uprising. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
visionary Posted January 13, 2012 Share Posted January 13, 2012 http://www.hrw.org/news/2012/01/11/syria-army-shoots-protesters-attempting-reach-observers Syria: Army Shoots Protesters Attempting to Reach ObserversTwo protesters who were wounded in Jisr al-Shughur and fled to southern Turkey told Human Rights Watch in face-to-face interviews that around 11 a.m. on January 10, 2012, they marched towards the Baath party square (re-named “Freedom Square” by the protesters) to meet with Arab League observers present there. According to the witnesses, when they approached a checkpoint on the way to the square, army personnel barred them from proceeding and, after the protesters refused to disperse, opened fire on the crowd, injuring at least nine protesters. The Arab League observers were in the Baath party square, but left in a car after the shooting began, the witnesses said. Despite several attempts, Human Rights Watch has not been able to contact the Arab League observers to confirm whether they witnessed the incident. https://twitter.com/#!/CFKlebergTT Death toll in Syria today rises to at least 32, LCC activists say. Claim 8 unidentified bodies found in Maret Noman hospital. 7 hours ago Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
visionary Posted January 13, 2012 Share Posted January 13, 2012 http://www.cnn.com/2012/01/13/world/meast/syria-unrest/index.html?hpt=hp_t3 The civilian dead included two in Homs, two in Aleppo, and one each in Homs, Deir Ezzor and Daraa, according to the LCC.Security forces used tear gas and live ammunition against protesters in Hama and gunfire to disperse protesters who gathered after Friday prayers in the Damascus suburb of Moaudamyeh, the group said. In Douma, another Damascus suburb, the group said two foreign journalists and a translator were arrested and their camera seized. The group said dozens of people had been injured during a sit-in in the al-Khalidya area in Homs, but that it has been impossible to get them to treatment because of "intense gunfire and massive explosions." The Syrian National Council -- an umbrella organization for a number of opposition groups -- plans to establish a liaison office with the Free Syria Army "to maintain direct communications around the clock," the group said in a statement.The council also is opening a direct channel of communication with the rebel force to ensure effective communication between the two groups "in order to achieve optimal service to the Syrian revolution," the statement said. Additionally, the Syrian National Council and the Free Syria Army -- composed of military defectors -- agreed to reorganize the rebel military units and create a plan to accommodate additional soldiers, according to the statement. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
visionary Posted January 14, 2012 Share Posted January 14, 2012 http://www.csmonitor.com/Commentary/Opinion/2012/0111/Free-Syrian-Army-commander-I-ll-name-my-son-Juppe-if-West-intervenes Free Syrian Army commander: 'I'll name my son Juppé if West intervenes'As world leaders debate what to do about the ongoing crisis in Syria, much of their hesitation still revolves around whether there is a credible alternative to more than 40 years of Assad rule. The Syria National Council, a grouping of mostly exiled political leaders, has emerged to become the opposition’s primary voice abroad. Libyan military leaders, who recently toppled Qaddafi with NATO support, are reportedly alone in offering the rebels some assistance.Western, Turkish, and Arab leaders have legitimate concerns about supporting the Free Syrian Army. Those include avoiding direct military confrontation with a Syrian regime that holds large stockpiles of chemical weapons, hundreds of ballistic missiles, and continues a track record of resorting to political violence. But as Syria slides into a regime-instigated civil war, one that could spill over to neighboring Lebanon and Iraq, the price of foreign inaction is rising. Furthermore, with growing regime violence and counter violence, keeping the Syrian uprising peaceful is no longer an option. The international community needs a clear strategy for hastening the pace of change in Syria, and the Free Syrian Army is now an undeniable and crucial part of that equation. For commander Al Arabi, an internationally enforced no-fly zone or a humanitarian corridor along the Turkish-Syrian border are his primary demands. In his mind such a scenario will give cover to thousands of demoralized soldiers inside Syria who are still unable to defect. It would also provide civilians with a greater degree of protection and, by hastening the regime’s departure, stop Syria’s slide into civil strife. Despite the unspeakable hardship, rebels and refugees alike are confident that the 40-plus years of Assad rule are coming to a close. “It is only a matter of time,” they optimistically insist. But the question is, at what cost? When commander Al Arabi got up to leave, he picked up his Kalashnikov and made me a promise. “If they [the West] come to help, I will name my son Juppé,” after the outspoken French foreign minister who has led calls for a humanitarian intervention. He then disappeared into the dark cold hills from which he came. His plan was to be across the border in Homs the next morning. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
visionary Posted January 14, 2012 Share Posted January 14, 2012 http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5je-vGovV9u4sXMBtkUpvd0fWxKSg?docId=CNG.b55e62b1849467d932ccf3eb6b36cb49.441 General Mustafa Ahmad al-Sheikh, the most senior commander to defect from the Syrian army, will announce the council's formation later on Saturday in Turkey, where he sought refuge 12 days ago, his media advisor said.Sheikh, 54, was in charge of security in northern Syria before defecting. In a statement, he said he had deserted because he was sickened by the ruthlessness of Assad's regime and all the killings taking place. "This council, headed by Sheikh, will oversee military operations in conjunction with the Free Syrian Army," Fahad Almasri told AFP, and will include high-ranking officers who will plan operations to be executed by the FSA. "It will also help organise defections within the army and will be in contact with officers in the regular army to encourage large-scale rather than individual defections." Formed from deserters from the regular army who mutinied over the regime's deadly crackdown, the FSA says it has some 40,000 fighters under its command. Thousands rallied in support of the FSA on Friday, after the largest civilian opposition group, the Syrian National Council, which initially opposed the use of force in the uprising, decided to boost its cooperation with the rebel army. Meanwhile, violence in the flashpoint city of Homs reportedly claimed two lives on Saturday. A 13-year-old child was killed by gunfire at a checkpoint, and 27-year-old man shot by snipers, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. ---------- Post added January-14th-2012 at 12:40 PM ---------- https://twitter.com/#!/ZeinakhodrAljaz Hizbullah chief Nasrallah urged Syria opposition groups to answer the call for dialogue by Assad and said they should lay down their arms 1 minute ago Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
visionary Posted January 14, 2012 Share Posted January 14, 2012 http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-16561493 Syria crisis: Qatar calls for Arabs to send in troopsIt is the first time an Arab leader has publicly called for military intervention in Syria. Qatar was the first Arab country to join the Nato-led operation in Libya, which led to the downfall of Libyan leader Col Muammar Gaddafi. It has also led regional criticism of the crackdowns on protesters by President Bashar al-Assad in Syria and in Yemen by President Ali Abdullah Saleh. Interviewed on the 60 Minutes programme, Sheikh Hamad was asked if he was in favour of Arab nations intervening in Syria. "For such a situation to stop the killing... some troops should go to stop the killing," he said, in the programme to be broadcast on Sunday. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
visionary Posted January 15, 2012 Share Posted January 15, 2012 I saw some reports earlier that the Kurdish bloc of the SNC may be pulling out of the coalition to be more independant. I'm haven't heard much about it since then, so I'm not sure how accurate those reports were. Something to watch for though. Ban Ki Moon is giving a speech now about the Arab Spring. Here's what he had to say about Syria so far. https://twitter.com/#!/alihashem_AJA Ban Ki Moon to Syrian president Assad: Stop the violence. Stop killing your people. The path of repression is a dead end. 13 minutes ago https://twitter.com/#!/BreakingNews Syria's President Assad issues general amnesty for crimes committed since start of uprising - state news agency via Reuters 11 minutes ago Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
visionary Posted January 15, 2012 Share Posted January 15, 2012 Whoa! Although knowing Amr Mussa, he'll probably change his mind on this once or twice. Also this could be an effort to increase his profile for election time. Still this seems like a significant development. First Qatar and now possibly Mussa and Egypt bringing up the idea of Arab troops going into Syria. http://moroccoworldnews.com/2012/01/former-arab-league-chief-urges-review-of-qatari-proposal-to-end-syria-bloodshed/22839 Former Arab League chief urges review of Qatari proposal to end Syria bloodshedThe Arab League should consider sending troops to Syria as proposed by Qatar’s emir, Amr Mussa, the bloc’s former secretary general, said on Sunday. “This is a very important proposal,” Mussa said in Beirut on the sidelines of a U.N.-organized conference on democracy in the Arab world. “The Arab League should begin to study this possibility and begin consultations on this issue,” said Mussa, who is now a candidate for Egypt’s presidency. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twa Posted January 15, 2012 Share Posted January 15, 2012 People die,Arab League talks in earnest......did Assad pardon himself? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
visionary Posted January 16, 2012 Share Posted January 16, 2012 http://www.cnn.com/2012/01/15/world/meast/syria-unrest/index.html?hpt=hp_t3 Syria toll rises to 25; monitors cheered in besieged townZabadani, Syria (CNN) -- Crowds in a Syrian town surrounded by government troops cheered Arab League monitors who visited Sunday as others fled the town on foot to escape the fighting inside. Residents of Zabadani, about 50 km (30 miles) northwest of Damascus, lifted one of the monitors onto their shoulders and passed him around the crowd during Sunday's visit. They told CNN that their water and electricity had been cut off for the past three days, and they showed off wounds they said had been inflicted by pro-government forces. The monitors got a different reception from Syrian soldiers, who berated them as the soldiers carried off the body of one of their comrades they said had been shot by opposition forces. The visit came as another 32 people were killed by government troops trying to crush a 10-month-old uprising against the rule of President Bashar al-Assad, according to the Local Coordination Committees of Syria, an opposition umbrella group. The toll included 13 in Homs, the scene of some of the worst fighting to date; 10 in the city of Idlib; and three people, inlcuding a child, in Hama. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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