News Round Up (14 Aug 2012)
Posted by Joshua on Tuesday, August 14th, 2012
Haaretz: Report: Assad’s brother ‘fighting for his life,’ month after losing both legs in Damascus bomb attack
2012-08-14 – Haartz – By Avi Issacharoff
Report: Assad’s brother ‘fighting for his life,’ month after Damascus bomb attack Russian deputy foreign minister tells Saudi newspaper that Maher Assad, commander of the Fourth Armored Division, lost both his legs in an attack last July; in an attack last July; report adds Bashar Assad signals he is willing to give up power….Quoting Russian deputy foreign minister Mikhail Bogdanov, the newspaper reported that Maher Assad’s condition “is very serious and he is fighting for his life.”
Free Syria Army takes Police Station in Aleppo – Says it was Headquarters of the shabiha of al Bari of Aleppo.
Yamin Writes:
Some keep stating that the Alawites are heading to the coast to establish their state. Most of these people want to see the bond broken between the Alawites and the Sunni Arab supporters. If given a choice between the Syrian Army and the Free Syrian Army, about 30 percent of the Sunni Arabs will support the Syrian Army. The rumors about the Alawite state is to cause the 30 percent to break the bond and change sides, or to shrink it to say 10 percent.
I believe that the Alawites have made up their mind to stay and fight in Syria (Plan A) or take with them a part of the Sunni areas east of the mountains (Plan B). The Alawites will not want to face a full Sunni hostile interior if they can secure to their side some of the Sunni. Not to forget the Sunni in the coast cities. This so called Alawite state, if it happens, will be more than 40 percent Sunni (ala Lebanon).
No one mentions these days that the Alawites succeeded in securing two deputies in the Lebanese Parliament after the 1989 Taif Agreement. They put their foot in the door. I think this is their Plan C, to try to accomplish what was denied them in 1936, an inclusion into Lebanon. Sometimes I think this is their Plan A.
Plan D, if there is a Plan D, will be to have an Alawite State including only the mixed coast cities.
Plan E, if we go beyond Plan D, a pure Alawite State, is not considered by anyone with brains.
Syria’s Ex-Prime Minister Riyad Farid Hijab made his first public appearance since his defection to Jordan last week. At a televised news conference in Amman, Hijab said the regime of Bashar al-Assad is falling, stating, “The Syrian regime only controls 30 percent of Syria’s territory. It has collapsed militarily, economically, and morally.” Meanwhile, new clashes were reported in Damascus and Aleppo, a day after opposition fighters downed a government fighter jet, raising questions over whether the opposition has the capability of challenging the regime’s control of the sky. Conversely, the Syrian government insists a technical failure caused the jet to crash. The United States, Britain, and France have changed their policy on assisting the opposition shifting from a focus on the Syrian National Council (SNC) toward building direct links with separate internal opposition groups. The western countries are concerned over the SNC’s inability to unite the opposition and fear funds have been diverted toward extremist Islamic groups.
Hundreds of manufacturing plants located in the industrial cities of Aleppo and Deir-ez-Zor have stopped functioning because of the rising insecurity leading to potentially severe shortages of products in the local market including medicines.(Syria Report)
August 14, 2012
Syria’s embattled regime laid plans to use Russian banks as part of an emergency effort to sidestep American and European sanctions on oil and financial transactions, according to Syrian government documents and correspondence reviewed by The Wall Street Journal.
The documents offer an inside look at how a shrinking group of regime loyalists is working to prop up Bashar al-Assad’s government. Over the past several weeks, senior Syrian officials have held a series of meetings to discuss how to conduct business after being cut off from most Western banking institutions and trade, the documents indicate. The documents, which span a …
A peaceful post-Assad order is probable
Rami Khoury, Daily Star
For months now, speculation by analysts, diplomats, scholars and journalists about the nature of the post-Bashar Assad transition in Syria has been as dynamic as the events on the ground. But with one big difference: Most analyses of events on the ground rely on facts; but discussion of how events will […]
Syria: Some in opposition fear rebels miscalculated in Aleppo –
LA Times ALEPPO, Syria
In million-dollar apartments in a neighborhood of the city as yet unscathed, the battle for Aleppo plays out daily on flat-screen TVs. Amid imported sofas and abstract art, the revolution doesn’t seem so close…. From the balcony, which on this night let in a little cool summer breeze, his family can occasionally see smoke rising above other Aleppo neighborhoods that are under attack by forces loyal to President Bashar Assad.
The father is solidly opposed to Assad, but he fears the prospect of rebels who have filtered in from the suburbs seizing his neighborhood as they try to take Syria’s largest city and commercial hub.
“What [the rebels] did was wrong, coming in and forcing all these civilians to flee and live in schools. You came to protect civilians, but now you’re hurting them?” said the father, one of the city’s merchants. “It’s wrong what they did.”
As the fighting intensifies in a city once regarded as immune to the violence racking much of Syria, some opposition activists are concerned that those who have taken up arms against Assad have made a serious miscalculation here. They fear that the offensive is creating a humanitarian crisis they are ill-equipped to handle and turning many of those affected against the rebels.
“The military campaign for Aleppo came too, too early,” said Marcell Shehwaro, a dentistry graduate and a prominent activist. “Because people here didn’t see the government violence that would make them believe the Free Syrian Army was needed.”
Even now, weeks into the battle for Aleppo, the traffic of everyday routines still snarls roundabouts in safer parts of the city. Syria’s national flag still flies freely here, and the walls are devoid of antigovernment graffiti that festoon rebel-held areas.
Pricey restaurants in nice neighborhoods open — expectantly — every night.
Abdulaziz “Abu Jumuah” Salameh, who heads a coalition of dozens of militias called the Al Tawheed Brigade, acknowledged that the city may not have wanted the rebel offensive to begin so soon. But that didn’t matter: The revolution has its own timing.
“Other provinces finished their revolution, and Aleppo hadn’t started yet,” he said, speaking from his headquarters in Tal Rifaat, a town north of the city. “You could wait 100 years, and Aleppo still won’t be ready.”
Even as rebels continue to stream into Aleppo, there is bitter disagreement over whether they can win over its residents….
Notwithstanding the destruction and staggering loss of life as the raging battle for Syria’s commercial capital of Aleppo continues, the battle for both the regime and the opposition has taken on a multidimensional strategic aspect. The battle for Aleppo confirms that the first phase of the Syrian civil war has ended, and the battle for consolidating sectarian cantonization has begun. And it has initiated a process with far-reaching implications for Syria and the region.The descent of the Free Syrian Army on Aleppo is tactically and strategically motivated. The opposition has succeeded in taking the battle against the regime to the country’s commercial hub, a city that not long ago was a bastion of support for the regime. Moreover, timing the battle for Aleppo on the heels of the deadly strike against the regime’s senior echelons in the capital’s national-security headquarters undoubtedly is meant to tear down the regime’s psychological power over its loyalists and supporters.Strategically, however, the battle is about reconnecting Aleppo and its environs to its historic hinterland in Turkey, much as Homs and Hama had been historically connected to Northern Lebanon. This reconnection enhances the influence of Turkey over the opposition, represented mainly by the Syrian National Council, and provides the Free Syrian Army with a strategic route for receiving armaments from Ankara. Heavy weaponry from Turkey reportedly has already begun to be transported to the rebels in Aleppo, signifying that the attack on the city was no less a Turkish than a rebel decision.The move against Aleppo also has been taken with two objectives in mind for the Turks and the rebels. Seizing Aleppo, besides pushing back or forcing the regime’s forces into submission, affords the Turkish government a say over the future of the Kurdish Qamishli area in northeast Syria and helps to prevent irredentist stirrings in the Turkish Hatay province in which a significant number of minorities reside. Given that the Kurds of Qamishli have refused to join the Syrian National Council yet claim opposition to the regime, Turkey has grown concerned about a future autonomous Kurdish enclave along its border.Moreover, Aleppo’s environs and some of its neighborhoods include a significant number of minorities, especially Kurds. Ankara is jittery about the Kurds’ ambivalent political position and allegiance, which could create serious implications for Turkey’s domestic and regional policies. Not only have the Kurds refused to join the Syrian National Council; reportedly a significant number of them belong to the Kurdish Democratic Union Party. The party has a close relationship with the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), which has resumed its militant campaign against Turkish authorities. As a result, Ankara has been on the lookout for any outside meddling in the affairs of minorities in the Hatay province.This strategic maneuver by the Turks, however, has been affected by two misgivings, prolonging the battle for Aleppo at the expense of a great loss in property and lives as well as creating circumstances under which unintended consequences could alter the makeup of power within the opposition. Turkey has supported the Muslim Brotherhood within the Syrian National Council and has exerted significant influence over the decisions and movements of the Free Syrian Army, whose main bases are located in Turkey and alongside the Syrian-Turkish border.Despite this support and influence, Turkey has failed to help the opposition formulate a political vision with a military strategy. The fight against the regime in Aleppo, among other places, has been done on an ad hoc basis. The decision-making process and movements of the Free Syrian Army are either constrained by the Turkish government or hampered by unilateral actions of the various groups associated with the rebels. This has given the regime some breathing room as it capitalizes on the tactical and strategic discord among the opposition. In addition, based on interviews I conducted recently with Syrians who fled to Lebanon, Assad still enjoys some popular support in both Damascus and Aleppo. This partly has convinced the regime to dig in and augment its rhetoric that it is battling terrorists.Aleppo has emerged as a focal point for geostrategic domestic and regional considerations. The regime can ill afford to lose this strategically located commercial city, which could lay open the road to Idlib and then Latakia, the capital of Alawi heartland. Moreover, the regime recognizes that losing the city may compel anxious minorities to join the opposition, and it could therefore lose whatever remains of its popular base of support….
Treasury Dept: Treasury Lifts Sanctions Against Defected Syrian Prime Minister
2012-08-14
Treasury Lifts Sanctions Against Defected Syrian Prime Minister 8/14/2012 Page Content WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of the Treasury today is lifting sanctions against former Prime Minister of Syria Riyad Hijab who recently severed his ties …
Davuto?lu says Turkey not against Kurdish autonomy in post-Assad Syria
Today’s Zaman August 11, 2012
Foreign Minister Ahmet Davuto?lu has said Turkey would not be opposed to a possible autonomous Kurdish region in Syria following the fall of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, if all groups in the country can agree on it.
Davuto?lu’s comments came as he spoke to reporters aboard a plane carrying a Turkish delegation to Myanmar on Thursday. Stating that Turkey is not against the improvement of Kurds’ rights in Syria, the foreign minister recalled that he had met with leaders of the Syrian National Council (SNC) and the Kurdish National Council (KNC) during a visit he paid to Arbil.
“I told them, the leader of the SNC chairs the council as a Syrian Kurd. And you [KNC] are sitting here as Syrian Kurds. Sit down and come to terms. What we oppose is the threat of terrorism and the possibility of one of you claiming possession of somewhere. Elections should be held in Syria; a parliament should be formed that includes Kurds, Turkmens and Arabs. You can come together and say we will grant autonomy [to the Kurds]. This is up to you. We would not oppose that,” Davuto?lu said.
Turkey announced it strongly opposes the presence of the terrorist Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) in Syria’s northern cities along the Turkish border following the withdrawal of Assad’s forces from predominantly Kurdish-populated areas to fight opposition forces in Damascus and Aleppo. Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdo?an earlier warned that Turkey will intervene if “terrorist formations” emerge along its border.
Syria’s rebels: Who will come out on top?
The rebels are a diverse bunch who are co-operating—for the time being
Aug 11th 2012 | JEBEL ZAWIYA | ECONOMIST
KINGS make war, but wars also make kings. A year ago, when Syrian government troops first tried to enter Jebel Zawiya, a region south-west of Aleppo where rugged hills enfold 33 villages, a handyman called Jamal Marouf gathered seven men and set off to fight the intruders. Now he claims to command 7,000 fighters, whose reach stretches over much of rural Idleb province, from Turkey’s border to Hama in the south. Perhaps to match their growing ambition, Mr Marouf’s “Martyrs of Jebel Zawiya” recently changed their brigade’s name to “Martyrs of Syria”.
The Sunni farmers who grow olives, figs and cherries have long resented the rule of the Assads and their Alawite co-religionists. Since the uprising took off a year ago, the Syrian army has wreaked havoc in Jebel Zawiya, as elsewhere in Sunni-populated regions. But the growing cost of fighting the tenacious rebels, combined with the need to reinforce strained government troops in Aleppo, Syria’s biggest city that is now locked in a furious battle, has pushed the army out of the area. Last month it quit, leaving just a few isolated outposts from which it lobs shells into rebellious villages.
Unlike other parts of the country where civilian committees work alongside rebel groups, here it is the men with the guns who plainly run the show with scant civilian input. Mr Marouf, one of the two biggest strongmen in Idleb, pays his men the equivalent of $60 a month, runs a prison in his village and is setting up a court.
About 20 minutes’ drive down the road, Ali Bakran is the up-and-coming leader of another rebel unit called the Qisas (Retaliation) Brigade. His is a much smaller outfit. His skinnier young men hang out in a graffiti-covered town hall, where bookcases serve as shelves for storing improvised bombs. Mr Bakran runs a tight ship. He displays sheets with details of every man in his unit, including names of family members, the number of each kind of weapon, and a thumb print. “When Assad goes, I want to be first to put down my gun and go back to my normal life,” says Ibrahim, who fiddles with a walkie-talkie as a 17-year-old boy puts an AK-47 over his shoulder, and rebels roar past in cars blaring anti-Assad songs.
Other rebel groups sound less pacific. In Serjeh, a village perched on a hill overlooking olive trees rooted in earth the colour of terracotta, the bulky, uniformed men of Suqur al-Sham (Falcons of Syria) strike a sterner tone. The jihadists’ black standard hangs in the office of Abu Issa, the group’s burly leader, whose piercing blue eyes match a large blue stone set in his ring. Some say his rebel band is one of the biggest in the country. “People want to join us because we have enough weapons, good fighters and are on the right path,” he says. “We want an Islamic state.”
None of these groups gives its allegiance to the Free Syrian Army, the rebels’ would-be umbrella that has its headquarters in Turkey. But they are working together for the moment. Jebel Zawiya’s main commanders meet every ten days or so, and talk to their comrades in other regions. Concerted attacks on army checkpoints have been working well, and the groups are co-operating in laying mines on roads used by the army to reach their villages. On August 7th the rebels from various groups rushed off together to blow up tanks and fire at troops moving along the motorway from the coast to join the battle for Aleppo. The men of Jebel Zawiya have turned stretches of this road, as well as the main Aleppo-Damascus highway, into a lethal gauntlet for Mr Assad’s forces.
But rebel harmony may not last. Ideologies differ. Many of Mr Issa’s Islamists are the sons of men killed or imprisoned during the uprising against Hafez Assad, father of the current president, in the 1980s. They are well organised and well funded. Rich traders give them cash, whereas groups such as Mr Bakran’s are short of ammunition, relying on the booty they may pick up when they attack army checkpoints.
Most locals seem genuinely to back the rebels, but the fighters’ tactics worry some people. At a disused school that serves as a makeshift prison, detainees under Mr Marouf’s control look in fair shape. A frightened 24-year-old student was picked up at a checkpoint in the nearby town of Marat Numan because his father is a general in the army. When asked his crime, a prison guard rubs his fingers together to signify cash. Mr Marouf concedes that prisoners are often hostages that can be swapped for his men held by the regime. In the end, the strongest man’s word is the law.
The Syrian crisis presents Turkey with another dilemma, writes David Gardner – Guardian
Struggling to define the Syrian opposition
By Elise Labott – CNN
In the weeks before he defected from Syria, then-Prime Minister Riad Hijab put feelers out to contacts in the United States and other governments.
In addition to ensuring his family got out of the country, Hijab wanted guarantees that he would not be persecuted for his role in the government of President Bashar al-Assad, U.S. officials say.
“He wanted assurances from the opposition that a post-Assad Syria will take into account all Syrians, including minorities, and there will not be revenge attacks on those who at one time supported the regime,” one administration official said. The official described Washington’s role as that of a “middleman.”
The United States was able to produce a chorus of voices from the Syrian opposition promising that Syrians planning for a post-Assad transition are committed to ensuring human rights for all Syrians, including minorities. But that’s far from a guarantee for Hijab or for any defector.
Herein lies the problem with Syrian opposition. Although American officials have sought to broaden its outreach within the Syrian opposition, Washington hasn’t been able to identify a group of Syrians inside the country that U.S. officials believe will be calling the shots the day after the regime falls.
There is a grassroots political opposition with viable political structures on the ground in Syria. Revolutionary councils and Local Coordinating Committees (LCC) are organizing civil resistance and coordinating with the country’s armed opposition.
In some areas, the opposition serves as de-facto local governments by providing services to the Syrian people. Yet more than two years into the conflict, there is precious little harmonization between these groups and the Syrian National Council, the primary organization interfacing with the international community, which is made up of expats and which is roundly criticized inside the country as a bunch of dilettantes….
Officials say don’t see the shape of American assistance changing anytime soon.
“The whole idea of doing anything more is not on the table,” one senior official told me of the possibility of military aid. “Our sole job as of now is to plan for the day after.”
In Turkey this past weekend, CNN’s Ivan Watson reported that Secretary of State Hillary Clinton met with Syrian opposition activists, asking them about those still inside the country.
“She wanted to know who the U.S. should give money to, and who they should not give money to,” one activist told Watson…..
Officials now say the United States wants a “soft landing” that keeps institutions intact.
“We want the bloodshed to end but it needs to end apace with political developments,” another official said. “So when Assad goes, there is not more bloodshed.”
The University of Oklahoma’s Josh Landis, who runs the blog “Syria Comment,” warns that U.S. reluctance to arm the opposition puts it at a disadvantage in helping shape the post-al-Assad climate.
Landis points to a climate where complete lack of unity within the opposition has helped al-Assad take advantage of the civil war to live another day. Reports currently suggest as many as one hundred militias or more are operating throughout Syria, rarely coordinating among each other, similar to the civil war in Lebanon in the 1980s.
If Syria is left in ruins after a protracted sectarian conflict, Landis predicts the idea of Syria rising out of the ashes with expatriates imposing rule of law will seem very farfetched.
“Ultimately the ones who win this will be the guys with the guns,” Landis predicts. “They will have the power and will make Syria in their own image. They aren’t going to fly in a bunch of doctors and lawyers and engineers in to tell them how to share the wealth.”
Secretary of State Clinton has used the frustration with the opposition as one of the biggest reasons for not providing it more support.
By helping to better connect its disparate actors, Washington would lose its best excuse not to wade further into the conflict in Syria. But in doing so, it would find its most credible candidates for not only ending the conflict, but undertaking a transition once they do.
Sky News (GB): Syrian Defector: Rebels Have The Will To Win
2012-08-13
A senior Syrian army officer who has defected to the opposition has told Sky News he believes most of his fellow high-ranking soldiers would also leave if they could. The unnamed Lieutenant Colonel, who is now in an Free Syrian Army (FSA) safe house …
ASSAD’S SELF-FULFILLING PROPHECY
By Aaron Y. Zelin, Pravda Slovakia, August 14, 2012
While most individuals involved in the rebellion are Syrian, foreign fighters now have a very real presence that should worry both the regime and the opposition.
When the Syrian uprising first began, one of President Bashar al-Assad’s justifications for his harsh crackdowns against protesters and, later, armed elements was because he considered them foreign terrorists. At the time, this claim was ludicrous. The overwhelming majority of individuals were Syrians looking to shake off the yoke of Bashar and his father Hafiz’s decades-long Baathist dictatorship.
While most individuals involved with the current rebellion are still Syrian, foreign fighters now have a very real presence that should worry not only the Assad regime but also Syrians in the opposition. Most foreign fighters go abroad to defend their fellow Muslim brethren from being slaughtered. Once in the area of battle, though, many come into closer contact with hardline jihadis as well as fighters from other countries and are exposed to new ideas. Therefore, portions of foreign fighters are not fighting to help establish a future state for Syrian nationals. Rather, they hope to annex it to be part of their grander aims of establishing emirates that will eventually lead to a reestablished Caliphate, however fanciful this project might be.
At this point, on-the-ground media coverage in English, French, Arabic, German, and other languages reports between 800-2,000 foreigners currently in Syria, accounting for less than 10% of the fighters. Most have come since the beginning of the year: a large contingent comes from the states surrounding Syria: Lebanon, Iraq, and Jordan, while a smaller North African contingent hails from Libya, Tunisia, and Algeria. The presence of Westerners at this point has been minimal.
These individuals are linking up with not only the Free Syrian Army (FSA) but also jihadi organizations. The Abdullah Azzam Brigades and Fatah al-Isla, both of them Lebanese jihadi organizations fighting under the banner of the al-Khilafah Brigade in Syria, have entered the fray. So too have less-established, but growing organizations like Jabhat al-Nusrah, believed to be the strongest jihadi actor in Syria, as well as Ahrar ash-Sham. Another group, Liwa al-Ummah, comprising 90 percent Syrian fighters, is led by the Irish-Libyan Mahdi al-Harati, previously a commander in the Tripoli Brigade that helped topple the Qadhafi regime a year ago in Libya.
What is problematic with all of this is….
Syria: Prospects for Intervention
Chatham House, August 2012
…With little or no prospect for a negotiated end to the civil conflict in Syria, the discussion focused on the prospects for foreign intervention across a range of options, taking into account the current diplomatic stalemate, existing lines of support to conflicting parties, and alternative international approaches that may emerge as the situation deteriorates.
Key findings:
- Foreign intervention is already occurring, semi-covertly, in the form of weapons supply and training to the Free Syrian Army (FSA), logistical and communications support, and non-military actions such as sanctions, together with diplomatic support (if not full recognition) for opposition groups such as the Syrian National Council (SNC).
- The choice is no longer one of intervention versus non-intervention, but rather between maintaining or increasing existing levels of external intervention and allowing the conflict to drift. Intervention is occurring at a number of levels and there is a need for the international community to consider carefully both the consequences of the ongoing semi-covert intervention and the possible consequences of more overt military intervention.
- The decision over whether to escalate intervention should rest on a thorough examination of the ‘balance of consequences’ and on other relevant factors including the constraints of international law. The costs and risks of different forms of intervention also have to be weighed against the risks and costs of non-intervention.
- The most likely options for scaled-up intervention are the supply of more and heavier arms to the FSA and an intensification of covert action; punitive air strikes triggered by a major crisis such as a massacre in Aleppo; and an intensification of externally imposed sanctions. The risks associated with the first two scenarios are high and the benefits are not easily quantifiable in view of the inevitable unforeseen consequences.Read Paper >
Syria’s Coming Sectarian Crack-UpAssad’s forces will retreat to the north, and an Iranian-backed Alawite canton will be born.
BY MICHAEL DORAN
The Obama administration has been decrying the spread of sectarianism in war-torn Syria and calling for the preservation of state institutions there. A “managed transition” is the new mantra in Washington. This isn’t a policy but a prayer. Syrian state institutions are inherently sectarian, and they are crumbling before our eyes.
Syria is like Humpty Dumpty. Made up of four or five diverse regions glued together after World War I, the country is an accident of great-power politics. Like neighboring Lebanon, it has now dissolved into its constituent parts. The Free Syrian Army isn’t a unified force but rather a …
Syrian opposition prepares for transition
By Borzou Daragahi in Beirut – LA Times
Syria’s opposition has already laid the groundwork to take control of security and administration after what they consider will be the inevitable collapse of Bashar al-Assad’s rule, according to a dozen activists gathered for a training workshop abroad.
The transition plans are flawed and murky, admit the activists, who fear a fall could trigger reprisal attacks against the Alawites who serve the regime
“It will be chaos for a while,” said Moataz, an activist from Damascus. But discussions and planning about the postwar period are a major concern for opponents of the Syrian regime, the activists said in a lengthy group interview in Beirut.
Comments (411)
ghufran said:
So,Maher lost his legs but was still able to attend the funeral of Asef standing up? The story is not credible and the loss of Maher will not change anything now.
“?????? ??????? ????? ?????? ??? ????? ?????? ????? ??????? ????? ???? ????? ?? ???? ???? ??????? ????”. ???? ?????? ?? “???? ?? ?????????? ?????? ?????? ?????? ?????? ???? ??????? ???? ?? ???? ???????? ??????? ???? ?????? ?? ??? ??? ????????”
This type of lawlessness and terrorism is what Syrians should focus on not whether Maher lost his legs or not.
August 14th, 2012, 3:32 pm
admir said:
“…Not to forget the Sunni in the coast cities. This so called Alawite state, if it happens, will be more than 40 percent Sunni (ala Lebanon).”
looks to be more like 20-25% since assad drove-out/ethnically-cleansed most of the rural sunni population east of the mountains (i.e. jisr ash shugour in idlib, suqaylabiah and masyaf in hama, tal-kalakh and part of hims district in homs governorate).
This is not including the fact that he drove out almost all the sunnis living in the rural areas in the coastal provinces of latakia and tartus (i.e. hiffeh, dourine), with only a few remaining (ex. salma and rabiah)
August 14th, 2012, 4:28 pm
ghufran said:
??? ????? ??????? ??????? ?? ??? ??????? ?? ???? ?? ???? ?????? ??? ??????? ????????? ?? ??? ???????? ?? “????? ????????? ???? ???? ?? ????? ???? ?????? ???? ???? ??????? ?? ??? ????? ??????? ?? ????? ????? ?? ?????? ????????”? ?????? ?? “???? ?????? ??? ?? ???? ?? ???? ??? ???????? ???????? ????????? ??????? ??? ????? ???? ?? ????? ??? ?????? ????? ???? ??? ?? ???? ????? ????????? ??????? ??????”.
???? “???????? ???? ?? ???? ????? ??? ????????? ??? ???? ?????? ?????? ??? ???? ????”.
?????? ????? ???? ?????? ??? ??????? ????????? ???? ???? ?????? ?????? ??? ???? ???? ????? ?????? ?? ????? ?????
I do not know about you,but hearing KSA king speak about unity,moderation,forgiveness and dialogue is like hearing a thief talk about the virtues of hard work and honesty. A good start for the senile king is to stop inciting violence and supplying money and weapons to armed rebels,and to start treating his Saudi Shia brothers as brothers not second class citizens.
the biggest warts Arabs have on their skin is their rulers.
August 14th, 2012, 5:16 pm
ghufran said:
??? “??? ????” ?? ???? ?? ?? ????? ??????? ???? ???? ??????? ???? ???? “????? ?????? ????” ??????? ?? ???? ??? ?????.
???? ???? ???? ?? ???? ???????? ????????? ?????? ???? ????? ????? ????? ?????? ??? “???? ????? ???? ???? ?? ???? ??????? ?? ??????”? ????? ??? ?? “”?????? ???? ???? ??????? ???????? ???? ?? ????? ?????? ???? ??? ??? ????? ??????? ???? ?? ????? ????”.
August 14th, 2012, 5:37 pm
VISITOR said:
Hizbistan is a big liar. The Miqdad family are well known members of Hizbistan.
We cannot believe anything Hizbistan says.
We would rather believe the heroes of the FSA.
August 14th, 2012, 5:42 pm
Tara said:
“If Samaha is found guilty, Assad will be directly implicated. This, clearly, is a red line that not even Hezbollah is willing to see flouted.”
Is Assad trying to export Syria’s crisis to Lebanon
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2012/aug/14/assad-lebanon-damascus-syria
Tuesday 14 August 2012 14.00 EDT
…..
Samaha’s arrest was carried out by the Internal Security Forces (ISF), a department largely accepted to be under the influence of Sunni political groups. Its head, Ashraf Rifi, has very close links to Saudi Arabia.
A pro-Assad politician allied to Shia Hezbollah arrested by a Sunni, anti-Assad police brigade? Things like this don’t end well in Lebanon. The last time something as potentially disruptive to the country’s delicate sectarian balance occurred, in May 2008, street battles raged for several days. Dozens were killed.
This time around, as Lebanon braced itself for the violent fallout of Samaha’s arrest, something strange happened: nothing. The expected backlash from fellow Assad supporters in Lebanon (and there are many) never came.
The reasons behind Hezbollah’s restraint are straightforward, if a little unexpected. The party is not, as is commonly supposed, strategically allied to Assad (even if it may be so politically). For all the gossip that Hezbollah fighters are operating alongside pro-government gangs in Syria, its military arm has steadfastly refused to get drawn into conflicts within Lebanon concerning the Syria crisis.
When pro- and anti-Assad gangs clashed in Beirut and Tripoli in May, Hezbollah played an uncharacteristic peacekeeping role by facilitating the evacuation of a besieged militia leader.
Hezbollah admits to communicating with the Syrian opposition. The party even distanced itself from remarks made with characteristic bombast by its politburo chief, Mohammad Raad, who sprung to Samaha’s defence and accused the ISF of being politically motivated. These are hardly the actions of a party that will live or die by Assad’s side.
Hezbollah may prefer his regime to the alternatives but it gets directives and funding from Iran, not Syria. For sure, the fall of a friendly regime would inconvenience Hezbollah. But an inconvenience is not worth tearing Lebanon apart for, and Hezbollah seems to understand this.
In addition, Hezbollah, perhaps for the first time in its history, finds itself in a position of virtually unchallenged influence in Lebanon. It belongs to the government. It enjoys an arsenal and fighting force far outstripping that of the state. There is a general election coming in 2013 and Hezbollah is quite happy with the makeup of the country as it is.
August 14th, 2012, 5:46 pm
VISITOR said:
Sorry TARA, the article in 6 is inaccurate.
Hizb had role during the ealy fights in the Damascus countryside to the west of Damascus. They helped the Syrian regime with missile attacks on the rebels from inside Lebanon.
Hizb has artillery in the Northern Bekaa and it often uses it to assisst the regime in fighting the rebels in the 7Homs countryside near the borders.
Hizb has artillery North of Tripoli and it often uses to assisst the regime at the border towns in that area.
Hizb supplies weapons and fighters to regime allied militia in Tripoli when fights errupt every now and then.
Hizb fighters were caught by the rebels with ID’s showing their affiliations with Hizb.
many Hizb fighters were brought back to Lebanon in coffins or injured, particularly during the Homs battle.
The involvement of Hizb and its Masters in Tehhran in the actual fighting in Syria is beyond doubt.
August 14th, 2012, 6:05 pm
zoo said:
“It is my guess that Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davuto?lu will go down in history as Turkey’s worst foreign minister.”
The foreign minister’s poetic voyage to Kirkuk
Tuesday,August 14 2012
MET?N MÜN?R
http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/the-foreign-ministers-poetic-voyage-to-kirkuk–.aspx?pageID=449&nID=27805&NewsCatID=396
MET?N MÜN?R
It is my guess that Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davuto?lu will go down in history as Turkey’s worst foreign minister. The esteemed professor, who cannot seem to quit being amateurish, has made some basic mistakes. He confuses being active with being effective, being popular in the media with being influential, and being a one-man show with diplomacy.
He is probably among the top ranks of foreign ministers for collecting Miles&Smiles points, but don’t seek his name near the top of lists showing successes per mile.
August 14th, 2012, 6:07 pm
irritated said:
Visitor
The involvement of Hizb and its Masters in Tehhran in the actual fighting in Syria is beyond doubt.
Bravo
August 14th, 2012, 6:11 pm
habib said:
Who actually believes Samaha would personally drive around planting bombs? Or that he would even be capable of it?
He is probably just being paid to say what he does, it wouldn’t be the first time he defects (former Kataeb member).
August 14th, 2012, 6:15 pm
zoo said:
That whole story of Maher is a hoax… J.L should be more careful in not spreading rumors. He should withdraw that Haaretz article now.
“The West and the Syrian opposition have mounted an information war to camouflage their failure to oust the Assad regime,”
Russia says it is victim of Syria information war
Vladimir Radyuhin
http://www.thehindu.com/news/international/article3771524.ece
Syrian President Bashar al-Assad is willing to step down, Russia’s top diplomat was quoted as saying on Tuesday. Sensational news, except that it was a fake. The source of the phony story, spread by Western news outlets, was the Saudi daily al-Watan which said Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov had made the statement in a telephone interview from Moscow.
The Russian diplomat also allegedly told the al-Watan that the Syrian President’s brother, Maher Assad, had been seriously injured in the explosion that killed several security officials in Damascus last month. The Russian Foreign Ministry dismissed the report as “information provocation” and denied the interview had ever taken place.
Russian diplomats said it as another example of an ongoing information war against Russia over its staunch opposition to the West’s efforts at regime change in Syria. Last week a fake Twitter account purporting to be that of Russia’s Interior Minister quoted the Russian Ambassador to Damascus as saying that al-Assad may have been killed. The hoax was readily picked by Western news wires before the Russian Foreign Ministry issued a denial.
Two days later Moscow had to unmask another lie spread by the Syrian opposition. A Syrian rebel group claimed to have killed a Russian general working as an adviser to Syria’s ministry of defence in an operation in the western Ghouta region on the outskirts of the capital Damascus. The General, Vladimir Kuzheyev, personally met with reporters in Moscow and said he is alive and well. “Such falsehoods are an example of an information war that is being waged by the militants and their backers,” the Russian Foreign Ministry said in its comment on the hoax.
Analysts attributed the surge in the information war on the Syrian front to the rebels’ military setbacks. “The West and the Syrian opposition have mounted an information war to camouflage their failure to oust the Assad regime,” said General Leonid Ivashov, Vice-President of the Academy of Geopolitical Problems.
August 14th, 2012, 6:18 pm
VISITOR said:
O’ I forgot couple more things.
Hizb prevents the Lebanese government from treating the Syrian refugees in Lebanon as refugees.
Hizb recently forced the expulsion of 15 Syrians back to Syria to face death or prison in contravention of the Geneva convention to which Lebanon is signatory.
Hizb often targets Syrians in Lebanon on suspicions of being against the regime.
August 14th, 2012, 6:20 pm
irritated said:
5. VISITOR
Hizbistan is a big liar.
We know who does not stop lying and spreading lies….
August 14th, 2012, 6:21 pm
Tara said:
Iranians in Syria: killing Syrians and worshipping god. From militia to pilgrims…
“Most of the members of the apparent militia are Shiite, and some are Alawites like Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, Gen Dempsey said, comparing the force to the Mahdi Army of anti-US Shiite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr in Iraq.”
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/middleeast/syria/9476234/Iran-forming-a-militia-in-Syria-Leon-Panetta-warns.html
Iran forming a militia in Syria, Leon Panetta warns
Iran is working to form a pro-regime militia in Syria, US Defense Secretary Leon Panetta said Tuesday, warning that Tehran’s growing presence could only aggravate the situation on the ground.
“The Syrian army has been fighting now for about 18 months or so. And any army would be taxed with that kind of pace,” Gen Dempsey said, noting he expected that the Syrian military was experiencing resupply and morale problems.
“That’s why Iran is stepping in to form this militia, to take some of the pressure off of the Syrian military.”
….
August 14th, 2012, 6:22 pm
Syrialover said:
Ghufran,
You underestimate the very powerful symbolism of Maher Assad being disabled, especially in this bitter propaganda games war. It is a symbol of the extent to which the Assad family is disabled and losing its legs.
Can you direct us to evidence of Maher up on his hind legs attending the Shawkat funeral?
We would expect the Assadist propaganda machine would be very keen to counteract this damaging rumor, if it is a rumor, by showing him out there in full force.
The recently defected Prime Minister should be required to comment on this.
August 14th, 2012, 6:23 pm
zoo said:
Beijing hosts Assad regime adviser amid criticism of its position
Daniel Bardsley
Aug 15, 2012
“It’s likely the Assad regime may seek Chinese mediation,” Mr Li said. “They know China has been in contact with the opposition, and this contact is becoming stronger,” he added. Tomorrow, the role of the United Nations mission to Syria is on the agenda of the UN Security Council. The meeting comes as the UN-Arab League special envoy Kofi Annan’s mandate to seek a peaceful solution to the crisis ends on August 31.
http://www.thenational.ae/news/world/asia-pacific/beijing-hosts-assad-regime-adviser-amid-criticism-of-its-position
August 14th, 2012, 6:25 pm
ghufran said:
from time to time I feel sorry for readers of this site being showered with ridiculous comments that have a teenish flavor and are unambiguously hateful,so I,among other like minded bloggers,take the time to infuse some sanity in the posting business to the dismay of my inflamed co-posters,people like me are not in the rating business,just sayin.
Idiots have the right to speak,we have the right to ignore them.
Here is a piece of wisdom from the British press:
A question of legality over intervention in Syria:
Julian Borger quotes a Middle East expert on the risk of jihadi “blowback” if western states don’t get “on board” with the armed Syrian opposition (West rethink over Syria as extremism fears grow, 14 August). It seems perverse to refer to Afghanistan in the 1980s in the context of minimising blowback, as western states could not have been more “on board” then: the CIA invested billions in the militants who became al-Qaida. Indeed, the most extreme groups in Afghanistan were singled out for US taxpayers’ money, just as they are now the sole beneficiaries of oil dollars from the most reactionary regimes in the Gulf. Perhaps the truth is that blowback against civilians – be they in the west or the Middle East – really doesn’t matter as long as the Russians are kept out and the Salafist oil keeps flowing?
Peter McKenna
Liverpool
• The UK is today assisting military action against Syria in an engagement on which there has been no public debate and no legal decision. Such lawlessness denies the British people their right to participate in major political decisions. We call for an immediate cessation of UK support for the military intervention in Syria led by the US, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Turkey. All diplomatic avenues need to be pursued so as to allow the Syrian people to determine their own future. The present course backed by the British government will lead to the military destruction of both the Syrian state and Syrian society, as in Iraq; bloodshed throughout the region; and possible war on Iran and global conflict.
(Professor Bill Bowring Birkbeck College, London, Professor Ray Bush University of Leeds, Professor Dawn Chatty University of Oxford, John Gledhill, Professor Max Gluckman University of Manchester, Professor emeritus Frank Land LSE, Dr Kamil Mahdi, Professor Martha Mundy LSE, Rachel O’Connell, Sami Ramadani London Metropolitan University, Professor emeritus Hilary Rose University of Bradford, Professor Richard Saumarez Smith American University of Beirut)
August 14th, 2012, 6:30 pm
Altair said:
This rewrite of history by Michael Doran and many other western commentators annoys me to no end. Syria is not an artificial construct of 4-5 regions. Rather Syria was one unit under the Ottoman empire and partitioned by Britain and France.
The southern half became Palestine and was further partitioned with the creation of Transjordan, while the northern half had Syria’s coastline further reduced with the loss of Lebanon and furthermore the loss of Iskenderun.
Will these (probably Zionist) enemies of Syria never stop? I think we should throw this sectarianism back at them. The sectarianism began with the foundation of Israel as a Jewish state, and the foundation of Lebanon as a Christian one (albeit one that didn’t stay that way).
Syrians should never accept this as legitimate, ever. Once the sectarian precedent was set, look what happens. The pieces get broken more and become smaller and smaller. Let these enemies have their way, and there will be a bunch of economically dependent mini-states all over the region, beholden to outsiders for just about everything. Look at Kuwait as an example. Or Lebanon. Or Jordan. None of these countries are truly independent and probably never will be.
Actually, Syria (the downsized one) is the only one currently with any chance of an independent future economically. Anyone who suggests that it should be further partitioned should be treated as an enemy and opposed categorically.
This move towards sectarianism must likewise be opposed. It is absolutely ludicrous to have yet another mini-state, an Alawi one this time. And why? Alawis can’t live with Sunnis? They did fine prior to the Baath takeover. So did the Kurds. Let the healing begin as soon as possible. Let a new constitution guarantee every citizen full and equal citizenship rights.
Look at Lebanon. Was this a raving success? Will Lebanon ever really have a future as a strong state. The answer is simple: no.
Instead of talking about more mini-states, the people of the Levant should be talking about reversing this sectarianism that has been manipulated by outside forces and reuniting the region. It can be put back together: it has been united as one region far longer that it was divided.
(Need a historical precedent: in 1869 German was more than a dozen states. In 1870, it was one).
(Need an example of many sects living within one nation: the United States of America).
It might be difficult to talk about Lebanon or Jordan or Palestine reverting to or reuniting with Syria today, and certainly Israel will be an obstacle to any strong state emerging. But the history shouldn’t be forgotten, nor the ideals of unity (read the report of the King Crane commission of 1919 for evidence). But in the meantime, it should be unthinkable of dividing Syria further. That idea was rejected in the 1940s by the Syrians themselves and should be rejected now.
Syria is one of the oldest nations in the world, the land of the original alphabet. It is a crime to suggest its further partition.
August 14th, 2012, 6:31 pm
Halabi said:
This is the terrorism that we see every day, and it comes from the planes, tanks and guns of the soldiers and militias that menhebaks and sectarian opponents of the revolution support.
???? – ??? ||?????? ????? ?????? ?? ??? ???????14-8-2012
http://youtu.be/34bKOvvFQqE
While many in the revolution condemn the executions committed by the FSA or other armed groups, and I am one of them, there is no comparing the violence and destruction coming from the regime and its militias. I will cry about this child, and I won’t shed a tear about the pilot who dropped the bomb on his building if the he’s ever captured. Those who celebrate the death of this child may view me as a monster who wants to destroy Syria and that’s fine. We will always have to deal with ignorant, delusional haters.
August 14th, 2012, 6:32 pm
irritated said:
Syrialover
The recently defected Prime Minister should be required to comment on this.
No one asked him the question as his answer may have highlighted the flow of false rumors being carried by KSA media in their non-lethal effort to offer some meager satisfactions and reasons to rejoice to the crumbling opposition.
August 14th, 2012, 6:35 pm
Syrialover said:
# 11.
Interesting, I thought the Russians were the champs of the fake interview and disinformation.
The important thing for Russia, which appears to be quite ineptly denied, is the claim that Russian deputy foreign minister Mikhail Bogdanov said Bashar Assad is ready to step down.
They need Bogdanov to make a statement himself denying it.
August 14th, 2012, 6:38 pm
zoo said:
Iran Preparing to Lead Global Nonaligned Group
By THOMAS ERDBRINK
Published: August 13, 2012
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/08/14/world/middleeast/iran-to-host-nonaligned-movement-meeting-and-take-leadership.html?ref=middleeast
TEHRAN — Iran sometimes seems like one of the loneliest countries in the world, isolated by sanctions and shunned by Western leaders.
Related
But in Tehran lampposts are being painted and hotels cleared out for thousands of delegates, including, the government says, more than 40 heads of state, as the Islamic republic prepares to host its biggest international conference in 14 years.
Taking over from Egypt, Iran’s leaders are ambitiously readying themselves for their three-year term as head of the Nonaligned Movement, which will convene in Tehran in the last week of August.
The Nonaligned Movement, founded during the height of the cold war, when the divisions were chiefly East-West, regards itself as independent from the major centers of power, which are not quite as neatly lined up as before.
During a weeklong conference, followed by a leadership summit meeting, Iran says it will unfold plans to revitalize the movement and seek support for its nuclear enrichment program and its resistance to what it calls dominance by the United States.
Representatives of all of the 118 member nations, among them China, India and Indonesia, will travel to Tehran for the conference, while invitations have been extended to observer states and international organizations, such as the Arab League, and Russia’s president, Vladimir V. Putin.
…
August 14th, 2012, 6:41 pm
Syrialover said:
# 17. ALTAIR
Applause! Applause!
Let’s keep saying it.
August 14th, 2012, 6:43 pm
irritated said:
#20 Syrialover
Indeed, very interesting, but it seems you are so annoyed that you can’t read properly what the article says.
It says that Russia denied it ever gave that interview to the Saudi Newspaper Al Watan upon which the rumor carried by Haaretz is based.
So if Maher is amputated, you have to look for another source. That one is a lie.
The Syrian government simply ignore rumors.
August 14th, 2012, 6:49 pm
Tara said:
Halabi
“I will cry about this child, and I won’t shed a tear about the pilot who dropped the bomb on his building if the he’s ever captured”
Halabi, I would take your statement a notch further. I would condemn the pilot torture or summary execution but I won’t have a single tear for him…
August 14th, 2012, 7:01 pm
zoo said:
Islamists fight against more Islamists.
Will the FSA do the same?
Egypt condemns 14 to death for 2011 Sinai attack
14/08/2012
http://www.asharq-e.com/news.asp?section=1&id=30698
ISMAILIA, (Reuters) – An Egyptian court sentenced 14 Islamist militants to death on Tuesday for killing policemen and soldiers during an attack on a police station in North Sinai last year, a court official said.
August 14th, 2012, 7:39 pm
Syrialover said:
Irritated (#23),
I did read the article which is why I said the denial was inept. It was an anonymous third-party denial, muffled by generalizations. They need to have it coming from the Deputy Foreign Minister himself.
“The Syrian government simply ignore rumors”. Yes, and they ignore facts and truth as well, all day long.
Roll on the day when Syrians have an accountable, legitimate, competent government and rule of law.
Where there will be no more insulting and silly “mysteries”, the end of we’ll-never-know-the-truth situations in matters of public interest, and attempts at delusionary lies, disinformation and cover-ups from officials will be laughed and booed offstage and their jobs put at risk.
This is just a small starter checklist to aim for.
August 14th, 2012, 7:45 pm
zoo said:
Iran likely to boost assistance to Assad regime in the near term
Posted By Ian Bremmer Tuesday, August 14, 2012 – 1:49 PM Share
By Ayham Kamel
http://eurasia.foreignpolicy.com/posts/2012/08/14/iran_likely_to_boost_assistance_to_assad_regime_in_the_near_term
Iranian leaders believe more and more that Western and Arab involvement in the uprising against Syrian President Bashar al Assad is designed to weaken the Islamic Republic. Tehran feels threatened by the so-called Sunni Triangle’s (Turkey, Qatar, and Saudi Arabia) support for Syrian rebels, which Iran views as a complement to sanctions that aim to limit its regional influence and prestige. The United States’s alliance with these countries makes it more difficult to resolve any disagreements over Syria. In this context, Iran finds supporting Assad — at least in the near term — as the best worst option. This policy isn’t new, but the parameters of what Tehran is willing to provide have expanded.
August 14th, 2012, 7:46 pm
omen said:
all of these criticisms faulting rebels for being at a stalemate, for lacking strategy, for holding territory, accused of stupidity, getting hit with predictions of failure, with critics insisting they couldn’t possibly prevail — all of these things were leveled at libyan rebels as well.
August 14th, 2012, 7:47 pm
anwar said:
Maher always had a mental handicap. I am glad the fsa helped him physically catch up to his mindstate.
Regime peons whining about torture is a little ironic don’t you think ? In any case, this is a war. One which you started against your own people. Expect the worst. People who lost their house and kids might be more than just irritated (wink wink) and it’s a blurry line between justice and revenge. Personally, i don’t mind seeing the shabiha get a taste of their own medicine.
August 14th, 2012, 7:49 pm
Tara said:
Batta needs to learn from Morsi. But again what do one expect from a half-man? 20,000 Syrians were killed in Syria and thousands were tortured and there have been no single trial or punishment while the half-man was too busy listening too “I am too sexy and I know it”. The problem is half-men can never materialize to real ones…one almost feels bad for Asma. It is difficult to imagine a woman, any woman would want such material..
August 14th, 2012, 7:50 pm
Syrialover said:
Zoo #25
Your comment “Islamists fight against more Islamists” about the Egyptian govenment handing the death penalty to Islamic militants is inherently contradictory.
The situation rather suggests that the Government is not exactly a good friend and ally of Islamic militants.
August 14th, 2012, 7:54 pm
VISITOR said:
26 SL,
No need to argue with a naive menhebek.
You ask any small kid about the Russian government, he’ll immediately tell you it is a big liar.
They’re all bundled up together in one big liar category, along with their pathetic mouthpieces:
The Hizbistan, the mullahs of Iran, The Nazi-likes of the criminals occupying Damascus and the Russian mafia. Their only constant trademark is fabricated lies.
August 14th, 2012, 7:56 pm
omen said:
the Syrian government insists a technical failure caused the jet to crash.
August 14th, 2012, 7:56 pm
Ghufran said:
This is from the PKK:
“??? ???? ???? ????? ?????? ???????? ?? ??? ?????? ????????????? ????? ???? ????? ?????? ?? ????? ?? ??? ????? ??????? ????????????”? ????? ??? ???? “??? ?? ?????? ?? ????? ????? ???? ?????? ??? ???????? ???????? ????? ???? ????? ????? ????????? ???????? ?? ??? ???????? ????????? ????? ????? ?? ???? ?? ????? ???? ???? ?? ????? ???? ??? ?????”? ????? “??? ?? ??? ?????? ?????????? ?? ???? ?????? ???? ??? ?? ??? ??????? ?????? ???? ????? ?????? ?? ??? ????????? ?? ???? ????? ?????? ?????? ??????? ??????? ??????? ?? ???? ?????? ??????? ?????? ???????”.
????? ??? ?? “???? ????? ?? ????????? ???? ???? ????? ?? ?? ???? ????? ?? ??? ??????? ??????? ?????? ?????? ?? ????? ?????? ?????? ??????? ??????? ???? ??????? ?? ???? ????? ???? ?????? ?????? ?????? ???? ??????”? ????? “??? ?? ??? ?????? ?????????? ???? ???? ??????? ??????? ?? ????? ?? ???? ????? ?? ???? ????? ?????????? ?????? ????? ???? ????? ?????? ????? ????”? ????? ??? ?? “????????? ??????? ??????? ????? ?? ??? ?????? ?????? ??? ?? ??? ??? ???? ??????? ??????? ??? ???? ???? ??? ????? ?????? ??????? ???????? ????? ????”.
????? ?? ???? “??? ????? ??????? ?? ?????? ???????? ????? ????? ?????? ?? ?????? ?????? ?????? ?????? ????? ???? ??? ????? ???? ???? ?? ?? ????? ?? ???????? ???????”.
????? ????? ??? ?? “?????? ????? ??? ???? ????? ??????? ?? ????? ???????? ?????? ????? ?????? ?? ?????? ??? ??? ????? ??????? ??????? ??? ??? ??????? ???????? ???????? ???? ?? ?????? ?????? ?????? ???????? ??????? ??? ??? ????????? ?? ????? ??????? ?? ????? ???????? ???? ??????? ???? ?????? ??? ???? ?????? ????? ?????? ???????? ?????? ???????? ?????? ????? ?????”? ????? ??? ??? “??? ?? ????? ??? ??? ???? ??????? ?????? ??????? ?? ?????? ?????? ??? ???? ??? ?????? ?? ?????”? ????? ?? “?????? ???????? ?????? ??? ?????? ??????? ???? ?? ????? ???????? ???? ????? ?????? ???? ???? ?????? ?????? ???? ???? ??? ???? ?? ???? ?????? ???? ????? ???? ????? ????????? ?? ?????? ?????? ??????”.
According to two sources,Abdullah Ogalan is an Alawi,I find it interesting that a force that is more than 80% Sunni trusts an Alawi to be their commandor.
August 14th, 2012, 8:08 pm
Ghufran said:
This is from the PKK:
“??? ???? ???? ????? ?????? ???????? ?? ??? ?????? ????????????? ????? ???? ????? ?????? ?? ????? ?? ??? ????? ??????? ????????????”? ????? ??? ???? “??? ?? ?????? ?? ????? ????? ???? ?????? ??? ???????? ???????? ????? ???? ????? ????? ????????? ???????? ?? ??? ???????? ????????? ????? ????? ?? ???? ?? ????? ???? ???? ?? ????? ???? ??? ?????”? ????? “??? ?? ??? ?????? ?????????? ?? ???? ?????? ???? ??? ?? ??? ??????? ?????? ???? ????? ?????? ?? ??? ????????? ?? ???? ????? ?????? ?????? ??????? ??????? ??????? ?? ???? ?????? ??????? ?????? ???????”.
????? ??? ?? “???? ????? ?? ????????? ???? ???? ????? ?? ?? ???? ????? ?? ??? ??????? ??????? ?????? ?????? ?? ????? ?????? ?????? ??????? ??????? ???? ??????? ?? ???? ????? ???? ?????? ?????? ?????? ???? ??????”? ????? “??? ?? ??? ?????? ?????????? ???? ???? ??????? ??????? ?? ????? ?? ???? ????? ?? ???? ????? ?????????? ?????? ????? ???? ????? ?????? ????? ????”? ????? ??? ?? “????????? ??????? ??????? ????? ?? ??? ?????? ?????? ??? ?? ??? ??? ???? ??????? ??????? ??? ???? ???? ??? ????? ?????? ??????? ???????? ????? ????”.
????? ?? ???? “??? ????? ??????? ?? ?????? ???????? ????? ????? ?????? ?? ?????? ?????? ?????? ?????? ????? ???? ??? ????? ???? ???? ?? ?? ????? ?? ???????? ???????”.
????? ????? ??? ?? “?????? ????? ??? ???? ????? ??????? ?? ????? ???????? ?????? ????? ?????? ?? ?????? ??? ??? ????? ??????? ??????? ??? ??? ??????? ???????? ???????? ???? ?? ?????? ?????? ?????? ???????? ??????? ??? ??? ????????? ?? ????? ??????? ?? ????? ???????? ???? ??????? ???? ?????? ??? ???? ?????? ????? ?????? ???????? ?????? ???????? ?????? ????? ?????”? ????? ??? ??? “??? ?? ????? ??? ??? ???? ??????? ?????? ??????? ?? ?????? ?????? ??? ???? ??? ?????? ?? ?????”? ????? ?? “?????? ???????? ?????? ??? ?????? ??????? ???? ?? ????? ???????? ???? ????? ?????? ???? ???? ?????? ?????? ???? ???? ??? ???? ?? ???? ?????? ???? ????? ???? ????? ????????? ?? ?????? ?????? ??????”.
BTW,is Ogalan alawite? He probably is,does this mean anything? May be,after all,most PKK fighters are not.
August 14th, 2012, 8:17 pm
Ghufran said:
This is from the PKK:
“??? ???? ???? ????? ?????? ???????? ?? ??? ?????? ????????????? ????? ???? ????? ?????? ?? ????? ?? ??? ????? ??????? ????????????”? ????? ??? ???? “??? ?? ?????? ?? ????? ????? ???? ?????? ??? ???????? ???????? ????? ???? ????? ????? ????????? ???????? ?? ??? ???????? ????????? ????? ????? ?? ???? ?? ????? ???? ???? ?? ????? ???? ??? ?????”? ????? “??? ?? ??? ?????? ?????????? ?? ???? ?????? ???? ??? ?? ??? ??????? ?????? ???? ????? ?????? ?? ??? ????????? ?? ???? ????? ?????? ?????? ??????? ??????? ??????? ?? ???? ?????? ??????? ?????? ???????”.
????? ??? ?? “???? ????? ?? ????????? ???? ???? ????? ?? ?? ???? ????? ?? ??? ??????? ??????? ?????? ?????? ?? ????? ?????? ?????? ??????? ??????? ???? ??????? ?? ???? ????? ???? ?????? ?????? ?????? ???? ??????”? ????? “??? ?? ??? ?????? ?????????? ???? ???? ??????? ??????? ?? ????? ?? ???? ????? ?? ???? ????? ?????????? ?????? ????? ???? ????? ?????? ????? ????”? ????? ??? ?? “????????? ??????? ??????? ????? ?? ??? ?????? ?????? ??? ?? ??? ??? ???? ??????? ??????? ??? ???? ???? ??? ????? ?????? ??????? ???????? ????? ????”.
????? ?? ???? “??? ????? ??????? ?? ?????? ???????? ????? ????? ?????? ?? ?????? ?????? ?????? ?????? ????? ???? ??? ????? ???? ???? ?? ?? ????? ?? ???????? ???????”.
????? ????? ??? ?? “?????? ????? ??? ???? ????? ??????? ?? ????? ???????? ?????? ????? ?????? ?? ?????? ??? ??? ????? ??????? ??????? ??? ??? ??????? ???????? ???????? ???? ?? ?????? ?????? ?????? ???????? ??????? ??? ??? ????????? ?? ????? ??????? ?? ????? ???????? ???? ??????? ???? ?????? ??? ???? ?????? ????? ?????? ???????? ?????? ???????? ?????? ????? ?????”? ????? ??? ??? “??? ?? ????? ??? ??? ???? ??????? ?????? ??????? ?? ?????? ?????? ??? ???? ??? ?????? ?? ?????”? ????? ?? “?????? ???????? ?????? ??? ?????? ??????? ???? ?? ????? ???????? ???? ????? ?????? ???? ???? ?????? ?????? ???? ???? ??? ???? ?? ???? ?????? ???? ????? ???? ????? ????????? ?? ?????? ?????? ??????”.
August 14th, 2012, 8:20 pm
Syrialover said:
Tara, Halabi,
In my mind is the possibility that the pilot hit a civilian target and not the “military” one because he was poorly directed, poorly selected, poorly trained, poorly equipped and poorly briefed.
That’s what some expert observers of the government’s bombing efforts are suggesting. Not that it excuses or exempts those responsible from severe condemnation for war crimes.
The terrible outcome of that pilot’s possible error would be no problem to his bosses at the top.
After all, that’s “their” airforce and not accountable to anyone. They see ordinary Syrian people in their lower-class houses as expendable; and it helps the propaganda effort “warning” Syrians as well as “proving” that the rebels are leading to civilian destruction.
August 14th, 2012, 8:20 pm
Ghufran said:
I heard that Ogalan of the PKK is an alawi,any comments?
As for Maher being injured or not,I have to copy this line from GWTW:
” frankly,my dear, I do not give a damn”
As far as I know,from Internet sources, he is alive and well,but who cares?
August 14th, 2012, 8:23 pm
Ghufran said:
This is from a rebel source:
?? ?????? ????? ???????… ???????? ??????? , ??? ????? ?? ????? ????? …..
???? ???? ?? ??? ??????? , ????? ?????? ????? ??? ??? ???????? , ??? ????? ????? ???? ,????? ?????? ????? ??????? ?????? , ?? ??? ?? ??? ???? ?????? ??????? ????? ,??? ???? ????? ??????? ??? ??????? ????????? ?? ??????? ??? ?????? ?????? ???????? ???? ?????? ????? ??? ????? ???????? ???? ???? ?? ???? ????? ??????? ???? ???? ????? ????? ?? ??????? ????? ??????? ?????? ????? ???? . …….
August 14th, 2012, 8:34 pm
Tara said:
Almanar TV lying too. Smaha did not recant confession. The mullahs are becoming professional liars. Or.. Have they always lied?
Reports of Samaha recanting confession baseless: sources
August 14, 2012 04:41
By Youssef Diab
The Daily Star
(…)
August 14th, 2012, 8:42 pm
zoo said:
31. Syrialover
“The Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt is an Islamist religious, political, and social movement.
Its credo is, “God is our objective; the Quran is our constitution, the Prophet is our leader; Jihad is our way; and death for the sake of God is the highest of our aspirations.”
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Muslim_Brotherhood_in_Egypt
August 14th, 2012, 8:48 pm
Ghufran said:
???? ? ‘????? ??????’ ? ?? ???? ???: ???? ??????? ?????? ?? ?????? ??? ???? ???? ?????? ???? ???????? ??? ?????? ??????? ??????? ????? ????? ?? ??????? ???? ?????? ????? ??? ?? ???? ??????? ??????? ??????? ???????? ????? ???? ?? ????????? ???????? ??? ????? ??? ????? ??? ???????? ???? ??????? ????? ??????? ????? ???? ?? ????? ??? ???? ??????? ?? ????? ?????? ?????? ?????? ????? ?? ??????.
????????? ????? ?????? ?? ‘????? ??????’ ????? ?? ???? ???????? ??????? ???????? ???? ???????? ??????? ?????????? ?????? ????? ???? ?? ??? ????? ??????? ???? ??? ???? ???? ??????? ????? ??????? ?????? ?? ????? ?????? ??????? ??????? ??? ????????? ????????? ???????? ???????? ???? ???? ??????? ???????? ?? ??? ?? ??? ????? ????????? ?????? ?????? ??? ??????? ????? ????? ???? ???? ??? ?????? ????? ?????? ??? ???? ????????.
Turkish government has no problem with the behavior,they just hate the fact that the rebels took pictures and videos of their ” heroic” acts.
August 14th, 2012, 8:48 pm
Aldendeshe said:
So,Maher lost his legs but was still able to attend the funeral of Asef standing up?
_______________________________________________________________
That was his double. LOL. The one struggeling for his life is most likely that Slave Bandar who was behind the Damascus bombing. We seen Maher standing up for an hour, why cannot we see Bandar do it?
August 14th, 2012, 8:49 pm
Halabi said:
Addunya in Seif Al Dawla today. A long video – they were careful not to film the destruction from the shelling. In minute 8 an older man with white hair and beard shows his injury. Many of the armed men with him aren’t wearing uniforms. Assad’s militia. They chant for Bashar.
http://youtu.be/xH_9h3m9pBY
August 14th, 2012, 8:52 pm
Ghufran said:
• The UK is today assisting military action against Syria in an engagement on which there has been no public debate and no legal decision. Such lawlessness denies the British people their right to participate in major political decisions. We call for an immediate cessation of UK support for the military intervention in Syria led by the US, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Turkey. All diplomatic avenues need to be pursued so as to allow the Syrian people to determine their own future. The present course backed by the British government will lead to the military destruction of both the Syrian state and Syrian society, as in Iraq; bloodshed throughout the region; and possible war on Iran and global conflict.
Signed by:
(Professor Bill Bowring Birkbeck College, London, Professor Ray Bush University of Leeds, Professor Dawn Chatty University of Oxford, John Gledhill, Professor Max Gluckman University of Manchester, Professor emeritus Frank Land LSE, Dr Kamil Mahdi, Professor Martha Mundy LSE, Rachel O’Connell, Sami Ramadani London Metropolitan University, Professor emeritus Hilary Rose University of Bradford, Professor Richard Saumarez Smith American University of Beirut)
August 14th, 2012, 8:53 pm
zoo said:
The little brain of Hillary will soon explode in the complexity of the situation in Syria especially when Panetta contradicts her. For her sanity, I think it is high time he gets out of this job and returns to Bill.
Pentagon plays down Syria no-fly zone option
Phil Stewart, Reuters
Tuesday, August 14, 2012
http://www.torontosun.com/2012/08/14/pentagon-plays-down-syria-no-fly-zone-option
WASHINGTON – U.S. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta suggested on Tuesday the Pentagon was not seriously considering a no-fly zone in Syria, saying it was not a “front-burner” issue.
August 14th, 2012, 8:56 pm
irritated said:
Halabi.
Oh, so Seif Al Dawla is liberated.. which one do you think is next?
August 14th, 2012, 8:58 pm
Halabi said:
Tara, Syrialover – Pilots, even if they aren’t trained, should face the worst punishment if they dropped a single bomb on a civilian target. Same with the tank and artillery operator and every person who gave the order. I think we will have a list of units and individuals who flew sorties or manned an artillery unit, or a partial list, and then investigators can find out who has committed war crimes and crimes against humanity.
Opposition should be held to account as well. I know most of the murderers from all sides will get amnesty, but many should be tried, and most will be from the regime because it caused most of the deaths and damage. That’s justice and life.
We were always taught ila al-abad. 42 years that won’t become 43, and will be considered as 41 because Syria Al-Assad ceased to exist on March 25, 2011.
August 14th, 2012, 9:08 pm
irritated said:
Paranaoia is spreading rapidly within the armed rebels and their supporters.
As the armed rebels are facing a total annihilation, it is necessary to find good reasons. We heard they have no weapons, then they claim they shot a plane. We hear that they are strong and determined, next that they are calling for help from the USA. We hear they will never leave Salahhedine then we hear they retreated to “‘save civilian lives” after all civilians were gone. We hear they occupy 70% of Syria, then we hear that they hold only a band of few kms on the Turkish border. We hear that they have signed a human rights agreement, next he hear they are throwing postal workers off a roof and shot indiscriminately in the center of Damascus ‘to frighten people’. We hear they deny having islamist extremists in their ranks, next we hear they willingly accept their help.
The latest they invoke to explain they are loosing, is that Hezbollah and the Iranian Revolutionary guards are finally coming in Syria disguised in Shia pilgrims to rescue the ‘ailing’ Syrian army. One wonder who is ailing really.
When will they call for a ceasefire? When they will be all dead?
August 14th, 2012, 9:17 pm
zoo said:
Was Saudi Arabia’s Top Spy Assassinated?
August 14, 2012 AFP
Was Saudi Arabia’s Top Spy Assassinated?
By Richard Walker
http://americanfreepress.net/?p=5568
Were Saudi Arabia’s new intelligence chief and his deputy assassinated in an explosion in the Saudi capital, Riyadh, on July 26? So far the country’s leaders have refused to even address the question, and intelligence services around the world have remained tight-lipped about the story.
If the rumors are true, who was behind the assassination of the man who has played a central part in funneling arms to Syrian rebels and Iranian opposition groups?
Rumors that Saudi Arabia’s intelligence chief, Crown Prince Bandar bin Sultan bin Abdul-Aziz Al Saud, met his end, first surfaced in the Paris-based website the Voltaire Network, and later in the DEBKAfile, an Israeli-based web publication known for breaking stories about intelligence matters. They claimed the killing of the two Saudi figures happened within Saudi intelligence headquarters.
August 14th, 2012, 9:24 pm
zoo said:
Was Saudi Arabia’s Top Spy Assassinated?
August 14, 2012 AFP
By Richard Walker
http://americanfreepress.net/?p=5568
…
Were Saudi Arabia’s new intelligence chief and his deputy assassinated in an explosion in the Saudi capital, Riyadh, on July 26? So far the country’s leaders have refused to even address the question, and intelligence services around the world have remained tight-lipped about the story.
…
Sooner or later, the Saudis may feel compelled to tell the world if Bandar is alive or dead. If he is dead, they may be as confused as the rest of us about who killed him.
August 14th, 2012, 9:25 pm
Tara said:
Tunisian ahtletes under fire
Islamist extremists are calling for two female Tunisian athletes to be stripped of their Olympic medals for “un-Islamic” behaviour, AP reports.
Radicals on social media networks called on the government to strip Habiba Ghribi, the first Tunisian woman to win an Olympic medal, of her nationality because her running gear was too revealing. She won the silver in the 3,000m steeplechase.
And a Facebook campaign by extremist group Ansar al-Charia is targeting swimmer Oussama Mellouli for drinking juice before racing during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan. Mellouli won gold in the 10km marathon and bronze in the 1,500m freestyle.
(…)
August 14th, 2012, 9:38 pm
Ghufran said:
???? ???? “??????? ???????” ????????? ????????? ??? ??? ????? ????? 340 ????? ????? ?????? ???????? ???? ???? ????? ???? ???? ?????????? ??? ????? ????? ???????? ??? ??????? ?? ?????.
The transactions in question were worth more than $ 250 billion
August 14th, 2012, 9:47 pm
omen said:
18. HALABI
how many loyalists watched this video?
August 14th, 2012, 9:48 pm
omen said:
August 14th, 2012, 9:51 pm
habib said:
28. omen
And for good reason. They were completely incompetent without western fire-power.
August 14th, 2012, 9:51 pm
Halabi said:
Omen, I hope they watched that video and they never have to dig for their children in the rubble.
Saddam, Qadhafi, Assad worshipers. They all seem to run for the sewers.
http://youtu.be/xOxV3BfUAPE
August 14th, 2012, 9:59 pm
omen said:
that’s bs, habib. nato did the bare minimum. rebel generals complained constantly about lack of support and lack of communication from the west. nato did what they wanted to do with little consultation or regard with what the rebels needed. misrata was pummeled and held under seige for two months with nato doing little to counter it.
.
halabi, it just dawned on me the irony of gaddafi calling people rats, yet it was he who ended up in the sewer.
what does that portend for bashar?
August 14th, 2012, 10:00 pm
habib said:
54. omen
Did we follow the same war? The “rebels” were being obliterated until the “no-fly-zone” was enforce, and even after that, NATO bombed day and night, and almost had to put “boots on the ground” to help those sad Islamists out.
I recall that western military spokesmen complained about the terrible fighting skills of the “rebels” almost daily. And you say the rebels complained? Beggars can be choosers, apparently, the ones in Syria act that way too.
Even Gadaffi’s (last) convoy was only stopped due to NATO help.
August 14th, 2012, 10:14 pm
omen said:
55. The “rebels” were being obliterated until the “no-fly-zone” was enforce
you say that like rebels are to be faulted for being heavily outgunned.
twas you not paying attention.
even with a no fly zone in place, rebels were still being obliterated by constant artillery, tank and mortar fire.
try surviving this for a few months and then come back and tell us how incompetent rebels are.
August 14th, 2012, 10:27 pm
Halabi said:
Do you know who really, really hates Bashar? These Palestinians at Al Aqsa. The Syrian part starts at 1.50 and ends with a plea that Bashar follow Qadhafi.
http://youtu.be/j8g1nyfs_tY
I’m pretty sure that Bush and Sharon were spared this kind of collective curse. Most Arabs and Muslims hate Bashar.
As for his fate Omen, he has to be thrown in a cell never to be heard of again or executed. If the opposition capture him I think he will be killed on the spot. He can’t stick around and be a spoiler, rallying his sick followers to bring him back to power. The war won’t stop until the Assad nightmare is over.
August 14th, 2012, 10:33 pm
Norman said:
If an Alawi state is in the cards, i see no chance of having any others in that state, may be Christians but do not think that Sunni will be there and i see massive migration and exchange of people and land, when people are being literally slaughtered, hanged i see no chance of trust is coming back to Syria,
August 14th, 2012, 10:34 pm
Atassi said:
Norman,
I only envision one viable united state ..the Syrian Arab republic, a place for all Syrians from all religions and sects, We must keep our faith high, we are all in for a long road ahead, We may not see our good expectations come true in our life time since this can be truly a complicated rebirth of a nation. For over thirty years I was truly aspirating for a better end-results. May Allah protect our county Souria.
This is a great and “Mubaraka” night for both Muslims and Christians.
Eid sayyda Mubarak to you Norman. InshaAllah we all celebrate it next year in the Waddi
August 14th, 2012, 11:39 pm
VISITOR said:
58 NORMAN,
The best thing thing that can happen to Syria is that people like you get the hell out and never go back.
——————————–
Russian government is proven a liar. Saudi newspapers presents taped interview with Russian Deputy FM,
http://www.alarabiya.net/articles/2012/08/15/232309.html
August 15th, 2012, 12:04 am
irritated said:
Tara
Plan your next vacation in Tunisia so you can appreciate the success achieved by the Tunisian women: They lost their status but they won the freedom to wear the veil.
August 15th, 2012, 12:09 am
irritated said:
59. VISITOR
I guess you’ll be at the airport preventing Shia, Alawite and Christians and Druzes to get into the Whahabbi paradise that Syria would have become.
August 15th, 2012, 12:13 am
irritated said:
….
August 15th, 2012, 12:15 am
irritated said:
#59 Visitor
It sounds like a hoax like the one France 24 got into when they were lead to believe they were talking with the Syrian ambassador in France on the phone.
Al Watan fell into a trap, or they fabricated the information, which is more serious
No one can ever believe a taped phone interview where voice and words can be easily manipulated.
“The newspaper did not say when the interview took place and the only direct quotes it attributed to Bogdanov were on the subject of Russia’s position on the crisis.”
August 15th, 2012, 12:23 am
omen said:
going back to the hijab defection:
who were the other two?
wonder what kind of secrets jalilati knew.
August 15th, 2012, 12:35 am
Uzair8 said:
The regime and it’s loyalists will be very nervous and any report (even if it’s just rumour) will have an affect. They will be ready to believe anything.
In this state Psyops will have an even greater effect than normal and must be utilised. Rumours such as the Maher Assad one are useful even if it’s unproven rumour. The panic and pessimism created cannot be understated.
**************
Moving on:
Blake Hounshell?@blakehounshell
Syrian oppo sites all aflutter with rumors of a coup in Damascus
Note – More unconfirmed “rumours”
http://yallasouriya.wordpress.com/2012/08/15/blake-hounshell%e2%80%8fblakehounshell-syrian-oppo-sites-all-aflutter-with/
August 15th, 2012, 1:26 am
Uzair8 said:
Some times when one reads reports of FSA successes one wonders whether the accounts are true or exaggerated. The following one shows video evidence.
****************
This is a video summary about what happened when the army convoy was heading to Baba Al Hawa and that was destroyed by the FSA
http://yallasouriya.wordpress.com/2012/08/15/this-is-a-video-summary-about-what-happened/
August 15th, 2012, 1:40 am
Juergen said:
-Colorless-
August 15th, 2012, 1:45 am
omen said:
Rumours such as the Maher Assad one are useful even if it’s unproven
weird thing is the night or the day after the crisis group event, twitter was atwutter then with rumors that maher had lost his legs.
what happened when the army convoy was heading to Baba Al Hawa and that was destroyed
cant find it now but back when we feared that big showdown, i saw a report that stated rebels had taken out of a third of the convoy that was headed into aleppo.
Syrian oppo sites all aflutter with rumors of a coup in Damascus
i saw that!
August 15th, 2012, 2:28 am
Syrialover said:
Several times a day in the shock of what is happening to Syria I am hit with the anguished and angry thought:
It didn’t HAVE to be like that.
Except it was written into the biology of the Assad regime and the fact it survived to fester and degenerate well into this century.
Where the HELL in real life would pin-headed Bashar Assad score even the lowest leadership position in the smallest organization?
He wouldn’t make it onto the council in a village of 500 people. And neither would the criminal cronies who have been helping him run Syria into the ground at the point of a gun.
It’s a disgrace to the history of the human race what the Assad regime has inflicted on Syria.
But the strong, courageous, proud, resourceful people of Syria will not allow them the satisfaction of destroying the country.
August 15th, 2012, 3:24 am
Syrialover said:
Norman (#58)
I recommend you read Altair #17 if you haven’t already. It’s a super-sane comment on that crazy issue.
August 15th, 2012, 3:29 am
Uzair8 said:
From Goldseek.com.
Syrian Humanitarian Crisis – As Food, Fuel Prices Soar al-Assad Desperately Attempts To Get Gold
14 August 2012
[…]
We covered the Bloomberg report yesterday from SANA, Syrian state TV, that Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad announced measures facilitating imports of gold bullion coins and bars.
On Sunday, al-Assad issued Legislative Decree No. 53 “on exempting crude gold imports from the importation fees and the domestic costs according to the Law No. 35 for the year 2007”.
All custom duties and storage, insurance and administrative costs levied on gold imports will be replaced by a single fee of $100 per one kilogram, SANA said citing the presidential decree.
Gold bullion imports no longer require a special permit and travellers are allowed to bring gold bullion coins and bars with them into the country, the decree said.
The move is a sign of desperation due to the immense economic difficulties facing Syria as its economy is being suffocated through economic sanctions and the civil war.
Read more:
http://news.goldseek.com/GoldSeek/1344949580.php
August 15th, 2012, 4:57 am
annie said:
Free Syrian Army accused of brutality
(that is the title but the FSA defends itself against these accusations in the sense that the brutality is not its policy)
http://youtu.be/Sesy8qKaYN0
Altair #17 is indeed an excellent text; I copied it on my blog as a post.
August 15th, 2012, 4:57 am
Uzair8 said:
From Oilprice.com.
Sanctions on Syrian Energy Taking Toll on Regime
14 August 2012
The International Monetary Fund said Syria was one of the few countries in the Middle East whose economy is expected to contract in 2012. The IMF expected the regional economy to grow by more than 5 percent in 2012, an increase from last year. Economic problems for Damascus were compounded last week when the U.S. government extended sanctions on Iran to include the Syrian energy sector. Washington said the government in Damascus was generating millions in revenue through gasoline sales to Iran. With few political or military options available, economic warfare may be the best option for an international community frustrated with the bloodshed.
Read more:
http://oilprice.com/Energy/Energy-General/Sanctions-on-Syrian-Energy-Taking-Toll-on-Regime.html
August 15th, 2012, 5:05 am
VISITOR said:
69 SL,
Even if he reads it 100 times, it wouldn’t work with him.
August 15th, 2012, 5:30 am
Uzair8 said:
A couple of Socialist Worker articles.
‘The Syrian regime is targeting the poorest areas from the air’
Tue 14 Aug 2012
Battle lines in Syria’s second city of Aleppo have, for the moment, become entrenched.
Rebels have retreated from the frontline where they faced regime troops. But they are regrouping and digging in as they are pounded by government jets.
“It’s getting more and more difficult to speak to people in Aleppo,” Mounir Atassi, a Syrian from Homs currently living in Britain, told Socialist Worker.
Read more:
http://www.socialistworker.co.uk/art.php?id=29331
*************
Analysis: Syria’s rebels organise despite brutal repression
Tue 14 Aug 2012
by Bassem Chit in Beirut, Lebanon
Recent defections from Bashar al-Assad’s government show that it is crumbling. It can only hang on by brutally crushing the popular uprising.
Sections of the mass movement have been forced to take up arms in response to the regime’s relentless attacks.
The real issue is the survival of the movement itself. The revolution is very open—it does not have a centralised leadership. In many ways this is a strength as it makes it harder for the regime to target.
Those opposing Assad on the ground in Syria are not acting under the mandate of outside forces. International powers have been trying to intervene but the revolution has not been hijacked.
Read more:
http://www.socialistworker.co.uk/art.php?id=29332
August 15th, 2012, 5:32 am
Tara said:
Al-Watan newspaper hits back and posed an audio recording of the interview.
Yesterday, the Russian foreign ministry denied that deputy foreign minister Mikhail Bogdanov gave an interview to a Saudi paper saying Basher al-Assad’s brother lost both his legs in last month’s Damascus blast.
The report in al-Watan (by Omar al-Zubaidi, in Arabic) also quoted Bogdanov as saying that the Syrian president was ready to step down.
Today, al-Watan has hit back against the Russian denial and posted an audio recording of the alleged interview on its website. The voice in the recording speaks fluent Arabic, so presumably Bogdanov was interviewed through an interpreter if the recording is genuine.
http://www.alwatan.com.sa/Politics/News_Detail.aspx?ArticleID=109918&CategoryID=1
????: ????? 2012-08-15 2:23 AM
??????? ?? ????? ?????? ?????? “?????” ??? ???? ????????? ?? ?? ?? ????? ?? ?????? ????? ??? ?? ???? ????? ??????? ??????? ????? ?? ??? ???????? ??????? ??? ??? ?? ??????? ?? ??? ????????? ??? ????? “???????? ??”?????”: ???? ????? ??? ?????”? ?????? ??? ???? ???? ???? ?????? ????? ??????? ???????? ?? ?? “???? ????? ??? ????? ??????? ???? ?????? ?? ???? ????? ?????? ?????? ???? ????? ?? ????? ???????”? ??? ?????? ??????? ?? ???? ?? ???????? ??????? ? ?? ???? ????? ? ????? “??????? ???????? ?? ??? ?????? ?? ????? ????? ???????? ???? ?????? ?? ?????”.
????? ??? ??????? ???? ????? ???????? ??? ??? ??????? ??? ??? ????? ?? ????? ??? ?? ???? ?? ??????? ???? ????? ???????? ???????? ?? ????? ??? ?????? ??? ???????? ??? “?????” ??? ?????? ?????? ????????? ?????? ?? ????? ?? “???? ????? ??? ????? ?? ???????”.
August 15th, 2012, 7:11 am
jna said:
Despite Pledge, Syrian Rebels Continue to Torture
http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2012/08/15/despite-pledge-syrian-rebels-continue-to-torture.html
August 15th, 2012, 7:52 am
Tara said:
Irritated@60
“Plan your next vacation in Tunisia so you can appreciate the success achieved by the Tunisian women: They lost their status but they won the freedom to wear the veil.”
Why not Iran? Isn’t the same thing in Iran?
I know, I know..The Tunisians are prettier….
Now seriously…I yet to see a handsome Iranian man or a beautiful Iranian woman. I don’t know what is it with them. I am really not ethnically biased when it comes to inner or outer beauty….May be I haven’t seen enough Iranians in my life..but I saw their movies. The only handsome people in their movies are Arabs..
August 15th, 2012, 8:00 am
Son of Damascus said:
Dar Al-Shifaa Hospital in Aleppo was targeted by a fighter plane:
Syria: Fighter Planes Strike Aleppo Hospital
Government Rocket Attacks Over Two Days Kill Four Civilians, Wound Five
AUGUST 15, 2012
(Aleppo) – Syrian government fighter planes fired rockets that struck the main emergency hospital in an opposition-controlled area of Aleppo on August 14, 2012, wounding two civilians and causing significant damage, Human Rights Watch said today after visiting the damaged hospital.
A rocket attack by government aircraft on the hospital two days earlier, on August 12, apparently killed four civilians and wounded three, Human Rights Watch said.
“Fighter jet attacks on a hospital twice in three days indicate that this was no accident,” said Ole Solvang, emergencies researcher at Human Rights Watch. “By firing rockets at a clearly marked hospital, the government shows blatant disregard for civilian lives.”
Human Rights Watch visited the Dar al Shifaa Hospital, in the Sha’ar neighborhood of Aleppo, about one hour after the August 14 attack, and examined the physical damage and rocket remnants. Hospital staff told Human Rights Watch that no opposition fighters were deployed at the hospital at the time of the two attacks, and only several armed hospital guards were providing security. Human Rights Watch saw no signs of opposition military activity in or around the hospital building.
The hospital is an established medical facility and clearly marked with a red crescent emblem on the front.
Hospital medical staff told Human Rights Watch that government aircraft attacked the hospital and a nearby school at about 3 p.m. on August 14. Three or four rockets hit the upper floors of the seven-story hospital, they said. On August 12, government aircraft hit the hospital with six rockets in a similar attack, hospital staff said.
On the fourth floor of the hospital, Human Rights Watch saw the tail remnants from about a dozen S-5 rockets. These rockets are fired from aircraft with a range of three to four kilometers.
The attacks on August 12 and 14 caused major damage to the four upper floors of the hospital, destroying walls, floors, windows, and equipment in operating rooms and other wards. According to the chief physician, Dr. Mohammed Asi, the attack on August 12 killed four civilians outside the hospital and wounded three nurses. The August 14 attack wounded at least two civilians who were on the street outside the hospital, he said.
One of the wounded in the August 14 attack was a doctor from a makeshift field hospital in western Aleppo, who said he had stopped by Al Shifaa Hospital to get medical supplies for his clinic. The doctor sustained shrapnel wounds on his upper legs, left foot, and both arms. He told Human Rights Watch that another person was wounded when one of the rockets hit the street near the hospital.
Doctors at Al Shifaa Hospital told Human Rights Watch that because the area had been subjected to earlier attacks, they had limited the use of the upper floors to emergency surgery. As a result of the two rocket attacks, hospital staff are now only using the bottom two floors.
“We had just finished surgery and moved to the second floor when the rockets hit,” one doctor told Human Rights Watch. “If they had hit just minutes before we would have all been dead.”
The doctors said that Dar al Shifaa Hospital is the main emergency hospital in the eastern part of the city of Aleppo, an area currently controlled by the opposition Free Syrian Army (FSA). According to hospital records, as of 4 p.m. on August 14, when Human Rights Watch visited the hospital, the hospital had that day received 24 civilian casualties, including four children and four dead bodies from other attacks around the city, mainly from shelling in the Tariq al-Bab area. The hospital keeps separate records for wounded and killed FSA soldiers.
The doctors said that government forces had used Al Shifaa Hospital until opposition forces took control of the area in late July.
[…]
http://www.hrw.org/news/2012/08/15/syria-fighter-planes-strike-aleppo-
August 15th, 2012, 8:37 am
VISITOR said:
God willing, Damascus will soon be liberated from the filthy spies and agents of the mullahs,
http://www.alarabiya.net/articles/2012/08/15/232412.html
——————————-
The video in 65 shows a big victory for the heroic FSA. While the video in 71 shows that the FSA are real heroes who fight their war according to international norms unlike the thugs of the Nazi-like criminals occupying Damascus.
August 15th, 2012, 9:43 am
VISITOR said:
Everyone, except menhebeks, believe a taped interview.
That’s normal denial of reality to qualify as a menhebek.
August 15th, 2012, 9:51 am
zoo said:
The latest bomb in Damascus: The supporters rebels propaganda in full swing
AL Arabiya version: The Saudi channel announced that the HQ of the Syrian Army where no less than 150 military were meeting, has been destroyed by a bomb
AFP : DAMASCUS, Syria (AP) — A bomb attached to a fuel truck exploded Wednesday outside a Damascus hotel where U.N. observers are staying in the Syrian capital, wounding at least three people, Syria’s state TV reported.
According to an Associated Press reporter at the scene, the blast had gone off inside a different parking lot, one belonging to a military compound and not the military command. The lot is near the Dama Rose Hotel, popular with the U.N. observers in Syria.
August 15th, 2012, 9:51 am
irritated said:
#79 Visitor
Everyone, except menhebek, believe a taped interview.
Who believes an interview where there is an interpreter. The original voice is what counts.
Is that interpreter an employee of Al Watan?
August 15th, 2012, 10:05 am
Son of Damascus said:
Picture of the bombings close to Qiyadat Al-Arkan Al Jouwieh(Military Intelligence) in Damascus today.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/chroniclesyrianuprising/7788161950/in/photostream
The mosque you see in the background is Sheikh Al-Hassan Mosque I believe, Meridian hotel is very close as well.
This area was always heavily guarded, for the FSA to get a bomb into pretty much the heart of the Assadi Security apparatus says a lot about what is going on. FSA is getting much more bolder and better organized, while the Assadi security apparatus is crumbling, and cant even seem to protect their HQ.
Now what I am wondering about is, if the security apparatus crumbles does the Syrian Army go with it? Or can it be convinced to start acting like it should and maybe help end this cycle instead of fuelling it further? Or is it too late?
I really hope not.
August 15th, 2012, 10:06 am
Son of Damascus said:
Irrittaed,
“Second, according to the law in the USA, it is illegal to record private phone conversations without the agreement of both parties.
In this case I doubt the Russian diplomat would accept that, especially that he is interviewed by the mouth piece of a country that has been highly critical of Russia.”
I guess you have never heard of the term “on the record” before?
If the diplomat did not want his interview to be on the record with a mouth piece that has been highly critical of Russia, why would he give one to start with?
August 15th, 2012, 10:14 am
irritated said:
79. VISITOR said:
God willing, Damascus will soon be liberated from the filthy spies and agents of the mullahs,
God willing, Lebanon will soon be liberated from the filthy spies and agents of the rebels and their extremists allies,
“Abu Ali al-Mikdad, a relative, told reporters in Beirut Wednesday that they have abducted “more than 20 Syrians” including a senior member of the Free Syrian Army rebel group.”
20 Syrians reported seized in Lebanon
http://news.yahoo.com/20-syrians-reported-seized-lebanon-101635612.html
August 15th, 2012, 10:16 am
VISITOR said:
84 IRRITABLE,
Nope, that’s not what you said in 62,
“No one can ever believe a taped phone interview
Now, you should be dissmissed as a confused drone that can only function either in a hive, or when TARA is kind enough to look after it like a baby, or if it can immittae the other commentators.
The drone simply doesn’t have anything original inside. It is just a drone, an automaton, a lifeless blob in the world….
August 15th, 2012, 10:25 am
irritated said:
#84 SOD
“on record” has nothing to do with tape recording. Go and check your english dictionary.
Al Arabya could not verify the authenticity of the MP3 recording
http://english.alarabiya.net/articles/2012/08/15/232347.html
“To defend its credibility, al-Watan on early Wednesday published alleged Bogdanov interview in a MP3 format on its website.
Al Arabiya could not verify the authenticity of the recording, in which a man identified as Bogdanov said Moscow wanted a “fast remedy” to the Syrian crisis, did not want to be in a “non-neutral” position and that a ceasefire was the only solution to the 18-month conflict.”
In my view some Russian closed to the opposition must have impersonated Bogdanov and fooled Al Watan. We have already seen that with France24 and the Syrian ambassador in Paris months ago.
August 15th, 2012, 10:31 am
VISITOR said:
86 IRRITABLE,
You see. You just proved my point in 85.
You are imitating me word for word.
I would feel really flattered except for the fact that I know now for sure that the imitation is coming out of a drone.
Sigh….
August 15th, 2012, 10:35 am
ann said:
The Impulse to Intervene
August 14, 2012
The invasions of Afghanistan and Iraq – followed by failed nation-building – may have taught the U.S. government a few lessons in humility, but the temptation to intervene in crises around the world remains strong, with recent examples in Syria and South Sudan, notes the Independent Institute’s Ivan Eland.
By Ivan Eland
Despite its massive annual federal budget deficits and national debt, the American superpower continues to meddle in faraway countries that pose little direct threat to U.S. national security. Examples of those nanny-like interventions have recently occurred in Syria and South Sudan.
The U.S. Pentagon and State Department, having learned the wrong lessons from post-American-invasion Iraq, are now planning for a post-Assad Syria. Undeterred by that previous mess, U.S. planners are busily concocting grandiose plans to remodel Syria’s society, security, economy, and political system — despite the objection of the Syrian opposition to foreign “transition plans.”
Rafif Jouejati a spokesman for a network of Syrian activists, said, “What we don’t want to do is descend into the total chaos that Iraq did. I don’t think we want the United States to impose lessons learned here.”
But those alleged lessons from Iraq are exactly what U.S. officials are trying to implore the Syrian rebels to learn. The officials are cautioning the Syrian opposition in the post-Assad era to avoid dismantling the military, police, and government agencies — in order to avoid the security vacuum and interruption of government services that caused the chronic rebellion in Iraq.
Such management by exhortation might have to do for U.S. planners, given the fact that this time they’ll have a plan but may not have an occupation force on the ground to enforce it (providing President Obama’s pledge of overt military nonintervention holds up).
In Iraq, the U.S. had an occupation force but insufficient postwar planning. Bureaucracies usually commit compensatory errors as perceived lessons learned from previous errors. The compensatory error in this case seems to be postwar planning even with no resources or armed force to implement it.
Some hawks are loudly criticizing Obama for not giving the Syrian opposition enough resources to carry out U.S. planning (making the herculean assumption that the Syrian opposition would not just take the resources while resisting implementation of a foreign plan). Of course, the real lesson from Iraq is the difficulty of imperially remodeling foreign societies to American liking and the futility and costliness of even trying.
Worse, even if the United States had a postwar plan and the resources to implement it, the entire enterprise might be counterproductive. If current U.S. policy toward Syria is any indication, that will be the case. Most U.S. officials have dire predictions of post-Assad chaos fueled by greater ethnic, sectarian, and tribal tensions than in Iraq.
Yet increasing U.S. and foreign overt and covert assistance to the rebels has encouraged them to try to unify and overthrow Assad rather than seek some sort of compromise or power-sharing with him. Sometimes, the U.S. government can be its own worst enemy.
[…]
http://consortiumnews.com/2012/08/14/the-impulse-to-intervene/
August 15th, 2012, 10:37 am
VISITOR said:
Just in…
REUTERS: UN investigation accuses the Syrian regime and its goons of crimes against humanity.
I guess the next step would be an indictment from the Hague.
August 15th, 2012, 10:42 am
irritated said:
#88 Visitor
I would never use the demeaning words you are using to treat the anti-chaos supporters, it is neither in my culture nor in my genes .
But as you make use of them in a sentence, I throw the sentence back to you with your own words
Call me a drone, it is more like a boomerang.
August 15th, 2012, 10:42 am
irritated said:
90. VISITOR
That’s what you are referring to?
First it is not the UN but a panel of experts at the UN. Second the opposition is also accused of war crimes. Ryad al Assaad and Abdel Razzak may also end up in La Hague,
UN expert panel: Syrian regime, militia commited crimes against humanity
Syrian government forces and its Shabbiha militia allies have committed war crimes and other crimes against humanity, UN human rights investigators said.
The UN panel also found that rebel fighters had carried out war crimes, including killings and torture, though they did not “did not reach the gravity” of the crimes committed by government forces.
August 15th, 2012, 10:48 am
ghufran said:
???? ?????? ?????? ???? ??? ????? ???? ?????? ??????? ?? ??? ??????? ?? ??????? “????? ?????? ????” ???? ?????? ?????? ???? ?????? ????? ?? ???? ?? ?? ??? ????? 16 ??? ???? ?? ??? ??????? .
August 15th, 2012, 10:54 am
VISITOR said:
90 IRRITABLE,
OK, so now you have problem with your English comprehension.
I never called you a drone!!! You read that on your own!!!
I said,
“Now, you should be dissmissed as a confused drone”
That’s called SIMILE in English 101. Usually the two things that are compared in a SIMILE are completely different things. Look up the definition of SIMILE to satisfy yourself that I am teaching you the truth.
Then I went on to define what a drone is.
But because of your geneological hateful spiteful nature, now you are using the boomerang thing to call me exactly what I did not call you.
Sigh again………..
You see guys why it is so difficult to debate on this forum?
August 15th, 2012, 10:59 am
irritated said:
Visitor
I am not “irritable”, but “irritated”, but with you are becoming “amused”
I always wonder if the people who keep patronizing and giving lessons to the others are just not simply insecure.
August 15th, 2012, 11:03 am
ghufran said:
??? ???? ???? ????? ????? ????? ?????? ?? ??????? ????? ?????? ???? ?????? ?????? ???? ???? ???????
?? ??? ?????? ???? “????? ??? ?????? ???? ??? ??? ???? ????? ??? ???? ???????? ???? ??????? ???? ??? ???? ?? ????? ??? ???? ???????”.
?????? ???? ??? ?? “?????? ?????? ???? ???? ?????? ?? ???? ???? ????? ????? ??????? ? ??? ?? ???? ?? ??? ????? ?????: ????? ????? ??????? ????????”.
The FSA is now engaged in a dangerous power struggle in Lebanon with armed shia families that are not part of Hizballah regardless of what opposition sources say,a Lebanese friend who knows the area and the culture well thinks that whoever planned the kidnapping of Lebanese civilians in Syria is helping the regime not the opposition,the Miqdad family have already started kidnapping Syrians in Lebanon and claimed to have captured an FSA officer. Anyway you look at it,the FSA made a HUGE mistake,the next few days and weeks will likely bring a lot more news from Lebanon,one thing for sure,there is no shortage of schmucks in the FSA leadership.
(I had to laugh,thx guys,even before the post was edited I was blessed with 4 thumbs down,now,you have to admit,that was funny)
August 15th, 2012, 11:11 am
ghufran said:
Families of Iran’s murdered nuclear scientists have filed a lawsuit against Israel, the US and Britain accusing them of involvement in the assassination of their loved ones.
Rahim Ahmadi Roshan, whose son Mostafa Ahmadi Roshan, a chemistry expert and a director of the Natanz uranium enrichment facility was killed in a bomb attack in January, told a press conference in Tehran that the families have asked Iran’s judiciary to pursue their complaint through international channels.
August 15th, 2012, 11:20 am
VISITOR said:
94 IRRITATED,
“I always wonder if the people who keep patronizing and giving lessons to the others are just not simply insecure.”
How so?
It only arose as the need for it became apparent. At least, you should thank me for elevating your level of comprehension a bit. I hope so at least. And I also hope that my efforts were not wasted in vain.
Also, IRRITABLE is the one that is IRRITATED. So, why are you complaining?
August 15th, 2012, 11:21 am
irritated said:
Visitor
And I also hope that my efforts were not wasted in vain.
Until now, with the rumors, news and primitive analysis you dumped on us that turned out to be false, your ego is in bad shape and your credibility is in serious decline.
More efforts is needed to boost it. Keep trying.
August 15th, 2012, 11:34 am
VISITOR said:
98 IRRITABLE,
Isn’t that your own ‘opinion’ only? Notice the deliberate use of apostrophe.
Why are you using us?
You still owe me a thanks at least for teaching about SIMILE which you obviously did not know until I came around.
With that level of comprehension on your part, I wonder how much anyone can put value on your so-called ‘opinions’. Usually, people with this level of comprehension are not allowed to form opinions until they reach an acceptable level. You still have long way to go.
August 15th, 2012, 11:46 am
ghufran said:
this is the stuff I was talking about,I am still waiting to see what would the opposition gain from winning more enemies:
??? ??? ????? ?? ??????? ??? ??????? ?? ???? ????? “??????” ???? “????? ?????? ??? ??? ?????? ????????? ???? ????? ???????? ????? ??? ?????? ???? ?????? ????? ????? ??????? ???? ?????? ??????? ???? ??? ??? ?? ????? ?????”.
??? ?????? ?? ???? 4 ?? ????????? ?????????? ?? ?????? ???: “??? ??????? ???? ?? ???? 8? ?????? ?? ????? 14 ????”
August 15th, 2012, 11:48 am
zoo said:
After 30 countries attended a conference on Syria, now 120 countries members and 21 countries observers will meet in Tehran for the NAM conference.
More signs of the USA frustration over its failure to isolate Iran: the NAM is nothing…
U.N. chief should boycott Tehran NAM conference
http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/ban-ki-moon-shouldnt-waste-time-on-tehran-conference/2012/08/14/362878f6-e64f-11e1-8741-940e3f6dbf48_story.html
By Editorial Board, Published: August 14
THE UNITED NATIONS Security Council has repeatedly voted for sanctions to deter Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon. The five permanent members of the Security Council plus Germany have devoted years of diplomacy to slowing Iran’s quest for an atomic bomb. The hints from Israel of impatience with all this, and a desire for a military strike, are growing.
All of which makes it passing strange that Ban Ki-moon, the United Nations Secretary General, might appear in Tehran to attend the conference of the Non-Aligned Movement, which opens Aug. 26. Already, the street lamps are being painted and hotels prepared for the arrival of heads of state as the Islamic republic thumbs its nose at Western sanctions and isolation. Iran is taking over chairmanship of the movement for the next three years.
….
The Non-Aligned Movement was founded during the Cold War by nations that formally didn’t want to be part of either superpower bloc, although many were anyway. Since then, it has run out of gas. Firebrands like India were transformed into world powers in their own right. Today, it is a very loose regional group of developing nations allied with the Group of 77 at the United Nations, but not much more.
August 15th, 2012, 11:49 am
ghufran said:
???? ?????? ?? “??? ???? ?? ????? ????? ????? ???? ???? ?????? ?? ?????? ??????? ??????? ???? ????? ????? ?? ?????? ?????? ?? ??? ????? ??? ????? ??? ?????”.
that was July,22,2012
August 15th, 2012, 11:51 am
irritated said:
99. VISITOR
‘us’ is the SC public blog. There is unfortunately no way to avoid seeing your fantasy news, analysis and predictions posted. I wish there were.
August 15th, 2012, 11:55 am
bronco said:
101. ghufran
The opposition’s mistakes are accumulating. The SNC is in a coma and dismissed as useless by the international community. The FSA is discrediting itself on a daily basis with abductions and terrorist acts.
The support of the rebels inside Syria seem to dwindle and the international community is in a total confusion as all their scenarios of a quick regime change have failed.
They are certainly looking now for a face saving solution.
It will take time but when Aleppo would be totally freed from armed rebels, they’ll have no choice that to return to the Annan plan and find a compromise with the regime.
August 15th, 2012, 12:05 pm
VISITOR said:
“us’ is the SC public blog.
Now we know who is insecure and irritable. You cannot be that. You can hardly speak for yourself.
———————————-
The Miqdad thug captured by the FSA in Damascus is a known security member of the thug Naim Qassim. He went to Syria with over 1500 other thugs. And this is not the first time he is on a mission.
The FSA should never hesitate to put him on trial, and if found guilty he should be executed right away.
The Miqdad clan in Lebanon is full of baloney hot air and meaningless threats.
We have a saying in Arabic: A dog can bark best near its garbage bin.
August 15th, 2012, 12:08 pm
ghufran said:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2012/aug/15/syria-my-family-dilemma
The above article is a good read,I find the British press to be far more sensible than the sleazy GCC press
August 15th, 2012, 12:45 pm
zoo said:
“Democracy” Moslem Brotherhood style
Egypt’s president has powers that rival Mubarak’s
15/08/2012
http://www.asharq-e.com/news.asp?section=1&id=30700
CAIRO (AP) — Egypt’s Islamist president has given himself the right to legislate and control over the drafting of a new constitution. He has installed at the top of the powerful military a defense minister likely to be beholden to him.
Under Mohammed Mursi’s authority, officials have moved to silence influential critics in the media. And though a civilian, he declared himself in charge of military operations against militants in the Sinai peninsula.
…
Last week, Brotherhood members of parliament’s upper house named 50 new editors of state-owned publications, many of them known to be sympathetic to the group. The move tightened the Brotherhood’s stranglehold on the media after one of its members took over the Information Ministry in a newly appointed Cabinet backed by the group and led by a devout Muslim.
Mursi and the Brotherhood remained silent when a mob of supporters attacked a media complex in a Cairo suburb, smashing offices and cars to punish critics of the president. Supporters also intimidate and sometimes scuffle with protesters outside the presidential palace.
And though he is a civilian, the president declared himself to be running military operations against radical Muslims in Sinai after suspected militants killed 16 Egyptian soldiers on the border with Israel on Aug. 5.
Mursi, according to insiders, is expected to press ahead with efforts to expand the Brotherhood’s control.
He plans to soon replace many of Egypt’s 27 provincial governors with Brotherhood members or sympathizers of the group and purge the judiciary of judges known to be opposed to its policies, according to the insiders familiar with deliberations in Mursi’s inner circle. They spoke on condition of anonymity because they feared retribution.
“We are now rid of a state run by the military. What is left for us to do is to rid ourselves from the state of the Brotherhood,” wrote columnist Mohammed Amin in the independent Al-Masry Al-Youm daily.
August 15th, 2012, 12:51 pm
ghufran said:
??? ???? ???? ???????? ?????? ??????? ???????? ?? ??????? ?????? ???? ??? ????? ???????? ??? ???? ????? ” ????? ” ???????? ????? ???? ???? ?????? ?????? ?? ?????????? ?????? ??? ????? “????? ?? ???? ???”.
????? ????????, ?? ?????? ?????? ????? ????? ????? “???? ???? ?? ??? ??? ????? ??? ????? ?? ????? ????? ??????? ?? ????? ??? ???? ????? ???? ?????? ????? ??? ????? ???? ??? ??????? ?????? ?? ??? ?????? ?? ?????? ???? ?????? ????? ??????? ???? ???? ????? ??? ?? ?????? ????????? ????????? ???????? ???? ??? ??? ?????”, ????? ??????? ???? “???? ???? ??????? ??? ????? ??? ?????”.
August 15th, 2012, 12:52 pm
zoo said:
Many had hoped it was true…
Hackers post fake news story on Reuters site
AFPAFP – 1 hr 26 mins ago
http://news.yahoo.com/hackers-post-fake-news-story-reuters-153237610.html
The Reuters News website has been hacked for the second time this month, with a fake report that Saudi Arabia’s foreign minister prince Saud al-Faisal has died, the news agency said Wednesday.
“The blogging platform of the Reuters News website was hacked on Wednesday,” Reuters said on its website.
The fake posting was “illegally posted on a Reuters journalist’s blog,” the company said.
“Reuters News did not report the false story and the fabricated posting on reuters.com has been deleted.”
There was no immediate information about who was behind the hacking, which followed another attack on the Reuters blogging platform on August 3.
In that incident, “fabricated” stories including a purported interview with a Syrian rebel leader appeared.
Reuters said it did not carry out that interview and that the blogging platform was taken offline in order for the problem to be addressed.
August 15th, 2012, 12:56 pm
ghufran said:
??? ???? ????? ?????? ???? ???? ?????? ?? ?????? ??????? ??? ??? ????? ?? ??? ???????? ????? ?? ??????? ?? ??? ?????? ??? ???? ?????? ?? ??? ??? ???.
??? ????? ???? ???? ??????? ?? ??? ????? ?????? ???? ??? ?? ???? ????? “???????” ?? ???? ?? ??? ??????? ?? ??????? ????????? ???????? ????? ?? ??????????? ???? ?????? ??? ??? ??? ????? ?? ???? ?????????? ????? ?? “??? ??????? ????? ??? ??? ??? ?? ??? ???????? ?????? ?? ????? ???? ???????”.
???? ?????? ?? ????? ???? ?? ??? ???? ????? ????? ???? ???? ??? ???????? ????? ????? ?????? ??? 90% ?? ??? ??? ?????? ??????? ??? ????? ???? ????? ?? ????? ??? ??? ?? ?? ???? ?? ???????? ???????? ???? ??? ??????? ?????? ??? ??? ??? ????????? ???????? ???????? ????.
I seriously think that Alasaad is losing his mind
August 15th, 2012, 12:57 pm
VISITOR said:
Russia is now furious for being exposed as a big liar, behaving like a wounded dog.
Al-Watan once again confirms that the interview with Bogdanov did take place exactly as reported. Russia now feels the results of its stupid policy in Syria, and that soon it will be paying a heavy price by getting kicked out altogether from the Middle East, thus getting reduced to its proper size of a secondary inconsequential power in this world that has a veto power which it should never have.
Al-Watan says (link to taped video at the end),
?????? “?????” ????? ??? ?? ???? ????? ??????? ??????? ????? (???) ?? ??? ???????? ??????? ??? ??? ?? ??????? ?? ??? ????????? ??? ????? “???????? ??”?????”: ???? ????? ??? ?????”? ??? ??? ??? ???? ???? ???? ?????? ????? ??????? ???????? ?? ?? “???? ????? ??? ?????? ??????? ???? ?????? ?? ???? ????? ?????? ?????? ???? ????? ?? ????? ???????”? ??? ?????? ??????? ?? ???? ?? ???????? ??????? ? ?? ???? ????? ? ?????: “??????? ???????? ?? ??? ?????? ?? ????? ????? ???????? ???? ??????? ?? ?????”.
????? ??? ??????? (?????) ???? ????? ???????? ??? ??? ??????? ??? ??? ????? ?? ?????? ??? ?? ???? ?? ??????? ???? ????? ???????? ???????? ?? ????? ??? ?????? ??? ???????? ??? “?????” ??? ?????? ?????? ????????? ?????? ?? ????? ?? “???? ????? ??? ????? ?? ???????”.
???? ???? ??????: http://www.alwatan.com.sa/Images/newsimages/4337/watanR01.mp3
(???? ???????? ??? ??????? ??? ??? ????? ??? ????? ?????? ??? ???? ????????)
August 15th, 2012, 1:20 pm
Aldendeshe said:
LE DESPERADOS BEDOUINOS. LOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOSERS
I GUESS DEAD MAN DON’T WALK.
August 15th, 2012, 2:03 pm
ann said:
112. Aldendeshe said:
LE DESPERADOS BEDOUINOS. LOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOSERS
I GUESS DEAD MAN DON’T WALK.
HAHAHAHAHAHAAAAHAAAAHAAAAA!!
You are too much Aldendeshe!!!
August 15th, 2012, 2:10 pm
Tara said:
I would like to believe al Wattan newspaper, but the recorded voice does not prove anything. Any one can read the statement and record it on tape. Al Wattan should share details in regard to how they contacted Bogdanov’ office, requested an interview, decided on the time, etc…interviews do not occur out of the blue…there must be a trail of communications that occurred before and led to the interview.
August 15th, 2012, 2:14 pm
Visitor said:
Russian fabrication exposed. False report about Prince Bandar’s assassination is fabricated by Russian media in retaliation for Saudi media reportinoften al-Athads, Russian sources inform Saudi ministry. Prince Bandar is alive and kicking and they are soooooo afraid of him and what he can do.
http://www.aljazeera.net/news/pages/82aa1f81-1f35-41cf-875b-c5774ad39995?GoogleStatID=21
——————-
TARA,
I, too, would like to believe the Russians. But anyone can make unsubstantiated denial.
We are living it here on this blog real time with all the menhebeks. that’s their only strategy since day one.
August 15th, 2012, 2:15 pm
ann said:
Weakness of the so called “Syrian revolution”
1. The socalled “Syrian revolution”, mainly a movement of the youth initially, erupted under the influence of the wider Arab revolution. However, a significant section of Syrian society, especially in the urban centers, was taken by surprise by the revolutionary movement. Had Syria not been influenced by the revolutions in Tunisia and Egypt, it would most likely have taken a few more years for the so called revolutionary movement to erupt on its own.
2. The Syrian working class has been crushed and atomized for decades. Most importantly, the Syrian working class did not, and still does not, have independent organizations of its own that it can use to express its class interests and play a leading role in the struggles that are taking place. This is of decisive importance. The mass strike action taken by the Egyptian and Tunisian working classes paralyzed the state and tipped the balance in favour of the masses. This did not happen in Syria. For the most part, while mass demonstrations took place in many parts of the country, factories, power stations, railways, telecommunications, airports, sea ports, government offices, etc. all remained functioning normally, giving the regime a high degree of stability and reliable access to the resources it needed to brutally put down the revolting masses.
3. Syria is a very diverse country with big religious and ethnic minorities and a very heterogeneous social structure. The core of the Syrian regime is mainly based on the Alawite minority. The regime has secured the support of the majority of Alawites, Christians, Druze, and liberal Sunni Muslims by successfully exploiting their fears of the ascendance of an Islamic fundamentalist regime that would oppress them, marginalise them, or put limits on their social freedoms and lifestyle. It should be noted that many elements among those fighting the regime have been raising religious slogans, demands, and using a religious language which has very conveniently played into the hands of the regime.
4. Syria is located in a very politically sensitive region and borders Iraq, Jordan, Israel, Lebanon, and Turkey. It has become the place in which opposing interests in the region are being played, Sunni Arab monarchies on one side against Iranian-backed Shia, which in turn reflect the opposing interests of Russia-China and the US in the region, with also Turkey and France seeking to promote their own interests. Also, after the experience of the US occupation and devastation of Iraq in 2003, many Syrians are quite fearful of imperialist meddling in the affairs of their country and the catastrophic results this may have. The regime successfully banked on these fears to draw support from among a wide layer of the population form all religious and social backgrounds.
5. All of the previously mentioned factors could have been cut across, and the Syrian masses from all religious and ethnic backgrounds could have been united behind the banner of the so called revolution, had there existed a genuine revolutionary leadership with a clear economic, social, and political program, i.e. a clear social class program, that could have appealed to all working people in Syria.
6. The official Syrian opposition represented by the Syrian National Council is far from being that leadership. It is precisely the opposite. The SNC is linked to rich businessmen who aspire to replace the Assad regime and have absolutely no interest in common with the struggling masses. In fact, their interests are opposed to those of the poor masses. The SNC is in fact a direct tool of US imperialism, being based abroad and funded by imperialism, with no real links to the opposition on the ground. Most harmful has been the continuous appeal of the SNC (and the tops of the FSA for that matter) for imperialist intervention in Syria which has only damaged the image of the so called revolution and served to turn away many layers of Syrian society and push them into the arms of the Assad regime. Many Syrians could have been otherwise won over to the revolution with a different and correct leadership, slogans and demands.
.
August 15th, 2012, 2:25 pm
ann said:
I have a post in the spam file.
August 15th, 2012, 2:26 pm
Tara said:
Visitor,
Was this his voice or the interpreter’s voice. If it is his, it is easy to verify authenticity. If it is an interpreter’s, then al Wattan needs to publish a communication trail of how they contacted him for the interview. Did he volunteer the interview or was it al Wattan that pursued him. Who was the interpreter? Was he physically present with Bogdanov? The details are relevant to vindicate al Wattan.
Could this be a Syrian mukhabarat’s work, having a cooperative Russuan national posing as Bogdanov, contacting al Wattan and giving them a fake interview to be shortly denied by the Russians. The motive is to lead the world to believe that al Wattan, Alarabya and Aljazeera, etc. are fabricating news. I doubt very much any reporter would be willing to fabricate a news that will sure be denied in less than 24 hours. It may be just a trap..
It sounds like very amateurish work, is it the work of the Electronic Syrian Army?
August 15th, 2012, 2:35 pm
ghufran said:
??? ??????? ??? ???? ????? ????? ??? ???????? ?????? ??? ????? ????? ???? ??? ????? ???? ???????? ? ????? ????? ????? ???? ?? ??? ??? ???????? ???? ???? ???? .
???? ??? ???? ??????? ?? ????? ?????? ??? ????? ???? ??? ????? ????? ???? ????? ???? ?????? ?? ??? ??? ???? ????? ??????? ???????.
?? ??????? ???? ???? ??????? ??????? ?? ????? ??????? ???? ?? 30 ????? ?????? ?? ??????? ??????? ? ?? ?????? ??????? ??????? ???? ???? ??????.
something both regime forces and the FSA have in common:
they do not care about civilians
who will pay for this outrageous attack on civilians in Azaaz?
either nobody or people who have nothing to do with this crime.
August 15th, 2012, 2:37 pm
Tara said:
Ann @116
” I have a post in the spam file”
Good! That is where it belongs.
—–
Sorry…could not resist…
August 15th, 2012, 2:37 pm
VISITOR said:
119 TARA,
You read my mind and beat me into it.
I gave you the thumb up for that anyway.
August 15th, 2012, 2:41 pm
Aldendeshe said:
Bogdanov’ Arabic voice is digitally sampled and when compared with that Bedouin CNN-New York Time like Rag it was concluded beyond a shadow of doubt being a forgery and a fraud. Additional confirmation came when the Arabic “Lahje” spoken turned out to be that of a regional Bedouin accent in Arabia. May Allah help Moslems free that land form the filth of Jewish Wahabi Zionism masquerading as Moslem Arabs, inshaallah, inshaallah, inshaallah…
DEAD MAN CAN’T WALK
August 15th, 2012, 2:52 pm
irritated said:
Aldendeshe
The opposition propaganda strategy inspired by the smart expats not only is failing but is is becoming a sinister joke,
Can they really think people are that stupid to fall into these ridiculous traps?
August 15th, 2012, 3:03 pm
Uzair8 said:
?? ???????? ??? ?? ???????
???? ??? ????? ????????
????? ?????? ????? ??? ???? ????? ???????.
?????? ????? ?????? ???? ??? ????? ????? ???? ???????? ???? ???? ???? ?????? ???? ?? ??? ?????? ?? ???? ????? ???? ??????? ???? ?? ??????? ???? ??? ??????.
??? ???? ????? ???? ????? ?????? ???? ?? ?????: ????? ?? ????? ?? ???. ?????????? ???? ?????? ????? ????? ???????. ??? ???? ??? ?? ???? ????? ?? ?????? ?????? ?????? ????? ??? ?? ???? ???? ??? ???? ?? ????? ???????.
?? ??? ????? ??? ??????? ?????? ?????? ???? ?? ???? ????? ?????? ?????? ????? ?? ????? ??? ????? ???????? ???? ????? ?????? ???? ????? ????? ?? ?????
???? ????? ???? ????? ????? ????? ????? ??? ????
????? ?? ????? ????? ?? ?????? ??????? ???? ????? ??????? ?????? ???? ????? ??? ????? ?????? ?? ????? ??? ??????.
Google translation:
Is the role of dissidents in power?
Mohammed Abul Huda al-Yacoubi
The fall of the regime’s role ends all his men and his followers.
The devolution of power and the law requires that opens the door to the opposition, which has suffered from forty years of Assad’s rule, that opens the door to honest people who have been excluded during these decades.
It splits today recorded a stand to save himself from two things: death or shame that survived. The dissent preserve his dignity and records the position of history. We welcome all of the system splits today but we much Sntret before to accept the role of any of them in the new Syria.
Not complained about them, on them shall be no objection, but we want to run the country with the mentality of a completely different mentality destroyed Baath Party, want new experiences, we want new faces no hypocrite
We want tongues Jhrt right when he needed people,
These are the ones who should be held responsible for building and Syria renaissance of the country and heal the rift did not Cos and repair tainted by this system.
August 15th, 2012, 3:06 pm
Tara said:
Bronco,
I asked you once if you are willing to condemn the Syrian regime if the UN investigation blames the Houla massacre on the regime. Now it did. Can you condemn it now?
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2012/aug/15/houla-killings-un-blames-syria-troops
Houla killings: UN blames Syria troops and militia
They are also blamed for the notorious massacre of 100 civilians, almost half of them children, near the town of Houla in May.
…
After reviewing all the evidence, UN commissioners came to the same conclusion about the Houla massacre as most independent observers: that regime forces and Shabiha fighters were responsible. The government, which blamed armed “terrorists”, refused to allow the UN to investigate “despite specific requests”, the report says.
According to the UN, the government’s version of events was implausible. It said government forces were in control of a key checkpoint just outside the village of Taldou on the day of the massacre, 25 May and 47 witnesses confirmed that Shabiha fighters entered the village before slaughtering its inhabitants.
“The commission concluded that the elements of the war crime of murder had been met,” the report says. “The killing of multiple civilians, including women and children, was deliberate and connected to the ongoing armed conflict. There are reasonable grounds to believe that the perpetrators of the crime, at both the Abdulrazzak and Al-Sayed family locations, were [Syrian] government forces and Shabiha members.”
August 15th, 2012, 3:08 pm
Uzair8 said:
Link for #123
http://t.co/L7ICYhUL
August 15th, 2012, 3:10 pm
irritated said:
#119 Ghufran
The rebels have claimed high and loud that they hold Azzaz as a ‘liberated area’ part of Hijab’s spectacular 70% . Therefore they are fully responsible for the civilian security under their armed control.
If they can’t protect them by setting up shelters and preventing them from being harmed, which is supposed to be their mission, they might as well leave otherwise they are seen as using the civilians as human shields and therefore committing more war crimes.
The Syrian army has the duty to get back any areas held by the armed rebels.
August 15th, 2012, 3:13 pm
VISITOR said:
digitally sampled
What a joke?
Aldendesh,
You’re better off working on your ‘fantastismo’ anti-gravity gizmo, dude, or perhaps this other electrified charged air compressor thing.
Let me know when you have something that really works. I have contacts in the right places for you, not like the imaginary Los Alamos ones that exist only in your head.
August 15th, 2012, 3:22 pm
Tara said:
By Richard Spencer, Aleppo7:30PM BST 15 Aug 2012
The journey from Gap store shop assistant to rebel executioner was short.
Six months ago, Yaman Hamoud was selling fashion, under the watchful eye of a British shop manager. By August, back home in Aleppo, the 22-year-old was part of a Free Syrian Army squad that arrested a member of the Shabiha, the hated Assad militia.
After a few hours of to-and-fro with his commander, the squad was given permission to do what they wanted with him. “We took him to the graveyard, where there was a hole in the ground,” he said, laughing. His confession was entirely unprompted. “We shot him. He fell.”
He had no remorse, but admitted he had thought about his mother. “She rings me all the time to tell me to try to avoid killing people,” he said. “She says, ‘It’s haram [forbidden], please don’t if you can help it’. But we have to do this. He was Shabiha. They have killed so many people.”
The executions and other abuses committed by the Syrian rebels do not appear to display the mass brutality of those carried out by regime forces, particularly the Shabiha. But Human Rights Watch researchers have interviewed rebel leaders and have documented regular cases of killing of prisoners.
An engaging and English-speaking young sophisticate in shades, he divided his time between studying at Aleppo University and earning money in Dubai. He worked as an assistant at the Gap store in Dubai Mall, the acme of the city’s bling culture, next to Burj Khalifa, the world’s tallest building.
He had a supervisor from Manchester whose accent he could not understand but who taught him what to do, he said, and another Briton as manager, a woman whom he respected because she took no quarter. “If I was five minutes late, she would shout at me and tell me that’s not what we do here,” he said. “I liked that.”
But twice earlier this year, Aleppo University was raided by security forces in response to protests. Among those arrested was a friend who was hung up by his wrists from the ceiling of his cell for three days until the skin broke and rucked up over his hands. Girls were raped, he said – allegations widely reported after the raids, although there has been little chance to verify them.
He came back, and was accepted into the FSA. He was not a brave soldier, he said – he was too frightened to go right to the front line in Salaheddin, the current battleground being pummelled by tank fire. But he had fought and was proud to admit he had “scored” 12 times, with 10 victims being military and two Shabiha.
He spoke with disgust of the man he executed, saying he had been disguised as a woman and had been caught only because he was injured and mistook their checkpoint for a government one. He had videos on his mobile phone of the scenes of Shabiha crimes, Yaman said, bloodied corpses of civilians. “He said he hadn’t killed anyone, but he was obviously there, wasn’t he?” he said.
He and his friends had asked their commander if they could kill him but were told to take him to hospital for treatment. “The doctors said he would die of his wounds in a day or two, but he didn’t so we asked our leader again,” he said. “This time he agreed.”
(…)
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/middleeast/syria/9477500/Syria-the-Gap-salesman-turned-rebel-executioner.html
August 15th, 2012, 3:26 pm
Aldendeshe said:
Just read the Jewish VISITOR comment above and you can feel the desperation, anger, anguist, dissapointment, failures, inadequate intellect, sour losers feeling in their voices, words and fraudulant deeds. Sound like the paying boss threatning him with cutting his payola. He is talking like unhinged person.
I have plenty of resources in China, Russia, Iran, Syria, Lebanon and U.S. no need for your crap.
LOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOSERS
August 15th, 2012, 3:31 pm
bronco said:
#125 Tara
The UN condemned both the government and the rebels for war crimes.
The real stories will come out when peace would have returned to the country. ( Jisr al Shughur, the Bari family massacre, the post office employees etc..)
Coming up with accusations on war crimes is not doing much to solve the present chaos. It is only trying to be a deterrent for more crimes, but if some groups are already accused for a crime, do you think they worry about being accused for the next ones?
In the contrary this accusations are masking the UN’s inability to prevent more killings and bring peace to the country.
Enough condemnation and regrets, the UN’s impotence is partly responsible for the violence escalation. Instead of investigating the war crimes, why don’t they try to prevent them?
If they can’t then they must as well shut up.
August 15th, 2012, 3:33 pm
Tara said:
Bronco,
The UN is not accusing. They are concluding the result of their investigation. There was a horrible crime against humanity committed in Houla. The crime was investigated by the UN. The UN CONCLUDED that the regime’s shabeeha are the perpetrators. They also concluded that this was in accordance with the central government policy. You have committed to condemn the perpetrators. Here you go..
August 15th, 2012, 3:45 pm
zoo said:
#114 Tara
This is the recording of Bogdanov interwiew to Al Watan KSA – (no identifcation)
http://www.alwatan.com.sa/Images/newsimages/4337/watanR01.mp3
The voice of Bogdanov is not even heard. Remember that most diplomats at the foreign office in Russia speak fluently arabic with a noticeable accent. Who is this guy reading a text?
It’s a real joke and another shame to pathetic Saudi medias.
They should apologize and stop digging in the ridicule further.
August 15th, 2012, 3:45 pm
Ales said:
RE 65: UZAIR8
This is a picture summary how rebels are doing with civilians “cooperating with the regime”.
http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=514103988615155&set=a.349664935059062.102433.345180182174204&type=3&theater
August 15th, 2012, 3:46 pm
bronco said:
131. Tara
I will believe only I will see the proofs used and the circumstances clarified. I have learned to be very suspicious in the last few months, even of the UN who has shown to be very often biased and influenced by its patrons.
Remember Colin Powell at the UN?
August 15th, 2012, 3:49 pm
VISITOR said:
129 Aldendesh,
LOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOL
You really believed that I believe your pompous claims about those gizmos and you really took the bait? As expected, you simply cannot bypass an opportunity to imply self-importance.
WHAT A LOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOSER?
I was saying that you’re full of bull and making fun of you!!!
See you again in another round.
August 15th, 2012, 3:57 pm
VISITOR said:
The only loser out of that al-Miqdad clan hollow threat is Lebanon the country, so long for tourism and the economy. Very soon you will see Miqati and Suleiman on a Gulf tour down on their knees begging for forgiveness,
http://www.alarabiya.net/articles/2012/08/15/232450.html
August 15th, 2012, 4:02 pm
SANDRO LOEWE said:
Assad maybe now preparing its “Plan Z”, the last one, it can be becoming a Zombie.
Even in dreams Assad cannot survive. If he is given asylum in Siberia or Iran, syrians will go after him and kill him.
August 15th, 2012, 4:10 pm
Citizen said:
Saudi Arabia, Qatar order citizens to leave Lebanon, citing kidnap fears
The Saudi Arabian Embassy in Beirut has ordered its citizens in Lebanon to leave the country immediately, citing fears that Shiites in the area could kidnap Sunnis in retaliation for Syrian rebels having taken Lebanese and Iranian citizens prisoner. This was soon followed by a similar order issued by Qatar. Shiite militias in Lebanon say they have taken 20 Syrians hostage and will hold them until their relatives are freed by the Syrian opposition. Meanwhile, the Syrian rebels claim they have in their possession a Lebanese man accused of membership in Hezbollah, the Lebanese Shiite political party allied with the Syrian government and Iran.
http://www.rt.com/news/line/2012-08-15/#id35906
August 15th, 2012, 4:22 pm
Tara said:
Zoo@132
I agree. Al Wattan needs to explain the circumstances or issue an apology.
August 15th, 2012, 4:36 pm
SANDRO LOEWE said:
Qatar will formally inform Lebanese Government, if there is any (Sic), that if any single Qatar national was attacked in Lebanon, Qatar will order expulsion of nearly 40.000 lebanese working in this country.
Lebanese are best supporters of the criminal Assad (probably half of them). So I think they will pay a high price for this in the coming months.
August 15th, 2012, 4:38 pm
Tara said:
Bravo Qatar. kSA should follow HBJ’s lead and threaten to expel it’s Lebanese workers. This should prompt Mr. Miqati to reign in al Mikdad family that appears to be nothing but a collection of thugs. Let HA find a job for the 40,000 Lebanese displaced from Qatar. He can always have Iran foot the bill.
August 15th, 2012, 4:52 pm
Aldendeshe said:
Qatar will order expulsion of nearly 40.000 lebanese working in this country.
________________________________________________________________
I am drooooooooooooooooooling over this happen to all Lebanese and Syrians from all bedouin countries, so as expulsion of both Lebanon and Syria from Arab League, OIS and U.N. my Allah help us in that outcome. Finally, will get to build our Greater Syria than building the SUB-O, I will never forgive the Baathists for sending millions of Lebanese and Syrians to work as slaves for rag heads. may Allah free the Persian people from yoke and the misery of domination by Arab-Zionists Mullah regime. What a filth, same mud as those in Arabia.
August 15th, 2012, 4:56 pm
omen said:
u.s. acting to defend regime (via ann):
this administration is not only idly standing by, its actively obstructing the means by which the conflict can be brought to a quicker conclusion.
when are journalists going to ask obama inc. why it constantly goes out of its way to protect the regime?
August 15th, 2012, 5:00 pm
SANDRO LOEWE said:
133. ALES
This is the less you can expect to happen to people who has been committing and supporting massacres, entire city bombings, rapes, tortures and so on.
This is nothing compared to what is coming next. Be prepared for eveything. Whatever you say or your photos show the chaos Assad promised is there and consequences for their supporters could be very hard to asume.
August 15th, 2012, 5:00 pm
VISITOR said:
If KSA expels the Lebanese working in the Kingdom, next day Lebanon will declare bankruptcy.
August 15th, 2012, 5:05 pm
SANDRO LOEWE said:
I had no notice that Ex-Meridien, Ex-Dedeman, had become Dama Rose Hotel. It reminds me of The Rose of the Desert, the first Dame.
What a fuxxx president and wife was given to this country after 6.000 years of king and queens history.
The sadest thing is that when they get killed, nobody will be responsible for the mess they have provoked.
August 15th, 2012, 5:19 pm
mjabali said:
Tara:
You always give people lectures about ethics in this blog. Do you go back and read the extreme racist crap you always post about the Iranians on this blog?
August 15th, 2012, 5:19 pm
mjabali said:
??? ??????? Visitor said:
“The Miqdad clan in Lebanon is full of baloney hot air and meaningless threats.”
This sentence is like your historical analysis and “facts” ya shredder. Did you read the news today?
August 15th, 2012, 5:24 pm
Citizen said:
a valuable discussion
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PbdHPHs4bm0
“The right to vote.” Syria: “Arab Spring”?
August 15th, 2012, 5:24 pm
mjabali said:
Uzair:
Sometimes when I read your comments I can not stop from laughing especially the translated materials through google translation service. It makes no sense.
August 15th, 2012, 5:27 pm
Aldendeshe said:
I will f*****ing turn Syria and Lebanon into the world’s largest Cannabis factory and hire Alciada as main Master Global Distributor. Then ban Bedouins from entering Syria or Lebanon except for Southern Syria (Trans-Jordan) it will be the world largest casino that will make Vegas look like pooh. If you to drive north from any road from Arabia you will get to the border of Jordan and see a road sign with 3 arrows pointing east to the Wolrd’s largest Casino mega complex city run by Philistines in AMMON, and a west arrow to the world largest whore house called Israhell, welcome to Soddom and Gammorah, and north arrow that says DO NOT ENTER with skull and bones visibly show on it.
Will milk those Bedouins to the bone, before we will have our Alciada partners at Langley assemble them into a freedom fighting army to get the oil field secured for the Rothschild and Rokefeler by 3600 “Loyal Emirs”. That is right, will divide Arabia into 3600 mini statelets, each ruled by an Islamic Emir (ala Brunei, and just as good Moslem LOL.) Those poor young desperate young men working and risking own life fighting now for free in bone dry Syria, and enjoying either Louat or Skype Alciada whore chat rooms in Syria better think ( that is an impossibility), ok better get “hard on” this dream that can come true, contact the Agha today, forget the looooooooooooooooooooooooooooooosers that are slowly killing you.
August 15th, 2012, 5:33 pm
ghufran said:
irritated,
I can not ignore the fact that there are Syrian civilians who are getting killed by bombs and missiles fired from Syrian jet fighters,
no Syrian,you included, will be able to call those martyrs “collateral damage”. I condemned the FSA tactic of using civilian areas to hide and launch attacks but I can not with a straight face support bombing populated areas, those bombs are not smart enough to tell the difference between an armed thug and a child.
I am disgusted and ashamed ,this is not a good time to be Syrian.
August 15th, 2012, 5:34 pm
VISITOR said:
148 mjabali,
Did I read the news?
Who cares? They are just barking on their own garbage bins
But, did you enjoy the shredding?
May be not. Then just wait until 3Ar3our comes. He’ll shred you to pieces and feed you to your own dog.
I am nothing compared to him and you still call me ??? ????????
That book kind of scared you, didn’t it?
So, now you know who you should be worrying about: Your archenemy ??? ??????? of 1000 years ago and not just poor old amateur Ibn Taymiyya and his Wahhabi pupils.
August 15th, 2012, 5:46 pm
irritated said:
#148 Mjabali
Visitor reads only Saudi Al Watan… and then he spread its rumors and lies.
August 15th, 2012, 5:58 pm
Citizen said:
a valuable discussion
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GNlirpg_s6M
“In the context”. Middle East: the real war.
August 15th, 2012, 6:00 pm
irritated said:
153. ghufran
In WW2 , the allies had to bomb Germany to the ground. Did they care about the civilians, did they have any other choice? Thats’ terrible, but wars are cruel.
This is why it is best to avoid them.
How can you retake a city where rebels are hiding behind the civilians?
In Baba Amr and Salahedine most of the civilians left so the casualties were mininal. But in Azzaz, the civilians don’t leave because the rebels tell them that they are holding the town and will protect them. After the latest bombs that killed some of these unfortunate civilians, you can be sure that they will rush to the Turkish border and abandon the armed rebels. Azzaz will have the same fate a Baba Amr and Salaheddine.
These are the horrors of war.
If the rebels seriously want to spare lives as they claim, they should call for a ceasefire, not make another tactical retreat in another town.
August 15th, 2012, 6:08 pm
zoo said:
From Syria’s Ashes
A new Alawite state could redraw the map of the Middle East.
14 August 2012
http://www.city-journal.org/2012/eon0814mt.html
An Arab country that’s pro-Western and has a non-Muslim majority? Though it sounds like something that could exist only in an alternate universe, there’s a chance that such a state could emerge from the ongoing conflict in Syria. Alawites make up only 12 percent of the Syrian population, but they overwhelmingly dominate the regime: the family of the tyrant-ruler Bashar al-Assad is Alawite, as are the elite members of the military, the bureaucracy, and the intelligence agencies. The majority of Syria’s population, by contrast, is Sunni Muslim, and the opposition to Alawite rule is overwhelmingly Sunni. When the dust clears in Syria, the Alawites could conceivably beat a retreat to their historic heartland in the northwestern mountains along the Mediterranean. “It is now clear that this is where the Syrian conflict is headed,” writes Syrian expert Tony Badran in Foreign Policy. “Sooner or later, Assad will abandon Damascus. . . . Reports are emerging of internal population migration as Alawites begin moving back to the ancestral mountains.”
Alawites are sometimes inaccurately described as Muslims. In fact, their religion has as much in common with Christianity and Gnosticism as with Islam. They splintered from Shia Islam more than 1,000 years ago and have been going their own way ever since. They venerate Ali, the cousin of the prophet Mohammed, but they also believe that human beings used to be stars. They don’t pray five times a day as Muslims do. Much of their religion is secret. No one can convert to Alawism: you’re either born an Alawite or forever frozen out of the fold.
August 15th, 2012, 6:18 pm
jna said:
132. zoosaid:
This is the recording of Bogdanov interwiew to Al Watan KSA – (no identifcation)
http://www.alwatan.com.sa/Images/newsimages/4337/watanR01.mp3
The voice of Bogdanov is not even heard.
Zoo, this Guardian article gives some more detail:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/middle-east-live/2012/aug/15/syria-bashar-al-assad-iran-saudi#block-502bba8eb579b8532ead4054
Other news sources I’ve read have said the voice on the tape does not sound like Bogdanov.
August 15th, 2012, 6:27 pm
zoo said:
Turkey will not move, Jordan either, USA neither. The rebels are simply more isolated that the regime they are fighting. Its time to look for a face saving exit.
US plans no Syria attack after November elections
http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/us-plans-no-syria-attack-after-november-elections.aspx?pageID=238&nID=27901&NewsCatID=358
Despite expectations, Washington is not likely to change its non-interventionist Syrian policy even after the presidential election, according to the top American diplomat in Ankara, who said “no one [in the U.S.] is eager to send our soldiers to a foreign country or to get involved in a civil war.”
“I think it would be a mistake to imagine some cynical calculations in Washington, or that the president of the United States will act one way before the elections and a different way after,” Ambassador Francis Ricciardone told a group of reporters Aug. 14.
August 15th, 2012, 6:30 pm
mjabali said:
Irritated:
??? ??????? ????????? reads al-Arabiyah too
August 15th, 2012, 6:31 pm
zoo said:
#158 JNA
” But the taped voice and accent of the man who spoke fluent Arabic sounded different from the voice of Bogdanov in videos available online.”
http://www.middle-east-online.com/english/?id=53910
__________________________________________________________
Al Watan must prove it was really Bogdanov by describing the circumstances of the call, who called who, but until now they avoided that, and that is even more suspicious.
It sounds so much like the hoax of the Syrian ambassador in Paris. Al Watan is struggling to keep its reputation.
It seems that the journalist Omar al-Zubaidi who is also a reporter at Al Arabya and calls himself a friend of Bogdanov and called him “casually” in Lebanon , has been made a fool.
August 15th, 2012, 6:41 pm
mjabali said:
??? ??????? Visitor:
You are referring to al-Ghazzali’s book ????? ????????
Here is my response to you, which I wanted to write when I saw your posts, but the likes of SyriaLover are bothered by such debate about “history.” But, now I am obliged to shred your weak argument as my habit now since you asked me. I am very happy to do so any day any night.
First of all al-Ghazzali wanted to argue against the Shia’s great idea that the text has two sides: one is apparent called al-Zaher, and another that is derived from the text, which is called Baten. From here the word Batinyah came from. It means that the text is multi layered. The Sunnis believe that the text is just what the words are. So, if you say, the hand of Allah is over everything, you mean that Allah has a hand like a human being.
So, when al-Ghazzali came to speak that the Batinyah are wrong, he was wrong, because he was championing the one dimension text.
I hope you are writing notes of what I am teaching you here.
So, al-Ghazzali is weak any given day. Everything he wrote is weak. So, if your best source is ????? ????????, I say it is better for you to go and find a better source for your fanaticism.
(to be continued)
August 15th, 2012, 6:42 pm
ann said:
Syrian troops make progress on ground – 2012-08-16
The state-run SANA news agency said army units clashed Wednesday with armed groups at the Siaf al-Dawla district of the northern Aleppo province, killing many of them and destroying two pick-up trucks equipped with machine guns.
The state agency said clashes have also taken place in the Busra al-Sham area in southern Daraa province, during which a rebels’ leader was killed.
Earlier in the day, an explosive device affixed to a diesel truck went off in a military garage in the Syrian army staff headquarters in Damascus, causing three non-fatal injuries.
Following the blast, clashes erupted between armed rebels and government troops at the Kafar Souseh and al-Razi orchards near the cabinet building.
Sources said that the cabinet building was hit with an RPG shell, while the nearby Iranian embassy sustained a number of stray bullets due to the clashes.
While the violence ratchets up, Syria’s Minister of Interior Mohammad al-Shaar stressed Wednesday that the ministry will keep an eye till the terrorism is totally eradicated in Syria, adding that the Syrian troops will not waiver in hunting down the “armed terrorist groups.”
[…]
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/world/2012-08/16/c_123588544.htm
August 15th, 2012, 6:42 pm
i'm A real American said:
Crazy Al DandaCheech
(I will f*****ing turn Syria and Lebanon into the world’s largest Cannabis factory)
I always wondered what you were on, now I know. How big of bowl did you light up before that comment?
August 15th, 2012, 6:43 pm
Tara said:
Mjabali,
How about apologizing first to Amjad/Aboud for unfounded accusations that you could not defend before you try another set of accusations?
Just in case you missed it, review WSS last one or 2 posts in that regard.
August 15th, 2012, 6:47 pm
Citizen said:
CIA Agents Reveal Secrets Of The CIA (Full Version)
‘The CIA is a state-sponsored terrorist association. You don’t look at people as human beings. They are nothing but pieces on the chessboard.’ Verne Lyon, former CIA agent.
Secrets of the CIA is a revealing 90-minute documentary. In this riveting exposé, five former CIA agents describe how their initial pride and enthusiasm at serving their nation turned to anguish and remorse, as they realized that they were actually subverting democracy and killing innocent civilians all in the name “national security” and promoting foreign policy agendas.
A Notre Dame football star, an aerospace engineering senior at Iowa State, an attractive high school graduate, a young patriot, and an Olympic shooting champion all were recruited by the CIA at a young age. These five brave individuals risk retaliation in revealing the story of their gradual disillusionment and finally defection from the CIA, as they eventually became convinced beyond a shadow of a doubt that they were serving neither democracy, nor the people of their country.
The Olympic shooting champion describes being put in charge of overthrowing the democratically elected government of Guatemala. The patriot relates his deep remorse for his direct responsibility in the deaths of numerous innocent people for which he can never make amends. The pretty high school graduate describes how her initial addiction to power and intrigue turned to disgust and horror. This powerful documentary is a rare and remarkable look at the results of unbridled secrecy and the lengths to which some elements in government will go to achieve questionable foreign policy goals.
http://blog.alexanderhiggins.com/tv/v/4RXPJmqkxmI.aspx
August 15th, 2012, 6:52 pm
irritated said:
158. JNA
According to Omar al Zubaidi, the Al Arabya reporter/journalist and Bogdanov’s good old buddy, Bogadanov was on “vacation” in Lebanon, of all places?
August 15th, 2012, 6:55 pm
irritated said:
167. Citizen
All Secret Services are ruthless and monstruous, nothing new.
August 15th, 2012, 6:57 pm
VISITOR said:
162 mjabali,
Now I know that you’re full of baloney hot air even worse than the Miqdads
Ya Fathal alZaman, you want to respond to al-Ghazali’s 500 page book in one comment?
Go play with your dog while you have a chance before you get shredded and get eaten by it. al-3Arour is coming.
I told you before and I repeat again. You do not belong here. You are a joke.
I enjoy the laughter every once in a while.
August 15th, 2012, 6:58 pm
irritated said:
The Three smiling Graces
http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/images/news/201208/n_27892_4.jpg
August 15th, 2012, 7:01 pm
zoo said:
Turkey’s theatrical rift with Israel that seduced the Arabs is pure hypocrisy
Turkish firm gets Israeli loan for gas
ISTANBUL – Hürriyet Daily News
Despite strained relations between Turkey and Israel following the flotilla incident in May 2010, Turkish and Israeli business ventures continue full steam ahead as witnessed by Zorlu Enerji’s $273 mln natural gas investments in Israel
http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/turkish-firm-gets-israeli-loan-for-gas.aspx?pageID=238&nID=27897&NewsCatID=348
August 15th, 2012, 7:04 pm
Tara said:
The Islamic summit suspended Syria membership. Has any president in recent history gotten that much humiliation and isolation.
August 15th, 2012, 7:07 pm
zoo said:
Russia won’t let West to sabotage transition
http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/russia-wont-let-west-to-sabotage-transition.aspx?pageID=238&nID=27902&NewsCatID=359
Russia said it would not let the West “sabotage” a political transition accord to end the escalating conflict in Syria that world powers agreed in Geneva at the end of June. “What was accomplished in Geneva should not be sabotaged,” Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov told reporters while on a visit to Belarus. “We will be trying to get an answer from our (Western) partners within literally the coming days about whether they support what they signed off on in Geneva,” Agence France-Presse quoted him as saying. “If so, why are they not taking measures to implement it?” Lavrov demanded.
Lavrov accused unnamed Western states of fomenting violence by openly supporting the armed opposition and said Russia expected a formal answer within a matter of days on whether they backed the accord. World powers on June 30 had agreed on a transition plan that did not make an explicit call for President Bashar al-Assad to quit power while urging the sides to appoint acceptable representatives to a unity government.
August 15th, 2012, 7:09 pm
irritated said:
…
August 15th, 2012, 7:24 pm
zoo said:
Media announced that the international community, having lost hopes in the SNC is looking to identify opposition groups in Syria that could take over the political step toward a transition plans.
Any hopes in this new Syrian only initiative?
Opposition calls for a truce and a dialogue with the Syrian government under UN supervision
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/2012/08/15/256297/initiative-unrest-syria/
A new initiative for solving the unrest in Syria was presented, only this time by an opposition body. The National Coordination Committee for Democratic Change headed by Hassan Abdulazim held a press conference introducing its initiative that calls for a truce between the government and foreign backed armed groups and a release of prisoners and detainees by both sides. (video)
August 15th, 2012, 7:26 pm
omen said:
August 15th, 2012, 7:27 pm
omen said:
173. Lavrov accused unnamed Western states of fomenting violence by openly supporting the armed opposition
imagine the u.s. arming the rebels with helicopters, war planes and multi million dollar missile systems.
wouldn’t that be something?
August 15th, 2012, 7:34 pm
irritated said:
#176 Omen
I am sure Israel will be thrilled
August 15th, 2012, 7:35 pm
omen said:
as would iran.
August 15th, 2012, 7:38 pm
Halabi said:
There is nothing that can be said to humans who support aerial strikes on civilians. And these genocide enthusiasts want us to surrender, to submit to the evil that has systematically destroyed the country for four decades and is now frantically attempting to get a few more moments by killing our loved ones. Dream on.
This is terrorism, something that Assad has unleashed on Iraqis, Syrians, Palestinians and Lebanese. This is the horror that I don’t wish on my enemies.
http://youtu.be/jDLG0zLnG6A
?? ???? – ????? ??? ??????
On another note, as with most comments from menhebaks, this is false:
“Second, according to the law in the USA, it is illegal to record private phone conversations without the agreement of both parties.”
The laws vary from state to state, so there is no law. Many states require that at least one party should be aware of the recording, i.e. no third-party listeners can record without a warrant. I don’t know what it is in Russia (punishment: death by polonium), and Saudi has wide protections for journalists to document conversations.
I am not in any way defending the Al Watan story which I think is false.
August 15th, 2012, 7:38 pm
Tara said:
Halabi
“There is nothing that can be said to humans who support aerial strikes on civilians.”
I just can’t agree more!
August 15th, 2012, 7:47 pm
Ghufran said:
This business of kidnapping and counter kidnapping is the beginning of more accidents to come,targets of kidnapping will probably not be limited to Syrian and Lebanese citizens. When a conflict becomes regional,and even international, victims of the conflict will include citizens from most or all countries and parties involved. This is like a remaking of the 1980s kidnapping galore that dominated Lebanon at that time.
No decent person will condone this tactic especially that victims are often non suspecting civilians who have no dogs in this fight,but I find it necessary to remind all about who started this dirty business.
August 15th, 2012, 7:50 pm
Tara said:
Dear SOD
The aerial bombardment today in Azzaz have killed many civilians including women and children. Come on SOD..where are the links? Ache our hearts…Make us cry. The fallen can not just die in silence. There images should be told. We must watch the pain on a parent’s face carrying the bleeding injured 6 year old to no where, the sorrow on a granparent holding a dead baby… We must share the agony. This is the least we can do. We should slow allow them to die in silence.
I would’ve posted them if I know where to find them.
August 15th, 2012, 8:00 pm
Ghufran said:
?????? ?????: ?? ?????? ?????? ?? ??????? ??? ?????? ??????? ????? ??????? ?? ??? ?????? ?? ???? ????? ???????? ???? ????? ???? ??? ???????? ??? ??? ?????? ??? ??? ???? ?? ???????? ?????? ?????? ???? ???? ???????? ???? ?????? ??? ????? ???????? ???? ?? ????? ??? ??? ?????? ?? ???? ?????????? ??? ??? ?????? ????? ?????? ???????? ?? ????? ?????? ?? ???????? ???? ??? ????? ???? ???????? ??????? ?????????? ????? ??? ???? ???????? ?????? ?? ??????? ??? ????? ????? ??????? ??????? ??????????
?????? ??????: ?? ???? ?? ??? ?????? ?????? ?????? ???? ???? ?????? ????? ???? ?? ????? ?????? ???? ?????? ???? ????? ??? ??????? ????? ?? ???????? ??? ?????? ???? ??????? ????????? ??? ????? ??????? ???? ?????? ???? ???????? ??????????? ??? ???????. ??? ??? ?????? ???????? ???? ???? ??? ?????? ????? ??? ??? ?????? ??????? ?? ?? ?? ??????? ??????? ???? ?? ?????? ??? ???? ?????? ??????? ????? ???? ???? ??????? ???????? ??? ??? ???????? ?? ???? ???? ?????? ????? ?????? ???? ???????
Source: AlQuds Alarabi
August 15th, 2012, 8:05 pm
Amir in Tel Aviv said:
Your daily Akids and muhandesin harvest
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NBuYUulHGwU
It is a matter of days now.
.
August 15th, 2012, 8:17 pm
chris said:
TARA AND HALABI
We need these airstrikes in aleppo. our sons have been kidnapped for ransom our shops burnt our schoools sabotaged. why? beacuse these rebls thugs watever u wanna call them own nothing and now are knocking on christian doors in aleppo and telling them get out or we will kill u. just as what happened in homs. u dont hear that on the news do u. no because it does not sell.
when nato airstriked libya who cared? no one. when iraq went through it for years for no other reason than to get rid of Saddam who cared? no one. all anyone cares about it what the US wants and that is a weapons industry.
Assad is not being humiliated, he is man enough to finish the job. once he is gone God help the christians because we know the opposition doesnt give a shit what happens to anyone other than their muslim state being totalitariam.
Funny how muslims not happy in their home countries yet wherever they go they not happy! why. because they have hatred in them. the west support them because they being paid off by KSA!
and the UN, US, FRANCE, ENGLAND NATO EVRYONE happy to listen to the Saudis when their women get stoned for driving or teenagers get their limbs amputated for listening to forbidden music. That is the democracy we all supporting. yes indeed we will allow KSA to do what they like but they demand democracy for other countries.
everyone needs to wake up. this is not an arab spring this is a TERRORIST ATTACK FOR ISLAM and God help the world when this happens in france or the US. it will one day as they breed like animals and christians, atheist and the rest too busy building wealth to worry about having more than 2 kids!
y should anyone care about syrians or libyans or egyptians? did u get millions in the street demanding their leaders step down? no.
syrians went out in the millions to support Assad and onky thousand took to the streets to oppose him. u will all say they did because their afraid they have to support him. well they afraid of the future not the past. and yes Hafez killed thousands we know thank God he got rid of the bad apples which any country would do to have peace for the rest which most syrians will say they have had for over 2 decades
August 15th, 2012, 8:18 pm
VISITOR said:
The recent kidnappings of Syrians in Beirut were orchestrated by Hizbistan from behind the scenes. Hizbistan is conveniently using the the war of clans in order to serve the Athad thugs. The kidnapped Miqdad in Damascus is a member of Hizbistan as well as his brothers and other relatives. Hizbistan is furious that its security apparatus is being compromised by the kidnapping of the thug Hassan Salim al-Miqdada by the heroes of the FSA. Here’s the full article,
?? ????? ?????? ????? ???? ?????? ?? ??????? ???? ?? ???? ???? ??? ??????? ????? ????? ????? ?????? ??? ??? ???? ????????? ???? ????? ???? ??? ???? ??? ??????? ???? ???? ????????. ????? ??????? ??? ??? ????? ?? ???? ??? ?? ??? ???? ??? ????? ???? ?? ????? ???? ????? ?????? ??? ????? ??? ???? ???? ???????. ??? ???? ????? ?????? ????? 14 ???? ?? ?? ??????? ?? ?????? ???? ????????? ????? ??????? ???? ???????? ?? ?????? ?????? ?? ?????????? ???????? ?????? ?? ??? ??????? ?? ??? ????? ????? ?? ????? ?? ??????? ??????.
?????? ?????? ?? ??? ???? ???? ?? ?? ??? ?????? ??????? ????? ??? ???????? ?????????? ?? ??????? ???????? ????????? ???? ????? ??????? ?? ???? ?????? ???????? ???? ?? ????? ????? ??????? ??? ????? ??? ?????? ????? ???? ????? ????? ????? ?? ????? ?????? ??????? ??????? ???? ????? ???? ???? ?????? ???????? ?? ????? ?????? ??? ???? ??????? ?????? ????? ??????? ?????? ??? ?????? ??????? ???? ?? ????? ?????? ??????? ??? ????? ?? ?????.
??? ??????? ??????? ???? ?????? ???? ??????? ??? ????? ?? ??? ???? (????? ????) ???? ???? ?????? ??????? ??? ??? ??? ??????? ??????. ??? ?? ??? ???? ?? ???? ???????? ???? ?????? ????????? ?? ????? ???? ???? ???? ??? ??????? ??? ?????? ???????? ????? ???? ???? ?????? ????????? ????? ?? ??? ??????? ???? ???? ??? ????? ??? ??????? ??? ???? ?? ??? ????? ????? ??? ??????? ???? ??????? ??? ??????.
??? ??? ????? ????? ?? ?????? ???? ????? ?? ?????? ?? ??????? ???? ??? ????? ?????? ?????? ??????? ???????? ?????? ???? ???? ?? ??? ???? ?????? ???? ??????? ??? ?? ????? ?????????? ??? ?????? ????????. ??? ??? ??????? ????? ???? ????? ??????? ????? ????? ?????? ??? ??????? ??????? ??? ???????? ????????? ??? ??? ??????? ???? ?? ???? ???????? ??? ???? ?????? ??? ?????? ???????? ?? ????? ??????? ???? ??? ??? ??????? ?? ??? ???????. ?????? ????? ???????? ?? ???? ??????? ??? ????? ????? ?????? ????? ????? ????? ???????? ?? ???? ????????? ?????? ???????? ?????? ???????? ?????? ????? ?? ???? ???? ?? ???? ???. ????? ??? ??????? ??? ???? ??????? ???? ?? ????? ??????? ??? ?? ????? ?? ??? ??????? ??????? ?? ????? 2004 ??????? ??? ???? ????? ??? ????? ?? ????? ???????? ??? ??? ??????? ??? ???? ???? ???????.
??? ?????? ?????? ???? ??? ?????? ??? ???? ??? ????? ???? ?? ??????? (?? ??? ???????) ?? “??? ?????? ?? ?? ?? ?????” ????? ??????? ????????? ?? ?????? ??????? ???? ??? ?????? ??????? ?? ????? ????? ?? ??? ???? ?? ??????? ????? ???? ???????? ????? ???? ?????? ??????? ?? ???????? ??? ?????? ???? ???? ????????? ??????? ?????. ?? ???? ?????? ???? ????? ??? ???? ??????? ?? ???????? ???? ???? ????? ????? ??? ???? ????? ???? ??? ????? ????? ??????? ?? ??????? ?? ?? ???? ?? ?????? ???? ??? ????? ?? ???? ????? ???? ???? ?????? ?? ????? ?????? ?????.
?????? : ??? ???? 14 ????
August 15th, 2012, 8:21 pm
irritated said:
182. Tara
You mean like the USA drones in Afghanistan and Pakistan?
August 15th, 2012, 8:23 pm
irritated said:
187. VISITOR
From Al Watan or Al Safir?
Please indicate your source
August 15th, 2012, 8:25 pm
Aldendeshe said:
?????? ?????: ?? ?????? ?????? ?? ??????? ??? ?????? ???????
????? ??????? ?? ??? ?????? ?? ???? ?????
?????? ??????: ?? ???? ?? ??? ?????? ?????? ?????? ???? ???? ?????? ????? ???? ?? ????? ?????? ???? ??????
__________________________________________________________________
???? ??????? ?????? ?????? ??????? ??????? ????????? ????????
August 15th, 2012, 8:26 pm
Aldendeshe said:
???? ???????? – ?? ???? ????? ???? ??? ???? ???? ???? ??? ???? ?? ???? ?? ??? ?????? ????? ????? ???? ????? ????? ?????? ???? ??????? ????? ????? ???? ????? ??????? ?? ????? ???? ?????? ??????? ?????? ?????? ?????? ????? ????? ????? ???? ?????? ???????? ?????? ?????? ????????? ??????? ?????? ???????? ??????? ?? ?????? ?????????? ???????? ? ????? ??? ????????
http://islamic-intelligence.blogspot.com/2009/10/are-saudi-royal-family-jewish.html
http://muslimvilla.smfforfree.com/index.php?topic=2433.0
http://www.truedemocracy.net/hj33/08.html
???? ???? ????? ????????? ? ???? ?????? ?? ???? ???? ???? ?????? ?????? ??? ????? ???? ???? ???? ?????? ??????? ??????? ????????? ? ??? ?????? ??????? ???? ??????? ????? ???????
August 15th, 2012, 8:28 pm
irritated said:
#164 Tara
The armed rebels in Azzaz share the responsibility in the death of the innocent civilians in Azzaz.
Are the rebels there to protect the civilians of to use them as human shields?
If they are no capable of protecting them then they should withdraw like they did in Baba Amar and Salahhedine and stop exposing the civilians to a war that does not concern them.
August 15th, 2012, 8:31 pm
ASyrian said:
162. MJABALI said:
“??? ??????? Visitor:
So, if you say, the hand of Allah is over everything, you mean that Allah has a hand like a human being.”
MJABALI, according to Islamic belief Allah has two right hands to write with. This proves the Judeo-Christian belief is corrupted as the Bible says that mankind is made in Allah’s image and we have a left and right hand.
In case you did not know this also, Allah has legs, the Muslim faithful will know Allah when he pulls up his rope to exposes His legs when they get to heaven.
August 15th, 2012, 8:37 pm
Tara said:
Irritated @186
Yes. It is exactly what I mean with the added bitterness that these people are my own, killed by their own. And now that you exactly know what I mean, could you tell me what you mean, Irritated? Please explain some as I refuse to believe that there is no heart in there that is capable of feeling pain at deaths caused by indiscriminate shelling and I am growing a bit disparate as I can’t tease out even a hint of empathy in between the lines. Is it my stubbornness that is holding on something that does not exist?… Tell me.
August 15th, 2012, 8:41 pm
irritated said:
193. Tara
There is nothing to explain. Syria is at war and as in any war, there will be innocents caught in the fights.
There is no solution except a ceasefire or a truce.
The trouble is that, while the Syrian government and the army are one entity, there is no one that represent the opposition. So nobody can force a ceasefire on them.
Therefore it will only happen when one party will crush the other at the price of many Syrians death in the hands of other Syrians, or when both parties will be exhausted. As Western countries are fueling the conflict and boosting the different factions of the rebels and the Syrian government is more united than the opposition, it may take long until they reach exhaustion.
We will hear much more death of innocents as well soldiers before we see the end of this mess.
August 15th, 2012, 8:54 pm
Hamoudeh al-Halabi said:
Ezaz: Another Massacre, Another Escalation
http://freehalab.wordpress.com/2012/08/16/ezaz-another-massacre-another-escalation/
From Hama 1982 to Homs 2012
http://freehalab.wordpress.com/2012/08/15/from-hama-1982-to-homs-2012/
The Release of Shaykh Ahmad Shumays
http://freehalab.wordpress.com/2012/08/14/the-release-of-shaykh-ahmad-shumays/
Shaykh Ya`qoubi: The regime is an enemy of itself
http://freehalab.wordpress.com/2012/08/14/shaykh-yaqoubi-the-regime-is-an-enemy-of-itself/
Shaykh Adnan al-Saqqa, Imam of the Revolution in Homs
http://freehalab.wordpress.com/2012/08/14/shaykh-adnan-al-saqqa-imam-of-the-revolution-in-homs/
Mufti of al-Bab (Aleppo), Shaykh Ahmad al-Nasaan warns the regime
http://freehalab.wordpress.com/2012/08/14/mufti-of-al-bab-aleppo-shaykh-ahmad-al-nasaan-warns-the-regime/
August 15th, 2012, 8:54 pm
irritated said:
Air France announced that its flight to Beirut on 15 August 2012 has been rerouted for security reasons to …. Damascus
It does not say what happened to the passengers once in Damascus?
Is Damascus safer than Beirut?
August 15th, 2012, 9:12 pm
chris said:
Free Syria Army takes Police Station in Aleppo – Says police were regime supporters
just goes to show what animals the rebels are. we post a photo of them like its a good thing! we are promoting their evilness. they are proudly standing around dead bodies posing victory! there people are barbaric. Assad is killing these rebels and yes some innocent s get killed as in any war. but these animals are butchering people just doing their job and just as innocent. shame on the west for letting these images be the focus on the news. this is not news. we are making the war.
if u counted the rebels and those who dont support them u can guarantee the FSA only make up a minority
August 15th, 2012, 9:17 pm
zoo said:
Anti-regime Syrians are persona non grata in Lebanon
August 15th, 2012, 9:20 pm
Visitor said:
Did any government condemns the terrorist attack on Ezzaz by the thugs of the Nazi-likes?
——————–
TARA,
I told you before and I tell you again. You’re wasting your time on taqiyya practicing centuries-old haters of everything called Sunni.
Why ask for empathy from such avowed applauders of killers? Your question only gives them pleasure and satisfaction. You may be a good judge of character. In this case I must say you are mistaken.
August 15th, 2012, 9:20 pm
Tara said:
Visitor
“Your question only gives them pleasure and satisfaction”
Thank you. I need to think the above statement..
August 15th, 2012, 9:30 pm
Halabi said:
Thank you for posting defection videos Amir. I wished they left Assad’s army earlier but much is forgiven for those who take a stand and do what’s right. It’s time for the good to crush the evil.
August 15th, 2012, 9:40 pm
Halabi said:
For the delusional and genocide enthusiasts who see foreign conspiracies everywhere, here’s a nice shipment of weapons from our top supplier, Assad’s army.
http://youtu.be/E1bwIFDS4p8
August 15th, 2012, 9:51 pm
mjabali said:
Tara ????????:
Tara you are a hypocrite. Probably you were the moderator at Syria Comment when your boy Amjad of Arabia said he would boil the Alawite soldiers in their Urine. Did you forget that ya munafiqah or what? Do you have any response to your racist rant today?
August 15th, 2012, 10:09 pm
ann said:
Syrian envoy praises role of China, Russia – 2012-08-16
Shaaban, “the opposition and external powers, who do not understand the nature of the Syrian people, have “locked themselves into a corner” by calling for Assad to resign as a pretext to solving the Syrian crisis.
http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/world/2012-08/16/content_15679589.htm
The stances of China and Russia on Syria are consistent with the United Nations Charter, international laws and ethical values, and are helpful to the peaceful resolution of the Syrian crisis, the Syrian president’s top envoy said in Beijing on Wednesday.
“We’re happy to see countries like China and Russia, who are not colonizers or deal with people as colonizers,” Bouthaina Shaaban, political and media adviser to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, told China Daily. This is “a very different stance from the West”, she added.
What happened in Libya cannot be repeated in Syria, and China’s principles are helping to avoid civil war, which would cause more casualties, Shaaban said.
Shaaban, who is in Beijing this week for talks, is scheduled to meet Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi on Thursday.
The visit is to give “the Chinese leadership a real picture of what’s going on in Syria” and coordinate with China to solve the current crisis that has taken thousands of people’s lives, she said.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Qin Gang said on Monday that China is also considering inviting members of the Syrian opposition groups to visit Beijing.
The 18-month crisis is estimated to have affected 2 million people and displaced more than 1 million, Valerie Amos, the UN undersecretary-general for humanitarian affairs and emergency relief coordinator, said on Tuesday in Syria.
Shaaban said the “most dangerous, rigid and harmful sanctions” issued by the West have affected the health sector and the lives of ordinary Syrian civilians, and the West is worsening the situation by “supporting with arms and money people who are inciting the civil war in Syria”.
The Syrian government reiterated its commitment to the six-point peace plan of outgoing UN-Arab League envoy Kofi Annan after his resignation on Aug 2, but conflicts continue in parts of the country, with the reported involvement of heavy weapons, which the opposition groups also possess.
The six-point plan should be translated “into real action, not just talk”, Shaaban said.
Opposition groups have the support of regional forces, and officials in those forces are putting their personal careers at stake, she added.
But she does not agree with using the word “opposition” to define people “who are carrying arms and emboldened by external powers to kidnap, kill and destroy public institutions”, saying opposition groups in Syria have no backing among the Syrian people when being financed by different sources.
Some members of the so-called opposition parties have joined the government and parliament over the past year, according to Shaaban. But the government’s readiness to talk with opposition figures and Annan’s mediation efforts have been frustrated because these groups are financed by certain powers and are “not allowed to talk to the government”.
She said Syria has been subjected to foreign intervention that prevents any dialogue, and warned that this deadlock will put not only Syria but the entire region in danger.
She also refuted allegations that the authority blocks the access of international humanitarian aid to the conflict-torn country, saying nothing from different organizations has arrived in Syria, despite the government’s expression of its desire for aid during many meetings with them.
[…]
http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/world/2012-08/16/content_15679589.htm
August 15th, 2012, 10:20 pm
mjabali said:
??? ???????Visitor:
al-Miqdads kidnapped many people today while you were behind your computer screen.
One family send the area into a tailspin while you were behind your screen. al-Miqdads send the governments of Saudi Arabia and Qatar to run away from Lebanon. All of that happened while you were sitting on your ass. They did things while you just come up with words.
As for your God al-3Arour, who said that he would grind the Alwites and feed them to the dog, I say he is just within your violent tradition. Good for you to worship him. Your set of beliefs was built on nothing but violence.
AS for Jokes, your historical and educational level is a real JOKE. Come with a real answer to my points.
I am waiting for a real answer ya Jahel.
?? ?????? ??? ?? ???? ?? ???? ??? ?????? ???.
August 15th, 2012, 10:21 pm
mjabali said:
??? ??????? Visitor:
Let me shred your weak argument more:
You posted, with conviction, that Mohammad Ibn Nusayer is a Persian fellow (Nothing is wrong with the Persians but I am conveying the logic of this idiot).
Hey ignorant fanatic: Mohamamd Ibn Nusayer is an Arab from Tamim, while your god al-Ghazzali is Persian.
Don’t you see it as a joke when you diss the Persians day and night and bark that Iran is this and that, while the person you admire, al-Ghazzali is Persian.
Not only your master al-Ghazzali is Persian, but the master of al-Ghazzali, Nizam al-Mulk was Persian too.
Isn’t it a surprise to you that two of the most important men into shaping the Sunni beliefs of today are Persians while the Sunnis of today diss the Persians day and night.
The Sunnis of today are obsessed with being the enemies of the Persians, where in fact, Persians laid the most important foundations of the Sunni beliefs of today.
AS for your god al-Ghazzali, surprise mr. Visitor, I have read his book few times at least and read almost every one shredding its weak argument.
al-Ghazzali is the one who laid the foundation for the conservative rigid thinking of many Sunnis, do you have anything to say to that?
August 15th, 2012, 10:32 pm
Aldendeshe said:
This Nun is sincerely telling her truth about what’s happening in Syria. Do you believe her or the US Mainstream Media and Hillary Clinton?
http://beforeitsnews.com/international/2012/08/video-nun-in-syria-tells-the-facts-2444398.html
August 15th, 2012, 10:36 pm
ann said:
Saudi Sucm GO HOME!
Saudi Arabia orders its citizens to leave Lebanon [with their tails between their legs] – Aug. 15, 2012
BEIRUT (AP) — Saudi Arabia has ordered its citizens to leave Lebanon immediately, citing fear of kidnappings by Shiites angry over rebels in Syria taking prisoners from Lebanon and Iran.
The statement by the Saudi Embassy in Beirut was published on the official Saudi news agency Wednesday. It urges its citizens to leave immediately and warns travelers against visiting Lebanon, a popular destination for Gulf residents in the summer.
Armed Shiite clansmen in Lebanon said Wednesday they had captured more than 20 Syrians and will hold them until one of their relatives seized by rebels inside Syria is freed. The tensions were a stark reminder of how easily Syria’s civil war could spill over to neighboring states.
Abu Ali al-Mikdad, a relative, told reporters in Beirut Wednesday that his Shiite clan has abducted “more than 20 Syrians” including a senior member of the rebel Free Syrian Army (FSA).
Later Wednesday, the Beirut-based TV station Al-Mayadeen aired a video purporting to show two of the abducted Syrians who said they are members of the FSA. One of them identified himself as Capt. Mohammed and said his job was to supply the FSA with arms and fighters.
“I call them (FSA) upon to free the prisoners they are holding because they are innocent,” said one of the two captured men shown on TV who identified himself as Maher Hassan Rabih.
[…]
http://www.news-press.com/usatoday/article/57066290?odyssey=mod|newswell|text|Home|p
August 15th, 2012, 10:37 pm
mjabali said:
Visitor:
Let me shred your weak argument once more:
You posted, with conviction, that Mohammad Ibn Nusayer is a Persian fellow (Nothing is wrong with the Persians but I am conveying the logic of this idiot).
Hey ignorant fanatic: Mohamamd Ibn Nusayer is an Arab from Tamim, while your god al-Ghazzali is Persian.
Don’t you see it as a joke when you diss the Persians day and night and bark that Iran is this and that, while the person you admire, al-Ghazzali is Persian.
Not only your master al-Ghazzali is Persian, but the master of al-Ghazzali, Nizam al-Mulk was Persian too.
Isn’t it a surprise to you that two of the most important men into shaping the Sunni beliefs of today are Persians while the Sunnis of today diss the Persians day and night.
The Sunnis of today are obsessed with being the enemies of the Persians, where in fact, Persians laid the most important foundations of the Sunni beliefs of today.
AS for your god al-Ghazzali, surprise mr. Visitor, I have read his book few times at least and read almost every one shredding its weak argument.
al-Ghazzali is the one who laid the foundation for the conservative rigid thinking of many Sunnis, do you have anything to say to that?
August 15th, 2012, 10:40 pm
Son of Damascus said:
Dearest Tara,
My heart bleeds, and my soul aches. I have been turned into a walking zombie. I want this nightmare to end.
Pictures from Azzaz:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/chroniclesyrianuprising/sets/72157631089829514/
(Graphic)
They are extremely haunting, not from the graphic nature of the pictures (some of which are extremely graphic) but from the look of horror, pain, sorrow, anger and distraught on the faces of the victims.
Also Azzaz was not alone to be targeted by Assadi Airforce, the small town of Batabo in Reef Halab was also in the crosshairs today:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/chroniclesyrianuprising/sets/72157631090051826/
Even the local mosque was not sparred from the callous attack. I bring this to attention because houses of worship/schools tend to be places civilians go to seek shelter during times of conflict. These callous attacks are done to inflict the maximum civilian causality.
August 15th, 2012, 10:40 pm
mjabali said:
al-Ghazzali was one of the most important figure into establishing the alliance between the ruler and the Sheikh.
al-Ghazzali was responsible for establishing the rigid form of Islam today.
al-Ghazzali argued against philosophers and he lost miserably. Look at what the great Ibn Rushd replied to the lunacies of al-Ghazzali in his great book ????? ???????. al-Ghazzali wrote a miserable book balled Tahatut al-Falisfah ????? ????????, saying that Philosophy is bad.
Ibn Rushd shredded al-Ghazzali rigid idea into sand and dust, the same way I am doing to Visitor.
The funny thing is that al-Ghazzali is Persian and people like Visitor think Persians are monsters or something.
August 15th, 2012, 10:45 pm
ann said:
Any English subtitled version?
August 15th, 2012, 10:48 pm
mjabali said:
Ann:
Can you wake up Visitor and tell him what al-Miqdad family did today?
August 15th, 2012, 10:49 pm
zoo said:
Islamic summit ( source: l’Orient-le jour)
….
The summit must adopt in principle a recommendation of the Foreign Ministers of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) on the suspension of Syria in this forum, a symbolic measure emphasizing the isolation of the regime in Damascus. But the draft final declaration does not call for a departure of President Bashar al-Assad, merely to urge the regime in Damascus to “immediately halt all violence.”
For their part, Algeria, Kazakhstan and Pakistan requested that the final communiqué also do make the free Syrian Army (SLA, formed rebel) “responsible for violence, as it is making for the regime in Damascus.
According to another participant, Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi proposed “the formation of a committee comprising Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Iran and Turkey” to try to find a resolution on Syria.
Forty heads of Arab, African and Asian members of the OIC which has 57 participating in this summit in the absence of Syria held in Mecca
August 15th, 2012, 10:57 pm
ann said:
208. mjabali said:
Ann:
Can you wake up Visitor and tell him what al-Miqdad family did today?
Shhhhhh! He was admitted again, and they increased the dose of his medications! Not sure if he’ll be allowed to access the internet again!
😀
August 15th, 2012, 10:58 pm
Tara said:
Mjabali @200
“Tara ????????:
Tara you are a hypocrite. Probably you were the moderator at Syria Comment when your boy Amjad of Arabia said he would boil the Alawite soldiers in their Urine. Did you forget that ya munafiqah or what? Do you have any response to your racist rant today?”
—-
No. Not until you apologize to Amjad for false accusations or prove them. I other wise won’t discuss with people who lack credibility. Prove it or apologize then you can restore you integrity. Link Aboud’s post that stated he wanted to boil Alawi soldiers. Otherwise, you may want to consider to play somewhere else.
August 15th, 2012, 11:14 pm
mjabali said:
Hey Racist Tara do you deny that your boy did not say that he wanted to boil Alawite soldiers in their Urine? Do you deny also that you were the moderator at that moment?
August 15th, 2012, 11:35 pm
zoo said:
Syrian Influx Unnerves Turks in Border Towns
By: Tulin Daloglu posted on Wednesday, Aug 15, 2012
http://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/originals/2012/al-monitor/syrian-influx-unnerves-turks-in.html
While the Syrian regime looks increasingly precarious, many Turks worry about the burgeoning refugee camps and wish that the Turkish government would move them into a buffer zone on the Syrian side of the border. On site at the camps, Tulin Daloglu shares refugee stories and the perspectives of uneasy Turks.
…
Yildiz Garbi, a long-time criminal lawyer in Hatay, told Al-Monitor that the chatter in the border town is that Sunni Syrians believe “killing seven Alevis [or Alawites] will secure them a place in heaven.”
Many local residents also worry about the nature of those filling the burgeoning refugee camps and wish that the Turkish government would move them into a buffer zone on the other side of the border.
“These border camps make us worry,” Hasan Ozgun, the art director of Ehliddar in Antakya, the only Arabic-speaking theater in Turkey, told Al-Monitor. “We are suspicious of the activities inside these camps and we perceive them as targeting our harmony and peace.”
Mahmut Sonmez, head of the Hatay-Syria Friendship Association, urged the Turkish government to close the border camps and move the refugees into a buffer zone inside Syrian territory.
“Tomorrow, they will turn against us, and threaten our peace,” he said. “The Erdogan government should immediately close these camps, and stop aiding their militant activities in Syria.” Otherwise, he warned, “it will be a miracle not to expect this sectarian fire to cross into our borders and set the region on fire.”
August 15th, 2012, 11:42 pm
VISITOR said:
mjabali,
What do you do in order to distinguish yourself from your dog when you’re together and someone comes by?
I mean, since you bark so well, thanks to your dog’s efforts in raising you, a distinction may not be possible.
And while at it, is the ID tag placed around your neck or ‘his’?
You are waiting for an answer from me? Well, wait on. Do you think I would fall to dog’s levels ‘debate’ with someone like you?
August 15th, 2012, 11:49 pm
ann said:
Prof. Landis, I have two posts on hold! Help!
August 15th, 2012, 11:57 pm
Tara said:
Mjabali
Please prove your false accusation. Find the link and post it. What is holding you? You are making a mockery out of yourself if you are not to do it. There is a search engine on the the left-hand side. Use it. If you can’t find the link, come clean and admit it. Real men admit their mistakes. Half-men don’t. Half-men resort to insults to handle their troubles, physical or verbal insults. Real men can face their mistakes. Please be a man or a woman for that matter but not haf-something.
Above was my third and last post to you, until you come clean. I just find it difficult to repeat myself more than three times. I
I would be a very tough moderator if I to moderate. You should see how polite my children are…You resorting to insults would have made me ban you forever so be glad that all previous moderators kept you on.
August 15th, 2012, 11:58 pm
ann said:
https://joshualandis.com/blog/?p=11834&cp=all#comment-271743
71. Aboud said:
“Many Sunnis on this website try to be calm and would not show the real face.”
Actually, I’ve stated time and again on this forum that;
1) I will personally turn Hafez’s grave into a public urinal
2) I believe that soldiers who abuse and kill civilians should be boiled in their own urine.
3) The security men killed at Jisr al Shoghour deserved what they got. I hope to hear of many more such retributions.
4) Alawites have pillaged this country for 40 years, and since they have done nothing to remove this murderous regime, they have failed the test of a modern and pluralistic society, by instead pandering to sectarian hate and allowing themselves to be tools in a barbaric oppression of a people yearning to be free. Therefore, Alawite power must be severely curtailed and their bases of power utterly destroyed.
Feel free to quote me far and wide. I’d be happy to remind you if you ever forget.
Thumb up 6 Thumb down 19
September 5th, 2011, 7:06 pm
August 16th, 2012, 12:05 am
zoo said:
The Azzaz bombing seems to be the start of an all out attack to retake all the border towns that fell into the hands of the rebels a few months ago. That is where the rebels are keeping the 11 kidnapped Lebanese pilgrims.
Kidnapped Lebanese Shias held prisoners by the rebels in Azzaz seriously wounded by the bombing as Azzaz civilians run to Turkey for safety.
L’Orient le Jour
“The attack caused panic in the city, and hundreds of people, mostly women and children, crowded Wednesday night at the Turkish border nearby, according to AFP.
The raid also had repercussions in Lebanon, to the extent that it “seriously wounded” four members of a group of 11 Lebanese Shiite pilgrims abducted in May in northern Syria and held in Azzaz.
The false announcement of their deaths by the Lebanese media has caused chaos in Shiite areas south of Beirut. Gunmen abducted dozens of Syrian and vandalized their property, according to the National News Agency (NNA).”
August 16th, 2012, 12:05 am
mjabali said:
Racist Tara:
It was under your watch as a moderator when Amjad of Arabia said he would boil soldiers in their Urine. So you now deny this?
Also, when you were caught in your racist rant against the Iranian you turn and ask me for me for something related to other commentators. I pity your logic. Racist and got caught. Good luck. When I have the time I will dig the filth your boy posted.
You were the dirtiest moderator at Syria Comment. Your last stint did not fare well too. I knew it was you the last moderator from your style.
You should be investigated to see if you shared our info with other parties.
AS for your rants about me being a half man or a quarter man or one tenth of a man, all of that does not matter. Consider me Zero of a man, but at least I am honest and not dirty like you.
August 16th, 2012, 12:06 am
ann said:
71. Aboud said:
“Many Sunnis on this website try to be calm and would not show the real face.”
Actually, I’ve stated time and again on this forum that;
1) I will personally turn Hafez’s grave into a public u rinal
2) I believe that soldiers who abuse and kill civilians should be boiled in their own u rine.
[…]
August 16th, 2012, 12:09 am
mjabali said:
??? ??????? Visitor:
Would you please respond to my points about your god al-Ghazzali if you have any logic or response?
al-Ghazzali, a Persian established most of your belief system. His master Nizam al-Mulk, another Persian established your belief system, do you deny that?
Say whatever you want about me, but can you answer any of these points ya ????
August 16th, 2012, 12:10 am
ann said:
ABOUD Comment ID: 271743
August 16th, 2012, 12:15 am
VISITOR said:
mjabali,
Say please to the nth times or go down on your knees every morning and evening till doomsday, no difference. You’re not worthy.
————————–
I do not know Aboud. Some say he is Amajad. If Aboud/Amajad said what is in 219, then what is the big fuss?? He only gave Hafez what Hafez deserves.
August 16th, 2012, 12:28 am
Syrialover said:
Visitor, Mjabali, Irritated, Tara
“The most important thing in an argument, next to being right, is to leave an escape hatch for your opponent, so that he can gracefully swing over to your side without too much apparent loss of face.” Sydney J. Harris
Is it possible to look at pausing, rebooting and moving on?
I am missing your comments on other matters.
August 16th, 2012, 12:29 am
bronco said:
It looks that the Syrian army having pushed out the rebels from Aleppo are now engaging in tackling the towns close to the Turkish borders that they had neglected and that fell in the control of the rebels.
This is to break any attempt to create the buffer zone in Syria that is the most urgent demand of the FSA and the SNC and that was being considered by Clinton and Erdogan.
Turkey’s Hatay region is invaded by the refugees. Most are sunnis and the Hatay people are mostly Alevis suspicious of this Sunni invasion that frightens them. They demand from Erdogan that the refugees be sent to a buffer zone within Syria. Erdogan is under heavy pressure to create militarily that zone. The Syria army is determined to prevent this to happen and does not mind having the refugees going to Turkey and creating a nightmare for Erdogan, as long that they leave the towns.
The Syrian government strategy is therefore to frighten the civilians in these border towns so they leave to Turkey, abandoning the rebels to their fate. The army then will attack the towns as they did in Baba Amr and Salaheddine.
With the civilians gone, the rebels stand to chance to keep Azzaz, they will have to retreat, where? Probably Turkey.
The “nibbling” strategy will continue until all towns are back under the Army control. It seems that nothing can stop that, unless the opposition calls for a truce or a ceasefire or some spectacular event happens in Damascus. That also explain the rebels various terrorist attacks in Damascus aimed at creating a diversion and relieving the pressure in the North.
If the rebels are cornered to ask for a ceasefire, one wonders who in the opposition will dare to take that decision as the armed rebels have different agendas and may not tolerate the humiliation of loosing their war.
It is quite possible that the Western countries are waiting that the Syrian army eradicate the rebels and secure the region from islamists extremists to come up with a deal for Bashar Al Assad.
The latest UN blame on the Syrian government of a ‘crime against humanity’ resembles a similar accusation made on President Saleh in Yemen. An accusation that was later used as a bargaining chip to force him to resign and avoid the IC indictment.
After showing strong assurance that they will solve the issue, the Western countries are fumbling in the dark.
August 16th, 2012, 12:32 am
ann said:
Obama, Netanyahu Intensify Push for World War III – August 14, 2012
by Jeffrey Steinberg and Michele Steinberg
http://www.larouchepub.com/other/2012/3932obama_push_wwiii.html
August 16th, 2012, 12:34 am
irritated said:
223. Syrialover
I am not in the visitor-tara-mjabali row… Keep me out of that.
In the absence of a moderator, they have to solve it among them.
I just wish I don’t have to read vulgarity. The situation is depressing enough like that.
August 16th, 2012, 12:42 am
Uzair8 said:
150. mjabali said:
Uzair:
Sometimes when I read your comments I can not stop from laughing especially the translated materials through google translation service. It makes no sense.
************
Mjabali.
I posted the arabic text as I reckoned many on SC will be able to read and understand it.
The google translation, as confusing as it is, is just to give others an idea of what’s being said.
Btw, are you saying you don’t read or understand arabic?
Anyway there were a couple of arabic Shaykh Yaqoubi responses to some comments made by Shaykh Ramadan Buti in recent days (which appeared very shareable) however I didn’t post as the google translation wasn’t clear.
On this occasion I just went ahead and posted it.
August 16th, 2012, 12:46 am
Uzair8 said:
Btw, it’s getting particularly nasty on here.
-Personal attacks and accusations.
-Certain nationals being called ‘s.c-u.m’.
Things a moderator would not tolerate.
Prof Landis will probably close down the comment section.
Self moderation please before it escalates.
August 16th, 2012, 12:52 am
omen said:
57. HALABI: [bashar] has to be thrown in a cell never to be heard of again
they say people on death row are happy to be executed rather than endure solitary confinement.
August 16th, 2012, 12:57 am
mjabali said:
Syrialover:
These buffoons has nothing to say in a real debate, therefore they try their dirty tricks.
I will go and walk my dog now and leave them alone. They had enough, although i wished Visitor was up to the challenge and could come up with anything with value regarding al-Ghazzali.
August 16th, 2012, 1:01 am
mjabali said:
Ann:
Thank you. But, I will look later for the post where that dude said he would boil the alawi soldiers in urine. You know it is hard to dig it since that dude has 50 posts a day, I mean 50 rants a day.
August 16th, 2012, 1:03 am
mjabali said:
Uzair:
Moving on…
If you have some knowledge in real life instead of your fantasy world, you would see that I am a Syrian and could guess what language I speak. You can not speak Arabic and still stick your nose in Arabic texts.
August 16th, 2012, 1:05 am
VISITOR said:
Thanks SL.
Finally he went to join his canine-companion where he belongs.
Hopefully some sense may now come back to this board.
The only way to deal with canine-raised humanoids is just to let them bark till they get tired. There is no other option available since we have no moderators, thanks to Dr. Landis.
August 16th, 2012, 1:16 am
Tara said:
Syrialover,
There appears to be no point to actively participate until JL’s self-moderation experiment comes to an end. It is depressing as is and becoming more so when one is forced into responding. Watching the massacres in Syria and dealing with hatred, thuggery and insults here is becoming very unpleasant.
August 16th, 2012, 1:20 am
Ghufran said:
AlQuds Alarabi:
???????? ???????? ????????? ???? ???? ?????? ?? ????? ??? ?????? ??????? ?????? ???????? ?? ?????? ???????? ????? ???? ?????????? ?? ?????? ?????? ?????? ?? ???????? ??????? ?????????? ??? ?? ??? ???? ??????? ???????? ?????? ??? ???????? ????? ???? ?????? ?????? ?????? ??????? ?????? ???????? ??????? ???????? ??? ?????.
?????? ???????? ????????? ? ??????? ??? ???? ???? ???? ???? ??? ??????? ?? ??? ???????? ???????? ??????? ?????? ???????? ??? ?????? ?? ????????. ???????? ??? ???????? ???? ????? ?????? ?? ?? ????????? ??????? ??????? ??????? ??????? ????????? ????????? ???? ?????? ?? ???? ??????.
Indeed,any political settlement will be opposed by armed rebels especially the
islamists,this leaves only a fraction of the FSA to accept such a settlement assuming that the FSA still has anybody who is ready to negotiate a cease fire.
As for the SNC,as I suggested before,their only way to the presidential palace is on the back of NATO tanks,those tanks are not likely to show up anytime soon,
for all practical reasons,the SNC is dying or already dead.
Any victory by the regime will be short lived, the number of armed rebels and armed rebels in waiting is big enough to keep this war going for years,it is best for Syria,especially its minority population,that an exit for Assad and a
transitional period be implemented ASAP, pride should not be allowed to stand in the face of accepting a peace keeping force,bloodshed needs to stop at any cost.
August 16th, 2012, 1:35 am
Syrialover said:
(I’ve tried posting this already, but it didn’t appear)
I don’t want to see Mjabali chased off here.
Why? Because outside these current debates he makes comments like this which I appreciate:
https://joshualandis.com/blog/?p=15378&cp=all#comment-318372
August 16th, 2012, 1:47 am
Juergen said:
Bronco
Just read your comments on the UN.
Well you know that the UN observer mission was intended not to prevent but to witness alone. A force which can prevent needs the right to be armed, must have the usage of heavy vehicles and yet most important must have the right to use force.
For obvious reasons the regime never wanted that, and the Security council never had any guts to decide that. From my Bosnia experience I can tell you that most UN personal is to say it frankly just there to get the money. For many 3rd world countries the UN is the way out of poorness. The governments who sends the most soldiers to such missions are often the most poor nations. And one ends up also with questionable tactics like letting the Chinese police train the new established bosnian police forces. In Bosnia they also showed that their forensic anaylysis depends largely on help from countries like the US and Germany, they dont have such expertise in finding out how someone died some months or years ago.
Sandro
I would say its time for a new name for the Dama rose- Free Damascus Hotel
August 16th, 2012, 2:30 am
Juergen said:
Goran Tomasevics pictures of the fighting around Aleppo
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/picturegalleries/worldnews/9462180/Goran-Tomasevics-dramatic-photos-of-the-fighting-around-Aleppo-in-Syria.html?frame=2309884
August 16th, 2012, 2:43 am
SANDRO LOEWE said:
MJABALI,
I have been reading some comments and I got to the conclusion that you are a superior entity. How can you insult other SC members in this way? You the alawites, are the chosen people of God. And will be given the Promised Land, Al Qardaha. Assad is showing his IQ as an alawite and is probing so good. Of course with your medium IQ you deserved to rule the whole world.
August 16th, 2012, 3:12 am
SYR.EXPAT said:
“The Sunnis believe that the text is just what the words are.”
The person who said this is ignorant to say the least. Given that he claims to know what he’s talking about makes him a lost case.
It’s getting very nasty in here. Assad supporters are losing it, especially after Samaha was, allegedly, caught red-handed trying to start a terrorist campaign in Lebanon on behalf of the Assad regime. On this matter, one of the latest attempts at spinning the news about Samaha on this board is that Samaha has probably received money to implicate himself and the Syrian regime. I kid you not.
“He is probably just being paid to say what he does, it wouldn’t be the first time he defects (former Kataeb member).”
Maybe Samaha hopes to spend a good number of years in jail and then be released when he’s very close to death to live happily ever after with the money he was paid.
Final note: I ask the supporters of the Syrian revolution for dignity and freedom for all to refrain from insults and nastiness. If some people choose to be nasty, no need to reciprocate. Just ignore them.
August 16th, 2012, 4:06 am
Antoine said:
FSA should just kill the Meqdad and let their clansmen in Beirut do whatever they want with the Syrians there.
It is SSNP’s problem, since most of the kidnapped Syrians are ordinary guest workers and mostly regime supporters, I should add, anybody who knows Beirut’s Syrian workers knows this as a fact.
August 16th, 2012, 5:02 am
Antoine said:
Mjabali why didn’t you join the Saraya al-Difaa ?
Do you have any relatives who served in the Saraya al-Difaa /
I am asking this seriously.
August 16th, 2012, 5:04 am
ann said:
Syria: govt troops free abducted reporters – Aug 16, 2012
Syria`s government troops freed three journalists from the Al-Ikhbariya TV station who were seized last Friday outside Damascus by rebels from the Syrian Liberation Army.
A video was posted on the web later featuring one of the journalists, Yara Saleh, known for her daring reporting, wearing traditional Muslim clothes.
The freed reporters thanked the Syrian army for the release.
[…]
http://english.ruvr.ru/2012_08_16/Syria-govt-troops-free-abducted-reporters/
August 16th, 2012, 5:15 am
ann said:
Syrian opposition threatens to team up with Al Qaeda – Aug 16, 2012
The armed Syrian opposition has warned that it may unite with Al Qaeda in its fight against the Bashar Assad regime, France Press reports.
“We do not want Al Qaeda here, but if no one helps us, we will team up with it,” Abu Ammar, a rebel commander in Aleppo, was quoting as saying.
He acknowledged that the so-called Free Syrian Army was not as strong as to crush government troops.
[…]
http://english.ruvr.ru/2012_08_16/Syrian-opposition-threatens-to-team-up-with-Al-Qaeda/
August 16th, 2012, 5:20 am
ann said:
Aleppo rebels close to defeat – Aug 13, 2012
Syrian government forces have killed or captured dozens of terrorists, including Libyan and other Arab mercenaries, as they continue their operations to flush armed rebels out of Syria’s second city Aleppo.
Local people are flocking back to their homes in many southern neighbourhoods, which are now safe.
There have been similar developments in many other towns and cities in northern Syria.
According to television reports in Iran, Syrian forces operating near the border with Turkey have captured 35 Turkish officers and five members of an Iranian Islamist group.
[…]
http://english.ruvr.ru/2012_08_13/Aleppo-rebels-close-to-defeat/
August 16th, 2012, 5:28 am
ann said:
Lebanese Shiites block Beirut-Damascus highway – Aug 16, 2012
In Lebanon, Shiite activists outraged by the deaths of their fellow Shiites in Syria sealed off the Beirut-Damascus highway, cutting off the country from the rest of the world, news agencies report.
Earlier, Shiites on both sides barricaded the road to the international airport with tyres.
They ignored Lebanese President Michel Suleiman’s call to dismantle the barricades.
[…]
http://english.ruvr.ru/2012_08_16/Lebanese-Shiites-block-Beirut-Damascus-highway/
August 16th, 2012, 5:33 am
VISITOR said:
239 SYR.EXPAT
“The person who said this is ignorant to say the least. Given that he claims to know what he’s talking about makes him a lost case.”
Of course he’s ignorant.
In fact every thing he said tells he’s ignorant.
August 16th, 2012, 5:39 am
Antoine said:
Attention all Revolution supporters,
Please make public the names, addresses and all personal details of any Syrian Arab Air Force Pilot if you have such information.
You can make available such information public in any public space.
OBSERVER,
You have mentioned that you have received a list of Syrian Arab AirForce pilots and their personal details. I will rrquest you to publish that list on SyriaComment.
From now on, if any Revolution supporter comes across perosnal details of Air Force employees, such information will have to be made public.
There is already a campaign to locate the families of Air Force pilots who are living in rebel-controlled areas. It will be very useful if we can locate and arest familes of Syrian Arab Air Force officers.
August 16th, 2012, 5:45 am
ann said:
Tel Aviv readies underground parking lots as bomb shelters – 2012-08-16
TEL AVIV, Aug. 16 (Xinhua) — The Tel Aviv Municipality has prepared 60 subterranean parking lots as bomb shelters in case of missile attacks from Israel’s foes.
A total area of 850,000 square meters would be able to house up to 800,000 people, city officials told reporters Wednesday.
The development comes against a backdrop of increasing acute reports and analyses in the Israeli media over the prospect of a military strike on Iran’s nuclear enrichment facilities, and the extent of possible retaliation by either Teheran or Hezbollah.
A report in July revealed that the city was largely unprepared in case of an attack on the home front, and that the existing 241 shelters would only be able to contain up to 40,000 people — only tenth of the city’s population.
The municipality said the additional facilities were certified by a private engineering company and met the standards set up by the Home Front Command for protected, fortified areas.
The underground lots are mostly situated beneath shopping malls, as well as at the city’s sprawling central bus station.
Additionally, authorities have prepared plans for evacuating central urban areas in the event of a rocket barrage in the country’s densely-populated business and cultural center.
[…]
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/world/2012-08/16/c_131789955.htm
August 16th, 2012, 5:53 am
erin said:
Here is the democracy coming to Syria, every naive person who thinks that democracy and civil human rights are more than just a naive person, there are too many naive people with the so called revolution as there is with supporter of the regime.
Regime is bad but that’s the a new news the new news that revolution is invested with bad and worse with people who are killing the Syrian as much as the regime is doing.
Syria fabric is destroyed it takes sometime thousand of years to be back, the Islamic radical invasion is taking Syria into Afghanistan not toward a civilian secular law humanistic new country.
enough lying on the media and on this web site.
http://www.davidicke.com/headlines/70962-libyan-terrorists-are-invading-syria#.UCyVPxJDF7A.facebook
btw moderator can you stop moderating my comments, i thought moderation is over on this site.
August 16th, 2012, 6:14 am
Antoine said:
AShraf Rifi should get cracking against the Miqdad family….if they think they can get their brother released by kidnapping Syrians, they are sadly mistaken.
August 16th, 2012, 6:22 am
Antoine said:
FSA shouldn’t have much trouble whooping this motley bunch –
http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-fXWZ9xvluD8/UCw7_RRVZRI/AAAAAAAAX0Q/kjWkm9sd29E/s1600/A0X984WCcAE_Hpn.jpg
( Military branch of the Moqdad family )
I think Moqdad should contemplate their fate after looking closely at what became of the Berri family of Aleppo.
August 16th, 2012, 6:28 am
SANDRO LOEWE said:
Lebanese army should inmediately kill any armed man found in the streets of Lebanon like all those wild paleolithic Al Maqdad primates. This is the only sollution to end pollitical and security unrest inside the country. But it means that army should shot at HA fighters too if needed to.
If the country is ruled by HA terrorists governement, how could the army receive the order to shoot against the private army of HA drug smugglers iranians?
The only personality could do it is Mr. Michel Suleyman, who today said he expects the best for the lebanese retained in Syria….
But said nothing about his wills for the innocent syrians retained inside Lebanon by lebanese criminals….
MR. PRESIDENT IS A DOG OF HA TOO ?
August 16th, 2012, 6:39 am
SANDRO LOEWE said:
I have decided to create the Military Branch of my own family. From now on any dispute with Maqdad family or any other excrement in the Middle East will be resolved by missles and kalashnikovs.
August 16th, 2012, 6:44 am
Antoine said:
Sandro,
Lebanese Army is infiltrated with HA and Amal terrorists and Syrian Assadist sympathizers (Aounists) who hate all people from the North,
Only ISF and Ashraf Rifi will be able to solve this problem.
This is a move by Assad in order to force FSA to fight in Lebanon, in the same way they armed the PKK Kurds to prick the FSA.
August 16th, 2012, 6:48 am
Antoine said:
Attention all Revolution supporters,
Please make public the names, addresses and all personal details of any Syrian Arab Air Force Pilot if you have such information.
You can make available such information public in any public space.
OBSERVER,
You have mentioned that you have received a list of Syrian Arab AirForce pilots and their personal details. I will request you to publish that list on SyriaComment.
From now on, if any Revolution supporter comes across personal details of Air Force employees, such information will have to be made public.
There is already a campaign to locate the families of Air Force pilots who are living in rebel-controlled areas. It will be very useful if we can locate and arrest familes of Syrian Arab Air Force officers.
__________________________________________________________
Moderator you can delete identical comment at #47.
August 16th, 2012, 7:07 am
Halabi said:
#224 said:
“The Syrian government strategy is therefore to frighten the civilians in these border towns so they leave to Turkey”
Ethnic cleansing is being applauded as a legitimate strategy – expelling civilians from there homes by frightening them with the slaughter of their families and friends is now the only option Assad’s army has in order to regain control, according to one worshiper. This evil mind goes on to suggest pushing Sunnis into Turkey in order to clash with Alevis there, which isn’t sectarian at all…
Of course all of this is just theory. The post starts with the delusional assertion: “It looks that the Syrian army having pushed out the rebels from Aleppo”
The Syrian people deserve better and are willing to sacrifice everything for freedom, democracy and justice. Assad supporters have only one goal: perpetual dictatorship and oppression.
August 16th, 2012, 7:22 am
erin said:
I think the moderator either sleeping, or he is turning his eyes off the people who are inciting violence, killing, and hatred here.
MODERATOR, either step up or step down, it is ridiculous to all some commentators to incite violence here and not delete or ban them from posting.
Mr. Landis, the commentators asking to remove this moderator!!!!
I will Email you directly.
August 16th, 2012, 7:32 am
annie said:
254. Antoine !
What is the matter with you ? This call to snitching and may be you will hit a pilot (or his family) who might not have killed a single civilian or revolutionary for that matter ?
You are bringing us down to the level of the system.
What is your nationality ? I am becoming suspicious
August 16th, 2012, 7:38 am
Halabi said:
Human Rights Watch in Azaz.
http://youtu.be/3eILnXAP5H8
This is what Assad worshipers call “frightening” civilians. Sectarian opponents of the revolution consider the destruction of homes and slaughter of children to be equivalent to the illegal execution of armed shabi7a.
The only way to deal with this pain is to repeat the chants of the thuwaar, the greatest generation of Syrians ever.
?? ??? ?????? ?????? ?????? ?? ??? ??????? ????? ??????
August 16th, 2012, 7:40 am
annie said:
IN FRENCH/
http://www.lepoint.fr/monde/syrie-des-rebelles-menacent-d-avoir-recours-a-al-qaida-16-08-2012-1496346_24.php?xtor=EPR-6-%5BNewsletter-Quotidienne%5D-20120816
Revolutionaries warn they will ask for help from Al Qaida since no one is helping them. I can understand
August 16th, 2012, 7:55 am
DAWOUD said:
Good Riddance to Assad and his brother! The injury of Maher al-Assad is important because it kills the view that the bombing at the national security building was done by the regime itself. Nobody believes that Bashar would kill his own brother.
Thanks for this terrorist Shia Lebanese tribe for its threats to kidnap Arabs and Turks in Lebanon. Why? because its has further exposed Hizbistan’s terror. NO way that this tripe would have done so without Hasan Nasrillat’s approval. They do Arabs a favor because now Arab Gulf money will not be used to support Hizbistan, Michel Aoun, and Samir Geagea-all with a lot of Sunni blood on their hands. Instead of vacationing and studying in Lebanon (Hizbistan), Arabs should do so and support the economies of Tunisia, Egypt, Moroco (All Sunni Arab coungries). Furthermore, soon a free Syria will replace Hizbistan (Lebanon) as Arabs’ tourist/educational destination.
August 16th, 2012, 8:19 am
zoo said:
?????? ???? ???????? ??????? ??? ???????
2012/08/16
Al Ikhbaria team freed from the hands of the rebels by the Syrian Army
August 16th, 2012, 8:27 am
Citizen said:
Message to Anonymous from the International Bankers (ARABIC-FR subtitles)
August 16th, 2012, 9:04 am
habib said:
240. Antoine
Lol, yet again, beggars trying to be choosers. The Meqdads alone would probably be able to rid Lebanon of Free Salafist Army scum.
I’m really surprised that all these people cheering for the abduction of Lebanese and Iranians in Syria are suddenly appalled by the kidnapping of FSA and their collaborators in Lebanon.
Hypocrisy?
August 16th, 2012, 9:10 am
Son of Damascus said:
Dear Idiots,
Thank you so much for your foolish and shortsighted “the moderator is biased” rants to Dr. Landis. Now these pages are a cesspool of filth because you felt your stupid and (most likely racists and bigoted rants) was unfairly edited or moderated.
(news flash you racist opinions are not facts)
The rules of the site are as simple and straightforward as they can get, yet you imbeciles seem to lack the basic comprehension of the English language.
Mabrook on your “win”.
August 16th, 2012, 9:13 am
Citizen said:
260. ZOO
?????? ????? ??? ?????? ?? ???? ?????? ?? ????? ??????? ?????? ????? ? ??? ???? !
August 16th, 2012, 9:13 am
Syrialover said:
Assad is reduced to scraping the dirtiest bottom of the garbage bin to find envoys for his regime.
The ugliest woman in the world, inside and out, war criminal witch Bouthaina Shabaan is causing a foul stench in Beijing on a bizarre PR mission there.
Sample obscenity:
“ She refuted allegations that the authority [ie Assad regime] blocks the access of international humanitarian aid to the conflict-torn country, saying nothing from different organizations has arrived in Syria, despite the government’s expression of its desire for aid during many meetings with them.”
With bizarre lies about the rest of the world as well:
“We’re happy to see countries like China and Russia, who are not colonisers or deal with people as colonisers” [Citizens of many countries of the former Soviet Union and Tibet would be outraged to hear that).
The embarrassed Chinese, who must be getting macro disinfectant out to clean their shoes after she had been slobbering on them, are reduced to making vague statements about the Annan plan and told her:
“China was “extremely worried” by the situation in her country” and “The Syrian government should take practical measures to meet the people’s reasonable demands for change and for the safeguarding of their personal interests.”
http://in.reuters.com/article/2012/08/16/syria-crisis-china-idINL4E8JG16820120816 and
http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/world/2012-08/16/content_15679589.htm
August 16th, 2012, 9:18 am
Son of Damascus said:
More pictures that document the criminal thuggery that is the regime.
52 pictures that document the total annihilation of the town of Azzaz by the Assadi Airforce. Nothing is spared, not schools, not mosques, and definitely not peoples houses.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/chroniclesyrianuprising/sets/72157631095974460/
Keep cheering this criminal thuggery, and blame the opposition for it. For it was an opposition 3ar3ouri that actually flew the plane and strafed Syrians in their homes…
August 16th, 2012, 9:31 am
Syrialover said:
When Syria has a legitimate government, one thing that can be put in the history books as an illustration of how evil and debased the Assad regime was, is a picture of Bouthaina Shabaan and a sample of her disgusting lies over the years.
Dr B.S. apparently started her “career” as a translater for Hafez Assad, so she has been part of the Big Lie game longer than most Syrians have been alive.
It is one more tragedy and gigantic insult to the people of Syria that this scary and hideous creature has strutted the world as an illegitimate representative of their country.
The world will be told that Syrians have arrested her as a war criminal witch and she was never authorized to speak for them.
August 16th, 2012, 9:34 am
Syrialover said:
[Administrator – I have posted this several times, but it hasn’t appeared]
I don’t like to see Mjabali chased off here.
Why? Because outside these current debates he has made comments like this which I appreciate:
https://joshualandis.com/blog/?p=15378&cp=all#comment-318372
August 16th, 2012, 9:47 am
Syrialover said:
There IS some moderation going on here.
When I have posted something in the last couple of hours in support of Mjabali’s earlier contributions to this forum it doesn’t appear.
August 16th, 2012, 9:51 am
VISITOR said:
The US confirms based on information from reliable sources that at least some of the 48 Iranian prisoners are members of the Revolutionary Guards,
http://www.aljazeera.net/news/pages/d45d5326-1e1a-4a6a-8d87-960f37534928?GoogleStatID=9
I said when they were arrested by the FSA that some of these Iranians are RG’s and the rest are Bassij (people militia). I would still maintain that besides the RG members, or the rahbars (emirs) the remaining abductees are indeed Bassij. And they were on a military mission in Syria and are in fact not so-called pilgrims, even though they may have visited the shrine as a side show.
August 16th, 2012, 9:54 am
Syrialover said:
Waiting… waiting … for the loyalists to say something defensive and distracting about the coarse-voiced Dr B.S.
No? Nothing? Too ugly and embarrasing even for them?
August 16th, 2012, 10:05 am
zoo said:
A Premiere: Turkey admits that their citizens are perpetrating massacre in Aleppo under a Jordanian commander.
http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/turkish-citizen-killed-in-clashes-in-aleppo.aspx?pageID=238&nID=27923&NewsCatID=359
Turkish citizen killed in clashes in Aleppo
Metin Ekinci’s ID, as well as footage of his funeral, was shown on the channel. Ekinci was one of 23 people killed during combat between regime forces and rebels.
Ekinci’s group, led by a Jordanian commander, was allegedly responsible for a recent massacre in the city of al-Bab.
August 16th, 2012, 10:18 am
zoo said:
Turkey starts to pay the price of its ill-fated policy in Syria
First hostage to die will be the Turk: Lebanese clan
http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/first-hostage-to-die-will-be-the-turk-lebanese-clan-.aspx?pageID=238&nID=27951&NewsCatID=359
A Lebanese clan that has captured a group of Syrian men, including one Turkish national, has threatened to kill Turkish Ayd?n Tufan Tekin if any harm comes to their family member kidnapped in Syria, according to Lebanese newspaper Daily Star.
“If they kill Hasan, the first one we kill will be Ayd?n Tufan Tekin,” a member of the Meqdad clan told the paper.
August 16th, 2012, 10:20 am
Syrialover said:
And so it continues, the hallucinatory nightmare.
Syria: Aleppo hospital hit by army rocket attack
“Fighter jet attacks on a hospital twice in three days indicate that this was no accident,” said Ole Solvang, emergencies researcher at Human Rights Watch.
Human Rights Watch said it saw no signs of opposition military activity in or around the hospital building, which is an established medical facility and clearly marked with a red crescent emblem on the front.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/middleeast/syria/9478353/Syria-Aleppo-hospital-hit-by-army-rocket-attack.html
August 16th, 2012, 10:24 am
zoo said:
Who were these “Syrians’, civilians or militants?
15 Syrians die in Turkish hospitals after air strike
Thursday,August 16 2012,
ANKARA – Agence France-Presse
About 15 Syrians have died in Turkish hospitals of their wounds from an air strike after 100 were sent across the border for treatment following the attack, a Turkish official said Thursday.
……
The number of Syrians crossing into Turkey has dramatically increased since the Syrian army ramped up its offensive against rebels in cities close to the Turkish border, particularly around Aleppo.
Turkey is sheltering around 62,000 refugees in camps in the south of the country and also providing sanctuary to Syrian military defectors in a separate camp near the border, where security is tighter.
August 16th, 2012, 10:25 am
ann said:
270. zoo said:
A Premiere: Turkey admits that their citizens are perpetrating massacre in Aleppo under a Jordanian commander.
http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/turkish-citizen-killed-in-clashes-in-aleppo.aspx?pageID=238&nID=27923&NewsCatID=359
Great news catch ZOO! Thank you!
.
August 16th, 2012, 10:32 am
ann said:
Chinese FM meets Syrian president’s special envoy – 2012-08-16
China urges the Syrian government and parties concerned to implement UN Security Council resolutions, Annan’s six-point proposal and the Geneva communique agreed by the Action Group meeting of major world powers on June 30, immediately cease fire, stop violence and launch political dialogue, the foreign minister said.
He said China calls on the Syrian government and the opposition to start dialogue at an early date, initiate and push forward a political process led by the Syrian people so as to bring the nation out of its difficulties.
The international community and other parties involved need to play a positive role on the issue, according to Yang. The Syrian government must take substantial measures to meet the reasonable needs of the Syrian people to seek reform and safeguard their own interests, he added.
China hopes the Syrian government and the opposition coordinate with the international mediation efforts, Yang said.
He also briefed Shaaban on contact between China and the opposition groups in Syria and those dialogues’ mediation efforts, as well as China’s humanitarian assistance to Syrian refugees.
Shaaban introduced the current situation in Syria. She said Syria’s government will coordinate with international mediation efforts, and is ready to work with relevant parties to seek ways to make the government forces and the opposition forces stop violence at the same time.
She said the Syrian government is willing to launch an inclusive dialogue with the opposition so as to promote a Syria-led political process and restore security and stability in the country.
[…]
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/china/2012-08/16/c_131790333.htm
August 16th, 2012, 10:41 am
Syrialover said:
How interesting.
“Ann” who has nothing to do with Syria and likes to push US election material here, rushes to put more cut paste material about the Dr B.S. trip to Beijing.
Where will “Ann” go for internet sport when the Syrian crisis is over?
August 16th, 2012, 10:48 am
VISITOR said:
258 ANNIE said,
“Revolutionaries warn they will ask for help from Al Qaida since no one is helping them. I can understand”
I cannot agree more.
In fact, Western governments, media and other non-Western governments and media should stop the hypocrisy of complaining and whining about the Syrian Revolution getting infiltrated by so-called Islamists or Jihadists. Having chosen to be mere spectators in the unfolding saga, they have lost any moral higher ground to judge who should step in to fill the void. They simply abandoned their role and thus they cannot be judges in this case.
In fact, it will be a shame on any capable Muslim anywhere in the world to just sit down and watch the carnage committed against his or her brothers or sisters in Syria by the thugs of the criminal Nazi-like thugs occupying Damascus and their Iranian and Hizzies mercenaries and do nothing about it. If he/she can travel and fight then by all means he/she should go for it. If he/she can support the FSA with money or arms then that is his/her Religious duty to fulfil.
There are no hold bars left any longer in this ugly carnage instigated by the Nazi-like thugs occupying Damascus and our lovely Syria.
August 16th, 2012, 10:55 am
ann said:
277. VISITOR said:
258 ANNIE said,
“Revolutionaries warn they will ask for help from Al Qaida since no one is helping them. I can understand”
I cannot agree more.
.
.
You cannot agree more!!!!
You are cheering Al Qaida as if they did not attack us on 9/11!!!
Lucky for both of you Homeland Security is not monitoring this board!
.
August 16th, 2012, 11:12 am
VISITOR said:
278 Ann
GO TO HELL… YOU TERRORRIST INSTIGATOR AND APPLAUDER OF THE KILLING OF SYRIANS AS YOU HAVE DONE SO MANY TIMES ON THIS SAME BOARD.
YOU DO NOT BELONG HERE.
WHO CARES ABOUT YOUR STUPID 911 ANYMORE?
August 16th, 2012, 11:23 am
VISITOR said:
THIS IS WHAT THIS TERRORIST RACIST INTRUDER ON THIS BOARD IS APPLAUDING ON A BOARD MEANT FOR DISCUSSING FIRST AND FOREMOST SYRIAN AFFAIRS,
http://www.alarabiya.net/articles/2012/08/16/232628.html
GO TO HELL ONCE AGAIN YOU AND YOUR 911. YOU DO NOT BELONG HERE.
August 16th, 2012, 11:32 am
irritated said:
Visitor
As you use angrily uppercase letters and threaten commenters, you seem to be on the verge of a nervous breakdown.
Follow Taras’s advice, take a double dose of the pill.
Rough time is ahead for you and your islamists friends.
August 16th, 2012, 11:35 am
ann said:
Is Al-qaeda our friend madam secretary Clinton?!!!
Syria rebels warn they will turn to Al-Qaeda if West fails them – 16 August, 2012
The US spy chief has admitted Al-Qaeda might be behind recent suicide bombings in Syria.
The Director of National Intelligence James Clapper, while testifying before the Senate Armed Services, has acknowledged that blasts in Syrian cities since last December “had all the earmarks of an Al-Qaeda-like attack”.
“We believe Al-Qaeda in Iraq is extending its reach into Syria,” Clapper told the Senate.
The Iraqi government confirmed ealier that Al Qaeda has been crossing from Iraq into Syria to carry out attacks on government forces.
At the beginning of the Syrian internal conflict the rebels relied primarily on small arms but over the months they have become increasingly more sophisticated in bomb-making.
Wednesday’s bombing in Damascus, meters from the UN mission headquarters, put the international jihadists into the media spotlight. Syrian rebels have openly admitted they were behind the attack, but the extensive use of explosives they have been using lately might point at more experienced jihadists from other countries, probably Iraq, where they mastered their terror tactics and bomb-making skills on civilians and US soldiers.
In the Free Syrian Army there are entire brigades that are being armed, paid and commanded by the Libyan Islamic Fighting Group (LIFG), an organization considered an Al Qaeda affiliate by the UN. The US State Department and the UK Home Office both regard it as a terrorist organization as well.
So the rebels demand more arms and more western support. Theoretically, they might be satisfied with establishing a no-fly zone over Syria. That would enable them to repeat the Libyan scenario, where special forces from various countries were doing the job of ousting Muammar Gaddafi while local rebels were starring on western media as “true victors over an evil regime”.
But since the US leadership remains ponderous over how to introduce a no-fly zone over Syria as America is engrossed in the presidential campaign, the Syrian rebels’ feelings have been seriously hurt.
“We don’t want Al-Qaeda here, but if nobody else helps us, we will make an alliance with them,” suggests Abu Ammar, a rebel commander in the city of Aleppo.
“And you can bet if Al-Qaeda comes here, they will brainwash the people,” Ammar told AFP. “If Al-Qaeda enters Aleppo, the city will become their base within three months.”
[…]
http://rt.com/news/syria-al-qaeda-exlposives-insurgents-801/print/
August 16th, 2012, 11:39 am
SANDRO LOEWE said:
280. VISITOR
My support and agreement with this comment. There are things that are unacceptable. Life is sacred. Even more than any idolatry, God or ideology. Anyone who does not respect it should disappear from planet earth.
Assad committed first crimes. Those who deny it are simply intelectual criminals. Should be punished too.
We need to help him to commit suicide as he did with Ghazi Kanaan.
August 16th, 2012, 11:52 am
Akbar Palace said:
Tell Russia and China to “F Off” NewZ
Visitor,
I agree with you 100%.
The West and the US can’t complain about al-Queda, if they aren’t willing to lift a finger to help people seeking freedom.
The Syrian people are on their own, and they don’t have the resources and the weapons that the Baathist regime has at its disposal.
If I were leading the US, I would have treated Syria the same way we treated Libya. I guess Obama’s words about saving Libyan lives doesn’t apply to Syrian lives. What a jerk.
August 16th, 2012, 12:12 pm
PATRIOT said:
Ann,
I am going to take a few minutes off from work, with the sole purpose of bashing you on this forum.
First off ANN, please, please go to hell.
It is becoming clearer and clearer to me after each post you make that you are just some dumb American house wife (not all American housewives are dumb, many are intelligent, but Ann is a dumb one) who has nothing better to do with her time, and who stumbled across Joshua Landis’ blog and decided to deface it with useless SH*T. I feel like you are one of those ignorant Americans who is so bothered by the word “terrorism” that it completely blinds you from any reality or truth (the last post about 9/11 proves it). You, as an American who clearly has no understanding of the Syrian Revolution nor the Syrian people, should be banned from this site. All you are doing is pissing people off and distracting us from fruitful debate. If we want to read Assad’s bullsh*t propoganda, we can just go to the RT or SANA website and read it ourselves; you don’t need you to spam it on our walls. You are more than welcome to actually post something of your own words on this site, so you can actually show us that you are qualified to have an intellectual discussion with all of us. If not, then please, buzz off, and go rot in a ditch somewhere. Or even better, please go drive your GMC Suburban XL off a bridge and do us all a favor.
I have much meaner things to say to you, but I will refrain from saying them, because I may get banned even though we do not have a mod.
August 16th, 2012, 12:16 pm
ghufran said:
??? ???????? ??????? ?? ???? ????? ?? ??????? ??? ????? ???? ????????? ?? ????? “
August 16th, 2012, 12:16 pm
Observer said:
I did receive an e mail with the names of pilots bombing the population.
However I have no way to verify the veracity of the names and the phone numbers and I have no way of knowing even if the list is true.
I am in principle against violence but I am not a pacifist for I do believe that there are instances where evil needs to be defeated and stopped.
Therefore it would be irresponsible for me to share this e mail with anyone. I do wish with every fiber of my being that violence stops and the regime is uprooted by peaceful means if possible and by arms if necessary which seems to be the case.
This is the arsonist regime par excellence. It will even kill its own children to stay in power.
August 16th, 2012, 12:19 pm
irritated said:
Panetta- Miss Piggy dialog recorded offline
Panetta: Mis Piggy, why have you encouraged the Syrian rebels to take arms. Now they are reproaching us not to supply them with weapons?
Miss Piggy: Because master Obama said that Bashar Al Assad lost his legitimacy 8 months ago and that she should go. But Bashar is stronger than we originally thought and he does not want to go. Now Master Obama does not want to be humiliated just before the elections. So we must do ‘intensive thinking’ with Sultan Erdogan and his mousy Vizir to help deliver more weapons to the rebels.
Panetta: Miss Piggy, I know you are a star and your smile and hair cut are admired in the whole free world, but the CIA sitting on the Turkish borders, filtering the delivery of weapons, confirm to us that Al Qaeeda islamists extremists are making use of these weapons for their own agenda
Miss Piggy: Oh, dear, I forgot about those, I have been reading Syria Comment and there are very convincing posts who affirm that there are no Al Qaeeda in Syria and that 9/11 is an old history.
Panetta : Miss Piggy, you know what will happen if Al Qaaeda settles in Syria?
Miss Piggy: No what? Will they kill of the Syrian christians?
Panetta; Who cares about those… They will attack Israel
Mis Piggy: oh My God.. them master Obama will be in real trouble and may loose the elections.
Panetta: And you will have to go back to Bill and finish your globetrotting.
Miss Piggy: Oh, please no.. not that. I’ll do whatever you say but don’t threaten me to go back to my husband. Since that Monica, our intimate life has been a disaster. Thank God I meet interesting men while globetrotting. Don’t take that away from me, please
Panetta: So, continue your globetrotting, continue smiling but please shut up.
August 16th, 2012, 12:23 pm
irritated said:
#289 Observer
Oh, I see, you don’t trust your buddy Antoine?
However I have no way to verify the veracity of the names and the phone numbers and I have no way of knowing even if the list is true.
August 16th, 2012, 12:24 pm
irritated said:
AP
What’s your recommendation to the rebels now that you agree that they are ‘isolated’ and about to be annihilated?
Continue to fight, declare defeat, negotiate a truce? any other idea?
August 16th, 2012, 12:27 pm
Hamoudeh al-Halabi said:
Statements from the Scholars of Homs
http://freehalab.wordpress.com/2012/08/16/statements-from-the-scholars-of-homs/
August 16th, 2012, 12:38 pm
ann said:
288. irritated said:
Continue to fight, declare defeat, negotiate a truce? any other idea?
.
.
Go to Paradise!
.
August 16th, 2012, 12:38 pm
Akbar Palace said:
Irritated,
The Syrian were ALWAYS isolated. They were isolated because their self-appointed leader was “resisting” for 40 unproductive years, and they’re isolated today because the ME is made up of a group of selfish Kings and tyrants.
My only advice to anyone facing death is to do whatever they can to stay alive.
If they live, they can fight another day so they can eventually speak freely and vote for their own leaders.
August 16th, 2012, 12:42 pm
VISITOR said:
291 AP,
This delusional IRRITABLE menhbekji thinks that by killing children, women and the elderly his thugs in Damascus are winning the war, when in fact the only parts of Syria they have control over are the footprints of the remaining tanks that they can count on the loyalties of the operators of those tank.
He is typical delusional, halucinating, day dreamer, strict believer in the supremacy of his god-idiot-so-called-prethident.
If he hears any bad news from his perspective, like killing of some high commander, or a high profile defection, you will see him cowering down like a cowardly cat.
The Free Syrians are determined to win this fight no matter what it takes. Slavery IS SIMPLY NOT AN OPTION.
——————————–
Finally the UN threw the towel declaring its failure,
http://www.alarabiya.net/articles/2012/08/16/232565.html
August 16th, 2012, 1:07 pm
William Scott Scherk said:
@ 200. mjabali said:
Let’s break this down into its ugly components. The hypocrisy of Tara is alleged.
Mjabali believes she was moderator at Syria Comment. What if she was? What if she had been chosen by Joshua Landis to moderate his blog? All moderators are chosen, even cajoled or pleaded with by Joshua Landis. Moderators try to serve the greater aim of the professor, and more general aims of discourse.
I was chosen as moderator, asked to do the job. If Tara had been chosen by Landis to do the job, you have an argument with Landis, Mjabali, not with Tara.
I was outed as Moderator, on Facebook, by Alex, and I resigned. In effect, you are trying to out and shame a presumed moderator here, now. Why would you do this? Is there some kind of victory for you? Because if you are one of the Complainers Landis noted in removing all moderation for his experiment, then you have won.
Which hypocrisy should we examine Tara for? If I read your murky allusions correctly it would pertain to Tara’s finding no Iranian/Persian attractive. This is plain old racist muck, to your mind. I agree. Tara should know that this kind of talk is rank and inappropriate.
On to the next item:
Your boy Amjad. This is the kind of ugly personalized form of argument that I would put in the trash. This is not useful talk. It is suffused with contempt and guilt-by-association. It is street-talk.
The Alawite boiled in urine is debunked, Mjabali. Tara is right to demand you acknowledge your invention. I was chosen as a moderator because I read closely. I was there, your quote is a falsification, and your repetition of it is a lie. It does your argument no good to lash out.
Did you forget that, ya manifiqah?
The language of hate and lies and extremist rhetoriic. Against Tara who (despite the stupid slur on Persians) is the only well of empathy in Comments right now.
Similarly I must express my disgust with Visitor’s sectarian hate language.
Listen to yourselves, gentlemen. Listen to the incitement in your voices.
The President won’t talk. The Government reads its lines. SANA etcetera disregard items like the bombing deaths yesterday. Bouthaina Shaaban has f**k all to say about the atrocity of a government crushing a community in a non-combatant area.
There was a ceasefire in that village, until it was smashed by repeated air attack. No warning. No provocation.
This is the total war that the now-silent President promised. He is not in control. The arms of the Syrian Arab Army are not in any person’s control. No one talks from the SAA. It is rogue. No one can tame it. No one can obtain even a pause in bombing for humanitarian access. The Syria state, such as it is at the moment, is cruel indeed.
Bombs from warplanes are the only talk that the northern village has heard from its protector.
Why, Mjabali, Visitor, other hatemongers having a field day, why? Why do you increase the incitement?
Look in your hearts, Syrians. How much more hate can you manage before you peak? How much more death from the sky will be enough before you have won your war?
August 16th, 2012, 1:13 pm
irritated said:
#293 AP
My only advice to anyone facing death is to do whatever they can to stay alive.
If they live, they can fight another day so they can eventually speak freely and vote for their own leaders.
For once I agree with you… but what do you suggest they do practically? Accept to dialog with the government? Call for a truce ?
Any other ideas?
August 16th, 2012, 1:21 pm
zoo said:
Arrogance and selfishness are the trademark of the rich Sunni oil countries.
One wonders where they found that in the Holy Koran.
Syria lashes out at Muslim states after suspension
AFP – 35 mins ago
http://news.yahoo.com/syria-lashes-muslim-states-suspension-165131087.html
Syrian Foreign Minster Walid Muallem accused fellow Muslim nations Thursday of being behind the bloodshed in his country after the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation suspended Damascus.
He also accused Arab states of failing to give even one dollar to help the humanitarian situation in Syria after 17 months of conflict that has claimed thousands of lives and sent many thousands more fleeing.
“The Arab League and the OIC are not content to suspend Syria but have hatched a plot against us and must take responsibility for the bloodletting,” Muallem said in extracts of an interview to state television.
He also protested to visiting UN humanitarian chief Valerie Amos that Syria had not received any aid money from Arab states.
“I told Mrs Amos that they have money to support men with arms and to destroy houses and infrastructure and displace people but they haven’t paid one dollar to help those people or to rebuild what the insurgents have destroyed,” he said.
August 16th, 2012, 1:31 pm
zoo said:
Still waiting for an independent source (non-Gulf media) confirmation.
What’s the name of the ‘cousin’ of Farouk Al Sharaa who defected?
Assad’s feared brother lost leg in bomb attack: sources
Reuters
http://news.yahoo.com/lebanon-kidnap-sparks-fears-syria-spillover-110920351.html
“We heard that he (Maher al-Assad) lost one of his legs during the explosion, but don’t know any more,” a Western diplomat told Reuters.
A Gulf source confirmed the report: “He lost one of his legs. The news is true.”
………………
Later, Al-Arabiya television reported that a cousin of Syrian Vice President Farouk al-Shara had defected and was calling on members of the Syrian army to join the “revolution”.
August 16th, 2012, 1:37 pm
SANDRO LOEWE said:
Antoine,
I do not think to be a good idea putting more lifes in danger, specially women and children, even if they are near to death pilots of the Assad Air Milicias.
Instead I suggest to bank a data bank where people can inform about all corrupt officials of the state as well as about all those “bussinessmen” who made secret or public agreements with the ruling class in order to beneffit from all kind of excemptions, permissions, fiscal freedom, help from security services to destroy competitors.
I know some of them and I would offer all the information I have to them. Some of them have flighted to US, some to Europe. But If a new regime could prove links and corruption then could be extradited.
August 16th, 2012, 1:40 pm
VISITOR said:
292 WSS,
I stand by all my comments that they contain no sectarian or hate mongering whatsoever. I was simply responding to hate mongers and avowed sectarians. You cannot avoid speaking in sectarian terms while dealing with such bunch.
saying what you said is your opinion and yours only. Let’s be clear on this.
But, I wouldn’t mind you as moderator if that is what you are hoping for.
You will probably have a hard time with me unless you ban me.
August 16th, 2012, 1:42 pm
zoo said:
Well, instead of shouting, urging and pressing for a ‘quick solution’, do something, Mr Hollande! Send your soldiers! Go yourself!
French FM urges exit of Syria’s ‘butchering’ Assad
Associated Press – 1 hr 52 mins ago
http://news.yahoo.com/french-fm-urges-exit-syrias-butchering-assad-111804625.html
ZAATARI, Jordan (AP) — France’s foreign minister has called for a “quick political transition” in Syria, saying any new government must respect its various minorities.
Laurent Fabius said President Bashar Assad was “butchering his own people and the sooner he goes the better.”
August 16th, 2012, 1:51 pm
zoo said:
The Yoyos continue on the same boring song: Yes we want, No we don’t want to attack Iran
Peres says Israel can’t go it alone in Iran, trusts Obama
http://news.yahoo.com/israels-barak-says-iran-attack-decision-still-pending-131326116.html
JERUSALEM (Reuters) – Israeli President Shimon Peres on Thursday came out against any go-it-alone Israeli attack on Iran, saying he trusted U.S. President Barack Obama’s pledge to prevent Tehran from producing nuclear weapons.
August 16th, 2012, 1:54 pm
Akbar Palace said:
For once I agree with you… ?
Irritated,
It’s about time!;)
…but what do you suggest they do practically Accept to dialog with the government? Call for a truce? Any other ideas?
I really don’t know, nor would I want to tell people who are fighting for their life what to do.
Both sides are terribly bloodied and I don’t see how they can go back to where they were. This seems to be a fight to the finish. Assad is on the ropes, but so are the opposition.
I’m hoping freedom wins. If there is any way to donate in the Washington DC area, I’ll bring a cart-load of whatever they need.
August 16th, 2012, 2:07 pm
bronco said:
The new propaganda mantra: The rebels are loosing because of the presence of Iran Revolutionary Guards in Syria.
A new propaganda campaign using Iran’s bad public image to demonize further the Syrian Army is the response to the spreading western news that Al Qaeeda is actively helping the opposition.
News and rumors are popping up daily of the presence of the Iranians revolutionary guards in Syria.
Obviously the Western community is running out of political and military weapons while the Syrian Army is retaking all the villages and towns in the North that were part of the 70% claimed by Ryad Hijab and where a no-fly zone was in the making. It is probably now reduced to 10% and soon much less.
The media hysteria at spreading rumors is a good mirror of the frustration and impotence of the enemies of Syria.
August 16th, 2012, 2:09 pm
irritated said:
#300 AP
As we read there is zero humanitarian help coming from the OIC, an organization supposedly caring about Moslems Worldwide. A shameful observation.
I know that many Syrian expats have been sending money to buy weapons to help the rebels, I wonder how many Syrians are sending money to the Red Crescent to help the refugees.
August 16th, 2012, 2:17 pm
Visitor said:
Farouq el-Sharaa’s cousin formally declares his defection and joining the revolution and more confirmations from newer sources of Maher losing his legs,
http://www.alarabiya.net/articles/2012/08/15/232412.html
August 16th, 2012, 2:44 pm
Hamoudeh al-Halabi said:
Qadi `Askar, Aleppo City: Another Sickening Massacre
http://freehalab.wordpress.com/2012/08/16/qadi-askar-aleppo-city-another-sickening-massacre/
Another day, another 200 people killed by Assad. Of those, about 40 people were killed in what is yet another sickening massacre which took place today in Qadi `Askari, Aleppo city. People have so far been massacred in funerals, in demonstrations, in their homes. This time, all the martyrs of Qadi `Askari did was stand in line for bread as they were hit by another bombardment in the city.
August 16th, 2012, 2:53 pm
SANDRO LOEWE said:
Maher Al Assad lost one leg and maybe part of the other.
Assad has lost confidence in all sunni politicians.
Assad has lost Assef Shawkat.
Assad has lost Maher’s wildness. Sure this guy is now thinking about what an injuried feels.
Assad is ready to resign but does not know how. Iran will not allow him to resign. Hezballah will kill him if he tries to.
August 16th, 2012, 2:58 pm
jna said:
Will try to turn italics off.
Did it work?
August 16th, 2012, 3:22 pm
ANWAR said:
The puppets on here clearly don’t understand guerrilla warfare. The goal is not to win but just to make enemy bleed.
Assad will sooner or later run out of blood. The earlier you get this concept through your thick skulls the better you will be able to cope with the severe depression and suicidal thoughts you will inevitably develop following his fall.
August 16th, 2012, 3:24 pm
Syrian Natonalist Party said:
—Maher Al Assad lost one leg and maybe part of the other.—
Neither, someone else did, mixed sig intel.
—Assad has lost confidence in all sunni politicians.—
Neither him nor his father had any confidence in them. a front.
—Assad has lost Assef Shawkat. —
Sure did, Typical Baathist negligence, no change here, never will.
—Assad has lost Maher’s wildness. Sure this guy is now thinking about what an injuried feels. —
What wildness? he did not even close embassy in hostile countries.
—Assad is ready to resign but does not know how. Iran will not allow him to resign. Hezballah will kill him if he tries to.—-
Assad never wanted the job, he has no qualification, it was imposed on him. Made possible by Khaddam and Tlass.
HAND OVER ALL POWERS TO SSNPS/SSNP. WE CAN TAKE CARE OF IT NOW, BEFORE IT IS TOO LATE.
August 16th, 2012, 3:28 pm
SANDRO LOEWE said:
I hope all those who support Assad (for fear of losing what they reached through corruption) feel the pressure and lastly lose some of their properties to the favour of the people of Syria.
At the end it is all about ambition and greed. If it was not for the properties and bussiness they got through this dictatorial corrupted regime NOBODY would defend it.
August 16th, 2012, 3:31 pm
Aldendeshe said:
At the end it is all about ambition and greed.
__________________________________________________________________
No. It was about the alternative offered. It was not acceptable to the majority of Syrians.
August 16th, 2012, 3:40 pm
VISITOR said:
IS JNA now moderating this blog?
See # 306.
He is not acceptable at least to me, and I an sure many others would agree.
He is too pro regime and therefore biased. And he is also commenting.
If so, then Dr. Landis’ experiment has turned from ridiculous to ludicrous!!!
August 16th, 2012, 3:48 pm
zoo said:
Another victory for the rebels: They captured Iranian baby drones painted yellow and pink that were “spying on moslems”
http://www.wired.com/dangerroom/2012/08/syria-iran-drones/
August 16th, 2012, 3:50 pm
Majed97 said:
The Push to Ignite a Turkish Civil War Through a Syrian Quagmire
by Mahdi Darius Nazemroaya
Turkey itself is a major target for destabilization, upheaval, and finally balkanization through its participation in the US-led siege against Syria. Ankara has burned its bridges in Syria for the sake of its failing neo-Ottoman regional policy. The Turkish government has actively pursued regime change, spied on Syria for NATO and Israel, violated Syrian sovereignty, supported acts of terrorism and lawlessness, and provided logistical support for the insurgency inside Syria.
If the Syrian state collapses, neighbouring Turkey will be the biggest loser. Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his government are foolishly aligning Turkey for disaster. Aside from Ankara’s historically bad relations with Armenia, Erdogan has managed to singlehandedly alienate Russia and three of Turkey’s most important neighbours. This has damaged the Turkish economy and disrupted the flow of Turkish goods. There have been clamp downs on activists too in connection with Turkey’s policy against Damascus. The freedom of the Turkish media has been affected as well; Erdogan has moved forward with legislation to restrict media freedoms. Prime Minister Erdogan and Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu have even both attacked “reporters who quoted President Assad’s statements in Cumhuriyet, accusing them of treason, because they had questioned the official Turkish account of the Turkish jet shot down by in [sic.] Syria [for spying].”
Despite all the patriotic speeches being made by the Turkish government to rally the Turkish people against Syria, Turkey is a much divided nation over Erdogan’s hostilities with Damascus. A significant portion of the Grand National Assembly of Turkey or Turkish Meclis and Turkey’s opposition parties have all condemned Erdogan for misleading the Turkish people and stirring their country towards disaster. There is also growing resentment amongst the citizens of Turkey about Erdogan’s cooperation with the US, NATO, Israel, and the Arab dictatorships – like Qatar and Saudi Arabia – against the Syrians and others. The majority of Turkish citizens oppose Turkish ties to Israel, the hosting of NATO facilities in Turkey, the missile shield project, and cooperation with the US in the Middle East.
The mobilization of the Turkish military on the Syrian border as a show of force is a psychological tactic to scare the Syrian regime. Any large-scale military operations against the Syrians would be very dangerous for Turkey and could fragment the Turkish Armed Forces. Segments of the Turkish military are at odds with the Turkish government and the military itself is divided over Turkish foreign policy. Erdogan does not even trust half of Turkey’s own military leaders and has arrested forty of them for planning to overthrow him. How can he send such a force to even attack neighbouring Syria or think that he can control it during a broader war?
While Turkey is trumpeting that it will not allow Kurdish militias to establish bases in northern Syria, the Turkish government is actually facilitating this itself. There is a real risk of “blowback” from Syria for Turkey. Like Syria, Turkey is a kaleidoscope of various peoples and faiths. The people of Turkey are held together by the primacy of the Turkish language and a shared citizenship. Turkey’s minorities constitute at the very minimum one-third of the country. A significant proportion of Turkey’s minority communities have ties to Syria, Iraq, or Iran.
The Kurds and other similar Iranic peoples alone form about 25% of Turkey’s population, which means one out of four Turkish citizens are of Kurdish and Iranic stock. Other ethnic minorities include Arabs, Armenians, Assyrians, Azerbaijanis, Bulgarians, and Greeks. No exact figures have ever been available about Turkey’s Shiite Muslims, because of the historical persecution and restrictions on Shia Muslims in Turkey from Ottoman times. Anywhere from 20% to 30% or more of the Turkish population may be categorized as Shiite Muslims, which includes Alevis, Alawites, and Twelvers. Turkey also has a small Christian minority, some of which have historic or organizational ties to Syria like Turkey’s Alawites and ethnic Arabs. Turkey will be consumed too, one way or another, should a broader sectarian conflict spread from Syria and should the Syrians be violently divided along sectarian fault lines.
http://www.globalresearch.ca/index.php?context=va&aid=32350
August 16th, 2012, 3:51 pm
mjabali said:
Syria ex pat said:
“The Sunnis believe that the text is just what the words are.”
The person who said this is ignorant to say the least. Given that he claims to know what he’s talking about makes him a lost case. ”
Syria ex pat it is obvious that your education is poor. Why don’t you come up with a real answer regarding the rigidity of the Sunnis and the text.
Dude, for real, all I read from you is emotional crap. Still you want to stick your nose into something you are not up to.
The text and its interpretation was a major problem for rulers and clergy in Islam. Some championed the different interpretations of the text, while others did champion the rigid form of looking at the text.
The Shia came with a very dynamic way to interpret texts. The Sunnis (al-Ghazzali and co.) did not. They said that the text is what it is.
I am not going to give you more info because I think you and Visitor can not handle that.
When you come up with informed answers wake me up…
August 16th, 2012, 3:56 pm
SANDRO LOEWE said:
310. Aldendeshe
Sorry, but I am refering to the mistery of the hard supporters of Assad. I am asolutely sure it is all about ambition and greed.
I know I syrian who had a company in secret partnership with Assef Shawkat. The day after Shawkat was killed he closed and fled to US.
August 16th, 2012, 3:57 pm
zoo said:
Algeria’s Brahimi agrees to be Syria mediator – sources
By Louis Charbonneau | Reuters – 39 mins ago
http://news.yahoo.com/exclusive-algerias-brahimi-agrees-syria-mediator-sources-184436386.html?_esi=1
Syria had only accepted Annan as a U.N. representative of the United Nations, not the Arab League, which suspended Syria’s membership due to the escalating violence between forces loyal to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and rebels determined to oust him.
Brahimi, a veteran U.N. troubleshooter, has demanded “strong support” from the Security Council for efforts to secure a negotiated peace, envoys said.
A source familiar with the situation said that if Brahimi took the job as the new U.N.-Arab League mediator, he would not continue with Annan’s “failed approach” to the conflict but would seek a fresh strategy.
August 16th, 2012, 4:02 pm
mjabali said:
Sandro Low said:
“MJABALI,
I have been reading some comments and I got to the conclusion that you are a superior entity. How can you insult other SC members in this way? You the alawites, are the chosen people of God. And will be given the Promised Land, Al Qardaha. Assad is showing his IQ as an alawite and is probing so good. Of course with your medium IQ you deserved to rule the whole world.”
Although I love dogs more than many on this blog:
?? ?? ??? ??? ?????? ????? ????? ????? ????? ??????
August 16th, 2012, 4:03 pm
mjabali said:
Antoine said:
“Mjabali why didn’t you join the Saraya al-Difaa ?
Do you have any relatives who served in the Saraya al-Difaa /
I am asking this seriously.”
Antoine the blood thirsty revenge seeking freak: Actually no I have no relative in Saraya al-Difa’.
AS for joining the Saraya al-Difa’ or any other army unit, I say that if you can read English you could tell that I am not into violence and blood like you.
Now, let me ask you this seriously: what country are you from?
August 16th, 2012, 4:10 pm
amal said:
What happened to our lebanese hate monger khalid tlass?!
Did he morph into this antoine?
August 16th, 2012, 4:11 pm
SANDRO LOEWE said:
MJABALI,
I prefer not to introduce the question of reincarnation of members of some syrian religions into animals, but sometimes I believe it is not far away from reality. Specially when we see how one “human” can defend the animal acts of state sponsored criminality all around Syria.
August 16th, 2012, 4:15 pm
mjabali said:
William Scott Scherk
You are another hypocrite on this blog. Do you think I trust you as a moderator?
One dude said he want to boil people in Urine and now all of you hypocrites pretend that he did not say it. Dude be real and do not beat around the bush: tell me did you read that or not? Or were you sleeping at that moment.
The moderator should be neutral and not someone with bias like you or Tara. This is a joke when we have your likes as moderators. I do not trust you especially in these violent times.
How do I know that you or Tara did not share my info with another party?
Is this a legit question or what?
The moderator should be neutral, is that too hard for you to understand.
Your friend Tara was playing a double game by being a moderator and a commentator at the same time. Don’t you see the contradiction here?
Dude: did you read the racist remarks Tara always made about the Iranians. So if I call her on one of them: you come to defend her. Dude, where do you live.
As for Amjad of Arabia: you know that Tara protected him from moderation with his extreme foul language. Do you read his comments or not? Where is your ethics then?
AS for street talk, please dude spare us this crap, my country Syria is burning. I care less about what you have to label my words.
When Tara call many labels you were asleep. When many dogs on this blog bark at me with their foul language and racist crap, you were asleep also. Wake up dude.
WE are here not to make friends as you could tell.
You claim that you “read closely:” I say to that is a straight out lie. Where were you when tens of commentators took turn attacking me with racist slurs?
Dude you are not a Syria: Syria now is on the verge of breaking up. So, if our language is tough, get the hell out of these discussions, it is obvious you do not have to stomach for it.
Stay out of our business you are biased.
August 16th, 2012, 4:34 pm
VISITOR said:
FSA is confirmed to possess STINGER missiles with Turkish/American approval. But apparently the quantities are still limited,
http://www.alarabiya.net/articles/2012/08/16/232653.html
We’ll have to postpone celebrations until we see more MIGS falling out of the sky.
August 16th, 2012, 4:34 pm
SANDRO LOEWE said:
322. VISITOR
It is good news for the Revolution. According to my sources high-tech weapons have been available only from the beginning of July.
It means that US has bet for Assad during 15 months, but probably after July things have changed 180 degrees. Even the 18th July op could be supported from outside. Will we ever know?
Milicias on the ground said that had these weapons been available last summer 2011, Assad would be today ousted and thousands of lives saved.
August 16th, 2012, 4:40 pm
SANDRO LOEWE said:
USA delayed 15 days to change sides from Mubarak to the Revolution.
It has delayed 15 months to accept reality that Assad no longer will serve them.
August 16th, 2012, 4:43 pm
VISITOR said:
323 SANDRO,
Of course.
But did you notice the elation of the menhebeks on this site at the news of the carnage and the killing of children, women and the elderly thinking that they can win the war by doing so?
How ridiculous and childish on their part? Knowing that, out of Syria, their idiot-prethident controls only the footprint of those remaining tanks with loyal operators in them.
They think they will break the will of the Syrians just by committing more massacres and more atrocities.
There is nothing that will break the resolve of the Free Syrians who will exterminate this abomination out of their history and keep it only as a memory for next generations as a lesson to learn from and avoid the pitfalls that led to it.
I also agree with you that they can have up to plan Z and still they would achieve nothing. Syria will remain whole whether they like it or not. Those who do not like it, they know what to do: Find somewhere else other than Syria where they can feel at home.
August 16th, 2012, 4:51 pm
ghufran said:
??? ?? ?? ??? ?? 25 ???? ?? ??????? ??????? ?? ????? ??????? ????? ?????? ?????? ??? ?????? ?? ????? ????? ??????? ??? ????? ??? ?????.
???? ?????? ?? ????? ????? ??? ??? 160 ?? ???? ??????? ????? ????? ????? ??????? ????? ?? ???????? ??? ???? ??????.
????? ????? ?? ?????? ??????????? ?? ?? ?? ?? ?? ????? ?????? ??? ?? ?????? ?????? ??? ????? ?? ????? ??????? ????? ????? ??? ??? ???? ??????.
??? ?????? ???????? ??? ?????? ??? ????? ????? ???? ?????? ??????? ??? ??? ?????? ???? ??????? ?? ???? ??? ?????.
????? ??? ?????? ??????????? ???? ????? ??? ?????????? ?? ????? ??????? ???? ???? ??????? ?? ??? 25 ? 30 ????? ????? ?? ??????.
???? ????? ???? ?????? ????? ??? ?? “?? ?? ??? ?? ???? ??? ????? ????? ????? ?????? ???? ?? ?????? ??????? ?? ??????? ?? ?????? ??????? ??? ??? ???? ?? ????? ???? ?????? ???? ?? ??????”.
some people keep denying the obvious,Muslim nations do not need external enemies,there is enough Muslim thugs and terrorists to keep every Muslim nation in an endless cycle of violence and blood shed, most Muslim countries are ruled by dictators and thugs in suits,and the vast majority of Muslims are oppressed and poor.
August 16th, 2012, 5:17 pm
ghufran said:
??? ?? ?? ??? ?? 25 ???? ?? ??????? ??????? ?? ????? ??????? ????? ?????? ?????? ??? ?????? ?? ????? ????? ??????? ??? ????? ??? ?????.
???? ?????? ?? ????? ????? ??? ??? 160 ?? ???? ??????? ????? ????? ????? ??????? ????? ?? ???????? ??? ???? ??????.
????? ????? ?? ?????? ??????????? ?? ?? ?? ?? ?? ????? ?????? ??? ?? ?????? ?????? ??? ????? ?? ????? ??????? ????? ????? ??? ??? ???? ??????.
??? ?????? ???????? ??? ?????? ??? ????? ????? ???? ?????? ??????? ??? ??? ?????? ???? ??????? ?? ???? ??? ?????.
????? ??? ?????? ??????????? ???? ????? ??? ?????????? ?? ????? ??????? ???? ???? ??????? ?? ??? 25 ? 30 ????? ????? ?? ??????.
???? ????? ???? ?????? ????? ??? ?? “?? ?? ??? ?? ???? ??? ????? ????? ????? ?????? ???? ?? ?????? ??????? ?? ??????? ?? ?????? ??????? ??? ??? ???? ?? ????? ???? ?????? ???? ?? ??????”.
some people keep denying the obvious,Muslim nations do not need external enemies,there is enough Muslim thugs and terrorists to keep every Muslim nation in an endless cycle of violence and blood shed, most Muslim countries are ruled by dictators and thugs in suits or Abayas,and the vast majority of Muslims are oppressed and poor.
August 16th, 2012, 5:19 pm
Syrialover said:
Dear MJABALI,
PLEASE go back to this type of comment, which I valued when you posted it here:
https://joshualandis.com/blog/?p=15378&cp=all#comment-318372
Theological and sectarian arguments are not important.
Instead, let’s focus on what we hope to contribute personally to helping rebuild our beloved Syria.
August 16th, 2012, 5:46 pm
VISITOR said:
al-Mu’allik (Walid) is so shameless and without any drop og honor in his veins that he is crude enough to attack the OIC and the AL accusing them of killing Syrians,
http://www.aljazeera.net/news/pages/aaa54d3d-f0eb-4e69-bf3f-ea03f5b5f698?GoogleStatID=1
While the MIGS of his idiot-prethident obliterates a whole town killing over 200 innocent kids, women and men of all ages (video embedded),
http://www.aljazeera.net/news/pages/845e1be1-c6c5-4eb5-bc62-fbab1f003595?GoogleStatID=1
August 16th, 2012, 5:50 pm
Observer said:
A commentator put this statement about the Mouallem declaration today on AJE
Here it is I think it befits him nicely
?? ?? ????? ??????? ????? ??????? ?????????? ?? ?? ???? ????? ??? ???? ?????? ??? ??? ???? ?? ????? ???? ???? ?????? ??? ??? ???? ???? ?? ????? ?????? ?????? ?????? ??????? ?????????????????? ?? ??? ??????? ! ???? ????? 180???? ???? ??????? ??? ??? ?????? ???????? ?? ????? ?????. ???? ?? ?? ???? ?????? ?????? ?? ?? ???? ?? ??????? ??????? ?? ???? ???? ???? ???? ?????? ?????. ???? ?? ???? ??? ?? ???????? ??? ?????? ????? ?? ??? ?????? ?? ?????? ???? ???? ?
?? ?? ??
Irritated, this is a public forum. Why would I post something I do not trust myself of its veracity and if I do post information that I do not have confirmation I simply state this.
I think that your fear of change is an important element in your position with regard to the events in Syria.
It is a home grown protest movement that has morphed into a regional bras de fer.
The regime has also used a false narrative in portraying the protest as Salafist and as Foreign. It is not. This is not the 80’s anymore.
Haidar apparently is to go to Moscow again and BS in China has gotten statements and cease fire declarations from the Chinese
The questions are
1. Did the Chinese give money and weapons
2. Will the Russians give money and weapons
3. Will both China and Russia allow for breaking of sanctions
Now there are rumors and these are rumors only that IRGC troops are now guarding the main points and government institutions in Damascus to prop up the regime forces.
Finally, there is the Mikdad clan in Lebanon declaring its own personal war and in this we see that there is no such thing as a Lebanese state or national identity or government.
Split up the stupid region and let each clan/sect/ethnicity/family/ declare its megalomaniac narrative of its unique importance and superiority.
MAJBALI for President of Alawi State of Syria No Kandahar.
Syrian Hamster for President of the Federated States of the Greater Middle East.
August 16th, 2012, 5:57 pm
Syrialover said:
Observer,
I am always uneasy at talk of sectarian breakup of Syria.
It would be a backward step to nowhere, just more loss and waste.
Again, I just re-read Altair in #17.
There’s the truth and a vision to focus on.
August 16th, 2012, 6:23 pm
VISITOR said:
330 SL,
You have a point.
OBSERVER’s comment is good until it started talking about federalism and breaking up. That’s not a solution or an option.
OBSEVER is too enchanted with the American system. That’s unrealistic in the Middle East. Look at Iraq. It is about to break-up even though it is supposed to be a federation.
August 16th, 2012, 6:34 pm
zoo said:
Welcome to the new UNMIS, ready to jump in when the rebels will call for a truce.
UN Security Council okays establishment of new civilian office in Damascus
2012-08-17
UNITED NATIONS, Aug. 16 (Xinhua) — The UN Security Council on Thursday said that it agrees to the establishment of a new civilian office in the Syrian capital Damascus to back the efforts of the UN and the Arab League to bring an early end to the 17- month crisis in Syria.
The French permanent representative to the United Nations, Gerad Araud, who holds the rotating Security Council presidency for August, made the announcement to reporters here after a two- hour closed-door meeting of the 15-nation UN body.
“I sent a letter to the secretary-general to tell him that we took note of his letter,” Araud said. “In fact, we agree to his proposal of creating a liaison office in Damascus.”
August 16th, 2012, 6:53 pm
zoo said:
“We need America to defend us”
Syrian rebels’ morale deflated by warplanes
Hugh Naylor
Aug 17, 2012
http://www.thenational.ae/news/world/middle-east/syrian-rebels-morale-deflated-by-warplanes
AZZAZ, SYRIA // Sheared-off apartment walls, homes reduced to rubble and bodies trapped under layers of concrete and twisted metal. The destruction from an air raid that killed more than 40 people is a stark reminder to the residents of this rebel-controlled city of the lethal advantage still held by Syria’s government.
The rebels are practically helpless against its warplanes.
Wednesday’s bombing proved, if nothing else, that the rebels face enormous challenges in holding any territory inside Syria.
Many now seem increasingly unsure of their ability to hold this city of 70,000 near the border with Turkey, which insurgents consider crucial to their bid to topple the regime of Syria’s president, Bashar Al Assad.
….
Rebel fighters from Syria’s north have complained for months that a lack of international support – primarily the provision of anti-aircraft weapons – has hampered their invasion of Aleppo launched last month.
While their assault on Syria’s largest city still seems in their favour, their inability to defend captured territory against warplane attacks may dampen the public’s confidence in them.
“We need America to defend us against Assad’s jets and gangs!” Radwan Ashawi, 52, an unemployed trader, said yesterday while standing amid the destroyed buildings in Azzaz.
August 16th, 2012, 7:00 pm
zoo said:
Syria’s fractious borders trouble its neighbours
National Editorial
Aug 12, 2012
http://www.thenational.ae/thenationalconversation/editorial/syrias-fractious-borders-trouble-its-neighbours
Thursday night’s shooting incident on the Syrian-Jordanian border is another ominous vindication of months of warnings: Syria’s tumult threatens the very stability of its neighbours.
Armoured vehicles and infantry were reportedly involved in the clash in the Tel Shihab-Turra area, 80 kilometres north of Amman. No casualties were reported, but tensions remain high. Unconfirmed reports suggest that this was just the latest in a series of skirmishes between Jordanian soldiers and Syrian regime forces.
The struggle within Syria had already sparked bloodier incidents at and near borders with Turkey and Lebanon. Last month, Syrian rebels seized control of border crossings into Iraq, in part to facilitate the flow of arms and men.
The mesh of interconnections – geographical, cultural, tribal and political – in the region is millennia old. Now, as Syria’s stability deteriorates, nearby countries cannot avoid becoming involved. The risk of regional conflict grows, with all of the attendant dangers.
August 16th, 2012, 7:02 pm
Syrialover said:
What I see in the outbursts here are people who love and care about Syria feeling deeply stressed, afraid, angry and helpless.
Instead, let’s switch to an antidote.
Let’s hear ideas and information on things that will help Syria heal and rebuild when this is over.
The time to focus on that is NOW.
Things we can potentially contribute to by promoting them, volunteering our skills, organizing or raising funds.
For example:
1. programs and organizations already at work on this
and 2. peoples’ ideas and thoughts on what Syrians will need to help them recover their lives, communities and country.
Try it. I find focusing on these things helps me feel a little less desperate and helpless.
August 16th, 2012, 7:02 pm
zoo said:
Egypt to USA : Get your military out of the Middle East
http://www.thenational.ae/news/world/africa/top-egypt-general-backed-withdrawal-of-us-troops-from-middle-east
CAIRO // Egypt’s new second-in-command of the military has said that US troops should be withdrawn from the Middle East while any democratisation in the region should come from within and have religious legitimacy, according to a paper he wrote in 2005.
General Sidki Sobhi, Egypt’s newly appointed chief of staff, wrote the paper while he was studying in the United States. It offers a rare insight into the thinking of a top officer in the traditionally opaque Egyptian Army.
August 16th, 2012, 7:04 pm
Syrialover said:
OK. Here’s a specific plea for information and ideas for post-Assad Syria.
Anyone know of any programs that would help the residents of local communities work together to physically rebuild their destroyed schools?
I believe this has been a success in helping re-bond and restore communities in other parts of the world.
August 16th, 2012, 7:19 pm
zoo said:
Hatem Abu Yehia , Al Ikhbaria cameraman murdered by the FSA on 10 August 2012
http://www.infosyrie.fr/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/555561_344720048945013_218833684_n1.jpg
August 16th, 2012, 7:40 pm
Syrialover said:
And yes Zoo, I was even talking to you in #355.
August 16th, 2012, 7:43 pm
Aldendeshe said:
the vast majority of Muslims are oppressed and poor.
_________________________________________________________________
That is the short hand list. You can add retarded, backward, violent, genocidal, mentally challanged, sexually perverted, full of complexes lack honor and dignity, women hater / oppressor. ..geeess the list is way too long. but topping it all is weak and cowards. Just 2 million Jews rules 1.5 billion of these Moslems. It is humiliating to be one.
August 16th, 2012, 7:45 pm
ann said:
Christian minority under pressure from both sides – Friday, August 17, 2012
SINCE JULY, the sound of gunfire and artillery from clashes between government and rebel forces in Syria has surrounded the Christian area of Bab Touma in the old town of Damascus.
“They want us in this war, they are pushing us,” says Msgr Samir Nassar, the Maronite Archbishop of the Syrian capital.
After 17 months of conflict, his congregation are suffering from unemployment and lack of food and basic necessities, and now face being caught in the crossfire.
A new phenomenon of kidnapping and ransom has also terrorised the community.
Entrapped by the conflict, a bewildering lack of knowledge about what is really happening beyond their streets compounds their fears.
Many Christians have supported the revolution and spoken against the regime from the beginning, though the majority have tried to distance themselves from the conflict, and are often labelled regime sympathisers as a result.
Nassar speaks proudly of Syria’s Christian heritage – Damascus is the site of St Paul’s baptism, for instance – and both the need and challenge for Christians to remain.
“Every centimetre of our area in Damascus has the blood of martyrs,” he says, relaying the history of the 11,000 Christians killed in Syria and Lebanon in 1860. “They fear we will have more martyrs.”
Najla Chahda, director of the Caritas Migrant Centre in Lebanon, says the Christians who have fled Syria are frightened to say they are refugees or to register with charities.
On the dusty road leaving the historical city of Baalbek in Lebanon’s Bekaa region, where thousands of Syrians refugees have come across the border, a large poster depicts Hizbullah leader Hassan Nasrallah and Assad side by side, exhibiting local loyalties.
Qaa, a quiet, predominantly Christian village surrounded by vast agricultural fields in the shadow of a nearby mountain range, just beyond which lies Syria, has become a refuge for many fleeing the conflict.
With no hospital in the village, local priest Fr Elian Nasrallah has converted a school into a makeshift medical centre. He is still working tirelessly to raise funds for a surgery room and an ambulance to collect the wounded from the border.
“The majority of the Christians have left but they don’t talk about it,” says Fr Elian, who is providing support for Syrian refugees of all denominations, including more than 40 Christian families.
“Christians in this region of the world are not involved in the problem but are paying the most every time.”
George Khouri left his home and farmland in the Christian town of Rableh in Syria for Qaa in February, taking with him his 82-year-old mother Adiba, his wife and their four children. His young daughters had been terrified by the sound of nearby bombardments.
“They want the Christians to Beirut and the Alawites to the tomb,” says Khouri, claiming this is a slogan of the opposition, though he has not heard it himself first hand.
Adiba had lived in Rableh since the day she was born, but says if the revolution is successful she would not return. “This issue is clear,” she says. “If we are not supported by the Syrian regime we will not be able to stay.”
She has been frightened by stories her nephew told her of the opposition occupying Christian areas in Homs.
[…]
http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/world/2012/0817/1224322326253.html
August 16th, 2012, 7:54 pm
ann said:
Unknown group claims kidnapping 10 FSA members in Lebanon – 2012-08-17
BEIRUT, Aug. 16 (Xinhua) — A previously unknown group calling itself “Al-Mukhtar al-Thuqfi Brigade” claimed Thursday that they had abducted 10 rebel Free Syrian Army (FSA) members in Lebanon, LBCI TV reported.
One of the group members told LBCI while wearing a mask that ” five Syrians were abducted on Thursday morning in Beirut and five others in the region of the Beqaa Valley.”
“Anyone who is revealed to be a supporter of the FSA will be a target,” he added.
The group member also said that “those who facilitated the abduction of Lebanese nationals in Syria will be brought to account.”
Members of the al-Meqdad Lebanese family said Wednesday that its “military wing” had abducted “more than 20 FSA members” and a Turkish national.
The kidnapping followed the abduction of Hassan al-Meqdad in Syria and the kidnappers claiming that the abductee as a Hezbollah member, a statement denied by the Hezbollah and the al-Meqdad family.
[…]
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/world/2012-08/17/c_131790405.htm
August 16th, 2012, 8:09 pm
ann said:
Farouq el-Sharaa’s DOG formally declares his defection and joining the revolution.
Speaking on Thursday from Amman, Farouk’s DOG said the Damascus leadership was “decaying morally and deteriorating militarily”.
Calling the government an “enemy of God”, The DOG said his recent defection was of his own free will and that he was not kicked out by his owner, as reported by Syrian authorities.
The defected DOG, saying the government only controlled about 30 per cent of the nation, went on to ask his fellow Syrian Canines to follow the lead of their Egyptian and Tunisian counterparts.
He also said he was looking forward to a plush retirement package in Qatar.
.
August 16th, 2012, 8:54 pm
Ghufran said:
??????? – ???? ??? ?????? ????? ????? ???? ???? ???????? ?????? ??????? ?? ????? ?? ?????/?????? ????? ??????? ??? ??? ?????? ???? ????.
?????? ??????? ?? ???? ????? ????? “???????” ??????? ???????? ????? ????? ?????? ?? 23 ??/????? ?????? ????? “????? ?????? ???????? ?????? ???? ????????? ???????? ??? ????? ?????? ?? ???????”.
????? ??????? ??????? ?? ?? ????? ?????? ?? ?????? ???? ??? ???? “??? ?? ???? ???????? ???? ??? ?????? ????? ??? ???? ??????? ??? ?????? ?? ?????????”.
????? ????? ??????? ?????? ???? ??? ????? ?? ??????? ???????? ????? ????? ????? ?????? ????.
?????? ????? ????? ???? ???? ???????? ???? ??????? ??? ??? ???? ????????? ????? ????? ????? ????? ???? ????? ????? “???????” ???? ????? ?????? ???????? ?????? ???? ????????? ???????? ??? ????? ?????? ?? ???????.
?????? ???????? ????????? ?? “????? ??????” ???? ????? ??????? ????????? ?? ???? ??? ????? ???? ??????? ?????? ???????? ????? ?????????? ?????? ???? ????.
????? ???????? ???? ???????? ??????? ?????? “?? ??? ??????? ????? ??? ?????? ???? ??? ????? ?????? ????? ????? ??????? ?????? ???? ?????”.
????? ????????? “??? ????? ?????? ?? ??????? ???? ???? ?? ??????? ??????? ???? ??????? ?????? ???? ??????? ????????? ?? ???”.
????? ?? “???? ??????? ????? ??????? ??? ????????? ?????????? ???????????? ?????? ????????????? ??? ?? ???? ?? ???????? ???? ????? ??? ??????? ????? ??????”.
August 16th, 2012, 8:58 pm
bronco said:
As the Syrian army is advancing to retake the ” 70%” , and the Western countries and the rebels in total disarray, suddenly the media are loosing interest and prefer to talk about Assange.
They are also waiting for another “spectacular massacre”. In the meantime, as they rather not want to dwell too much on the success of the Syrian Army and the miserable situation of the FSA, desperately begging for a no-fly zone and more weapons, they prefer to discuss the little irrelevant successes of the rebels, such as showing the pink and yellow iranian baby drones or spreading rumors of “future defections”, or throw some tears on the refugees who left the villages refusing to be used as human shields for the overstretched and weak rebels in front of the massive Syrian army capabilities.
Yes Assange is a good break until we get back to the final act of the burial of the no-fly zone embryo.
August 16th, 2012, 9:19 pm
zoo said:
More on Maher Al Assad’s rumor
http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/08/16/syria-crisis-idUSL6E8JFC5120120816
“We heard that he lost one of his legs during the explosion, but don’t know any more,” a Western diplomat told Reuters. A Gulf source said: “He lost one of his legs. The news is true.”
However, a Lebanese politician with close ties to Damascus said he doubted whether Maher had indeed been wounded in the attack. He said a colleague had spoken to Maher by telephone on the day after the bombing, July 19, and the Syrian commander gave no hint to him that he had just sustained a serious injury.
August 16th, 2012, 9:24 pm
Ghufran said:
This is a piece of Hamster’s response to my innocent complaint that I do not enjoy reading his posts as he becomes bitter and angry,most of us are that and more:
“I was told in argument on SC that it is no longer pleasurable to read my posts. As if I care,… this is not a competition for the most pleasant piece of literature. It is a battle forced on Syrians by a regime being defended, hyped, and constantly propped up by a bunch of people with primitive fears trying to hide innate sectarianism, believe of entitlement, and a maddening cocktail of inferiority-insecurity-superiority complexes.
How dare those trying to play both sides claim that the people of Syria want to burn their country? None of the revolutionaries, the FSA, or even Jihadists who may have entered the line here and there is flying Migs aircraft, driving tanks, and positioning mid-range artillery guns to prepare areas for the hordes of Assad barbarians by bombarding Syria’s cities one after another. It is the criminal regime, empowered by the cowardice of the shifty “against the regime but not with the revolution”, by the subhuman ethics of its defenders, by a primitive fear-based cult, and a group of anti-something fools, who never managed to join the 21st century and still reach orgasm imagining yet one more totalitarian system’s victory against forces of progress and civility. Zakraria Tamer is right, it is a regime empowered by Ignorance, arrogance, audacity, pettiness, stupidity and foolishness. It is the Assad hyenas who keep saying Assad or we burn the country, and have been burning the country, and some people have the audacity to blame those whose homes and cities are being burned, those whose families are being murdered, and those whose brothers and sisters are being killed under torture for the catastrophe befalling the country, so that these cowards can feel superior to the masses and rest comfortable with a malformed conscious grown out of their elitism”
For the records,I still appreciate the writings of hamster and a number of bloggers here,I just do not see a benefit of repeating the obvious: the regime is bad and the opposition is right in opposing it,what I do not see is an intelligent discussion on how to change the regime without destroying Syria, as of now,supporters of a regime change at any cost and supporters of Bashar’s bloody glory ,at any cost also , seem to be winning .
August 16th, 2012, 9:32 pm
omen said:
does the loyalist prediliction
in dismissing the revolution as having been born out of a global conspiracy – stem from they themselves being spies? is this a case of conspiracists projecting?
August 16th, 2012, 9:43 pm
omen said:
all the spies on the board press ^5.
August 16th, 2012, 9:55 pm
Observer said:
OK so no one wants to question the artificial borders of Sykes Picot and no one wants to accept that the Alawi community cannot fathom going back to being one of many sects and the Christians are deathly afraid of Islamism and political Islam that burst on the ME scene with Ayatollah Khomeini revolution and no one want to accept that more than 80 years of Arab nationalism has found us more divided than ever, at each other’s throats, and with an utter failure of liberating an inch of Arab land. No one want to accept that it was a religious inspired organization not a secular one that liberated south Lebanon and defeated Israel and no one want to accept that it was religion based insurgency in Iraq that led to the US leaving with its tail between its legs and that Taliban are going to rule Afghanistan again when the troops leave and leave the will.
So repeating the same behavior while expecting a different outcome is the ultimate folly; how do you propose SL and Visitor and SSNP to solve this dilemma?
How can you ask the Alawi community to join Syria when it is now convinced that the outcome of the conflict is kill or be killed and that the regime has degenerated into a milita? How can you convince the Sunnis to abandon their affiliation when it is clear that as a majority they have disenfranchised over the last 12 years at least of having any say in the future of Syria.
What do you tell the Kurds who have seen Arab Racism in Iraq practiced with savagery and exclusion in Syria and being used as pawns in ME conflict?
There is no Syrian National Identity, just as in Lebanon there is no such thing as a state as we see a clan take the law into its hand and commit kidnapping? How can you believe that there is any hope when this masquerade has eclipsed the huge breach of national sovereignly with the attempt to smuggle and blow people up through Samaha.
These are less than banana republics/
Pox on all of the politicians if they insist on staying together while they continue to practice the national sport and past time of “let us screw the other for the sake of screwing” . Pox on all of the politicians if they continue to exploit and spread fear instead of hope and promote violence instead of democracy and the rule of law.
Iraq has broken up and Syria and Lebanon will break up and Turkey will as well and soon KSA and all of the Gulf for these are ARTIFICIAL.
LET US DO IT PEACEFULLY. AFTER ALL OF THESE STATELETS FAIL THE PEOPLE WILL GET BACK AND SIT DOWN AND CREATE AN ECONOMIC UNION THEN WE WILL SEE A POLITICAL ONE. AT PRESENT THERE IS NO IDEOLOGY TO GLUE US TOGETHER AND THERE ARE MULTITUDE OF IDEOLOGIES THAT ARE BREAKING US APART.
August 16th, 2012, 10:03 pm
SYR.EXPAT said:
““The Sunnis believe that the text is just what the words are.”
Back to this ignorant comment. This is not a platform to discuss theological matters, but because of the importance of the subject, I’ll have to clarify things for the benefit of people not familiar with the Sunni position on this matter.
The vast majority of Sunnis are followers of the Ash’ari anad Maturidi schools of theology.
The Maturidi school of theology takes texts that have an outward meaning that is problematic as it is without making any interpretation, but without taking it literally “just what the words are”. For example, one of the verses in the Quran takes about the hand of God being over the hands of the believers. The Maturidis don’t take the verse to literally mean that God has a hand like our hands and that he placed his hand over the believers’ hands, but at the same time, they don’t try to interpret it. They believe in it as God has intended.
However, unlike the Maturidis, the Ash’aris or Ash’arites try to interpret the texts metaphorically if the outward meaning is problematic.
So, the Sunnis do not always “believe that the text is just what the words are,” but when they do interpret the text, they do it based on scholarship and not following whims and desires.
The Wahabis and Shiites go to opposite extremes when dealing with texts, unlike the Sunnis who follow the middle path.
This is a quick clarification and I haven’t even delved, in terms of dealing with texts, into the great Sufi tradition which is a major part of the Sunni tradition. If you’re interested in these subjects, I am sure you’ll find forums on the Internet where you can learn and discuss these matters.
Let’s keep the focus here on Syria.
I had proposed a “solution” to the Syrian disaster, but not much was said about it.
Let me propose the solution again:
1. Government declares a 7-day ceasefire with the intention of extending it indefinitely.
2. Government frees all political prisoners and demonstrators. All of them.
3. Allows aid to reach all who need it.
4. If the ceasefire succeeds, more can be added.
Feel free to add/modify the proposal.
—
—–
A nice video by the late Shaikh Sha’rawi, May Allah have mercy on him.
????? ???????? ????” ?? ???? ??? ?????? ”
August 16th, 2012, 10:12 pm
Ghufran said:
A friend who is a member and a supporter of SAMS sent me this message:
“Please rush your generous donation today to sponsor a life-saving surgery of a wounded Syrian at an average cost of $2400 per patient. I am appealing to you today and before Eid to sponsor 1 or 2 patients, or pay any amount toward this much needed emergency medical services”
If you ask me,I would always prefer charity organizations ,especially small,that take care of orphans. I never thought that I will see the day when 150,000 syrians are externally displaced and over 2.5 million are in need of food or shelter.
This site does not do enough to address the humanitarian crisis in Syria,most of what we read is attacks and counter attacks that mean very little and do nothing.
August 16th, 2012, 10:15 pm
atassi said:
where did my comment go ! Admin
August 16th, 2012, 10:20 pm
mjabali said:
Syrialover:
You have a great point there.
But, are you sure that teaching some characters here about their history and religion is not important?
It is a battle about how we look at each other. The way we look at each other is based on a long fake history, so why not critique it especially when we have the first chance ever to do so? Do you think that many on this blog had the chance to discuss matters related to Syria with the likes of me?
Do you think we were able to discuss each others’ faith in Syria under al-Assad of before al-Assad? All pretend that things are ok and we love and respect each other. You and I know that is a fable.
You want to plan for Syria after al-Assad, that is lovely if there will be Syria left. What is going to happen is not that clear, but what is clear is Syria as we knew it is gone and instead there will be some destroyed mess. Destruction and chaos is the order of the day, now and in the future. I see nothing else.
Good luck building a Syria with all of these people hating each other after this blood bath.
You do not have one single party to lead the change. Even the Muslim Brothers, which looks like an organized bunch a little, do not have any clear structure or a plan for the future. All of what you have is talking heads with no clear agenda.
The violence that is engulfing Syria now is going to destroy every element of that state. Look now, everything is getting destroyed, including the national identity. You have lots to work with.
So, if you really want to plan for the future: you should start by forming political parties. I promise you they are going to be still fighting in 6 months from now in Syria. It is not late to form these parties. But, who is going to listen, all are interested in revenge and killing.
If you want to plan for the future of Syria you need to correct the historical lies we learned.
August 16th, 2012, 10:28 pm
ann said:
Syrian foreign minister says rebel victory over Assad forces only ‘dreaming’ – August 16, 2012
BEIRUT – Syria’s foreign minister defiantly dismissed rebel forces and their international backers on Thursday as incapable of toppling the military defending Bashar Assad’s regime.
A Syrian envoy, Bouthaina Shaaban, was in Beijing on Thursday and described talks with China’s foreign minister as “really great.”
“Those who think that the Syrian Arab army will be defeated are dreaming,” al-Moallem said.
He also repeated Syria’s strong denunciations of key rebel backers, such as Qatar and Saudi Arabia
[…]
August 16th, 2012, 10:29 pm
ann said:
On Syria, Beyond Brahimi An Alawite Army, UN Budget & De Mistura
By Matthew Russell Lee, Exclusive, Analysis
UNITED NATIONS, August 16 — Amid competing accounts of if Lakhdar Brahimi has or has not already accepted to replace Kofi Annan as Syria envoy, the questions is, why would he?
Well placed sources told Inner City Press late Thursday Brahimi is still undecided. He has been told that a fast solution is unlikely, having been told of the high percentage of army officers who are Alawite, for example.
The defectors leave as individuals, without the thousands of soldiers similar defectors took with them for example in Yemen.
So who WANTS there to be a replacement for Kofi Annnan? As Inner City Press has already reported, Ban Ki-moon, in order to stay relevant.
More than that, appointing a high(er) profile envoy makes them the lightening rod for failure, not him.
Inner City Press’ Thursday stakeout and noon briefing question, who pays for the mission, has since been answered off the record: it will begin as “unforeseen expenses,” a/k/a the slush fund, and then be a special political mission. This may raise Fifth (Budget) Committee issues about backstopping and the different scales of assessment for SPMs and peacekeeping missions.
[…]
http://www.innercitypress.com/syria3brahimimist081612.html
August 16th, 2012, 10:30 pm
mjabali said:
Syria ex pat:
You have some good points.
You claimed that most of the Sunnis today are followers of this school. I doubt that. That may be true years ago but not now. Salafis are replacing them all over. Day after day, Salafis are replacing other mild forms of Sunni Islam. Salafis of course do take words as they are.
Syria: al-Buti is considered Ashari, but as you can see that Syrians are turning away from this to the more hard core form of Islam: Salafism. Same in Egypt and North Africa.
Salafism is replacing Ashari’sm, and other forms of Sunnis all over the Sunni world. Salafis are the champions of the rigid text and the followers of taking words as they are.
Salfi thinking is taking over the Sunni world by storm. Ashaira are no match, and they are losing their adherents in droves to the rigid Salafi thinking. Salafis are becoming the majority in most Sunni countries these days.
al-Asha’ari himself changed his mind about what claimed. First he was following the Mu’tazilah and using al-aql to interpret. That is when he was talking that the text should be understood through ????? Later in life he became like the Salfis and wrote his book al-Ibanah where he became just like the Salfis believing that words are just what they appear to be with no hidden or other meaning.
Here is a link to what al-Ash’ari believed in in his book al-Ibanah
?? ???? ??????? ???? ?????:
???? “??????? ?? ???? ??????? ” ???? ?????? ??? ????? ??? ?? ??????? ??????? (? : 324?? ) ??? ????? ?? ???? ???????? ? ?? ???? ?? ??? ???? ? ??? ??? ??? ???? ?? ??? ????? ?? ??? ?????? ?? ??? ?????? ?????? ??????? .
??? ???? ??? ?????? ????? ???? ?? ????? ?????? ??????? ? ??? ????? ????? ???? ????? ?????????? ? ???????? ??????? ??????? ?????? ? ?? ?????? ???? ??? ???? ? ?????? ??? ?????? ?????? ? ???? ??? ??? ???? ?????? ??????? .
??? ???? ???? ?? ????? ????? :
” ????? ????? : ??? ??? ????? ???????? ????? ????? ? ???? ????? ?? ?? ??? ???? ? ??? ???? ?????? ?? ???? ???? ??? ???? ???? ???? ? ?? ??? ?? ??? ???? …
??? ???? ????? ????? ??? ???? ??? ??? : ( ??????????? ????? ????????? ???????? ) [??/5] .
???? ?? ???? ? ??? ??? : ( ????????? ?????? ??????? ??? ?????????? ?????????????? ) [??????/27] .
??? ?? ???? ??? ??? ? ??? ??? ?????? : (???????? ????????? ) [?/75] ? ???? ??? : ( ???? ??????? ?????????????? ) [???????/64] .
??? ?? ?????? ????? ? ??? ??? ? ??? ??? ?????? : ( ??????? ????????????? ) [?????/14] …
?? ??? ???? ???? ? ??? ???? :
” ????? ????? ???????? ???? ?????? ??? ????? ? ?? ?????? ??? ???? ?????? ? ??? ???? ?? ??? ???? : ( ?? ?? ???? ? ?? ?? ?????? ) ? ????? ?? ????? ??????? ? ????? ??? ???? ??? ????? ???????? .
??????? ???? ??????? ??? ??? ???? ???? ?? ??? ? ???? ????? ??? ???? ???? ????? ?????? ???????? ? ??? ??? ?? ????? ? ??? ????? ?? ??? ???? ?? ?? ???? ???? ??? ???? ??? ???? ???? ???? .
????? : ?? ???? ?? ??? ???? ??? ??????? ? ??? ??? ?????? : ( ??????? ??????? ??????????? ?????? ?????? ) [?????/22] .
??? ???? ???? ?? ????? ??? ??? ? ??? ??? ? ??? ??? ????? : ( ???????? ???????? ???????? ???? ?????? ?????????? ) [?/16] ? ???? ??? : ( ????? ????? ?????????? * ??????? ????? ?????????? ???? ??????? ) [?????/8-9] ” .
????? ?? ” ??????? ?? ???? ??????? ” (18-22) ? ??????? .
?? ??? ???? ???? ??? ????? ??? ?????? ?? ???? ????? ?? ????? .
????? :
?? ???? ??????? ?? ??????? ?? ????? ?????? ??????? ? ???????? ?????????? ? ?????? ??? ???? ????? ???? ? ???? ??? ?? ??????? ???????? ??? ? ????? ??? ????? ???? ?????? ?? ???? ?? ??? ?????? ??????? ? ?? ????? ??????? ???? ??? ? ????? ??????? ?????????? : ???????? ? ??????? ? ?????? ? ?????? .. ? ???? ??? ??? ?????? ???????? ?????? ?? ?????? ???? ? ??????? ?????? ??????? ?? .
????? ??? ??????? ??? ?? ????? ?????? ?? ??????? ? ??? ????? ???? ?????? ?? ???? ? ?? ???? ????????? ???? ? ??? ????? ??? ??????? ?? ???? ?????? ?????? ??? ????? ? ??? ?? ???? ??? ??????? ??? ?????? ?????? ???? ????? ? ????? ???? ?? ????? ? ??????? ????????? ? ???? ?? ????? ???? ?????? ?? ???? .
??? ?? ?????? ??? ????? ??? ?????? ????? ??? ? ????? ?? ????? ?????? ???????? ?????? ? ????????? ?? ???? ?? ???????? ???????? ? ????? ???? ??? ???? ?????? ???? ????? ? ??? ???? ?? ??????? ???????? ?? ????? ??? ?????? ?????? ? ?????? ??? ????? ?? ??? ?????? .
?????? ???? ?? ??????? ?? ???????? ??? ????? ??? ??? ??????? ??? ????? ???? ???? ? ???????? : ??? ????? ? ??????? ? ?????? ?? ????? ????? ? ??? ???? ?????? ??????? ????? ??? ?????? ??????? ? ??? ????? ???? ??? ?? ??? ?????? ??? .
??? ????? ?? ???? ??? ???? ?? ?????? ?? ???? ???????? ? ???????? ????? ??? ????? ???????? :
????? : ?????? ??????? ? ??? ??? ???? ?? ?????? .
??? ???? ???? ?? ????? “????????” (107) : ” ?????? ?????? ????????????? ???????? ??????? ??? ????? ????? ????? ??? ????????? ???? ?????????? ??????????????? ???????????? ??????????? ???????????? ??? ???????????? ???????? ??????? ??????? ????? ???????? ??????? ??????? ????? ??????? ??????? ???? ????????? ?????? ???????? ???? ????????? ?????? ????? ???????? ?????????. ????????????? ???????? ??????? ??????? ???? ???????????? ??? ????????? ???????????? ” ????? .
?? ??? ???? ???? ????? ??? ?? ???? ?????? ??????? :
” ??????? ????? ????????? ??????? ???? ???????????? ???????? ??????? ???????? ??? ?????????: ?????? ????? ???????: ??????????? ????????????: ????? ??????? ??????? ????? ??????? ??? ????????? ????????????? ????? ????: ??????? ?????? ??????? ??????? ?????: {???? ???? ??????? ??????? ??? ?????? ?????????} [??????: 22] ? ???????????? ??? ????????? ???????????? ?????? ??? ??????? ????????? ??????? ?????????? ????? ??????? ????????: {???? ???? ?????? ?????????? ??? ??????? ????????? ??????? ?????????} [????????: 49] ? ?????? ????????? ??????????????? ????? ???????: {??? ????????? ???? ????????? ?????????? ????} [???????: 16] ? ???????????? ????????? ??? ???????????? ??? ????????????? ????????? ??? ?????????? ??? ????????????? ????????? ??????????????? ??? ???????????? ????????? ????? ??? ???????????? ????? ?????: {?????????? ?????? ???????? ??????? ???????} [??????: 6] ” .
???? ?????? ????? ???? ?? ???? “???????” ? (53) ? ??????? ? ?? (100) ? ?. ????? ???? .
?????? : ?????? ??? ?????? ??? ?? ????? ??? ????? (?:571??) ??? ???? ?????? ? ???? ????? ??? ??? ? ???????? ?? .
??? ???? ???? : “???????? ???? ??? ?????? ?????????? ?????????? ????????? ???????? ??????? ????? ????????????? ?????????? ???? ??? ??? ??????? ?????????? ???????? ??? ???????? ?? ?????? ???????? ” ????? ?? “????? ??? ???????” (28) .
???? ???? : ” ?????? ????? ????? ????????? ?????? ??????? ?????? ????? ??? ????? ?? ??? ???????? ? ?????? ?????????? ????? ??? ????????? ????????? ????????? ? ????????? ??? ????? ??? ???? ???????? ??????? ??????? ? ????? ?????? ??? ?????? ??? ??? ???????? ???????? : ????? ??? ??? ???? ????? ?????? ??? ????? ???????? ? ?????? ??? ???? ????? ??? ???? ?????? ???? ??????? ? ????? ???????? ????? ??? ????? ?????? ??? ????? ????????? .
????? ??? ???? ??? ??? ??????? ??????? ???????? ???????? ? ????????? ????? : ??????? ?????? ???????? ????????? ????????? ????????? ??????? ?????????????? ??????? ???????? ??????? ??? ????? ?????? ?????? ???????? ???? ??? ????? ???? ?????? ??????? ?????? ??? ??? ???????? ??????? ?????????? ??????? ??? ?????? ????????? ?????????? ???? ??? ????? ????? ??? ???? ???? ????? ??????????? ?? ??? ?????? ????? ???????? .. ”
?? ??? ??? ??? ????? ?? ??? ???? ??????? ? ???? ???? ???? ?????? ?? ??? ?????? ?? ??? ????? ? ??????? ????? ?? ???? ??????? .
???? : “????? ??? ??????? ” ? (152) ??? ????? ? ?????? ??? ???? ??????? ? ???? ????? .
???? ??? ????? ???? ???? ???? :
” ???? ??? ???? ??????????? ??????? ????? ??? ????????? ?????? ???????? ????? ??? ?????? ?? ????????? ???? ???????????? ???? ????????? ???? ???? ???????? ??????????? ????? ????? ????????? ????????? ??????? ??? ??? ??????? ??? ???????? ????? ???????? ??????????? ?? ?????? ??????????? ?? ???????? ???????????? ???????????????? ????? ??? ????? ???? ????? ?????? ???? ?????? ?????????? ???? ??????????? ???? ?????? ????????????? ??????? ??????????? ???? ???????? ?????? ??????? ????? ??? ?? ????? ??????? ??? ?????? .
??????? ???? ???????? ????? ????????? ?????? ?? ???????? ??? ??????? ??????? . ” ????? ?? “????? ??? ??????? ” (389) . ????? ???? ? : (171? 388) ?? ??? ?????? .
??? ???? ????? ????? ??????? ??? ?????? ??????? ???? ???? ?? ????? ??? ??????? ?? ????? ????? : “???? ??? ????? ?? ????????” (1/348) ??? ????? ? ?????? .
????? ???? .
I apologize for this theological discussion. But, as you can see that al-Asha’ri himself believed that words are just what they appear to be.
As for Syria:
Violence has to stop ASAP with international observers on the ground. All parties release the prisoners they have. War criminals from all parties to face justice. Get rid of al-Qaida and co from Syria ASAP. Elections should follow ASAP. Political parties should form today before tomorrow.
August 16th, 2012, 11:24 pm
ann said:
U.S., Russia hold “serious discussions” on Syria: official – 2012-08-17
WASHINGTON, Aug. 16 (Xinhua) — Senior American and Russian diplomats held “serious discussions” in Moscow on Syria, the U.S. state department said on Thursday.
The talks were held between U.S. Under-secretary of State for political affairs Wendy Sherman and Russia’s two deputy foreign ministers, Gennady Gatilov and Sergei Ryabkov, said State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland in a statement, describing the discussions as “direct and fulsome.”
During the talks, Sherman indicated that Washington did not support extending the UN observer mission in Syria, which was set up in April, as the cease-fire no longer existed in the Middle East country, Nuland said.
“The beginning of a political process is in the international community’s long-term interests,” she added.
The talks also involved Iran, during which Sherman reiterated the U.S. commitment to the two-track approach on the nuclear stalemate, believing “diplomacy still has a chance to succeed,” according to Nuland.
The United States and Russia have differed on how to deal with the 17-month-old crisis in Syria.
According to the Russian Foreign Ministry, Deputy Foreign Minister Gatilov stressed the need to maintain the UN presence in Syria during his meeting with Sherman, warning of serious consequences if the United Nations pulls out.
[…]
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/world/2012-08/17/c_131791072.htm
August 16th, 2012, 11:34 pm
Ghufran said:
???? ?????? ????????? ??????? ???? ???? ??? ??????? ??????? ?? ??? ????? ?????? ???? ???????? ?????? ?????? ???? ????? ??? ?? ????? ?? “????? ????” ????? ????? ???? ?????? ???? ??? ???? ?????? ?????.
???? ???? ?????? ?????? ?????? ?????????? ?????: “??? ??????? ?? ????? ???? ?? ??? ?? ?????? ??? ?????? ????? ???? ??????? ???????? ??? ???? ?????? ?????? ?????? ?????? ???? ???? ?????? ???? ?????? ????? ?????????. ???? ????? ?????? ???? ???? ??? ??????? ?????? ??? ?????? ???? ????? ??? ???? ????? ????? ?????? ?? ????? ????? ????? ????? ??????. ????? ?? ?? ??? ????? ?????? ??????? ?????? ????? ?????? ??????? ?? ????? ??? ???????? ?????? ???????? ?????? ???????? ??? ???? ?? ??? ????? ???”.
?????? ?? ???????? “????? ?????? ?????? ?????? ????? ?????? ??????????? ???? ??? ??????? ?????? ???????”.
??? ????? ???????? ???? ???? ??? ?? ????? “?? ??? ???? ???? ?????? ??????????.. ???? ?? ????? ?????????? ??????? ??????? ??? ????? ???? ??????? ??? ?????? ???? ??????? ??????? ????? ??? ???? ?? ????? ????????? ?? ??? ?? ??? ????? ??????”.
??? ?? ????? ????? ?????? ???? ??? ????? ????? ????????? ??????? ??? ??? “??? ??????? ??? ????? ???????? ?????? ???? ???? ?? ???? ????? ?????? ??? ???? ???? ??? ??? ???? ????? ?????? ?????? ??????? ????? ??? ??????? ?????? ???? ?? ????? ???? ??? ?????? ???? ??? ?????? ????? ????? ????? ??? ????? ????? ??? ?????? ????? ????????? ?? ????? 60 ????”.
August 16th, 2012, 11:35 pm
ann said:
Air France Passengers ‘asked to chip in’ for fuel – August 17, 2012
AIR France passengers on a flight which was diverted from Beirut and landed instead in Damascus were asked at one point to chip in and help pay to refuel the plane, a passenger has said.
“We went down in Syria where there were lots of soldiers … We thought there were some problems and that there was no money to pay for the fuel,” 42-year-old businessman Najib said.
“They asked if the passengers could contribute for the refueling. Then they found a solution to the problem” for Wednesday night’s flight from Paris that was diverted to Damascus because of tensions in Beirut and then flew on to Larnaca, he said.
Roland, a 23-year-old engineer who was also on the flight which finally landed in the Lebanese capital on Thursday, said the plane was held up in the Syrian capital because of the fuel problem.
“There were some negotiations going on to buy fuel because Air France doesn’t fly to Damascus at the moment and so it doesn’t have an account” with Damascus airport authorities, he explained.
France’s carrier suspended flights to Damascus in March because of the deadly unrest sweeping Syria.
The flight to the Lebanese capital, where unrest broke out on the airport road on Wednesday night, was diverted first to Damascus after an attempt to reach Amman was abandoned and the plane needed fuel to divert to the safety of Cyprus.
According to an Air France employee who declined to be named, the crew at first offered to pay for the fuel in Damascus with a credit card but the transaction was impossible because of financial sanctions which have been slapped on Syria.
[…]
http://www.heraldsun.com.au/ipad/air-france-flyers-asked-to-chip-in-for-fuel/story-fnbzs1v0-1226452531953
August 16th, 2012, 11:45 pm
omen said:
no matter how dire a projection critics want to paint in predicting a future failed state – that still doesn’t (and wont) justify assad’s failure of rule nor excuse his crimes against humanity.
p.s. it’s bad enough syrians had to suffer tyranny for the last 40 years, do you have to damn their future too? some people aren’t happy unless everybody is miserable.
August 16th, 2012, 11:46 pm
Son of Damascus said:
Are Reports of al-Qaida in Syria Exaggerated?
Intelligence reports claim that members of the al-Qaida terrorist network are streaming into Syria to join the rebel ranks. But the rebels deny the allegations and say that jihadists are not welcome. In any case, it is the Assad regime that has long had ties to al-Qaida.
Some rebel checkpoints in Syria are currently flying the black flag of al-Qaida. One of the flags is attached to a stick stuck into a tire weighed down with rocks in front of a checkpoint manned by the Free Syrian Army (FSA) in Aleppo, the country’s largest city. The Islamic creed, “There is no god but God, and Muhammad is the messenger of God,” is written in Arabic on the flag.
Even though it is Ramadan, the Muslim holy month of fasting, the clean-shaven men at the checkpoint offer the foreign reporter something to drink. Some do not abide by the fasting requirement.
When asked whether they know they are flying the al-Qaida flag, one of the fighters responds: “Of course we know, but is it al-Qaida’s invention? It’s also the flag of the Prophet, and we fly it because we are Muslims and we are waging a holy war.”
Nothing illustrates the gray area between reality and perceptions of the war in Syria more concisely than this flag, which comes in various colors. Sometimes it has white lettering on a black background, and sometimes black lettering on a white background.
Western intelligence agencies report that the al-Qaida network, founded by Osama bin Laden, has “up to 1,500 combatants” participating in the Syrian civil war. In response to an inquiry from the German parliament, the BND, Germany’s foreign intelligence agency, stated that, in the first half of 2012, it had counted about 90 attacks “that can be attributed to organizations or jihadist groups affiliated with al-Qaida.” United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon is apparently referring to similar analyses when he says that the presence of the terrorist organization in the region has created “very serious problems.”
However, these assessments are based on a small number of sources that are sometimes murky. According to the Washington Post, the CIA didn’t have a single agent in Syria by the end of July but, rather, “only a handful stationed at key border posts.” In contrast to the situation in Libya a year ago, the Americans must now rely on information from the intelligence agencies of Turkey and Jordan.
Whose War Is This?
Eleven years after the 9/11 attacks, even experienced intelligence services are finding it increasingly difficult to distinguish between al-Qaida jihadists and other militants. “Anyone who believes that al-Qaida fighters have long beards and wear Pakistani clothing is naïve,” says a senior Arab intelligence agent.
Most rebels with the FSA deny having anything to do with al-Qaida. “Okay, we’re Islamists, but we want to overthrow Assad and then have a country like Turkey,” says Abu Bakr, one of the FSA commanders in Aleppo, who manages a cell-phone store in his civilian life. “What’s wrong with that?”
It’s an attitude one encounters from Damascus to Idlib. In the 17th month of the rebellion, the fighting has spread to almost all Syrian cities, the opposition group in exile remains divided, and the regime has abandoned many segments of the border. Neither side is completely in control of events.
These are golden days for terrorist groups and terror experts alike. The experts have been warning for months that al-Qaida is infiltrating the rebels and that large numbers of foreign jihadists are streaming into to Syria.
However, by July, none of the few independent Western journalists active in Syria had encountered any such foreign combatants.
But the situation is gradually changing, as British photographer John Cantlie and his Dutch colleague Jeroen Oerlemans have now experienced firsthand. On July 19, just after crossing the Syrian border from Turkey, they stopped at what they thought was an FSA camp. But they were taken prisoner by jihadists wielding Kalashnikovs and speaking in a familiar accent. “Londoner against Londoner. This wasn’t what I had expected,” Cantlie wrote in the Sunday Times.
According to Cantlie, there were young Britons, some of Asian origin, staying in the camp. Some were barely 20, and the group of about 30 people included a handful of Arabs, a woman and four or five older combatants from Pakistan or Chechnya. “It was clear that they had never seen a Kalashnikov before. They were thrilled to be in Syria. All their talk was of how to take out a tank, how to advance across open ground and how to clear a building,” Cantlie wrote. “The camp was like an adventure course for disenchanted 20-year-olds.”
FSA rebels liberated the two journalists after a week. “”This is not the way of the Syrian people. We don’t want these people coming here in our name”,” they said apologetically to Cantlie.
“This is our revolution,” says Abu Abduh, the local FSA commander. “We said to them: Fight against Assad’s troops, stay in your camp or get out of here!” At first, Abduh adds, a wealthy Saudi Arabian sponsor from Jeddah paid for the fighters, but not anymore. “They probably need money,” he says. The rebels agree that this is the largest jihadist camp in northern Syria.
http://www.spiegel.de/international/world/syrian-rebels-dispute-reports-about-al-qaida-fighters-in-their-ranks-a-849983.html
August 16th, 2012, 11:48 pm
Aldendeshe said:
The talks also involved Iran, during which Sherman reiterated the U.S. commitment to the two-track approach on the nuclear stalemate, believing “diplomacy still has a chance to succeed,” according to Nuland.
_________________________________________________________________
Neither Shia (Dajjal) Zionist ruled Iran nor Wahabi Devil worshiping Zionists, and neither International Reptilian controlled Zionists has any say, or will be permitted to have any say in any outcome of resolution in Syria’s conflict.
Bashar Assad must make he available for direct negotiation with those holding Syrian Citizenship to reach an agreement, no outsider should intervene. Otherwise, if it is too much for this arrogant Alawi to do so, stoop down to Syrian people level and negotiate, get out and hand over State Powers and resources to SSNPS/SSNP immediately, now, when the situation can be salvaged to Syria and in Syrian people advantage. There is o need for him to act according to the Reptilian Zionist Master Plan.
August 16th, 2012, 11:50 pm
Aldendeshe said:
The talks also involved Iran, during which Sherman reiterated the U.S. commitment to the two-track approach on the nuclear stalemate, believing “diplomacy still has a chance to succeed,” according to Nuland.
__________________________________________________________________
Neither Shia (Dajjal) Zionist ruled Iran nor Wahabi worshiping Zionists, and neither International R*eptilia*n controlled Zionists has any say, or will be permitted to have any say in any outcome of resolution in Syria’s conflict.
Bashar Assad must make himself available for direct negotiation with those holding Syrian Citizenships to reach an agreement, no outsider should intervene. Otherwise, if it is too much for this arrogant Alawi to do so, stoop down to Syrian people level and negotiate, get out, and hand over State Powers and resources to SSNPS/SSNP immediately, now, when the situation can be salvaged to Syria and in Syrian people advantage. There is no need for him to act according to the R*eptili*an Zionist Master Plan.
August 16th, 2012, 11:53 pm
Son of Damascus said:
MJabali,
“Salafis are replacing them all over. Day after day, Salafis are replacing other mild forms of Sunni Islam.”
Do you have a single shred of evidence to back up this claim?
These links prove the contrary:
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/front/special/sala.html
And for those that actually like FACTS here is a 221 page report done by the PEW Forum on Religion and Public Life on the future demographic of Islam around the world:
http://www.pewforum.org/The-Future-of-the-Global-Muslim-Population.aspx
FYI your bigoted approach to my faith is no better than a takfiris bigoted approach to your faith…
August 16th, 2012, 11:57 pm
Ghufran said:
Alibrahimi is right in refusing to accept a new UN position until major players and involved parties agree on a framework and a plan of action. Thinking that a cease fire means a one sided cessation of violence is a non starter, and I am still doubtful that islamist armed groups will respect a cease fire. In that sense,those groups are partners with the regime in making sure that a cease fire remains as an unattainable goal in Syria.
August 17th, 2012, 12:11 am
Aldendeshe said:
This is how much Syrians are angry at the Zionist Mullah Shia supported Alawite Assad. This is a sample of the language used:
???? ????? ????? ???? ????? ??? ??? ?? ????? ?????”??? ???????” ?? ???? ???? ? ?????? ?? ????? ????? : ??????? ???????? ??????? ????????? ? ??? ?? ??? ?? ?????? ???? ????? ???? ???? ?????? ??? ??????? ??????? ?????????? ??? ???? ??????? ?????? ???? ????? ? ?????? ??????? ??????? ???? ?? ??? ????? ?? ???? ?????? ?? ??????? ??? ???? ????????? ???? ????? ????? ???????? ????? ????? ????? ?????? ?????? ?????? ??? ?? ????? ? ??? “??????” ?? ????? ???????? .. ??? ?? ?????? ?????? ??????? ????! ??? ?? ? ??????? ???? ? ???? ????? ????? ??????? ???? ?????!!
Keep on serving the zionist plan, just as Saddam did. You will be lucky Bashar if you to get out of this alive in the end, doing it your way. Millions of Alawites and Christians are at serious risk because of you, only, your childness stuburness.
August 17th, 2012, 12:18 am
omen said:
August 17th, 2012, 12:31 am
VISITOR said:
250 OBSERVER,
You raise important questions, the answers to which may not be available in the foreseeable future, and may remain so for quite some time. Needless to say, the area, in which Syria is at the center, is in a state of convulsion and it’s been going through it for almost a century
Sykes Pico was indeed a big blow, a huge setback and a betrayal of historical proportions to the region and its people. We are currently living its aftermath. Syria would have taken a completely different course, and I dare say a much brighter course, had it been spared the misfortune of the manipulative greed of the European powers of the 19th century.
Nationalism turned out to be multiple disasters and led to the evil that we are facing today. There is no going forward before eradicating this evil from its roots. At the same time, sectarianism must wither and for that to happen, the current mullah regime in Iran must either fall or be isolated. Our people are not sectarian by nature. Sectarianism is now being imposed upon them by the forces unleashed by the so-called Khomeinists that nourish and feed this monster. This regime must fall for the wellbeing the region as well as Iran itself.
The new Syria will be made by those fighting the battles inside Syria. The expatriates cannot determine the outcome and they do not even have the means to do so. They can only play an assistive role. We must not repeat the same mistakes made by those of 100 years ago who wandered to Europe and elsewhere and went back excited at the prospects of creating a State out of the fiction of their imaginations.
———————————-
351 SYR.EXPAT,
I hate to discourage you from opening such subject, knowing that we on this board have a self-declared authority that ascribes powers to itself that we know full well, as Sunnis, are the exclusive domain of the Creator of the Heavens and the Earth. The subject of ????? has been dealt with and put to rest by Allah, the Prophet and the knowledgeable scholars. There is no need to delve further on the topic other than what we read in the Holy Book itself which we know full well is the Word of Allah,
???? ???? ?????:” ???? ???????? ??????? ???????? ?????????? ?????? ?????? ???????????? ????? ????? ?????????? ???????? ?????????????? ???????? ????????? ?? ??????????? ?????? ?????????????? ??? ????????? ?????? ????????? ??????????? ??????????? ??????????? ????? ???????? ??????????? ?????? ?????? ??????????????? ??? ????????? ?????????? ??????? ???? ????? ????? ????? ???????? ????? ?????????? ?????? ????????? ??????????”
It is a very clear verse and requires no Imam ????? ??? ?? ????? ?? ?????
August 17th, 2012, 1:06 am
Observer said:
Is this a real state that allows a clan to conduct its foreign policy
Here is the latest from Lebanon
???? ?? ??????? ??????? ?? ??????? ?????? -???? ??? ??? ?? ????? ???? ????? ???????- ?????? ?? ?????? ???? ???????? ???????? ????? ????? ???? ??????? ???? ?? ????? ??????? ???????? ???? ??? ?????? ?? ????? ???? ???????? ???????? ????? ???? ?? ????? ?? ??????? ??????? ??????.
A real state would have put the entire clan in jail for taking the law into its own hands. Clearly these countries are JOKES
August 17th, 2012, 3:37 am
SYR.EXPAT said:
I think we’re getting somewhere.
357. MJABALI
Salfist thinking remains in the minority, especially in Syria, which is a bedrock of traditional Sunni Islam. No thanks to Assad, he chased away many of the top scholars of Damascus like Shaykh Muhammad Al-Yaquobi, and some salafist have been taking advantage of the situation. Still, they remain in the minority, they are just more visible (no thanks to petrodollars).
It’s important to note that many of the Sufi scholars were in the revolution from the early days. They didn’t start or encourage people to start the revolution, but as a result of the mass killing of civilians and desecration of mosques and property, they had to take a stance. At the beginning, they discouraged people from turning to violence, but after the killing reached a tipping point, there was no choice left but to declare An-Nafir Al-‘Am, just like Shaykh Muhammad Al-Yaquobi of Damascus did. He is a descendant of Prophet Muhammad ??? ???? ???? ????, and a top scholar, son of a great scholar who the imam of the Ummayad mosque. He and many other Sufi scholars like As’ad Kahil from Homs are ver vocal and have big influence on people.
Also, it’s important to note that most of the members of the FSA were not religious to begin with. However, the revolution makes turn to God, but just because they say Allah Akbar, it doesn’t make them salafis. Actually all Muslims when they go to battle, they say Allah Akbar, a beautiful chant whose meaning requires some studying so as not to fall into the trap of comparing Allah to his creation.
I don’t want to delve into theology anymore, but quoting text by salafis from the Internet is not going to give you the answer you’re looking for. To acquire the sacred knowledge, in this case Islamic theology, one has to study with a qualified and “accredited” scholar who got his knowledge from another qualified and “accredited” scholar, and so on back to Prophet Muhammad ??? ???? ???? ????. This is how knowledge is acquired in Islam. Not by reading books or articles on the Internet. A lot of people get confused and get things wrong that way.
——-
Back to the Syrian matter:
“Violence has to stop ASAP with international observers on the ground. All parties release the prisoners they have. War criminals from all parties to face justice. Get rid of al-Qaida and co from Syria ASAP. Elections should follow ASAP. Political parties should form today before tomorrow.”
I have no problem with that. As much as I detest the Assad regime for its crimes against Syria and the Syrian people, I want the violence to stop. Those with connections to the Syrian regime can try to persuade government officials with remnants of common sense in them to do what is best for Syria and its people instead of destroying the country. The regime has to take the first step. The social fabric is being torn and if things are not contained, it’ll be impossible to stop people from exacting revenge. We have seen glimpses of what to expect.
August 17th, 2012, 4:19 am
SYR.EXPAT said:
?????: ????? ??? ???? ????? 3 ???? ?? ????? ???? ????? ?????
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uu_mFgPkdfg&feature=player_embedded
They don’t look like they were tortured. What’s funny is that the woman pinches the man because we went off script. The Syria media is such a disaster.
August 17th, 2012, 4:26 am
SANDRO LOEWE said:
The only way to end the revolution is by phisically exterminating all members of the revolution, their families and friends as well as all those who have religious sunni beliefs. In this way Syria would be peacefull under the army of Iran and a new order would be established for prosperity and love among resting living human beings.
In Lebanon some chemical or nuclear explosions would clear the way. All Gulf investors would leave as well as christians and french. So Iran capital would massviely invest and buy lands in a country full of leucaemia and all types of cancer.
August 17th, 2012, 5:09 am
Juergen said:
Der Spiegel has just published an interesting story.
Air France suspended last week their approach to Beirut when the Assad loyalist Al Mokdad family seized the road leading to the airport of Beirut. I wondered if they had returned to Paris or went to Amman to let the passengers leave the aircraft. Aparantly that was the plan but the kerosin was not sufficient to go to Jordan. The aircraft had to land in Damascus ( poor passengers) for refueling. The Airport refused to accept the credit card of Air France(sic) to pay the kerosin. The crew had alerted the passengers to check their cash in case they needed it. For unknown reasons the crew could pay and left after two hours the besieged capital for Amman.
August 17th, 2012, 7:06 am
Aleppo said:
The demonization of religion as something backward and undesirable has significantly increased after 9/11. Obviously Islam bears the greatest burden. The increased religious conservatism in parts of America and Israel is no longer noticed and in any case not really relevant to the issue at hand. One of the worst things one can do is to try to excuse an inexcusable situation with another one.
The Syrian Revolution has nothing to do with religion or the influence of other countries. Religion is a part of life in most parts of the world. The religious Left was very influential in Latin American in the 60s’-70s’-80s, nobody spoke of it as a backward movement even if they indirectly defended and proposed dictatorships in the Soviet style. Religion is part of life and whether we like how intense it may be in a given moment or not, there is not much we can do about it. So, when a simple Syrian says that he is in a jihad what he mostly means is that he is fighting against evil. Assad and his thugs are evil. I know very well that this is a very controversial point and not exactly popular with liberal minded Western educated people but if we do not accept reality as it is, the chance of being a participant is reduced to near zero.
August 17th, 2012, 7:10 am
Hassan said:
363. ALDENDESHE said :
“Bashar Assad must make himself available for direct negotiation with those holding Syrian Citizenships to reach an agreement, no outsider should intervene. Otherwise, if it is too much for this arrogant Alawi to do so, stoop down to Syrian people level and negotiate, get out, and hand over State Powers and resources to SSNPS/SSNP immediately, now, when the situation can be salvaged to Syria and in Syrian people advantage. There is no need for him to act according to the R*eptili*an Zionist Master Plan.”
Nothing could be further from the truth. Dr. Bashar al-Assad is in total and complete control over Syria. Millions of Syrians love and support him. There is no need for him to negotiate with everyone. Everything is fine and Syria is winning. No other country has such as intelligent, charismatic, charming, suave President as Syrian Arab Republic has.
Assad family has built Syria from scratch since 1963. ASsad family increased literacy rate from 15 % in 1963 to 80 % in 2011. Assad family has led Syria to victory in 1973. Assad family has protected Lebanon and Palestine from Zionists’ master plan.
Syrians need just these 9 things in order to get out of this crisis –
Hafez, Basil, Bashar.
God, Syria, Bashar.
Unity, Freedom, Socialism.
Syria is Assad and Assad is Syria.
August 17th, 2012, 7:12 am
Hassan said:
Just remember this, this is the Victorious Syrian Army of 1973 which you are up against.
The victorious Army of 1973 doesn’t surrender, unlike the traitorous MB-ized Egyptian Army.
August 17th, 2012, 7:21 am
Aldendeshe said:
Nothing could be further from the truth. Dr. Bashar al-Assad is in total and complete control over Syria
_________________________________________________________________
I always wondered why Hitler kept on fighting until he is surrounded in his bunker. He must have thought his propaganda minister is telling the truth.
August 17th, 2012, 7:33 am
SANDRO LOEWE said:
375. Hassan
I think your comment does not deserve more answer than this:
9 Things to remember to avoid another future crisis:
Hafez, Ariel Sharon, Bashar.
Ibn Kalb, Ibn Hafianeh, Akhou Sharmuta.
Sectarianism, Slavery, Wild Capitalism
Choas is Assad and Assad is Chaos.
August 17th, 2012, 7:34 am
Aldendeshe said:
What 73′ victory? the one Kissinger gave Hafez on paper to save face? The Golan is still occupied by Israeli army for 40 years.
August 17th, 2012, 7:37 am
SANDRO LOEWE said:
HASSAN,
Today I have had a phone conversation with an old friend who lives between Idleb and Aleppo, in a small village. He used to be with Assad before the Revolution. He worked as a driver for the ministry. Now he has lost job. He has left home with no luggage, with wife and 5 sons aged 16 to 22. He does not want to share in this war. Today he was desperated. Told me these wars:
Assad jet fighters are following groups of people in any road to shoot at them. We are not jewish, we are syrians. We cannot stay at our village, it is full of armed people, and the Army is destroying everything and everyone, inside or outside the rebels.
Asked about if rebels came from outside, he told me:
– Yes there are some of them from outside.
I ask him, from outside Syria?
– Not, from outside my village. All of them are syrians, some from my village, other from outside my village, from Idleb, Aleppo, etc.
Your comment is typical of any regime idiot who does not knwo where he is living.
August 17th, 2012, 7:47 am
Aldendeshe said:
Forget about the Zionist Mullahs usurping the poor Persians. They need to be dumped in dustbin of history. Russia must either take control and lead in resolving this conflict using force, or have it head an International contingent of neutral countries armies to handle a transition of power. I am confused about the Vatican silence in all this, especially when the matter is concerning an important part of the world for the church, and millions of Christians that are put at grave risk by this Baathist Mafia stubbornness.
(Sweden, Denmark, Italy, Greece, and Germany) can be considered fair and neutral parties.
August 17th, 2012, 8:00 am
irritated said:
Juergen
Please note a precision that newspaper avoid to say as they prefer to show a negative attitude in Syria. Also note that the Syrian authority could have simply refused the landing and the refueling in view of France’s sanctions on its airline. France should be thankful at Syria’s collaborative attitude.
The Airport refused to accept the credit card of Air France(sic) to pay the kerosin.
The Airport has not “refused the credit card”. I could not accept credit card simply because the US sanctions have stopped any credit card facility in Syria.
August 17th, 2012, 8:37 am
zoo said:
Turkey should thank the Syrian government and stop sending its criminals to Syria: The Turk ‘citizen’ killed in Syria by the Syrian Armyn was an Al Qaeeda operative.
Brother of Qaeda-linked Synagogue bomber killed in Aleppo
http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/brother-of-qaeda-linked-synagogue-bomber-killed-in-aleppo.aspx?pageID=238&nID=28017&NewsCatID=352
A Turkish citizen killed in clashes in Aleppo was revealed to be the brother of the mastermind behind the 2003 al-Qaeda bombings in Istanbul.
Turkish citizen Metin Ekinci was reported yesterday to be killed by soldiers loyal to Bashar al-Assad’s regime in Aleppo. Ekinci’s ID, as well as footage of his funeral, was shown on the Syrian state TV.
Ekinci’s family in his hometown of Bingöl began accepting condolences today as it was revealed that Ekinci was the elder brother of Azad Ekinci, the mastermind behind the 2003 coordinated bombings of the Neva Shalom synagogue, the HSBC head office and the British General Consulate in Istanbul, according to a report by Do?an News Agency (DHA). The attacks killed 57 people and injured nearly 700.
Investigations conducted at the time showed a vehicle registered to Metin Ekinci was used in the attacks and it was later revealed that Azad Ekinci had purchased the vehicle using Metin Ekinci’s ID, which he had stolen from him.
Azad Ekinci’s lawyer Osman Karahan was also killed in an armed clash with the Syrian army in Aleppo last week. Azad Ekinci still remains at large.
August/17/2012
August 17th, 2012, 8:42 am
Ghufran said:
Observer,
Do you believe that Lebanon is a state? I think both of us can agree on the answer.
I have not met any Syrian with an average knowledge of history who does not think that Lebanon is a historical mistake,the same can probably be said about Jordan. The west divided bilaad alsham for an obvious reason,the result is a collection of emirates that made it easier for Israel to survive and thrive,that also helped create corrupt regimes like the one we have in Syria. This conspiracy only succeeded because of the thugs who ruled the middle east and the GCC inspired Islamists who on paper want an Islamic state, Ummah,
but in reality serve as an instrument to deepen divisions and institutionalize chaos in the Arab World which among other factors pushed the Palestinian issue to the back seat, it is very telling how Arabs in the Day of Jerusalem are mostly busy fighting each other instead of fighting the real enemy: Israel.
August 17th, 2012, 9:15 am
mjabali said:
Son of Damascus:
You said:
“Salafis are replacing them all over. Day after day, Salafis are replacing other mild forms of Sunni Islam.”
Do you have a single shred of evidence to back up this claim? ”
Here is one for you: In Egypt, the last election showed you how much did Salafism had penetrated the Egyptian society.
The Salafi TV stations and petro dollar are turning the tide towards a Salafi point of view day after day.
If you have elections today in LEbanon, Jordan, Syria you would see how much the Salafis would win. you can say the same about many other countries. The Salafis are now a force to reckon with.
As for bigotry: every time someone critique “your religion” he is called a bigot. Please have an open mind and critique as hard as you can. We live in the 21st C.
August 17th, 2012, 11:07 am
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