Will Syria Remain Fragmented for Years?

Posted by Joshua on Monday, July 30th, 2012

Will Syria Remain Fragmented for Years?
by Joshua Landis – Syria Comment – July 30, 2012

Afriend flew into Aleppo’s airport 3 days ago from Germany where he had been on business. On his drive into the city, he was shocked to run into a FSA roadblock. The militiamen who greeted him were polite. After asking him where he had been and where he was going, they sent him on his way. A kilometer down the road, he passed through a government check point run by Air-force Intelligence.

Such reports remind me of Lebanon, where I lived for a few years during the civil war. A simple trip could send one through a series of roadblocks run by competing forces. As an American in Lebanon before the Israeli invasion of 1982, I was not a person of interest to any of the warring factions and thus could pass through them unmolested. My Lebanon memories make me wonder whether the expectation of an imminent victory in Syria by one side is realistic.

Militias may well impose control in their areas but find themselves unable to dislodge or overcome competing militias. Some may simply find it more convenient to make deals with rivals than to fight them. Syria could well become a “deeply penetrated society,” as political scientists named Lebanon: a society in which competing factions are largely dependent on external support.

We are all so accustomed to thinking of Syria as DAMASCUS. The capital has been favored by successive governments since independence that it is natural for Syrians to expect the capital to be the axis about which all Syria revolves. That expectation may be misleading. Whomever owns Damascus may no longer own Syria. I have told many journalists that once Damascus falls to rebels, the Assad regime will be effectively dead. That may be true, but the remaining body of the Syrian Army, which is rapidly turning into an Alawite militia, could live on for some time. Various regions of Syria are re-establishing a degree of autonomy and self governance now that Syria is being overrun by militias of many different stripes.

Assad and his men will work for a fragmented Syria. It may be their only path to survival. If the Free Syrian Army can conquer all of Syria, most regime principals will be executed.

I don’t expect Syria to break up as some do, but it may be a long while before one militia or a unified political organization is able to impose its control over the country. Road-blocks were a common feature of Lebanon’s political landscape for fifteen long years.

News Round Up

Free Syrian Army issues military-led transition plan – AFP:

Syria’s rebels distributed on Monday a “national salvation draft” proposal for a political transition in the country, bringing together military and civilian figures for a post-Bashar Al-Assad phase.

The draft by the joint command of the Free Syrian Army (FSA) proposes the establishment of a higher defence council charged with creating a presidential council, which in turn would bring together a total of six military and civilian figures to lead a future transition.

The proposal “meets all the revolution’s demands,” said the umbrella Military Council Joint Command, based in the central province of Homs.

When Syria’s uprising first turned into an armed insurgency, various factions of fighters generally had little or no coordination with each other as they separately battled President Assad’s forces.

This has changed with time, with the Joint Command, headed by Colonel Kassem Saadeddine, emerging as an increasingly representative coordination body for the FSA inside Syria.

Officially, the FSA is under the command of defected Colonel Riad al-Assaad, who is based in Turkey. However, FSA commanders inside Syria have frequently said they would not take orders from a leader based outside the strife-torn country.

The transition-phase higher defence council should include “all Military Council leaders in Syria’s cities and provinces, as well as all the high-profile defected officers and others who have contributed to the revolution,” the Joint Command statement said.

Among the proposed presidential council’s responsibilities would be “to put forward draft laws for referendum and (…) to restructure the security and military apparatus,” the statement said.

The FSA also envisaged “the development of solutions for civilians who took up arms during the revolution,” adding that they “could be incorporated in new security and military institutions.”

The transition would also feature the “establishment of a higher national council to protect the Syrian revolution,” whose role would be to “monitor the work of the executive.”

Alongside all major opposition forces — including activist networks the Syrian Revolution General Commission and the Local Coordination Committees — the FSA and the new national council should participate “in the creation of new institutions,” the statement said.

President in name only, Assad plays for time
By ceding large parts of Syria, the tyrant has effectively admitted that he cannot win
By David Blair – Telegraph

From street protests to insurgency to national insurrection. The remorseless escalation of Syria’s conflict since it first broke out 16 months ago is the most striking feature of the challenge to President Bashar al-Assad’s rule.

Repression has bred resistance, and vice versa, to the point where the country’s biggest cities are becoming battlefields. Aleppo is dominated by the magnificent gatehouse of its Citadel, providing visual proof that possession of this ancient city has decided the fate of kings for centuries. So it is with Mr Assad today: his actions betray a grim awareness that the struggle for Aleppo is central to his regime’s survival. He has been willing to strip neighbouring provinces of troops and tanks in order to mobilise forces for this battle, even though this effectively means turning over large areas of his country to de facto rebel control.

The outlines of Mr Assad’s new survival strategy are now emerging. He will do whatever it takes to hang on to Damascus and Aleppo and, so far as possible, the main north-south highway linking the two cities. This leaves him with little choice but to concede most of rural Syria to his enemies….

CFR and Foreign Policy

UN Says 200,000 Syrians Flee Battle in Aleppo

A massive counteroffensive by the Syrian government over the weekend has forced an estimated 200,000 people to flee Aleppo while the opposition continues what is effectively a guerilla war. Government troops pounded Syria’s largest city and commercial capital, claiming they have overtaken Salaheddine, the center of fighting in the southwestern region of the city. Opposition forces dispute the government’s statement, retorting they have retained control of the Salehedine quarter despite the bombardment of heavy artillery and helicopter gunships. Outnumbered and outgunned, the Syrian opposition has continued to appeal to the international community for arms. France said it would call for an emergency meeting of the U.N. Security Council, and U.S. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta said of the Syrian regime, “If they continue this kind of tragic attack on their own people in Aleppo, I think it ultimately will be a nail in Assad’s own coffin.”

The United Nations’ humanitarian chief Valerie Amos said that the International Red Cross and the Syrian Arab Red Crescent have estimated that 200,000 people have fled the fighting in Aleppo over the past two days. She claimed others are trapped in the midst of the fighting or are taking refuge in schools or other public buildings. Iraq, concerned over domestic instability, has resisted receiving Syrian refugees. The Iraqi border was closed until last week to those fleeing the conflict. Syrians who have crossed over are being imprisoned. According to the United Nations, Iraq has received 8,445 refugees while Turkey has registered 88,000. Jordan claims to have taken in 140,000 people.

Meanwhile, a Turkish official reported that the deputy police chief of the predominantly Alawite port city of Latakia defected overnight, along with 12 Syrian officers. Fighting between both sides continued today. At the same time, Jordan opened its first official refugee camp (VOA) for Syrians fleeing the sixteen-month-old conflict, having taken in 142,000 Syrians thus far.

Analysis

“Governments in the West and in the Middle East fear the prospect of a power vacuum if Mr. Assad were to go soon. Opponents, including the Syrian National Council, a wobbly coalition of Mr. Assad’s foes, are trying to draw up a plan for a post-Assad Syria. But Western diplomats are taking the council less seriously, since it lacks credibility in Syria, and are shifting their focus to the FSA and internal groups,” says the Economist.

“But Assad has one card left to play: The Syrian regime has been setting the stage for a retreat to Syria’s coastal mountains, the traditional homeland of the Assads’ Alawite sect, for months now. It is now clear that this is where the Syrian conflict is headed. Sooner or later, Assad will abandon Damascus,” Tony Badran writes for ForeignPolicy.com.

“Western and Arab powers that have backed the rebellion are increasingly mindful of the dangers of Syria (and its Arab neighbors) breaking up into a bloody civil war if Assad’s regime is precipitously toppled, and of a protracted war that might see the leadership of the rebellion passed to more radical elements,” writes TIME‘s Tony Karon.

Iran Warns Arab States, Turkey Over Syria

Iranian Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi, meeting yesterday with Syrian Foreign Minister Walid Moallem in Tehran, warned Arab states and Turkey that their support for the Syrian opposition movement (WSJ) would have destabilizing consequences for each of their countries and the larger Middle East.

Lebanon (from POMED)

Syria Conflict Continues Spread to Lebanon: Lebanon appealed to the international community for aid in the face of rapidly growing number of Syrian refugees in the country. Those fleeing to Lebanon have begun to include well-off and middle-class Syrians. Lebanese President Michel Sleimansent a letter of protest to Syrian Ambassador to Lebanon Ali Abdel-Karim, accusing Syria of repeated violations of the Lebanese border. The protest came after a house in the Lebanese border town of Mashariaa al-Qaa was bombed, while shells were fired into several other villages along the border. There has been an increase of cross-border clashes recently as Syrian opposition groups have taken advantage of the porous border.

High-Level Defections Continue: Syria’s ambassador to the U.A.E. Abdelatif al-Dabbagh has defected to Qatar, following his wife’s earlier defection. Syrian lawmaker and Baath party member Ikhlas Badawi defected to Turkey. A U.N. spokesperson announced that Turkey is closing its border to Syria for all commercial traffic in both directions, with only three border posts remaining open. U.N. Observer Mission members said 150 observers permanently left the country after an internal decision to halve the staff.

Tom Friedman argued that the prospects for a positive outcome in Syria are low, pointing to Syria’s similarities to Iraq. Glenn Greenwald blasted Friedman’s analysis arguing that the American presence in Iraq led to the sectarian civil war and was ill equipped to “manage” the conflict.

Joe Holliday on Aleppo – he sends this in an email – (thanks to Joel Rayburn)

Even if the regime wins their Aleppo offensive, I predict a Pyrrhic victory, because the rebels in Idlib are pushing hard to cut off the regime’s lines of supply. The security forces committed virtually all of their Idlib-based available combat power to the Aleppo fight, leaving behind a skeleton crew of isolated outposts that the rebels are overrunning one by one. The current fight for Maarat al Numan is just as important as Aleppo in some ways, as the rebels are on the verge of isolating a full 20% of the regime’s remaining combat power.Ws just published a new report the Idlib opposition here:

Its a much shorter, more focused look at the leading rebel groups in Idlib’s Jebal al-Zawiya region. I think it’s an important case study, because the region has been an incubator for the insurgency’s increasing organizational scale, ability to conduct sustained offensives, and willingness to travel considerable distances to mount these attacks. It’s also an important study because it deals with that murky issue of popular and effective Islamist rebel groups that should probably not be classified as extremists. My research assistant Asher did a great job writing this report.

Stratfor – Saudi Arabia Maneuvers Amid Syrian Turmoil

The Saudis want to do everything they can to limit the rise of the Muslim Brotherhood and are supporting the hard-line Salafists, who compete with the Muslim Brotherhood for Sunni votes, as a containment tool. In the longer term, Turkey will become Saudi Arabia’s main competition for influence in the Sunni world. While not an Arab state, Turkey has a more diverse economy and a foreign policy approach that more closely conforms to international expectations. It can also work with Libya, which has a historically difficult relationship with Saudi Arabia….

Iran would prefer to participate in shaping any post-al Assad government in order to secure its interests. But if the Iranians see that the Saudis — and other actors like Turkey or the United States — are trying to keep Iran completely out of the Syrian transition, they may try to create a protracted insurgency. Tehran knows that if the Saudis and Sunnis get a foothold in Syria, the Iranian position in Iraq becomes vulnerable. …

Doha and Riyadh have worked together to back the rebels in Syria, but that cooperation will have its limits.

Many Arab and Islamic countries also resent Saudi Arabia for its wealth and for the high-handed attitude its leadership assumes when dealing with poorer states. Riyadh has found it difficult to assert leadership even over the six countries of the Gulf Cooperation Council — especially Oman, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates.

Furthermore, it is far from guaranteed that a transition in Syria will result in a government antagonistic to Iran, or that Iran will not succeed in fomenting an insurgency that creates enough chaos to prevent a Saudi-aligned Sunni government from taking power. Hezbollah may be feeling vulnerable for now, but it remains aligned with Tehran and will not want to see its patron excluded from a post-al Assad Syria…..

Captiain Firas al-Safi Assassinated on his way from Damascus Airport to his Home in Damascus

The sins of the father caught up with Firas al-Safi, a civilian pilot with SyrianAir. Ibrahim al-Safi, the military ruler of Lebanon for a number of years, paid for his position and loyalty to the Assads with the death of his son. …

Rebels control a strategic land corridor in northern Syria

The Guardian’s Luke Harding, in Syria, has details of the bounty rebel fighters claim to have seized when they took over a checkpoint north-west of Aleppo today.

Speaking to the Guardian, the commander in charge of the Aleppo battle confirmed that his troops had seized a key checkpoint north-west of the city early today. Col Abdel Naser said Free Syrian Army fighters had overwhelmed the Hryatan army base, 5km from the city and next to the Andadan checkpoint, at around 5am this morning.

“It was a successful operation. We took eight tanks and 10 armoured vehicles, as well as mortars and lots of weapons. We also took prisoners. One of our fighters was killed,” he said. He added: “Two tanks and one armoured vehicle managed to escape.”

Col Naser said the Syrian army had responded to the defeat with “light shelling”, on the town of Hryatan and neighbouring Anadan, the FSA’s previous forward position. “We expect more shelling tonight,” he said.

The capture of the Anadan checkpoint is a major boost for the rebels, who now control a strategic land corridor in northern Syria from Turkey all the way to Aleppo’s outskirts. Another FSA officer said theroute would be useful for resupplying FSA fighters inside the city – and as a haven for refugees seeking to flee. Tens of thousands have already left for safer areas.

As Syrian War Drags On, Jihadists Take Bigger Role

A gunman who said he was a member of a jihadist group near the Bab al-Hawa border crossing in Syria. The signs read “The solution is Islam,” left, and “There is no god but God.”
By NEIL MacFARQUHAR and HWAIDA SAAD, July 29, 2012

BEIRUT, Lebanon — As the uprising against President Bashar al-Assad’s government grinds on with no resolution in sight, Syrians involved in the armed struggle say it is becoming more radicalized: homegrown Muslim jihadists, as well as small groups of fighters from Al Qaeda, are taking a more prominent role and demanding a say in running the resistance.

The past few months have witnessed the emergence of larger, more organized and better armed Syrian militant organizations pushing an agenda based on jihad, the concept that they have a divine mandate to fight. Even less-zealous resistance groups are adopting a pronounced Islamic aura because it attracts more financing….

Idlib Province, the northern Syrian region where resistance fighters control the most territory, is the prime example. In one case there, after jihadists fighting under the black banner of the Prophet Muhammad staged significant attacks against Syrian government targets, the commander of one local rebel military council recently invited them to join. “They are everywhere in Idlib,” said a lean and sunburned commander with the Free Syrian Army council in Saraqib, a strategic town on the main highway southwest from Aleppo. “They are becoming stronger, so we didn’t want any hostility or tension in our area.”

Tension came anyway. The groups demanded to raise the prophet’s banner — solid black with “There is no god but God” written in flowing white Arabic calligraphy — during the weekly Friday demonstration. Saraqib prides itself in its newly democratic ways, electing a new town council roughly every two months, and residents put it to a vote — the answer was no. The jihadi fighters raised the flag anyway, until a formal compromise allowed for a 20-minute display.

In one sense, the changes on the ground have actually brought closer to reality the Syrian government’s early, and easily dismissible, claim that the opposition was being driven by foreign-financed jihadists.

A central reason cited by the Obama administration for limiting support to the resistance to things like communications equipment is that it did not want arms flowing to Islamic radicals. But the flip side is that Salafist groups, or Muslim puritans, now receive most foreign financing.

“A lot of the jihadi discourse has to do with funding,” noted Peter Harling, the Syria analyst with the International Crisis Group, adding that it was troubling all the same. “You have secular people and very moderate Islamists who join Salafi groups because they have the weapons and the money. There tends to be more Salafi guys in the way the groups portray themselves than in the groups on the ground.”

But jihad has become a distinctive rallying cry. The commander of the newly unified brigades of the Free Syrian Army fighting in Aleppo was shown in a YouTube video on Sunday exhorting men joining the rebellion there by telling them: “Those whose intentions are not for God, they had better stay home, whereas if your intention is for God, then you go for jihad and you gain an afterlife and heaven.”…

Libyans in Idlib
MARY FITZGERALD, Foreign Affairs Correspondent, in Northern Syria, Irish Times

THE END of Friday prayers brings hundreds of men spilling onto a square in this town in Idlib province, filling the humid air with chants of freedom, justice, and war.

Some 70km to the north lies Syria’s most populous city, Aleppo, now cowering ahead of what many here believe will be a decisive battle in the 16-month uprising against president Bashar al-Assad. Aleppo is on everyone’s mind in this dusty, predominantly Sunni hamlet where residents say more than 180 homes have been burned by regime forces in recent months.

A skinny young man dressed in jeans and T-shirt stands on a platform and yells “Where is our flag of independence? Where is the flag of our revolution?” The three-starred green, white and black standard adopted by Syria’s opposition flutters in the wind before him. The speaker’s voice grows hoarse as he dares the Syrian army to come to his town again. “We need to keep our strength and unity as revolutionaries,” he urges. “Ya Allah [O God] we have no one but you. Help us to stand on the head of Bashar.” The gathered men pump their fists in the air, roaring “Allahu Akbar” in response.

Maher Dugaib, an engineer and father of three, looked on. “Everyone is thinking of Aleppo now because the city is very important,” he said. “What happens in Aleppo will decide much about the future of Bashar and the future of our country.”

Another local man, who gives his name as Abu Mahmoud, is part of a brigade established about three months ago and led by a Libyan-born naturalised Irish citizen Mehdi al-Harati.

“Our town was one of the first to come out and protest against Bashar last year,” says Abu Mahmoud. “We are willing to go to help our brothers in Aleppo at any stage.”

Of the town’s 18,000 residents, 30 have died so far in the uprising – most during helicopter attacks by regime forces – and more than 1,000 men of fighting age have joined the Free Syrian Army (FSA), the loosely organised grouping of military defectors and civilian volunteers.

Mehdi al-Harati’s brigade, known as Liwa al-Umma (Banner of the Nation), is separate to the FSA and its units are scattered throughout the country.

According to Harati, who first came to Syria some 10 months ago for what he says was initially humanitarian work, the brigade emerged after Syrians approached him due to his experience as commander of the Tripoli Brigade in Libya last year. The Tripoli Brigade was one of the first rebel units into the Libyan capital last August.

Liwa al-Umma is made up of more than 6,000 men, 90 per cent of whom are Syrian. The rest are mostly Libyans and other Arabs, including several who live in Ireland. “We couldn’t stand by in the face of such horror,” said one 21-year-old from Dublin, explaining why he decided to come and fight.

During yesterday’s demonstration, another Irish citizen, Hossam al-Najjar, joined the Syrian speaker on stage. Draped in the flags of both the Syrian and Libyan revolutions, the two men chanted slogans against Assad. Najjar, who is Harati’s Irish-born brother-in-law, was also a leading member of the Tripoli Brigade.

“We’re here to facilitate and train civilian rebels in Syria – many of whom are doctors, engineers and teachers – using our experience during the Libyan revolution,” Harati told The Irish Times. “We are a group of civilians brought together for a cause. Asked why he decided to join Harati’s brigade instead of the FSA, Abdel Fatouh Dughaim, a local trader, replied: “Liwa al-Umma is fighting for truth and justice with an Islamic background.” Another younger man said he was drawn to Liwa al-Umma because it was well-organised and disciplined.

Yesterday morning, activists used loudspeakers at the town’s mosques to issue urgent requests for doctors and nurses to come treat fighters wounded during clashes between government troops and rebel forces less than 10km away. According to Harati, a recent four-hour battle involving Liwa al-Umma fighters and regime forces at the same location resulted in the deaths of 63 Syrian soldiers and three rebels.

Syria’s opposition forces remain poorly equipped compared to Assad’s formidable army but Harati said recent developments, including the rebels’ takeover of several border posts, meant that “new and improved” weapons were now more easily available.

Syria: foreign jihadists could join battle for Aleppo – Martin Chulov in Beirut, Guardian

Jihadists, many with al-Qaida sympathies, are said to be planning to join a decisive battle against regime troops

Amid the ruins in Aleppo, Syrian rebels say victory is near
By Erika Solomon, ALEPPO | Mon Jul 30, 2012

(Reuters) – The rebel banner of independence waves over the scorched streets and gutted cars that litter the urban battlegrounds of Aleppo, scars of a struggle in Syria’s second largest city that fighters believe they are destined to win within weeks.

The scruffy, rifle-wielding youths are undeterred by the fate of equally bold, but ultimately crushed campaigns by rebels in the capital Damascus or in Homs, the bloody epicenter of the 16-month-old revolt against President Bashar al-Assad.

Careening through streets ripped up by army tanks on their motorbikes and flatbed trucks, young rebels with camouflage pants and Kalashnikovs patrol their newly acquired territory, which stretches from the outskirts of Aleppo in the northeast and sweeps around the city down to the southwestern corner.

“We always knew the regime’s grave would be Aleppo. Damascus is the capital, but here we have a fourth of the country’s population and the entire force of its economy. Bashar’s forces will be buried here,” said Mohammed, a young fighter, fingering the bullets in his tattered brown ammunition vest….

“We have made a semicircle around the city, and we can push in to the centre. Up in the north, the Kurdish groups are running two neighborhoods in the northern central part of the city. We don’t work together, but we don’t fight,” said a fighter called Bara.

“I really believe that within ten days or more, we have a chance to take the city.”

But across town, the smoking wreckage of the Salaheddine district in the south tells a different story. Bodies lay in the streets on Sunday as the army pounded fighters with artillery and mortars and helicopter gunships fired from above.

“We don’t know if they are going to try to finish the area off or if they are distracting us, and then come shell us again here in the east of town,” said Ahmed, a chain smoking activist, cigarettes as he debated with fighters insisting victory was near.

Salaheddine is the main artery out of the city and onto the highway that leads south to Damascus. State troops seem to have concentrated all their forces on wresting it from the rebels.

If the army, which retains overwhelming military superiority with helicopter gunships, rockets, artillery and tanks, cannot secure Salaheddine enough to get tanks on the ground, it would have to bring tanks into the city by going all the way around the province and entering from the other side, because minor roads on the city outskirts are mined by the rebels.

Both sides are trying to avoid using manpower. The army bombards from afar with its tanks or its helicopters hovering overhead. Rebels set up homemade bombs to blow up the tanks when they try to roll in.

‘Syria: Guests of the Warlord‘ (Jon Lee Anderson, The New Yorker)

“Abu Ibrahim is a big bear of a man in his early forties. He wears flip-flops and a T-shirt and tracksuit pants, and shuffles because of a sniper bullet in his left leg, fired by Syrian government forces; another bullet went through his right foot not long ago, and his face is scarred from an explosion caused when an assailant tried to kill him with a grenade. He keeps a pistol tucked into the waistband of his tracksuit pants. His men are loyal and watchful and one of them never leaves his side. He told me that he used to be a “fruit merchant.” Now, Abu Ibrahim is one of the chieftains of the war in Syria’s strategic northern Aleppo province, where a decisive military confrontation seems to be beginning.”…

Foreign ‘jihadi’ fighters reported in Syria: al-Jazeera Video footage suggests the involvement in Syria conflict of foreign fighters with sympathies or links to al-Qaeda. http://aje.me/OwOXXN

FCO (GB): Syrian Chargé D’Affaires in London resigns
2012-07-30

Syrian Chargé D’Affaires in London resigns 30 July 2012 The Syrian Chargé d’Affaires, Mr Khaled al-Ayoubi, has informed the Foreign and Commonwealth Office today that he has left his post in the Syrian Embassy in London. A Foreign Office …

Lebanon

Syria Conflict Continues Spread to Lebanon: Lebanon appealed to the international community for aid in the face of rapidly growing number of Syrian refugees in the country. Those fleeing to Lebanon have begun to include well-off and middle-class Syrians. Lebanese President Michel Sleiman sent a letter of protest to Syrian Ambassador to Lebanon Ali Abdel-Karim, accusing Syria of repeated violations of the Lebanese border. The protest came after a house in the Lebanese border town of Mashariaa al-Qaa was bombed, while shells were fired into several other villages along the border. There has been an increase of cross-border clashes recently as Syrian opposition groups have taken advantage of the porous border.

Iran Seethes With Discontent During Ramadan
By: Ramin Mostaghim and Alexandra Sandels | Los Angeles Times

Jobs and wages have been cut and prices have shot up. People are especially angry about the skyrocketing cost of chicken.

Russia’s Medvedev Plays Down Split With West on Syria, Agence France-Presse

Russia’s differences with the West on Syria are not as great as they appear, as both agree on the need to prevent civil war, Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev said in an interview published Monday.

Spinmeister Ammar al-Wawi Peddles Upbeat Message of Syrian Rebellion
by Mike Giglio Jul 30, 2012

As the Assad regime bombards Aleppo, the rebels are desperate not only to repel the military, but to shore up morale and build outside support. Ammar al-Wawi, the Free Syrian Army’s leading spin doctor, tells Mike Giglio the government is “like the walking dead.”

Syrian Refugees Are Stung by a Hostile Reception in Iraq – NYTimes

Alone among Syria’s Muslim neighbors, Iraq is resisting receiving refugees from the conflict, and is making those who do arrive anything but comfortable. Baghdad is worried about the fighters of a newly resurgent Al Qaedaflowing both ways across the border, and about the Sunni opponents of the two governments making common cause….

Though Syrians have been fleeing the unrest in their country for months, Iraq did not open its borders to refugees until last week, after protests from the Sunni tribes in Anbar Province. The Bukamal border crossing, near this city, is the most problematic one for Iraq, with the Syrian side now under the control of opposition forces.

The restrictions Baghdad has imposed on refugees proved so severe that on Friday, representatives of the Anbar tribes and hundreds of followers took to the streets in the 125-degree midday heat to protest the treatment of the newly arriving Syrians, many of whom have family and tribal connections with Iraqis here.

Kurd: See KurdWatch

Kurdistan conclude additional agreement

KURDWATCH, July 28, 2012—On July 1, 2012, representatives of the Kurdish National Council and the People’s Council of West Kurdistan signed an agreement in Salahuddin (Kurdistan/Iraq) intended to supplement the agreement signed on June 11, 2012 in Erbil [download document]. The first point of the document recognizes the Erbil agreement and pronounces its implementation. The second point resolves that a joint caucus will be formed with the task of establishing general political principles and leading the Kurdish movement. Members of both councils are to be equally represented in the caucus and in all committees, and decisions are to be made by consensus.

Point three provides for the establishment of various committees of experts. Point four calls for the cessation of media attacks. Point five forbids the use of force as well as any activities likely to lead to tensions in the Kurdish regions. Point six adopts the bylaws appended to the Erbil agreement, and point seven resolves that committees will be formed within two weeks of the signing of the agreement. The Kurdish National Council and the People’s Council of West Kurdistan adopted the agreement on July 9 and 10, respectively….

Al-Qamishli: Future Movement splits

KURDWATCH, July 22, 2012—The Kurdish Future Movement in Syria has split.

?Afrin: Father and two sons kidnapped and murdered by the PYD

KURDWATCH, July 21, 2012—On June 29, 2012, supporters of the Democratic Union Party (PYD) attacked a dissident demonstration in front of the Dirsim Hospital in ?Afrin [further information on the case]. The demonstrator ?Abdurrahman Hasan Bakr defended himself against the attacks, and a PYD activist known as Chakdar was injured in the face in the process. The PYD retaliated in an unprecedented way: In the night from July 4 to July 5, armed PYD fighters attacked the home of Hanan Hasan Bakr in ?Afrin. Those who were attacked defended themselves and a shootout lasting several hours ensued, in which the PYD activist Chakdar was killed and other attackers were injured. PYD members then kidnapped Hanan Hasan Bakr and at least ten of his relatives. They also set four homes and several cars belonging to the kidnapped victims on fire.

Kurdish worries drag Turkey deeper into Syria war, Reuters

The Associated Press reports: Mitt Romney told Jewish donors Monday

that their culture is part of what has allowed them to be more economically successful than the Palestinians,… “As you come here and you see the GDP per capita, for instance, in Israel which is about $21,000 dollars, and compare that with the GDP per capita just across the areas managed by the Palestinian Authority, which is more like $10,000 per capita, you notice such a dramatically stark difference in economic vitality,” the Republican presidential candidate told about 40 wealthy donors who ate breakfast at the luxurious King David Hotel.

Romney said some economic histories have theorized that “culture makes all the difference.”….

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Comments (345)

SANDRO LOEWE said:

“Assad and his men will work for a fragmented Syria. It may be their only path to survival. If the Free Syrian Army can conquer all of Syria, most regime principals will be executed.”

Assads, who once cheated the syrian people by declaring themselves “the leaders of the arab cause and defendors of Greater Syria” may now pretend to find the only possible escape in fragmenting Syria. This is what happens when a minority takes power. Let’s go back to the times of Salaheddin, when political unification was based on religious unity of Sunna Islam and respect to christian and jew semitic populations. We are in XXI century and no religion should be imposed on free citizens, but history shows us that in times of chaos and crisis majority, and not minority, must lead.

July 30th, 2012, 5:55 pm

Juergen said:

Joerg Armbrüster reports from Damascus

translated

” We have not thought we would get an permit, but at the end we received the permit to visit the most shiite suburb of all in Damascus: Saida Zainab. Best known for their mosque, worshipped especially by the shiite women.Also known is this area for the fierce fighting. Sunni terrorists they say here, insurgants they call themselves.The shiite are known for being unqestionable loyalists to the regime. The sharia scholar Fadi Burhan shows us around his area.
Almost 4 % of all Syrians are shiite.The sunnis represet the overall majority. This mosque is the work place of this sheikh.

At this place the outraged sheikh tells us that grenades fired by the sunnis have detonated. We can not verify that claim.

We can verify that the whole area is totally loyal to Assad.Every step we make, we are escorted by heavyily armed soldiers.Really showing them is not possible. Even inside this barber shop we can not get them off our backs.
Barber shops are sometimes marketplaces for political extravaganza, but not here.

barber: “Saudi Arabia is feeding the rebels with money”
client:” thats a big game which is played with Syria, responsible for that are Israel, the USA and Qatar, they guide the terrorists, every child knows that.”

So, nothing new in the barber shop of Saida Zainab.

At Sheikh Fadi we see something new.
He insisted us to see his pictures of meetings with the dignitaries of other faiths in the country. To our surprise he even hang up a cross.

Sheikh Fadi: In Syria the religions emerged, the christian, the islamic, all religions. Thats why I respect them, all have their origin here, thats why Syria has always respected all the religions.

Sheikh Fadi represents somehow the tolerant image of Syria in which many religions have their place.

The balance among those religions is the reason of state.
Especially those minorities like the shiite fear that this culture will be lost after the fall of Assad.

http://www.tagesschau.de/multimedia/video/video1156466.html

July 30th, 2012, 5:58 pm

omen said:

there are heavy hitters on this board whom i’m fond of who are so smart and so eloquent…

but to go after some poor schmuck’s bad grammar is a cheap shot when there are bigger principles at stake and arguments worthy of attack in this war of ideas.

it’s an elitist hit that i worry might alienate readers who see this mockery of grammar and feel unwelcome to engage.

lurkers, if you have a valuable insight to share or issues you want to raise, please don’t feel intimidated if english isn’t your first language and your command of the language is shaky.

July 30th, 2012, 6:02 pm

Erin said:

it is weird that this blog has prophecy of what’s is going to happen to Syria.
is it all about science or more into it such a long term plan being folded week by week and year by year? since paul wolfowitz orchestrated the map for the new middle east in 1992.
as always has been predicted that the goal here is to divide syria into small pieces, weak, lawless, fragmented to even stand on its own.
carve the Kurds a country.
small land for Allowite.
kick the Christians out of the middle east as it has happened all over the Levant.
some accuses me of islamophobia but obviously, my conclusions, it founded on strong base of evidence for the last few decades.
It is a shamble that countries such the GCC can influence the internal affairs in another country like Syria, Lebanon, Egypt, etc with no consequences.
it is clear that this dogs in GCC are destroying syria with the help of the CIA and Israel.

July 30th, 2012, 6:07 pm

Juergen said:

Michael Schramm reports of the liberated town of Azaz

translated:

500 Euro is the fare nowadays for hiring a smuggler who would bring one through the otherwise closed turkish-syrian border to Azaz. The only condition, the client should be good in walking.And with encounters like this turkish border control, which luckily could not spot us. Now we are in Syria, in Syria of the Free Syrian Army. An area without baath party, without Assad.After a 20 km drive we reach their inofficial captial Azaz. 65000 lived here before, now only a third is left. Little bit more than a week ago the FSA were not only able to defeat the Assad forces, but also to chase them off. Before many bloody violent attacks took place. About 400 inhabitants of that town have lost their lives. Even though the joy is visible, also the sadness is visible.

interview with elderly couple in their car

” What Assad has done, no muslim would do. Only animals would do that. I have lost three family members.”

A time without Assad of which so many are dreaming in Syria, here it is already reality.

The soldier council which consists also of civilians is regulating for excample the supply of bread.

interview older men

” we have to deal with big difficulties.The people of Azaz have to wait 2 hours for their bread.much of the food can only be smuggled in through the border.”

No Alawites are living in Azaz, the town is totally sunni.Clashes within the muslim community are not to be expected.

In the former baath party headquarter of Azaz they have removed the pictures of Assad first.

Since a few days Samir Hedzamal is presiding here, by the way he is a former teacher.

“Here in Azaz we are in an pioneering role for all Syria. We hope we will fulfill this role accordingly.”

The market of Azaz today looked like any ordinary bazar.
The people we here are coming back into the town without Assad.

http://www.tagesschau.de/multimedia/video/video1156468.html

July 30th, 2012, 6:20 pm

Ghufran said:

??? ?????? ?????? ???? ?????? ?????? ?????? ???? ????? ??? ?????? ?? ??????? ?????? ??? ??? ????? ??? ????? ?? ??????? ??????? ?? ?????? ??????.
???? ?????? ?????? ???? ????? ??????? ??????? ?? ??????? ??????? ?????? ??? ??? ?????? ????? ?????? ????? ???? ?????? ????????? ?????? ??? ??? ???? ?????? ???? ?????? ?????? ?? ??? ?????? ??? ???? ??????? ????? ???? ??? ????? ??????? ?? ????.
????? ???? ?? ????? ??????? ???? ?? ???? ?? ???? ?????? ???? ??? ????? ?? ???? ???? ??? ?????? ??? ?????? ?? ??????? ?????? ???? ???????? ??? ???????.

July 30th, 2012, 6:25 pm

omen said:

erin, there is more evidence that the west is withholding help to overthrow the regime.

if rich gulf states were helping the rebels, why are they forced to scrounge for weapons? they still lack anti tank and anti aircraft weapons like stingers. they have a few technicals but mostly they’re running with ak-47s and rpgs. most of the stuff they are picking up has been raided from regime strongholds.

July 30th, 2012, 6:38 pm

Aldendeshe said:

I can render an advise to all, and help in solution, but I will not. Keep them making awful mistakes and fighting for fifteen years. Assad army can keep Syria relatively in one part for a decade, so why worry. Back to the beach.

?????? ??? ???? ???? ?????

July 30th, 2012, 6:52 pm

omen said:

340. ZOO said: New recruits in the Syrian Army

-where do iranian militants get processed?

-are these recruits? or conscripts?

-they’re awfully young.

young/inexperienced soldiers versus already battle hardened rebels.

July 30th, 2012, 7:00 pm

Michal said:

@ 7. OMEN

This of course assumes that there are weapons to be distributed in the first place. Heavy weapons are more difficult to obtain and deliver than kalashnikovs.

July 30th, 2012, 7:07 pm

Amjad said:

The fact that the regime’s supporters are openly wishing for a breakaway state, confined to a tiny slice of the coast, just proves that they have given up on ever being able to subdue Syria.

July 30th, 2012, 7:12 pm

Amjad said:

Omen, when someone claims to be a westerner, and makes a huge hue and cry over that fact, it is absolutely legitimate to question their credibility when they can’t tell the difference between “there” and “their”, and continue to speak and write in a manner that no English native speaker would.

July 30th, 2012, 7:48 pm

Uzair8 said:

Did someone mention cats? Kittens?

***************

Even cat feels in security wth FSA – Aleppo

http://yallasouriya.wordpress.com/2012/07/31/even-cat-feels-in-security-wth-fsa-aleppo/

***************

July 30th, 2012, 8:22 pm

bronco said:

The farce of the military-led transition: the Syrian Tantawi

As the politically lead transition promoted by Annan is dead because the SNC turned out to be a basket of crabs, now Qatar, Turkey and its allies thought: Hey, no Libya scenario, no Yemen scenario, so let’s try the Egypt scenario. An “original” idea poped up: a military-led transition.
So they shook depressed Ryad al Assad and his generals in their Turkish bunker to push them to announce a “breakthrough” that would save their face in view of the fiasco of the Damascus Battle and the probable second fiasco of Aleppo.

Obviously, the “military-led transition plan” is a pale imitation of Egypt with the “negligible” difference that the FSA represents less than a 1/10 of the Syrian army.

The other difference is that the number of supporters of the regime versus the supporters of the opposition is unknown but certainly large enough not to make life easy for that ‘entity’ once it takes power.

So Al Assad will become the Syrian’s Tantawi and will move on quickly to parliamentary elections, presidential elections etc…. If the Syrian MB or the Salafist wins, and with the money Qatar and KSA will certainly pour in, one of them will, so be it.

That this transition ‘entity’ is supposed to rule, secure and lead the country toward a democracy promoted by undemocratic Qatar and Saudi Arabia is a total farce.

They have no legitimacy whatsoever, they are rebels and outlaws with bloody hands. None of their leaders is a recognized person with any credibility. They may have had supporters when they were fighting, they would have much less when they’ll want to command the country.
If they use Manaf Tlass to ensure some “continuity”, they’ll have even less legitimacy.

Ryad Al Assad should get ready for a bumpy reception when he will get out of his bunker in Turkey with his generals.
The loyalists now turned into opposition will reserve him a very warm welcome.

July 30th, 2012, 8:28 pm

Uzair8 said:

HamaEcho
Statement from Abdulrazaq Tlass about treatment of prisoners and Geneva Convention [With English subtitles] #Syria

http://yallasouriya.wordpress.com/2012/07/30/hamaecho-statement-from-abdulrazaq-tlass-about-treatment-of/

July 30th, 2012, 8:29 pm

Uzair8 said:

Brave reporting from BBC’s Ian Pannell and cameraman.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-19052238

July 30th, 2012, 8:42 pm

irritated said:

Omen

The rich gulf states are worried that heavy weapons end up with Hezbollah as they have no trust whatsoever in the FSA, heavily infiltrated.
So they give just enough for the FSA to survive and kill as many syrian soldiers are they can. They are using the FSA as cheap mercenaries for their own goal: reduce arrogant Syria to slavery.

One day the FSA will finally wake up to that sad reality, too late for many young soldiers who paid for their live to serve the cynical and revengeful hatred of Qatar and Saudi Arabia toward Syria.

July 30th, 2012, 8:46 pm

SYR.EXPAT said:

The same person appears on two Syrian channels, Al-Dunia and another one:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KpVFpPenCKg&feature=player_embedded#!

In one, he’s portrayed as the victim of terrorists. In another, he’s a terrorists that was killed by government troops.

This is nothing new. The Batta thugs have been doing thins all along, but now they provide the proof of who’s behind the murder.

May Allah have his mercy on him and accept him as a martyr.

One thing that the Assad thugs don’t know is that any person who dies didn’t die a moment sooner than his or her appointed time with death. What matters is whether a person died doing the wrong thing. All of the martyrs who fell during this revolution were going to die anyway. Some choose to die standing up to tyranny. Others die in their beds.

I also see that people are talking about the possibility of an Alawite state in the coast. It’s a possibility, but what is guaranteed is that the people of Hama, Dar’a, Homs, and Idlib won’t stop unti they reach Kirdaha. It’s only been 30 years, not enough time for the Hamwis to forget what Hafez and Rifaat did to them them.

Those who still support Assad fearing the alternative need to switch sides before it’s too late. They had more than a year and half. Time is running out. There might still be time for diplomatic solution. There might still be time for national reconciliation similar to what happened in SA. If they choose not to jump-ship, then they should whine later if things go against them.

July 30th, 2012, 8:51 pm

Mick said:

#17 Irritated

They will never learn. Just like the Sunni leaders in Lebanon request arms from the West, but never get enough to actually defend Lebanon…just enough to keep sects fighting.

If Saudi or Qatar ever demanded Lebanon have an air defense from their weapons suppliers in the West to stop Israeli overflights, my heart would explode.

July 30th, 2012, 8:59 pm

omen said:

bbc world news on pbs:

un observers came under attack this weekend by government forces.

also

(CBS/AP) A convoy of vehicles led by the head of the U.N. observers mission was attacked by tanks Sunday, U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said.

No one was injured, but Ban said a dozen armored vehicles used by the military observers were destroyed by blasts and shelling, and a convoy carrying the general heading the force was targeted on Sunday.

July 30th, 2012, 9:10 pm

Ghufran said:

Mick,the only fighting force the GCC has is the Islamist thugs and alqaida terrorists. Kuwaitis crowded cairo’s nightclubs during the gulf war while Americans with the help of non Kuwaitis,including Syrians,were liberating Kuwait from Saddam Hussein army.
In a perfect world,one would have loved to see thugs from both sides fight each other to death and leave civilians alone,but since Aleppo refused to join the revolution,geniuses on the opposition side decided to bring the revolution to Aleppo knowing very well that scores of civilians will die,the objective is to win support among the people who will naturally resent seeing tanks in their streets and helicopters flying and firing above their head.
Harirites and GCC brand politicians and sheikhs can only buy people to fight their own dirty war against Syria and Iran,none of that was possible if Syria had a decent government and a good smart leader.

July 30th, 2012, 9:14 pm

omen said:

17. irritated, really? gulf states are worried about hezbollah? as far as i can tell, hezbollah are not hampered from getting any heavy weapons they want.

my hunch is that gulf states are reluctant to arm the rebels for fear of blowback. they don’t want to bolster rebels who might turn the revolution back on the gulf states after freeing syria.

July 30th, 2012, 9:20 pm

VISITOR said:

Once again, we emphasize to the dreamers and to the doubters that Syria will never be broken into statelets. Winner will take all. And the winner is none but our side, make no mistakes.

This time, however, we assure you that the end of despotism and thuggery is nearer than you think. Dignity and honor will rein upon this land after having been deprived of such for time immemorial under the thuggish criminal despots who will be swept to the lowest of the lowest of the dustbins of history along with their backers, the eternal enemies of the people of Syria: the Iranian mullajis, the hizb zbala, the Russian Mafioso and the Chinese pseudo-imperialists.

This Ramadan began with great blessings on Syria as we pointed out when it came upon us. It will end with even greater blessings and victories for the Syrian people and its glorious and historic revolution, all by the grace of Our God and the heroic achievements of the heroes of the FSA.

July 30th, 2012, 9:34 pm

irritated said:

Omen

Hezbollah would not say no to more american made ‘qualitative’ weapons, who would?
Also these weapons are expensive, Qatar and KSA prefer to use its big money on buying people’s loyalty rather than weapons.
From the cheers we hear from the FSA toward Qatar and KSA, they succeeded.

July 30th, 2012, 9:38 pm

irritated said:

Visitor from Hatay

This Ramadan began with great blessings on Syria

You mean the annihilation of the rebels in Damascus?

July 30th, 2012, 9:41 pm

omen said:

irritated: From the cheers we hear from the FSA toward Qatar and KSA, they succeeded.

People who faced live gunfire with nothing but their courage will never accept to be stooges or agents for any foreign power.

another reason why the west gives bashar a free hand to mow down protesters. the first to rise in revolt are the ones most committed to reform.

the u.s. has a history of giving a green light to dictators to kill reformers. from latin america to bush senior in iraq who urged the shia to rise up knowing saddam would kill them off while the u.s. stood idly by, even though our forces were right there.

July 30th, 2012, 9:50 pm

irritated said:

Damascus back to normal:
No more electricity cuts in Damascus and the suburbs

July 30th, 2012, 9:56 pm

irritated said:

26. omen

It is clear that the US always prefer puppets in countries they want to manipulate for their own interests. They thrive for that.

The USA has a history of using local grievances they exacerbate and encourage through discreet manipulation in order to create internal conflicts that weaken the country as a whole.
This pattern is obvious in Syria.

July 30th, 2012, 10:06 pm

zoo said:

A US slap to Syrian Kurds

No US nod on Kurdish rule

http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/no-us-nod-on-kurdish-rule.aspx?pageID=238&nID=26718&NewsCatID=359

Cansu Çaml?bel ISTANBUL / Hürriyet
A senior US official visiting Turkey says Washington does not anticipate an autonomous Kurdish region in Syria and they favor the protection of Syria’s territorial integrity.

July 30th, 2012, 10:18 pm

Uzair8 said:

Free Syrian Army Update English 2012
3 hours ago.FSA# Reports indicate that 1,000 Hizbullah Shi’ite Militants are on their way to Aleppo via Damascus, They are stationed in Damascus to fight FSA alongside Assad forces..Now they are needed in Aleppo..

Question is why are the doing in Syria in the first Place? let alone to be in Damascus or Aleppo..They are not welcomed in Syria..And By Allah swt we shall make their Graveyards in Aleppo !

http://yallasouriya.wordpress.com/2012/07/31/free-syrian-army-update-english-2012-3-hours-5/

July 30th, 2012, 10:22 pm

zoo said:

Erdogan is killing his own people with drones.
The PKK members are Turkish citizens, they are not just “Kurds”

Monday,July 30 2012
Major operation against PKK near Iraq, Iran border

http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/major-operation-against-pkk-near-iraq-iran-border.aspx?pageID=238&nID=26717&NewsCatID=341

Two Turkish soldiers were killed and ten were wounded in a continuing military operation against the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) July 29 in the southeastern province of Hakkari’s ?emdinli district, on Turkey’s borders with Iran and Iraq.
…
Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV) began to bomb an area occupied by PKK members.

July 30th, 2012, 10:23 pm

irritated said:

30. Uzair8

Great news… If the Turks and the Libyans are in Syria, why not Lebanese who come in to free the 11 hostages captured by the FSA
Or is that the desperate FSA are trying to find an excuse to their failure?

July 30th, 2012, 10:27 pm

Ghufran said:

Calling a spade a spade :
http://world.time.com/2012/07/30/going-rogue-bandits-and-criminal-gangs-threaten-syrias-rebellion/?iid=gs-main-lede

July 30th, 2012, 10:27 pm

zoo said:

Syria continues operations against rebels in Aleppo amid Western warnings
2012-07-31 06:06:01
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/world/2012-07/31/c_123497239.htm

DAMASCUS, July 30 (Xinhua) — The Syria government showed unwavering resolve in the past week in its operations to overrun some rebel-held areas in northern province Aleppo while the confrontation between the two sides is getting increasingly fierce due to the support the opposition is reportedly receiving from some regional and foreign parties.

Despite some opposition activists’ claim that the rebels have fended off an all-out offensive by the government troops, Syria said it is in the throes of crushing them and on the threshold of a new era, which will see all Syrian cities free of “terrorists.”

On Saturday, Syria launched its fiercest offensive in Aleppo with warnings of a continuous onslaught until “smashing out the last terrorist.”

The government emphasizes that it has regained its control on most areas that were reportedly held by rebels in the northern province of Aleppo, Syria’s second largest city and its industrial capital.

On Monday, the Syrian army overran part of the rebel-held Salaheddin district of Aleppo, the city’s most populous area and the stronghold of the rebels’ Free Syrian Army.

The Syrian government dismissed the media reports that the rebels have ever achieved gains in some restive areas in Aleppo, saying those reports are no more than a “psychological war aiming to breathe life in the rebels’ deteriorating morale.”

July 30th, 2012, 10:31 pm

Tara said:

Assad regime was in bed with jihadists sending them to Iraq. Now the same jihadists are fighting against him. Assad will eventually fall may be with the help of those jihadists…what an irony.

Some of the new arrivals have told local people they will also try to connect with a small number of homegrown Syrian groups in the country who at least partly share their ideology and who fought against US forces in Iraq.

The Syrians’ journeys to Iraq during the height of the Sunni insurgency from 2004-07 had proved instructive in the violence in Iraq’s Anbar province, which borders eastern Syria. And their border crossings had been facilitated by the Syrian regime’s security apparatus, which had also acted as a conduit for arriving foreign fighters.

One Syrian veteran of the Iraq war said: “The brothers who came to join us (in Iraq), particularly from the Maghreb, all flew into Damascus airport and were directed to the border by the intelligence services.

“They crossed the borders the same way that we did. The intelligence officers were responsible for the crossings.”

Syria: foreign jihadists could join battle for Aleppo
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2012/jul/30/syria-foreign-jihadists-aleppo-al-qaida

Scores of foreign jihadists have crossed into Syria from Turkey in the past two weeks, some of them telling Syrians that they are planning to travel to Aleppo to join a decisive battle against regime troops.

Syrian residents and a Turkish smuggler interviewed by the Guardian say many of the men have come from the Caucasus, while others had arrived from Pakistan, Bangladesh and Gulf Arab states.

According to locals who have dealt with them, the new arrivals embrace a global jihadist worldview that sets them apart from most leaders in the armed Syrian opposition and is stirring deep discontent among the rebel leadership.

More…

July 30th, 2012, 10:35 pm

Syrialover said:

I just market tested that picture of the handsome FSA fighter with a nice cat to some ladies I know.

Instant success! There’s a brilliant picture that will win the FSA hearts and minds of many women for sure.

I hope the FSA will use it for posters and publicity.

See: Even cat feels in security wth FSA – Aleppo

http://yallasouriya.wordpress.com/2012/07/31/even-cat-feels-in-security-wth-fsa-aleppo/

PS One lady told me even Asma Assad could probably not resist it

July 30th, 2012, 11:20 pm

Halabi said:

Assad’s army has quickly lost control of Aleppo. This isn’t like the operation in Damascus – the FSA, or Liwa Al-Tawheed and other groups, have fanned out and have deep supply lines into the countryside to Turkey. Here’s their deputy commander in Bab Al-Hadeed in the center of the city

http://youtu.be/YTpCOrA28r0

and then later in Anadan greeting the heroes who took over a checkpoint this morning and seized a number of tanks.

http://youtu.be/lbxkQSiBRwk

Or in other words, Assad is winning and is just a week away from destroying this foreign conspiracy…

July 30th, 2012, 11:21 pm

Syrialover said:

When Syria has a legitimate government there will be no reason to break it up, and also the scattering of freelance foreign adventure fighters will lose excitement and go home.

As somebody said here earlier, the Syrians will be saying thanks for your help and goodbye.

People getting all worked up and excited about foreign jihadis and their designs on Syria are like kids telling each other exaggerated stories to impress and give a thrill.

And now we hear that Shi’ite Hezbollah militants want to play a role in the Syrian drama, well that’s all the better that there are some self-styled al Qaeda warrior types inside to take them on.

When Syria gets a legitimate government, they will be seen for what they are – a minor marginal sideshow to the victory of the FSA.

July 31st, 2012, 12:05 am

Uzair8 said:

Umm Safiyyah ?@FreeFalasteen
The #Syrian ambassador in #Malaysia has been defected #Syria #Homs #FSA #ASSad #mar15 @h_prinz

http://yallasouriya.wordpress.com/2012/07/31/umm-safiyyah-%e2%80%8ffreefalasteen-the-syrian-ambassador-in-malaysia/

#36 Syrialover

LOL

July 31st, 2012, 12:10 am

Juergen said:

Halabi

havent we heard that from the starting days? They will need 2 weeks to crush the revolution? That might have been the case in an other country where we did not see 40 years of mass killing, torture and a ruling mafia clan.

Uzair,

thank you for posting the Ian Pannell piece. I cant help it, but why dont we have such couragous folks in our national news outlets?

July 31st, 2012, 12:36 am

Ghufran said:

Few notes,
1. If the SNC wants Mulhem Aldroubi to be the head of a transitional government,this means there will not be one, the funniest position in the proposed government is giving Michel Kilo ,a respected intellectual and an ex political prisoner,the title of deputy PM for cultural affairs (a Christian secular guy in a government headed by an unknown MB dude). I have to admit I was in no mood to laugh but I could not help it. The whole list is available on pg-4 at Alquds Alarabi website.
2. There was no reference in the SNC plan to the most explosive issues which,if not properly adressed,can ruin any attempt to end this bloody mess and unite the country.
3. On the subject of Aleppo back and forth fighting,the battle is too important for both sides to be judged by a YouTube video from here and there,I hope that a bloodbath can be prevented but I do not see how the armed rebels can prevail,attacking Aleppo was irresponsible and reckless,support for rebels in northern and western Aleppo is just not there.
4. An alawi state is not viable but I do not see how the people in Latakia and Tartus can allow Islamists and armed rebels to roam free in their areas and impose their rules and life style on a mostly secular and fairly liberal population.
Will know a lot more in 2-3 weeks.

July 31st, 2012, 12:45 am

Halabi said:

Do menhebaks have any information on Chargé d’Affaires Khaled al-Ayoubi? I’m sure he was corrupt because he was part of the Assad regime, but were Syrian prosecutors on the verge of indicting him for decades of corruption and perhaps worse crimes? It seems that once again Assad’s government can’t bring the guilty to justice but has the full force of the state going after school boys in Daraa and harmless men like Aref Dalila, Salameh Kaileh, Najati Tayyara and Michel Kilo.

This is the government that menhebaks want to destroy the country for.

July 31st, 2012, 12:45 am

Uzair8 said:

#40 Jeurgen

I guess they had no choice as they were ‘trapped’ along with the rebels. (?)

July 31st, 2012, 12:53 am

Uzair8 said:

There is no better time to defect than in Ramadan with extra spiritual reward up for grabs.

July 31st, 2012, 12:58 am

Juergen said:

controversial Interview between Jürgen Todenhöfer who has just returned from Syria from an interview with Assad and Christoph Reuter, the hidden DER SPIEGEL journalist who reported for months from the country.

There is one major mistak by the tranlating document, when Todenhöfer was answered if he had to send in the questions he was going to ask Assad, the answer is No.

By the way the image of Todenhöfer has suffered, he is no longer seen as the peace advocate but rather a self proclaimed activist who suffers deeply from his vanity.

He puts down the efforrts by Reuter to risks his life by travel to Al Houla and interviews victims and family members. Todenhöfer stayed in Damascus and meets one men who tells him that his family was killed by the rebels because they converted to shiite islam.

I am not the only one who has no understanding whatsoever what makes Todenhöfer the advocate of the regime, his denial of torture, even the order that demonstrators are met with guns, what an tragedy.

“War is never fair”

Reuter: “The United Nations arrive at similar figures. We get our information in the rest of our discussions in the country, for example, deserting soldiers, who refused to obey the order to fire on their own people on.

Todenhöfer: Again, such an assertion, there is no order to fire on civilians.

Reuter: What?

Todenhöfer: There is, on the contrary, a gun ban on the civilian population.

Reuter: Who says that Assad?

Todenhöfer: He says that those who violate them will be taken to justice. He has received the family of a 13-year-old boy who became a symbol of the revolution. He was killed by security forces. Assad has mourned with the family and explained the boy a martyr. He would never have done if he could find such good shooting.”

Reuter: Is there really something you criticize Assad?

Todenhöfer: Yes, and I’ll tell you very openly that he has admitted that its security forces fired in the early phase of peaceful demonstrators.

Reuter: He has not admitted it, he has ordered it.

Todenhöfer: No! The security forces were overwhelmed at that time. I also criticize the shelling of residential areas, even if rebels use civilians as shields deliberately. And I think it is a mistake that he makes no journalists in the country.”

http://translate.google.de/translate?sl=de&tl=en&js=n&prev=_t&hl=de&ie=UTF-8&layout=2&eotf=1&u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.spiegel.de%2Fspiegel%2Fstreitgespraech-zwischen-juergen-todenhoefer-und-christoph-reuter-a-847123.html

July 31st, 2012, 12:59 am

Juergen said:

Here is what Christoph Reuter had found out about the Al Houla massacre

http://www.spiegel.de/international/world/a-look-back-at-the-houla-massacre-in-syria-a-845854.html

July 31st, 2012, 1:01 am

Syrian Nationalist Party said:

Mr Rossini, can you confirm SN status?

July 31st, 2012, 1:13 am

omen said:

what’s the difference between alawite and sunni burial rites?

fisk makes this connection re houla:

There are equal suspicions, I should add, that the first great Syrian massacre of throat-cutting and executions in the Sunni village of Houla on 25 May might have been a reprisal for the attempted poisoning of Bashar al-Assad’s brother-in-law Asef Shawkat, whom the rebels at last cut down in the bombing in Damascus last Wednesday. Others say the attempted poisoning was more recent; but everything that happened – and happens – in Syria is connected.

July 31st, 2012, 1:20 am

Syrialover said:

That Vogue writer continues to express deep regret and shame at writing that whitewash article on Asma Assad.

Syria: Vogue writer says she was ‘duped’ by Asma al-Assad

Excerpt:

“Writing in Newsweek magazine 14 months later the author called Mrs Assad “the first lady of hell” and outlined how “the devil and his wife” had “showed off their fantasy lives for me”.

“… the author also revealed how, on a visit to a youth centre, Mrs Assad had caused children to cry by falsely telling them the place was closing. Mrs Assad told her it was “just to get them out of their comfort zone.”

“The writer also described how, during a family fondue at the Assad residence, she asked Bashar al-Assad why he had wanted to be an eye doctor and he replied: “It’s very precise, and there is very little blood.”

“The profile was remove from Vogue’s website in the Spring and editor-in-chief Anna Wintour issued a statement deploring the actions of the Assad regime.”

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/middleeast/syria/9439083/Syria-Vogue-writer-says-she-was-duped-by-Asma-al-Assad.html

July 31st, 2012, 1:25 am

Uzair8 said:

2012-7-26

“The rebels claimed they were in the ‘final stages of liberating’ Syria. But don’t trust them. It was a psychological warfare,” the Syrian ambassador to China, Imad Moustapha, told the Global Times. “In fact, the Syrian army has had unprecedented success in fighting with those armed rebels.”

According to Moustapha, Syrian government forces have killed “thousands of” rebel fighters in the latest flare-up of military clashes.

He said that the Syrian government “welcomes” them to fight on the battlefield, rather than use the hit-and-run tactics that the militarily weak rebels resorted to earlier in the 16-month-old uprisings. But the Syrian government still maintains that a political solution to the current crisis could be negotiated any time the rebels are willing to put down their weapons, Moustapha added.

http://www.globaltimes.cn/content/723369.shtml

July 31st, 2012, 1:27 am

Halabi said:

North and Western Aleppo doesn’t mean anything – specific neighborhoods need to be mentioned. Almost every part of Aleppo (except Azizia, Sleimanieh and the shabiha filled Sa’adallah Jabri square) has hosted protests, including northern and western Aleppo in recent months while the pro-Assad crowd has been silent. Very few people openly support the regime in Aleppo, other than the mentally unstable, die-hard shabiha and sectarian genocide supporters.

After feeling their homes shake on nightly basis due to the shelling of the countryside, many people in Aleppo have come to understand that the regime is just lobbing up shells to destroy poor areas and kill the FSA and innocent civilians. After all that shelling for almost two months, the FSA is able to ride into town and take over neighborhoods. Even the most ardent supporter can see that Assad’s army isn’t making them safer or winning the battle.

Then when the FSA came in, they didn’t round up the Christians and start bombing churches. Because they aren’t crazy sectarian killers. But Assad’s army is bringing in its tanks and is indiscriminately shelling neighborhoods, deploying a scorched earth strategy that hasn’t worked anywhere in the country.

The destruction of my hometown isn’t something I am rooting for. But I know that my family and most of my friends have come to terms with the risks and understand the type of war the country is going through. We all wish that it ends tomorrow, as long as the regime is over. If not, the fight will continue whether we like it or not.

On another note, a belated welcome to the new Halabis on this board. I hope your families stay safe and see the dawn of a new Syria.

July 31st, 2012, 1:28 am

Bruno said:

From the article

(The signs read “The solution is Islam,” left, and “There is no god but God.”)

Well i can safely say that rests the case then that The FSA fighters are nothing more then western backed mujahideen fighters if the solution is Islam then its pretty clear what the gaol is.

July 31st, 2012, 1:46 am

Aldendeshe said:

@SN
NO. He could be lounging at the Four Seasons in disguise, LOL. But Maher has the man and is after him now. Do you know how many people in this world can take care of business for what Maher can pay. They are fools, they watch too many Happy Ending Hollywood Movies. Drunk with Arrogance, mainly relying on Mossad assessments like the Americans, that is why they consistently fail (poor assessment- under estimation). Here is a link:

July 31st, 2012, 1:48 am

Syrialover said:

Uzair8 #50

Imad Moustapha ambassador to China, eh. And strongly gushing Assad regime disinformation.

That’s not going to look too good for him when Syria has a legitimate government.

He should shut up and not draw attention to what he’s doing. He will surely disgust and alienate his Washington friends from his glory days as Syrian ambassador to the US.

I don’t think the company of the officials and social life in Beijing will be much substitute.

July 31st, 2012, 1:52 am

Juergen said:

Bruno

Given Sun Tze was right almost 2000 years back, a rebellion run as you claim in the majority by foreign insurgents is totally unlikely and will have bo backing by the locals.
You leave out the worst scenario for this regime, those who fight for the sake of their country are in a better position than anyone fighting for an foreign cause.The regime claimed months back that they captured hundreds of french soldiers, did we ever see anyone on state tv? Even though such an presentation is a total violation of the Geneva convention, since when does this regime respect this international law?

July 31st, 2012, 2:48 am

Bruno said:

@Juergen
(since when does this regime respect this international law?)

And since does & did America ever did respect any international law? from bombing libya using the cover of protecting civilians.

But in reality they were aiding the rebels, breaking the international law in Bosnia. I could go on.

But apparently it seems to me that users on here highly defend the actions by Saudi Arabia and Qatar and even ignore the Islamist link between them and the FSA.

(The regime claimed months back that they captured hundreds of french soldiers, did we ever see anyone on state tv?)

I believe they were french mercenaries not soldiers.

I believe you are referring to this report.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2012/may/16/syria-bashar-assad-vows-display-mercenaries

Since when mercenaries are Soldiers again?

(You leave out the worst scenario for this regime, those who fight for the sake of their country are in a better position than anyone fighting for an foreign cause.)

Well i don’t see Assad leaving yet unless there’s an intervention by the west.

The mainstream news outlets have been proclaiming days are numbered
for Assad since last year. And CNN has been pushing the narrative of the one sided propaganda as they did in previous conflicts.

CNN and Clinton in April 2011: Assad’s days are numbered
CNN and Clinton in July 2011: Assad’s days are numbered
CNN and Clinton in December 2011: Assad’s days are numbered
CNN and Clinton in February 2012: Assad’s days are numbered
CNN and Clinton in June 2012: Assad’s days are numbered
CNN and Clinton in 2013: Assad’s days are numbered…

With this high level of accurate “news” reporting, who needs opinion-based or agenda-based news?

Recall the “Damascus Volcano”? Oh that was only two weeks ago.

I guess the people on here are also cheering on for the war in Iran to.

July 31st, 2012, 5:12 am

VISITOR said:

Again, for the second night in a row in this blessed and holy month, our victorious forces of the revolution continue their assaults against the invading army of occupation of the criminal sadistic regime. These offensives are extending to newer districts of Aleppo that are under occupation. Fierce fighting continues as we speak with heavy losses deservedly inflicted upon the thugs of occupation.

Very soon, God willing, we will bury this abomination that marred our beloved country and shamed it in front of the world for over half a century.

July 31st, 2012, 5:40 am

Bruno said:

@VISITOR
(Again, for the second night in a row in this blessed and holy month, our victorious forces of the revolution continue their assaults against the invading army of occupation of the criminal sadistic regime. These offensives are extending to newer districts of Aleppo that are under occupation. Fierce fighting continues as we speak with heavy losses deservedly inflicted upon the thugs of occupation.)

Isn’t that what you and others on here have said about Damascus Volcano?

(our victorious forces of the revolution continue their assaults against the invading army of occupation of the criminal sadistic regime. These offensives are extending to newer districts of Aleppo)

Not districts outskirts of Aleppo with the help of and from jihadist Saudi Arabian, Qatari and a few other arab terrorist fighters even the Guardian is admitting this now.

(Very soon, God willing, we will bury this abomination that marred our beloved country and shamed it in front of the world for over half a century.)
Thats what you said about two weeks ago.

You remind me of those CNN commentators rebel supporters where they have been claiming for months about the victory.

Over and over again highly unlikely that your terrorist friends are going to win this one.

People aren’t fooled by the propaganda on Sryia. Its a shame that people on here are easily fooled.