Jordan Shudders Under 331% Increase in Refugees as Conflict in Dera’a Intensifies
Posted by Matthew Barber on Sunday, April 21st, 2013
Mile-long line of Syrians fleeing into Turkey
If you haven’t yet watched it, allow me to strongly encourage you to view the Frontline documentary Syria Behind the Lines. Superior even to this documentary, however, is a segment of extra footage from the journalist who filmed the documentary (Olly Lambert). A single, unbroken walk-through of just one day in just one village in the Syria conflict, narrated by Lambert himself, the work is simultaneously enlightening as to the journalist’s own experience and to that of the people in the community featured, beyond what the primary documentary (or most documentaries for that matter) can offer. A masterful piece of footage and commentary, please view (full screen recommended): The Bombing of al-Bara. Witnessing a single afternoon in al-Bara is a sobering experience when considering that it is just one example of a reality being experienced in countless locations in Syria every day.
Attack on Ghabagheb
Destruction in Ghabagheb
One such recent location was the locale of Ghabagheb and nearby al-Sanamayn, attacked on the 10th of April. The day of the attack, a friend from Ghabagheb wrote saying: “The regime attacked my town today, they used tanks, cannons, missiles, nine people were killed one of them is a friend of mine (Ebraheem Alhorany) I have never seen him without a smile on his face… a house about 150m from ours was completely destroyed.” In his conversation with me, he said that the regime attacked the town “for no reason.” I’m certain it felt that way for everyone in the town, but emerging reports claimed that the army’s motivation was to go after defectors who had taken refuge in the area. Of course, the communities were collectively punished with the usual brutality leaving women and children dead, houses destroyed, and numbers of men rounded up and executed. Ghabagheb and al-Sanamayn are located in the Dera’a muhafiza on the main highway, but are so far north within it that they are actually closer to Damascus than to the city of Dera’a. Areas within the muhafiza that previously avoided direct conflict (including parts of the north) are seeing intensified action after earlier rebel gains in the southern part of the muhafiza.
Destruction in Ghabagheb
Al-Sanamayn (C on the map) suffered even more than Ghabagheb (D on the map). On April 10, videos emerged indicating that a massacre occurred there. Syria Video contains examples showing mass graves, large numbers of bodies, and the bodies of women and children. This Sham News Network report documents the names of 49 deceased victims. This all4Syria report explains that the attack happened after a meeting between the village elders of Sanamayn and the commanders of the 9th Division, in which the commander threatened the elders, saying that he would “burn the village” if they would not hand over soldiers who had defected and were hiding in the village.
Many other towns have been attacked by the regime in the period since these events, but we mention these incidents to highlight the situation facing the Dera’a muhafiza, contributing to the mounting problem of refugees fleeing southern Syria for Jordan. Fighting is continuing in locations around the Dera’a muhafiza, with daily skirmishes in Kherbet Ghazalah, a strategically-important site that the army wants to win back from the rebels. Videos emerging from the village (B on the map) indicate an ongoing battle for the control of the Damascus-Dera’a City highway passing near the town. Commentators in videos recorded and uploaded daily keep count of the number of days they’ve been successful in repelling government attempts to secure the highway and keep ammunition flowing to the governorate capital, Dera’a city. They named the confrontations The Horan Bridge Battle (معركة جسر حوران) ,and yesterday was the 44th day. Another video shows a checkpoint near the village, heavy explosions and gunfire in the background.
Other videos show daily casualties: rebels, more rebels, families, and the last moments of the media activists recording and uploading the videos—and their funerals.
The conflict in Dera’a has also seen the recent destruction of the historical Omari Mosque in the city of Dera’a, an icon of the beginning of the uprising. (Several previous reports of the mosque’s destruction during the development of the conflict had turned out to be fabricated, but it seems that now it is finally the case.) The mosque had been a field hospital in the early days of the uprising. Newer videos show the aftermath of the recent destruction.
The past week has produced a number of stories of regime successes in Idlib and other provinces, but there have also been sporadic reports of successful rebel counter-offensives retaking important sites. In Dera’a it’s difficult to say which way the pendulum is swinging, but amidst growing talk of an overall “stalemate,” it’s clear that it is not a static stand-off; both sides are exhibiting a tough determination responsible for the back-and-forth pattern of gains and losses.
As the conflict lengthens, the number of villages that have evaded direct military assault grows less and less as fighting constantly moves into new locations, as Ghabagheb has experienced. A recent video revealed that a military base in Busr al-Harir (eastern Dera’a, right on the Sweida border), responsible for transportation and ammunition, was surrounded by rebels. The regime campaign to regain control in Dera’a is directly influencing growing levels of refugees entering Jordan (a 331% increase within just four months), something that is stretching the Jordanian state’s coping capacity to the maximum.
The Exodus
The violence of these ongoing contests has made life impossible in many towns, fueling more surges of refugees from Dera’a into Jordan. Refugees are exiting Syria through every border, but Jordan has seen the highest influx of people on the run. We’ve created the following graphs based on the most recent UN data. Lebanon was previous host to the largest number of refugees until Jordan moved into first place. The first two charts are derived from the UN count of “total persons of concern” which include both those already registered and those awaiting registration.
The governments of the states hosting the refugees offer their own estimates with numbers exceeding those accounted for by the UN so far:
UN numbers place Jordan in the lead as host, but as governments report, Lebanon is hosting the highest number of refugees. It is possible that Lebanon maintains a high estimate because it wants to include a large number of Syrians who already had extended family systems or secondary housing in Lebanon and who have now relocated there permanently but who do not refer to themselves as refugees. Many Syrians already have long-term connections to Lebanon. (Other reasons could be responsible as well.)
The following two charts show change in the number of refugees over the last 4 months and are based only on registered persons (they do not include those waiting to be registered).
Actual numbers of UN registered refugees between December 24 and April 17:
Based on these changes, the percentage of increase for each country over the last four months is as follows:
Of the bordering countries, Iraq has received the least number of refugees. The biggest percentage of recent increase has occurred in Egypt, but the number of refugees it has received is far less than that of any of the bordering countries. Based on these percentages, the average of increase for bordering countries for the last four months would be 237.75, and Jordan is 1.58 standard deviations above average, which suggests an abnormal level of increase. Though all countries have witnessed significant increases, the likelihood is very strong that something is different about Jordan. The heightened war activity occurring in Dera’a is certainly part of it, but refugees also come to Jordan from other parts of Syria.
The UN’s current total of Syrian refugees (total persons of concern) for today, April 21, is 1,369,206. Government estimates put the number at 1,970,000, which do not include Iraq; adding Iraq’s UN count (133,840) breaks 2 million (bringing the total to 2,103,840). Other reports put 4 million more Syrians displaced inside Syria. This means that close to 1/4 of the Syrian population (or even more) are currently displaced.
The particularly severe burden that this is placing on these states has prompted tension and outbursts recently in the Jordanian parliament. In a recent chaotic session, a shouting match ensues following MP Mohammed al-Dawayima’s demand that those with Palestinian documents and children of Jordanian women married to non-Jordanian men be given the same rights as Syrian refugees:
In the same session, MP Maysar al-Sardia delivered some alarming statements. She asked the Jordanian government to begin searching for an alternative homeland for the Jordanian people, who she said have been taking in refugees from 1948 to the present, stating that they can’t cope with it any longer. She questioned why Syrians from northern and western Syria flee to Jordan instead of to Turkey and Lebanon, and suggested that the Jordanian government discuss this with those countries, also asserting that though Obama gives aid to the Syrian refugees, Americans will make back all of those donations through reconstruction projects that they’ll have when the war is finished. She deplored the phenomenon of Gulf Arab males visiting the refugee camps to exploit the vulnerable through “pleasure marriages.” (The temporary “mut’a marriage” is a Shi’i institution, but a Sunni practice called “misyar” can fulfill the same function.) In her attack on this trend, she referred to Arab Countries (her comments seem directed primarily at Saudi Arabia and Qatar) as “the Jews of Khaybar” (a reference to a community of Arabian Jews near Medina who underwent a war with the Prophet Mohammed; in other words, she is calling those she castigates enemies of Islam). These and similar statements have led to Jordanian Foreign Minister Nasser Judeh apologizing to the Qatari and Saudi ambassadors.
Some Syrians choose to brave the situation back in Syria rather than remain in the Jordanian camps: Syrian Refugees Return from Jordan
Jordan has allowed 3,900 Syrian refugees to return to their home country over the last three years following protests against the poor living conditions in the Zaatari refugee camp. A total of 32,409 Syrian refugees have returned from Jordan since the outbreak of the uprising against President Bashar al-Assad in March 2011.
The refugees requested to return to Syria and received the approval of the Jordanian authorities after a series of protests at the Zaatari refugee camp, located 58 km northeast of Amman, during which dozens of people were arrested and interrogated, according to the camp’s head.
The return of refugees to Syria is miniscule in contrast with the flow of people in the opposite direction. Approximately 2,000 Syrians cross the border into Jordan every day to escape the violence, according to UN figures.
It has been reported that some Syrians are taking advantage of their refugee status to gather supplies Jordan, which they then bring back to Syria before returning to Jordan with other groups of refugees.
… The constant flow of Syrian refugees has aggravated the economic crisis in Jordan, contributing to a split in the country’s political class between those who are for or against the regime in Damascus.
Refugees don’t take kindly to Jordanian authorities telling them when they can or can not leave. As the above article mentioned, some come to the Jordan camps just to collect goods to take back into Syria. Safety is also a concern motivating the authorities restrictions: A riot broke out among Syrian refugees after Jordanian authorities prevented Syria-bound buses from transporting them back to their country, due to the increased level of warfare in Dera’a. Riots in the camps are not isolated events, but continue:
10 Jordanian police injured at Syrian refugee camp
A Jordanian official says 10 Jordanian policemen have been injured in a riot that erupted at a Syrian refugee camp near the Jordan-Syria border. Anmar Hmoud says the Friday afternoon riot in Zaatari camp occurred after handful of refugees tried to sneak out of the camp.
Hmoud, a government spokesman for the Syrian refugee camps in Jordan, says that when police stopped them, 100 other refugees turned up, showering the policemen with stones. Police say tear gas was used to disperse the crowd.
Videos of the riots and Jordanian riot police can be seen on Syria Video here, here and here. According to video information, the incident started after a family tried to leave to the camp but was pushed back by the police.
Water is a significant issue for the country: Will Syria’s Refugee Crisis Drain Jordan of its Water? – Time
Jordan is one of the most water-stressed countries in the world, subject to an ongoing drought that has devastated agricultural prospects in the country’s northern areas for nearly a decade. The large and rapid influx of Syrian refugees into the border cities of Ramtha and Mafraq, home to the Za’atari refugee camp, has strained water supplies to the breaking point — for two weeks in February, parts of Mafraq town had no water whatsoever. Summer’s soaring temperatures will put additional demands on a poor region that can hardly support its own population, let alone the surge of new refugees that are expected as the war in Syria grinds on. When the peaceful Syrian uprising evolved into a bloody conflict nearly two years ago, residents of Mafraq welcomed refugees fleeing the violence. That hospitality is starting to wane. Competition between Syrian refugees and local residents over limited resources, from water to electricity, food, schooling, housing and health care could boil over, potentially causing unrest in one of the few stable countries left in the Middle East. “As temperatures rise, so too will tensions,” says Nigel Pont, Middle East Regional Director for Mercy Corps, an international development agency actively involved with the Syrian crisis. Resentment among the Jordanians is palpable, he adds, and could easily escalate into violence if the underlying issues are not addressed.
Aid is not enough for the 2,000 to 3,000 (the latter figure from the Time article above) entering Jordan every day: Jordan Needs Support
“Jordan urgently needs the support of the international community in order to cope with the immense necessities of the hundreds of thousands of Syrian refugees whom it harbours on its territory. Merely fulfilling the basic needs of the 140,000 Syrian refugees placed in the Za’atri camp, which our delegation visited, costs a million dollars a day. And over 2 000 new refugees are arriving at Za’atri every day,” Josette Durrieu (France, SOC), Chair of the Assembly Sub-Committee on the Middle East, declared today after their visit to Jordan on 6 and 7 April.
Canada sends $13 million in aid, the US sends $200 million, Russia sends a few plane-fulls.
“U.S. feeds Syrians, but secretly” – Washington Post
In the heart of rebel-held territory in Syria’s northern province of Aleppo, a small group of intrepid Westerners is undertaking a mission of great stealth. Living anonymously in a small rural community, they travel daily in unmarked cars, braving airstrikes, shelling and the threat of kidnapping to deliver food and other aid to needy Syrians — all of it paid for by the U.S. government.
So secretive is the operation, however, that almost none of the Syrians who receive the help are aware of its American origins. Out of concern for the safety of the recipients and the delivery staff, who could be targeted by the government if their affiliation to the United States were known, the Obama administration and the aid workers have chosen not to advertise the assistance.
… “America has done nothing for us. Nothing at all,” said Mohammed Fouad Waisi, 50, spitting out the words for emphasis in his small Aleppo grocery store, which adjoins a bakery where he buys bread every day. The bakery is fully supplied with flour paid for by the United States. But Waisi credited Jabhat al-Nusra — a rebel group the United States has designated a terrorist organization because of its ties to al-Qaeda — with providing flour to the region. “If America considers itself a friend of Syria, it should start to do something,” he said.
Source: U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. The Washington Post.
The UN has announced it will have to cancel food aid to 400,000 refugees in Lebanon if it doesn’t receive more funding (Reuters):
The cash shortage is part of a wider financial shortfall that the organization says is threatening its efforts to help nearly 1.3 million Syrian refugees and almost 4 million more people displaced inside Syria by the two-year conflict. “The speed with which the crisis is deteriorating is much faster than the ability of the
international community to finance the Syrian humanitarian needs,” Panos Moumtzis, the U.N. refugee agency’s regional coordinator for Syrian refugees said.
…All refugees currently receive food when they register and then get monthly food coupons worth $27 a month, Labande said…
The United Nations says that so far only $400 million out of more than $1.5 billion pledged by international donors in late January to cover Syrian refugee needs for the first six months of this year has actually been committed.
New camp opened, Jordanians frustrated – France Press
Jordan, already straining from hosting hundreds of thousands of Syrian refugees, is increasingly feeling the heat from its own citizens who are fed up with the growing influx.
Jordan says it is hosting more than 500,000 Syrian refugees and the authorities last week opened a new refugee camp in the Mrigeb al-Fuhud area east of the capital Amman as thousands continue to flee the war across the border. The 13,000-acre (5,200-hectare) camp, built and run by the United Arab Emirates northeast of Amman, has 750 caravans, a hospital and a school and can accommodate 5,500 people. The seven-million-dinar ($9.8-million, 7.5-million euro) facility was opened nine months after Jordan set up the sprawling Zaatari camp that houses 150,000 Syrian refugees outside the northeastern city of Mafraq.
Now Jordanians, who are already suffering from high unemployment, prices and inflation as well as poverty, accuse the refugees of taking their jobs and prompting greedy landlords to raise rents. “More than 160,000 Syrians hold various jobs in Jordan, though most do not have work permits,” Hamda Abu Nejmeh, secretary general at the labour ministry, told AFP. “It is a huge number that has a very negative impact.” He said Syrians “are depriving Jordanians from having jobs. If this continues, unemployment will rise and our plans to help citizens work will be affected negatively.”
Abu Nejmeh said Syrians accept less than the monthly minimum wage of 190 dinars ($268, 203 euros) and work longer hours. Unemployment is officially around 14 percent in the country of 6.8 million people, 70 percent of them under 30, but other estimates put the figure at 30 percent.
“Rents have doubled in the (northern) cities of Ramtha and Irbid. An apartment that is usually rented for 125 dinars a month now costs 250 dinars,” said Fathi Bashabsheh, who owns a housing complex in Ramtha where 35 Syrian families live.
“Around 130,000 people live in Ramtha now, including 40,000 Syrians. This is a problem for Ramtha residents who face many problems in finding jobs and renting houses and shops.” …
More Syrian Refugees will Cause Crisis in Jordan
“We cannot keep paying for refugees while the international community is showing little support. We need more help or pressure will mount to close the borders,” a senior Jordanian government official told The Media Line.
… “I do not advise any refugees to return to Syria, they will face certain death. People in Dael are waiting for the bombing to stop and then plan to leave for Jordan,” he added. The rebels say they are powerless to stop people from returning, which is a personal choice, but had issued warnings about doing so which were not always heeded.
… Abu Hamza, leader of the rebels’ Houran Brigades, meanwhile said the rebels would not wait for an international resolution to establish a no-fly zone in Syria. “We have enough anti-aircraft missiles to create a no-fly zone,” he told The Media Line, adding, “We only need to advance near the border and push government forces out.”
Photograph: IBL / Rex Features
Buffer Zones
The discussion of buffer zones grew as the reality of Syrian territory controlled by hardline Islamists became clearer. First there was the plan to bolster the nationalist opposition:
Jordan to spearhead Saudi Arabian arms drive – Guardian – Fears over rising power of al-Qaida-linked groups drives move to channel weapons to moderate rebel fighters through Jordan
Jordan has agreed to spearhead a Saudi-led push to arm rebel groups through its borders into southern Syria, in a move that coincides with the transfer from Riyadh to Amman of more than $1bn (£650m).
It marks a significant change for Jordan, from a policy of trying to contain the spillover threat posed by the civil war across its border to one of actively aiming to end it before it engulfs the cash-strapped kingdom.
Jordan’s role as a conduit for arms has emerged in the past two months as Saudi Arabia, some Gulf states, Britain and the US have sharply increased their backing of some rebels to try to stop the advances of al-Qaida-linked groups among them.
A push to defeat al-Qaida, rather than an outright bid to oust Syria’s leader, Bashar al-Assad, is Jordan’s driving force. Officials in Amman concede it heightens a risk of retaliation from its increasingly cornered neighbour.
But beyond the problem of al-Qaida’s influence on the ground, the destabilization of Dera’a through the intensified battle between the regime and the rebels is pointing toward a destabilization of the border. This weekend alone, almost 8,000 new refugees have entered Jordan. The possibility of creating a buffer zone is gaining currency in Jordan, who on Thursday revealed that they would be hosting US troops. Al-Monitor:
Jordan acknowledged for the first time yesterday [April 18] that it would be hosting American troops. At the same time, it emphasized its rejection of any military intervention in Syria, and called for a comprehensive political solution that halts the cycle of violence there. This comes amid reports that Amman is considering the creation of a buffer zone in Daraa, Syria, to stop the flow of Syrian refugees into its territory.
Government spokesman Mohammed Mumuni said, “The US Department of Defense suggested deploying 200 troops on our territory, in light of the security repercussions that may result from the Syrian crisis.”
He added: “The kingdom’s position regarding what is going on in Syria has not changed. Jordan is against any military intervention, and calls for a comprehensive political solution that halts the cycle of violence and bloodshed there.” He stressed that “sending members from the US army to Jordan is part of the standard joint cooperation between the Jordanian armed forces and the US Army.”
A Jordanian army official, however, said: “Sending 200 US troops has nothing to do with the situation in Syria.” Speaking to the official Jordanian news agency [Petra], he said, “These soldiers represent the first unit among others that will take part in the Eager Lion exercise, which is held annually in Jordan.”
… The Jordanian government is considering using the city of Daraa, which is the largest in southern Syria, to test the possibility of creating a buffer zone there and its ability to contain the conflict and its repercussions.
(Chris Jackson/Getty Images)
(Bulent Kilic/AFP/Getty Images)
(Chris Jackson/Getty Images)
Comments (296)
Dominique said:
http://www.aljazeera.com/news/middleeast/2013/04/2013417183228808285.html
Say it isn’t so. The US funds Al-Qaeda (and anyone else against Assad) in Syria? Who would have thought that? More blood on the hands of Uncle Sam, the sociopath and most significant contributor to global terrorism.
Anyone who doesn’t like Assad, well, how about Al-Qaeda? Al-Qaeda is better? For those wishing for regime change: careful what you wish for; you just may get it–and much, much more, too, like an escalation of the war with Russia and China in the region. Who the heck wants that?
How’s Iraq’s situation going? Any better there? How are the Palestinians doing?–another US operation with its cabal of Israeli war criminals at the helm.
I miss the Cold War.
Good update, Matt.
April 21st, 2013, 8:57 pm
zoo said:
It is sad and terrifying to see what these poor people are enduring while Gulf money goes to more weapons instead of improving their daily life. Do they care about Syrians or about winning at any human cost?
It seems that the humanitarian pledges from Arab countries (principally Qatar ) were just hot air.
April 21st, 2013, 9:04 pm
Syrialover said:
I have observed an intriguing example of “congitive dissonance” going on here.
ZOO (whose religion I am not assuming to identify), has displayed a detailed knowledge and interest in Christianity. Which must include their beliefs and values.
And yet he’s ferociously unwilling to condemn the Assad regime’s tyrannies, hatreds and brutalities, and blames “the west” and others for all the terrible things being done to Syrians.
I suggest he goes along to one of their mainstream churches and has a chat with the priest. He may find counselling and help with the demons in his head.
(re-posted – put in error on earlier thread)
April 21st, 2013, 9:16 pm
Ameera said:
يلي بطلع من دارو بئل مئدارو
يعني هالمعترين اللاجئين شو كان بدهم بالبهدلة و الشرشحة مو لو ائعدوا بشي مدرسة من مدارس النازحين ما كان اشرفلن بس شو بيدي ؤول قالو يا مسمار شو فوتك بالحيط؟ رد عليهم و قال من كتر الدء على راسي
April 21st, 2013, 9:22 pm
Syrialover said:
Jordan had better try to do what the west wants done, otherwise it faces collapse as a country – it’s heavily dependent on foreign assistance for survival.
Likewise for Hezbollah obeying Iran’s wishes, othwerwise it will cease to exist – it’s fully dependend on Iran for funding and support.
DOMINIQUE #1
Did you read Matt’s update?
I agree it’s good, but your approval seems at odds with your conspiracist statement about the US funding al qaeda.
April 21st, 2013, 9:35 pm
Syria no Kandahar said:
SL
And SL who is a wahabist wearing the shirt of moderate should
Go and have a spiritual session with Alaaroor (the spiritual leader
And most influential person over the terrorists) or with Alkaradwai
Or any of JN or FSA shieks,They will shake up his head and turn
Him into a real jihadists with good chance into VIP ticket into the
72 virgins land.
SL it will take you and your fellow uncivilized Bedouin uncivilized
Wahabist Sunni 2000 years to reach the level of civilization achieved
By Christians,so shut up.
April 21st, 2013, 10:03 pm
Roland said:
It’s good to see a detailed report on refugee situation arising from the Syrian Civil War.
But it’s frustrating to recall that nowhere near as much attention was ever paid to a refugee crisis of similar (or perhaps even greater) magnitude, which arose from the invasion of Iraq by two major Western countries.
April 21st, 2013, 10:03 pm
ghufran said:
summary:
KSA has yet to pay $ 78 million it already pledged
Kuwait = = = $ 300 million = = =
UAE = = $ 300 million = = =
Qatar = = $ 100 million = = =
pvt indiv and org $ 183 million = = =
total money pledged but not delivered $ 1,074 million
cost of HBJ yacht (Al-Mirqab): $ 250-300 million
estimated individual (not family) networth of KSA king: $ 21 billion
estimated net worth of Assad-Makhlouf tribe: $ 40-60 billion
This war uses poor people from both sides as fuel, while an FSA fighter gets $ 200 a month from HBJ to kill other Syrians , that salary is earned in 17 hours in Qatar (simple math)
Syrians and their rulers have destroyed their country, the rich will leave or live like kings getting served by poor people who just want money to feed their kids, the educated will definitely try to flee, most others are just screwed, congratulation.
April 21st, 2013, 10:04 pm
mjabali said:
This news thread is missing the most important news of the moment. The assault on al-Qusayr, and the battles on the Lebanese borders. There are cross border fights these days.
The video links are an ok selection but, they are not the best around. I watched lots of videos lately.
The lines of Syrians leaving their country is a good choice at this moment: may be someone will do something. Also, it shows the humanitarian aspect in its fullest. This is the product of this war. Syrians, the proud Syrians, leaving their country to live the life of misery.
The report at the end is really good.
April 21st, 2013, 10:09 pm
ghufran said:
Qsair is now surrounded after its reef fell under the control of the army, Hadi abdallah claims that HA is fighting with the syrian army in Qsair, I have not seen any independent reports to confirm or deny that, opposition sources indicate that the army is already in Qsair facing stiff resistance, however, I believe Qsair will fall relatively quickly unilke Darayya for example, regime sources are telling their audience that Qsair will be under regime control within days, I do not know enough to give an opinion whether Qsair can resist for weeks-months versus days, however, the fall of Qsair will effectively seal the Syrian-lebanese borders and open the door to another battle: Al-Rastan.
Homs is in the center of regime’s plan-B, notice how (relatively) easy the control of syria’s oil fields was for rebels compared to what they have faced in Homs, for the regime,its survival is more important than the loss of oil revenue and control of northern and eastern borders ,plus if the regime succeeds in Homs, Aleppo will be next, regime sources do not seem to be too worried about Raqqa and dayr azzour.
April 21st, 2013, 10:32 pm
zoo said:
SL
“I suggest he goes along to one of their mainstream churches and has a chat with the priest.”
Thanks for your concern.
I don’t trust men of religions. Most of them are fake. The few that are not fake are neither in mosques, nor churches nor synagogues. They are in the field taking care of the victims of the war, on either side. For them, in a complex and blurred political conflict, what counts is helping not judging.
April 21st, 2013, 10:35 pm
Syrian said:
SNK
Don’t kid yourself you have nothing in common with what you consider “civilized” western Christian, a lot of Middle Eastern Christian like yourself are stuck in the year 1 as much as Wahabist stuck in the year 622,
That only mean that Wahabist are 622 year ahead of your type of Christain.
And guys like SL are 2000 years ahead of you
April 21st, 2013, 10:45 pm
MarigoldRan said:
At this point the Jordanians are doing a better job of feeding and clothing Syrians than the Assadists.
Given their economic stake in this war, Jordanian support for the rebels has and will continue to increase over time.
April 21st, 2013, 10:47 pm
MarigoldRan said:
The Assadists gave up 1/2 of the country to try to consolidate a quarter of the country.
It won’t matter in the end because no one’s going to talk to them. They’re obviously evil and they commit massacres all the time. The war continues.
April 21st, 2013, 10:50 pm
MarigoldRan said:
The regime can commit violence, but without legitimacy that violence serves no purpose.
April 21st, 2013, 10:55 pm
Dominique said:
Response to 5. SYRIALOVER
Are you joking? Is this some kind of a joke? Are you on this planet? Are you an adult? Get you head out of your butt! Do you know why it’s important to get your head out of your butt? Because, in a democracy, I need you to get your head out of your butt. Lives depend upon it, and you’re too busy reading fairy tales and the NY Times. I suggest that you check yourself into a ‘deprogramming’ facility right away–you know, the facilities full of patients who were formally cult members.
Do you believe this guy? Hey, this is a serious forum for those who’ve mastered the game’s opening moves. May I suggest a Yahoo games table for the bourgeois peanut gallery?
I guess there are more nuisances other than flies and ants at a picnic. I didn’t sign-up for this nonsense, but, I’m here on this planet like everyone less, trying to make the best of it with complete vacuous minds.
Ah, I feel better now. Thank you for your patience.
April 21st, 2013, 11:20 pm
ann said:
8. ghufran said:
KSA has yet to pay $ 78 million it already pledged
Kuwait = = = $ 300 million = = =
UAE = = $ 300 million = = =
Qatar = = $ 100 million = = =
pvt indiv and org $ 183 million = = =
Mercenaries are costing them a fortune! Even a cheap, filthy and smelly north African animal killer costs $80,000.00 a year in pay, and that’s not including flying him to Turkey, training, equipments, armaments, food, shelter and transportation in and out of Syria. Also don’t forget the high cost of operating terrorist training camps in Libya, Tunisia, Turkey, Jordan, Yemen, Lebanon, Pakistan, Chechnya and Iraq!
April 21st, 2013, 11:55 pm
Juergen said:
condition of Masjed Abu el Feda in Bosra
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=446975742053608&set=vb.168536393214693&type=2&theater
April 22nd, 2013, 12:17 am
ann said:
Boston terror focuses Hagel ME trip on Syria & al Qaeda – instead of Iran – April 21, 2013
Chuck Hagel told reporters that the $10 billion arms sales to three US allies are “a very clear signal to Iran that military action remains an option to stop it from going nuclear.” He carried this message to Jerusalem and on to his next stops in Riyadh and the United Arab Emirates
http://www.debka.com/article/22916/Boston-terror-focuses-Hagel-ME-trip-on-Syria-al-Qaeda—instead-of-Iran
In his comment, Hagel did not mention US military involvement in such military action above and beyond the sale of arms.
At the same time, shortly before boarding his plane for the Middle East, our Washington sources report that the defense secretary’s mission in the region suddenly shifted onto unforeseen terrain as a result of the bombing attacks on the Boston Marathon of April 15, which left three dead and 180 injured. He saw Iran giving way to more pressing concerns centering on Syria and al Qaeda.
Israeli medics are treating wounded Syrian combatants, some of them al Qaeda adherents, at a field hospital on the Golan.
At a different level, the United Sates, Israel and Saudi Arabia, while fully alive to the threat of a nuclear Iran, have been jerked into awareness of the burgeoning presence of al Qaeda in Syria, Sinai and Iraq and the menace they pose to Israel, Lebanon and Jordan.
All this has come together in the power plays around the Syrian civil war.
For more than two years, Russian President Vladimir Putin has maintained that sympathy is not his motive for propping up Bashar Assad’s regime in Damascus, but the certainty that his fall will release a swarm of al Qaeda jihadists on Damascus and other Syrian towns. From there, they will spread out through the southern Russian Caucasus and then leap on Moscow and other key Russian cities.
By aiding Assad, Moscow is therefore protecting Russia, says Putin, echoing the argument US President George W. Bush put forward when he defended the US invasion of Iraq in 2003 as necessary to protect American cities from terror.
President Barack Obama, for his part, has placed the onus of his counterterrorism strategy on decapitating al Qaeda in the belief that without their commanders, the jihadist rank and file will give up and go home.
This strategy was smashed by the Boston bombing. Notwithstanding the high profile liquidations and the CIA drone operations, a major American city stood at the mercy of Islamist terrorists – with possibly more to come.
As an army of law enforcement officers from across America descended five days later on the Watertown backyard and the boat in which Dzhokhar Tsarnaev was cowering, President Obama phoned President Putin and thanked him for his “cooperation [unspecified] in the investigation into the Boston Marathon bombings.”
This conversation stemmed from the Russian intelligence request to the FBI in 2011 to look into the older Tsarnaev brother, Tamerlan’s ties with Muslim terrorist groups in the Caucasus, who at that time decided to pledge allegiance to al Qaeda. In the face of the US agency’s indifference to its alert, Russian intelligence placed the two brothers under close surveillance – certainly dogging Tamerlan’s footsteps during the six months he spent visiting Dagestan and Chechnya last year – and presumably also in America. Upon his return, he was not placed on the FBI watch list.
The Russian agency was therefore in exclusive possession of the very intelligence the FBI sought for identifying the terrorists who perpetrated the bombings in Boston and their associates, whether inside or outside America.
The Russian president’s “cooperation” with the US inquiry was therefore invaluable.
According to debkafile’s counterterrorism and military sources, Putin’s quid pro quo for this assistance is not yet known, but it will certainly relate to the Syrian conflict rather than the Iranian issue.
Damascus, as well as Tehran and al Qaeda, have been intently watching the US-Russian trade-off in the wake of the Boston event in order to calculate which way to jump and how it will serve their objectives.
[…]
http://www.debka.com/article/22916/Boston-terror-focuses-Hagel-ME-trip-on-Syria-al-Qaeda—instead-of-Iran
April 22nd, 2013, 12:26 am
revenire said:
Juergen really, who cares?
April 22nd, 2013, 12:26 am
Observer said:
Another massacre. I know it is for RT and Manar and Mayaddeen and Cham Press are all silent about it.
It is clear that the regime really has no solution. It also is really amazing to see the complete dissonance with reality when we have trolls tell us that the US is funding its arch enemy in Syria.
Iran is upping the ante, it wants a meeting of the true friends of Syria.
HA is no longer denying its involvement therefore here we have it a nice regional war.
Break it up. The whole region please break it up.
April 22nd, 2013, 12:52 am
revenire said:
The only ones who do any massacring are the Nusra/FSA/Al-Qaeda rats Observer and there will be NO break-up of nations in the Middle East. None.
April 22nd, 2013, 12:57 am
Juergen said:
Hopeful
about the videoof the death beating of two teenagers you posted:
I always thought war brings the worst out of people, but I assume some people are evil.
Reve
That you dont care has been stated by you numerous times. I know for sure that many in my country will pay at the end to rebuild what is now destroyed.
April 22nd, 2013, 1:03 am
ann said:
22. revenire said:
The only ones who do any massacring are the Nusra/FSA/Al-Qaeda rats Observer and there will be NO break-up of nations in the Middle East. None.
Wait a minute Revenire, don’t be so quick at dismissing his proposal. Maybe he’s right! Let’s take him up on his suggestion and start by breaking up his beloved `israel!
CHEERS
April 22nd, 2013, 1:07 am
Syrialover said:
ZOO #11, that’s a wriggle-off response.
I wasn’t talking about people’s various interpretations. I was talking about basic doctrines which form the basis of a belief system and values.
Your attitude here, the indifference and denials of what is being done to Syrians by the Assad regime is a form of cruelty and moral misjudgement that would be strongly rejected under the codes of any mainstream traditional religion.
Anyone doing compassionate good work in the field among victims of the Assad regime would be confounded and appalled by your take on the Syrian conflict.
SYRIAN #12 is right, there is a primitive, distorted and barely recognizable version of Christianity paraded by some in the Middle East, those who are “political Christians”. I have even met some from Iraq running around in the west who are quick to defend Assad.
DOMINIQUE #16
What? what? You make no sense. Your conspiracy theories seem a bit tangled.
Let’s cut to the chase. Do you think the US Government staged 9/11? Are you saying the Americans are systematically planning to put al qaeda in power in Syria? Tell us what you actually believe. Apart from apparently wanting the Cold War back because it gave Russia an illusory status.
SYRIA NO KANDAHAR #6
There you go, telling lies about me again. I am a strong critic of jihadists and extremists, as any random check of my posts here will show.
April 22nd, 2013, 1:07 am
revenire said:
Juergen to post photos of destroyed architecture is damning for you. You supported its destruction. You still support it.
April 22nd, 2013, 1:07 am
ann said:
Please release comment number 24 from moderation, and please give a reason why that comment went into moderation?!
Is it because it contains the word israel?
Thank you
April 22nd, 2013, 1:12 am
revenire said:
Syrialover I say you are a supporter of Nusra despite your denunciations of them.
You’ve often posted admiration of Khatib and he also supports them and has said so many times.
You also speak as if you have the corner on truth. I detect a bit of arrogance and the tone of a lecturing father. I wonder where this comes from? There is also a little raging from you.
It is weird.
Your revolution is over. This other stuff about 911 etc. Who cares? Whomever did it the US used it for their own purposes. The West has long allied with Islamic extremism. That isn’t some corner crackpot’s idea. There are dozens of books and reports on it. The British backed the Muslim Brotherhood way, way back and there are books on that too. It bit them in Afghanistan and Libya and again in Syria. But who cares?
You have zero hope of winning against Assad.
April 22nd, 2013, 1:13 am
Dominique said:
Response to 19. Ann
You write very well, but please regard Debka as an Israeli propaganda rag, an echo chamber for the nuts in Tel Aviv (noticed I didn’t write, Jerusalem!)
Anyone remember the old guy in your hometown who would say something like, “You don’t really believe what you read in the papers, do you?” Debka appears like a mainstream ‘paper’, but it’s a Zionist piece of crap. Israel has been complaining about Iran’s nuclear capability since the 1970’s. I know; I was a teen at that time. So, 40 years later, we have a new generation of suckers to the Israel bull crap!
I’ll let you in on a little secret. Israel cannot get away with its atrocities if another nation in the Middle East has a nuclear weapon. Did anyone at the IAEA approve of Israel’s nuclear capabilities? Who the heck said that that demon leadership could have a nuclear weapon? Let Iran have a weapon and maybe we’ll get some legitimate leaders in Tel Aviv who seek resolutions with a Persian nation that hasn’t attacked another nation in more than 150 years. Can Israel and the US say that? Nah.
Oh, and while we’re at it, lets talk about the two nations that did not sign-on to the legal definition of terrorism drafted by the UN. Every nation signed the document but the US and Israel. And the analysis of the reason why comes from Noam Chomsky og MIT. He said that if the US and Israel signed the document, these two nations would then fall under the category of terrorist states. Wonderful.
Hey, you know, sometimes your kid really did throw that rock through your neighbor’s window. Little Johnny has secrets he won’t tell you. Just pretend for a moment that men who look grown-up are really bad boys, evil boys (H. Clinton wishes she was a boy, too).
Israel is the US version of China’s North Korea. I trust Iran more than I trust Israel and the US. No one but the US has ever used nuclear weapons. Maybe we should be concerned about Washington and its bizarre leadership. Nah, then we’d have to do something about it and be called ‘conspiracy theorists.’ Wasn’t that the term used to vilify those Germans who warned that the Nazi party burned down the Reichstag?
How many good unintentional Nazis do we have floating around this board? Oh, I’m such a bad man. You like war don’t you? Come on, admit it.
I hate it when I read overly-socialized tripe. When you truly mean it, you won’t sound so ‘civilized.’ And stop reading Debka; it’s a waste of time at the Kool-Aid stand. I hope you weren’t expecting Tokyo Rose of Lord Ha-Ha characters to feed you garbage out of the US and Israeli ‘news’ outlets. Did you? Waiting for Obama, Bush and Clinton to sport uniforms and funny mustaches?
Media’s job is to make you feel like you’re on board the righteous train. The reality is, you inherited a Constitution, but haven’t even bothered to read it and marvel at the wisdom of the men who crafted it. What a bunch of spoiled brats.
I never think of Iran; I think of how do we stop US hegemony and empire-building.
April 22nd, 2013, 1:18 am
Dolly Buster said:
What exactly is wrong with An-Nusrah? Have they done something bad? Not to my knowledge.
Why do commies think that simply writing the words “Al-Qaeda” makes something condemnable?
I do recognize that AQ and AN have been blacklisted by the Crusaders as enemy groups.
But that just makes it all the more paradoxical that supposedly anti-Western leftists see such a designation as something shameful.
April 22nd, 2013, 1:25 am
annie said:
…………
April 22nd, 2013, 1:29 am
Syrialover said:
DOMINIQUE #28, what ARE you talking about?
I am no fan of Israel either, but I don’t trust and admire Iran the way you boast you do.
Incidentally, a correction. You say you like the way “ANN” writes. The Assadist News Network doesn’t write, it just cuts and pastes.
April 22nd, 2013, 1:31 am
ann said:
Syrian troops recapture 5 strategic towns near Lebanese borders – 2013-04-21
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/world/2013-04/21/c_132327831.htm
DAMASCUS, April 21 (Xinhua) — The Syrian troops reseized five towns in central strategic Homs province near the borders with Lebanon and repelled rebels attack against a military airport, killing over 100 militants, the pro-government al-Watan daily said Sunday.
After “heavy blow,” the army recaptured several rebel-held towns around the town of al-Qussair in the Homs province, the paper said.
Also, the Syrian army ambushed rebels trying to storm the al- Daba’a airfield near al-Qussair, killing more than 100 of them.
Quoting sources, the paper said that about 500 rebels waged an attack against the base to control it, but they were taken by surprise by a barrage of fire by the army, which killed over 100 rebels and drove out others.
In the northern city of Aleppo, the paper said that cleansing the road of the international airport of Aleppo would end within the next few days.
Meanwhile, other local media reports revealed that the Syrian troops managed to roundup a total of 280 rebel fighters during its recent military operations in suburbs of the capital Damascus, adding that 41 of those arrested were non-Syrians [mercenaries].
[…]
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/world/2013-04/21/c_132327831.htm
April 22nd, 2013, 1:34 am
Syrialover said:
#28. REVENIRE
Yawn. And hey,the Romans also used to run the Middle East a while back. That must have some significance in your calculations.
April 22nd, 2013, 1:36 am
Dominique said:
Response to 24. SYRIALOVER
9-11. Never heard of it. What happened? Tell me all about it. I did read something about Operation Gladio, Northwoods, Ajax and Gulf of Tonkin, but I haven’t got the all-clear on 9-11, yet. Maybe my grandchildren will go to public schools and tell grandpa all about 9-11. I’m too stupid and busy hiding my guns, gold and Bible, all, of which, should be confiscated. Come on! Everybody’s doin’ it, doin’ it. “Let’s Roll!” “USA, USA” Anything else genius? I need to be edified by such an informed person. Please help me understand. I don’t get it.
I’ll give you something to think about, junior. There are millions of Chinese who think Mao Zedong was the best thing since mortgage-back securities. Oh, but you know better. You are free citizen from the greatest nation the world has ever seen. Right?
Spend some time in Asia and get back to me. In the meantime, I’ll look into this ‘9-11′ story. Maybe I’ll see why everyone’s doin’ it, doin’ it.
April 22nd, 2013, 1:38 am
annie said:
From Syria deeply http://us5.campaign-archive1.com/?u=8b78e9a34ff7443ec1e8c62c6&id=ac2bb613f9&e=2a2d671819
April 13, 2013
Maher Almounnes + Amal Hanano: Hallucinations of War
This post, called “Hallucinations of War,” was originally published in Arabic on the blog “Overdose”, which is written from Damascus by journalist Maher Almounnes. It is translated here by Syria Deeply associate culture editor Amal Hanano.
Before this war, I used to be described as the smiling optimist. Maybe it was a blessing to be known to my friends as a good listener, because I would simplify situations and solve problems and so forth. However, I still, despite all the pain, continue to smile. And I still, despite all the weariness, find meaning within every tragedy.
My first sorrows were losing loved ones, one after the other, as they left the country. But I would console myself with the belief that we would meet again and that our reunion will be sweeter after our separation.
Then we started losing loved ones who would never return. Their martyrdom was both a source of mourning and solace, as “the afterlife is better and everlasting.”
And when we left our home, I told myself that we were leaving one home for another, while there were thousands who had left their homes to live without shelter.
Then my father lost his job. I soothed my mother and told her there were others who had lost their eye or their leg or maybe even their life; thank God my father had not been harmed.
Then one of my best friends was abducted. The silver lining was that he returned with his head still attached to his body and that all that they had given him were a few bruises and slightly swollen soles.
Between these events are countless details, from having to postpone my sister’s wedding dozens of times to losing so many friends because of politics.
However, these details and others, like watching scenes of death in repetition, are details that every Syrian knows well. Death has come so close to each one of us that we no longer even see it.
All we see now is that we are political commodities or material for the media, or at best we are a number that scrolls on the red ticker on a television screen proceeded by the word: Breaking!
*
Two years. They seem like 20 years of wisdom and 50 years of sorrow. They made me change how I think about a lot of things. (By the way, I write now because I feel like it, not for any other reason.) But they did not stop me from taking advantage of this miserable reality and conspire with the girl I love.
The irony is, I forced this war to bend to my demands and serve my personal interests.
I claim to be the greatest lover in the dirtiest war. I claim to love her as much as the sorrow in Damascus, the number of the bullets in Aleppo, the destruction of the neighborhoods in the old city of Homs.
Every explosion is another reason to listen to her voice with the excuse to make sure she is alright. Would you believe that I now love the sound of explosions? Just so I can rush to call my love even though I know with certainty that she is safe at home.
Our new home that we fled to is located on the outskirts of Damascus, in a conflict zone. It’s wonderful for your home to be in a “hot” zone, because you have a daily appointment with death. And that’s another opportunity for her to worry about me and to call me every morning to make sure I woke up in my bed, still alive.
I work in a neighborhood where people are often detained. Amazing! A little bit of fear in exchange for more chances to be indulged and receive a few sweet words from here or a warm message from there.
And so what else is there in this war? Snipers? Suicide bombers? Mortars?
How beautiful they all are.
Because of them, I made a pact to never upset her no matter the reason. Because my fear is that death will come quickly, leaving a melancholy gaze between our eyes forever.
I owe our neighborhood sniper a rose. Because of him, I call my love every day, a few meters from my home, and each time it feels like our final phone call. I don’t know how I invent the words of endearment. I’m surprised by the beautiful words flowing out of my mouth that melt her and in turn melt me. Until I arrive safely to my doorstep.
I owe this war: 2,000 text messages; tens of handwritten letters; more than 4,000 “I love yous”; hundreds of kisses, embraces and tears of joy when we meet; and hours of pining and waiting.
Who said this war is all bad? I made the most beautiful love story out of this war.
Forgive me darling, our love story is written in steel and fire.
I swear by the blood of martyrs that spilled over my land that I love you until the last bullet, the last bomb and the last drop of martyr’s blood.
Not only because you are my angel, but because I believe: love is mightier than war.
You are mightier than war.
April 22nd, 2013, 1:49 am
revenire said:
Syrialover you know the British hand in the region goes back a long, long time.
You know what happened in 1953 in Iran with the coup against Mosaddegh to grab the oil and put the Shah into power. That was an Anglo-American project like the one in Syria is today.
You know who backs your dirty revolution.
The only reason this “revolution” was attempted was to try to break Syria-Iran-Hezbollah and further erode Russia and China.
April 22nd, 2013, 2:01 am
Ameera said:
وئف شوي غمض عيونك وتزكر هديك ايه إسألله هديك الايام
=========
يا مال الشام ياالله يا مالي
طال المطال يا حلوه تعالي
يا مال الشام على بالي هواك
أحلى زمان قضيتو معاك
يا مال الشام على بالي هواك
أحلى زمان قضيتو معاك
ودعتيني و عاهدتيني
لا تنسيني و لا أنساك
مهما تغيبي سنين و ليالي
طال المطال طال و طول
لا بيتغير و لا بيتحول
مشتاق ليك يا نور عيوني
حتى نعيد الزمن الأول
يللا تعالي كفاك تعالي
April 22nd, 2013, 2:12 am
Syria no Kandahar said:
SL
Ok you and your dog poop revolution are 2000 years ahead of your time,you are taking
Syria to a future which your kids will thank you for,right? In the future when history records
Today’s events they will not talk about the Syrian regime as Saint Assad regime but what
You call Syrian revolution will be only remembered as as bunch of thugs ,head cutters,
Extremists,liars,criminals.It will be remembered as destructive,black,wahabist,extremist
Movement which transferred Syria from a country where 23 million people
Lived overall happily ,a country with 10 million tourists a year ,into
A country where the jihadists from all over the universe were sent
To die,a country which dissolved into countries due to the stupidity
Of its people claiming to be Syrian lovers but they were actually Syrian
F..kers.
April 22nd, 2013, 2:15 am
Syria no Kandahar said:
SL
Ok you and your dog poop revolution are 2000 years ahead of your time,you are taking
Syria to a future which your kids will thank you for,right? In the future when history records
Today’s events they will not talk about the Syrian regime as Saint Assad regime but what
You call Syrian revolution will be only remembered as as bunch of thugs ,head cutters,
Extremists,liars,criminals.It will be remembered as destructive,black,wahabist,extremist
Movement which transferred Syria from a country where 23 million people
Lived overall happily ,a country with 10 million tourists a year ,into
A country where the jihadists from all over the universe were sent
To die,a country which dissolved into countries due to the stupidity
Of its people claiming to be Syrian lovers but they were actually Syrian
F..kers
April 22nd, 2013, 2:17 am
Mina said:
Egyptian army-MB deals since early 2011: the proofs
http://www.arabist.net/blog/2013/4/19/impunity.html
April 22nd, 2013, 5:31 am
Visitor said:
First of all, I find the new text colors introduced to SC to be uninspiring. I would say it is probably just another failed Barber project for SC. The other one if course is the so-called Syria Video. What’s Dr. Landis up to in allowing wannabes to spread mediocre changes to his website?
Secondly, I am not sure what Dominique is up to. On one hand, I have already proven on this blog that the US admininstration did indeed stage the 9/11 events. The evidence presented in the A&E for 9/11 videos that I linked recently is compelling and leaves no doubt for the involvement of US government agancies in the planning and the execution of the events of 9/11. On the other hand, however, the character which Dominique is corresponding with here has long been proven to be an irrelevant drum beater of manipulative US policies which have been against the glorious Syrian Revolution since day one of the revolution. The guy is just an impostor pretending to support the Syrian Revolution, but undertands nothing about Democracy and what the Syrians are trying to accomplish. He would like to replace a hated criminal outfit of mostly Alawites with impotent and clueless so-called NC/SNC. The guy is just a simple plain nutcase which incidentally fits perfectly well with a monikor which translates into مجنون سيريا. If some people are living in year one or 500, this مجنون is a fossilized hatchling of the last ice age era which engulfed the planet few million years ago.
I am not sure exactly what Dominique is up to. While I agree with him about many things, such as the US government involvement in 9/11, I need to know that he is indeed in support of the Syrian Revolution by showing his/her appreciation of the Nusra Front and associates and declaring them as holy warriors who are the only dedicated, disciplined and dedicated groups that are achieving victories for the Syrian revolution.
April 22nd, 2013, 5:47 am
Akbar Palace said:
On one hand, I have already proven on this blog that the US admininstration did indeed stage the 9/11 events.
Visitor,
I wouldn’t call the videos you linked to as proof of anything. Basically, the videos concentrated on the collapse of WTC Tower #7 (they didn’t discuss tower #1 or #2), which was not hit directly by any aircraft. The video was largely a group of experienced structural engineers stating that there was no way a building could collapse like this and that there was no precedent for it. That’s true, there is no precedent. However, the spinklers were not working.
Meanwhile, no one has any photos or knowledge of anyone planting explosives inside any WTC tower. No wiring was found, no holes were found drilled into columns or beams, no tell-tale signs. Those that wrote the NIST reports were also structural engineers, and they have explained how each tower collapsed. Unless, someone can show that explosives were planted in these buildings, I’ll believe the NIST reports.
Visitor,
BTW, I happen to be a structural engineer too.
http://www.popularmechanics.com/technology/engineering/architecture/4278874
http://www.popularmechanics.com/technology/engineering/architecture/4278927
Sorry about the situation in Syria. I wish the rebels would win already.
April 22nd, 2013, 7:11 am
Citizen said:
1- DOMINIQUE
Your post is actually the voice of the mind! Bravo!!!
I did not miss the Cold War!I miss a multipolar new world
Putin ! go ahead !!!
April 22nd, 2013, 7:13 am
Mina said:
Prisoners held without charge? on hunger strike since February? where can that be?
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-22246527
April 22nd, 2013, 7:15 am
Tara said:
Annie@ 36
“The irony is, I forced this war to bend to my demands and serve my personal interests… I claim to love her as much as the sorrow in Damascus, the number of the bullets in Aleppo, the destruction of the neighborhoods in the old city of Homs.
I owe our neighborhood sniper a rose. Because of him, I call my love every day..”
Outstanding! It is a high time that we read something like this instead of cruelty and mere indifference.
April 22nd, 2013, 7:19 am
annie said:
566 killed by the Assad regime yesterday. that should make what’s his name day.
and from the horse’s mouth
” There’s an attempt to invade Syria by foreign forces. These forces are using new techniques, it is an attempt to invade Syria culturally,” he told interviewers on pro-regime Syrian television channel Al-Ikhbariya.” He means HB and Iran supported by Russian weapons surely. Except there is nothing cultural in their massacres.
http://youtu.be/W7e756co2ZQ
April 22nd, 2013, 7:20 am
Citizen said:
Once again in Syria, as was the case in Bosnia, on the day of an event in which the conflict was discussed, a “massacre” has been alleged.
April 22nd, 2013, 7:34 am
zoo said:
SL
Enough preaching on good and evil. We heard that a lot in the Iraq invasion. Bush, Al Khatib and al Qardawi are enough!
“Your attitude here, the indifference and denials of what is being done to Syrians by Islamist rebels that you encourage and support is a form of cruelty and moral misjudgement that would be strongly rejected under the codes of any mainstream traditional religion.”
April 22nd, 2013, 8:30 am
DAWOUD said:
TARA in the previous post complained about SC allowing commentators to post Hasan Nasrallah’s (Hasan Nasras@) speeches because the United States labels Hizballah as a terrorist organization. Yes, I agree with TARA that Hizballah or Hizba@s is a terrorist organization. Its terrorits are now killing Syrians in Homs and Damascus. Also, those who post English translations of Hasan Nasra@s’ speeches are also terrorists. Yes, THOSE WHO POST ENGLISH TRANSLATIONS OF HASAN NASRALLAH’S SPEECHES here and on their poersonal blogs ARE PROPAGATING TERROR AND SHOULD BE ON THE U.S. TERRORIST WATCH LIST LIKE THE TWO TERRORISTS WHO COMMITTED THE BOSTON TERROR ATTACK.
April 22nd, 2013, 8:31 am
Observer said:
Well yes, when you propose a two state solution in Israel Palestine you are breaking up the country. Why not break it up? They cannot live together and therefore separate them.
Mjabali says the most important news were the fighting in Qusair. I am puzzled as I thought that fighting was not to his principaled position unless the fighting on the regime side is acceptable.
Is Lebanon a single country? Of course not, it is divided all you have to do is to go from one area to the next some parts are so poor and ill served as to look like Africa and others are like Paris. I know Lebanon is a Rolls Royce with square wheels and an ongoing civil war is still being pursued. There is no government just political warlords.
As for Iraq the recent elections prove my point: Kurds did not vote, Sunnis did not have an election and Shia had less than 50% turnout.
Look at Syria, the rural areas are on their own, the people are now refining and selling oil on their own.
The ethnic cleansing is clearly showing that parts of Syria are now divided.
The Alawi are rightly afraid of a genocide and the Christians are paralyzed as to what to do being torn between the fear of jihadists and the fear of staying under an inept economic dictatorship.
So let them have their Alawi state, I am certain beyond a doubt that they will do great just as the Kurds are now eons ahead of the Arabs in Iraq. The place is thriving and construction is booming. Syrian Kurdish families have moved to Irbil to start businesses.
Massacres are the only trademark of the regime.
Qusair my foot to be polite.
April 22nd, 2013, 8:46 am
Citizen said:
Borders Are Going to Be Redrawn in the Middle East
Alexander Orlov is a political analyst and an expert Orientalist. This article was written expressly for New Eastern Outlook.
In triggering the civil war in Syria by openly interfering in its internal affairs on the side of the opposition, Saudi Arabia and Qatar put processes in motion that could very well have catastrophic consequences (including for themselves) in the Middle East and could radically reshape the map of the region in a manner not to the advantage of the conservative Arab monarchies. After all, historically the borders of many Arab countries, including those in the Arabian Peninsula, are largely artificial constructs cobbled together from fragments of the Ottoman Empire and based on Anglo-French agreements partitioning spheres of influence in the Arab world after World War I. And it was largely done without consideration for ethnic and religious factors. That led to the emergence of Arab states inhabited by large national and religious minorities. And the Arab Spring only brought old ethno-religious conflicts back with renewed force.
The emergence of a powerful Kurdish state with a population of nearly 30 million in the heart of the Middle East could be the most significant outcome of current events. Syrian Kurds by de facto are already autonomous of the central government in Damascus and are free of the armed opposition’s influence. Iraqi Kurdistan virtually seceded from the Arab part of Iraq in 1992 and is not just autonomous, but almost independent. A decisive secession is just a matter of time. All of this also stirred up separatist processes in the largest part of Kurdistan — in Turkey. Therefore, all of the prerequisites for the establishment of a Kurdish state already exist, and it is unlikely that the process can be reversed. After all, if peoples numbering in the tens of thousands have the right to self-determination, why should 30 million Kurds be deprived of it. And considering how Kurds have been persecuted and oppressed over the past few decades, especially in Iraq and in Turkey, that state is unlikely to be friendly disposed towards the Arab world.
Another significant outcome of the conflict in Syria could well be that country’s disintegration. If the Assad regime falls, the Alawites will not want to remain under the rule of the current Sunni opposition coalition, especially their radical wing, the Muslim Brotherhood. To avoid genocide by them, the Alawites will probably relocate to the areas where large numbers already live along the Mediterranean coast and declare their own independent state. Thus, Syria is actually threatened with splitting into at least three parts — Sunnis, Alawites and Kurds. And its many Christians will hardly want to live under Sharia law administered by the Muslim Brotherhood. Therefore, the fall of Damascus, if it happens, will not end the fighting in Syria; rather, it will trigger Syria’s disintegration through lengthy and bloody wars.
If that happens, the Sunnis in Iraq will naturally not sit idly by. They have already rebelled against the Shia-majority government in Baghdad while simultaneously providing support to the Syrian opposition against the Assad government that includes armed fighters. So it is quite possible that the Sunni parts of Iraq and Syria could merge into a single state, especially since the tribes in the border areas have common roots. That would make Iraq a severely truncated Shiite state that would gravitate even more strongly towards Iran in order to resist the increasing intervention from Saudi Arabia and Qatar, which see Shiites as the chief threat to their stability.
After all, there are 5 million Shiites living in Saudi Arabia’s Eastern Province, which produces almost all of the Kingdom’s oil. At least 20% of the country’s population lives there, and the Wahhabi authorities in Riyadh openly oppress them and discriminate against them. In Qatar, Shiites comprise up to 15% of the population (the so-called Iranian Arabs who resettled there in the 19th and early 20th centuries). And they do not enjoy equal rights with the local Wahhabi majority, although the discrimination against them is not as overt as it is in Saudi Arabia. In Kuwait, Shiites make up almost 40% of the population, although their situation is much better than that of the Shiites in Saudi Arabia and Qatar. However, their sympathies naturally lie with their coreligionists. In Bahrain, Shiites comprise two thirds of the population, and they lack all of the political rights and democratic freedoms of the Sunni minority, members of which form the ruling royal clan. It was no coincidence that in 2011 Riyadh sent troops to Bahrain to suppress Shiite demonstrations, fearing that the regime would be overthrown and Shiites would take power and turn to Iran.
Therefore, we cannot rule out the possibility that, if Syria and Iraq disintegrate, the Shiites in the Persian Gulf Arab states would want to establish their own country. And since the region’s main hydrocarbon reserves are concentrated in Shiite regions, we can imagine what awaits the Wahhabi and Sunni monarchies in Arabia, which had resembled leagues of Bedouin tribes — herdsmen, fishermen and pearl divers — more than countries. The secession of Saudi Arabia’s Eastern Province would be a key event, and the secession of Hejaz and al-Asir would follow. Especially since the people at the top of the monarchic clans in both Saudi Arabia and Qatar are either very old or very sick. Saudi Arabia’s King is almost 90 years old, and the Crown Prance is nearly 80. Qatari Emir Hamad is suffering from a severe form of diabetes, as is his son, the Crown Prince. Thus, a severe internal crisis could develop in both the regimes even without revolutionary events in the region.
Yemen is also on the verge of collapse. The resource-rich South does not want to be ruled by the northerners, especially since the two parts of the country were united only 20 years ago and had different political systems.
There is no point in discussing Lebanon. Its endless sectarian conflicts are a consequence of the country’s overly variegated religious map. It will disintegrate into Sunni, Shiite and Christian quasi-states if Syria’s current regime collapses.
Thus, historical factors are surfacing again and are making the complex situation in the Middle East worse. The Wahhabis of Saudi Arabia and Qatar clearly did not understand that they would awaken national movements and exacerbate the age-old Sunni-Shiite conflict by escalating the “Arab” revolutions. The redrawing of the map of the region is fraught with the collapse of the monarchies of Arabia and the replacement of their conservative regimes that observe the norms of 17th century Islam with democratic governance by the younger generation. They have released a genie that they themselves cannot control. And Arabs will not be the only losers; their American allies will lose as well. The winners will be Iran and the Shiite communities in the Arab countries, whose unification will give them control of the world’s chief sources of oil. The Wahhabi rulers will have to return to the Bedouin way of life, because without oil revenues they will not be worth a dime. Israel will also be a winner because the Arabs will cease being a real enemy for a long time, if not forever. And the region will have borders that reflect the balance of ethno-religious forces realistically and fairly, not artificial lines that Paris and London drew 100 years ago at the end of World War I
April 22nd, 2013, 8:48 am
Dolly Buster said:
But isn’t China the worst mass murdering organization in history, with Russia not far off either?
These Stalin/Mao characters are not just innocent bystanders as you paint them here.
April 22nd, 2013, 8:50 am
Dolly Buster said:
We don’t need a multipolar world, if the existing pole is Ok.
Especially if the potential Additional Poles would be a negative influence, such as Russia.
April 22nd, 2013, 8:51 am
Mina said:
Must read: from very bad to worse in Boston. Any illusions left?
http://www.atimes.com/atimes/World/WOR-01-220413.html
http://www.naturalnews.com/039977_The_Craft_Boston_marathon_private_military_contractors.html
http://www.boilingfrogspost.com/2013/04/19/usa-the-creator-sustainer-of-chechen-terrorism/#more-19602
April 22nd, 2013, 8:51 am
zoo said:
Reve
It’s so funny that many who hate the Syrian government firmly believe that the foreign policy of the Western countries such as the USA, UK and France has converted to become ‘humanitarian’ and ‘sincere’ from their vicious past.
Their memory is so short. The lies of Bush are only a few years ago and the millions of Iraqis who suffered from this adventures haven’t not forgotten it. The Palestinians either.
The first responsible of the mess in the region is the relentless manipulation of the differences in religion, creed and ethnicity existing in the region by the foreign powers with only one goal: Control the people, protect their ideological and economical “allies” in the region as well as the resources for their own ‘national’ interest.
What is happening in these Arab countries is the struggle between groups who are aware of these manipulations and the others who are naively dreaming of the better world promised by these powers.
While many of these Arab countries have been mediocre in terms of economical development and democracy, some still have the pride of been independent from the manipulative powers.
Bashar al Assad is defending that independence and history will show that he tried all he could to prevent foreign powers to put their grip on the country and neutralize its military power that threatens Israel.
Despite the violence of the assault, I wish he succeeds in giving a historical lesson to the manipulative powers that they won’t easily get their way in Syria.
April 22nd, 2013, 8:51 am
zoo said:
The FSA-Al Nusra “humanitarian” touch
Suicide Bomber Blows up Car Bomb in Syrian Capital’s Countryside
TEHRAN (FNA)- A suicide bomber on Monday blew up a car bomb in al-Mleiha town in Damascus Countryside, leaving several civilians injured.
The terrorist bombing took place when students were heading to schools and universities, an official source told the Syrian Arab News Agency, adding that many people were injured, some of them are in critical conditions.
April 22nd, 2013, 9:10 am
AIG said:
Zoo,
The theory that Syrians can so easily be manipulated by foreign countries must assume that they are idiots. Since this is certainly not the case, you are left with the main reason for the revolution: Assad is an awful leader and the regime could not provide dignity and economic progress to the people, let alone freedom.
In every dimension Assad failed: Economy, job creation, unity of the people and getting the Golan back. His legacy will be a wrecked Syria. He will be considered the worst Arab leader ever for sure. Other dictators did not insist on demolishing their countries in such a desperate fashion.
April 22nd, 2013, 9:44 am
Tara said:
AIG,
You know that most regime supporters are just pretending they believe a Western conspiracy created the revolution. I assure you they know better. They pretend they believe it to justify the Assad’s army savagery. It is only pretense. They want to keep Assad stuck to the chair even if 15 millions are to be killed. Read their posts. They don’t get tired celebrating the lack of Western support of the revolution.
April 22nd, 2013, 10:15 am
AJ said:
It is now pretty obvious where MATTHEW BARBER and JOSHUA LANDIS’ allegiances are. They didn’t even bother mentioning the recent massacre by the Assad forces.
Like Revenire, Zoo, Ann and the rest of Assad’s loyalist, they probably consider Syrians who refuse to bow down and be Assad uncle-toms as RATS. It’s obvious based on the fact that this description is perfectly tolerated here.
April 22nd, 2013, 10:35 am
AIG said:
Tara,
I actually think the ones on this site are brainwashed feeble minded idiots. The truth is so hurtful they just can’t handle it. They keep spouting nonsense and propaganda like brainwashed cult members.
April 22nd, 2013, 10:37 am
Uzair8 said:
Just when I gather resolve in the struggle to quit activity on the blog (yes it’s addiction now) some important material pops up requiring sharing:
Shaykh Al-Yaqoubi calls for a military intervention in Syria
Posted 17 hrs ago
In a recent statement, the Syrian, shaykh Muhammad Al-Yaqoubi called Jordan and Turkey to an immediate military intervention in Syria to save the Syrian people and put an end to its suffering; and to help the Syrian people establishing the next government.
Shaykh Al-Yaqoubi’s calls comes, as he confirmed, in response to the most recent… massacre in which the regime forces killed ca 500 people in a town outside Damascus.
He said, any risks in having military intervention by our neighbours, brothers and friends is less than the risks taken day by day in leaving the regime to continue slaughtering the Syrian people.
He also called the National coalition of the Syrian Opposition for an immediate emergency meeting in which a formal call to Jordan and Turkey for military intervention should made and sent via the diplomatic channels.
Shaykh Muhammad Al-Yaqoubi is a world-renowned sufi scholar and theologian. He is one of the forefront leaders of the Syrian uprising. He was an instructor in the Grand Omayyad mosque and is classified as one of the 500 most influential Muslims figures in the World.
April 22nd, 2013, 10:39 am
Uzair8 said:
500 people killed in a New Massacre in Syria
Muhammad Al-Yaqoubi
Posted 18 hrs ago
500 people were killed in cold blood mutilated and many burnt outside Damascus in Jdaydit Artooz. The troops of the Syrian regime besieged the town and gathered men and women and brought 100 prisoners and killed them and set fire to the bodies. Many of the victims are women and children and the rest are civilians who mostly fled from other areas.
Denouncing is not enough – the removal the regime without delay is an obligation and bringing all the people responsible for these massacres to justice.
Therefor, we call for in immediate military intervention of the neighbouring countries, mainly Jordan and Turkey.
We offer our condolences to our brothers and sisters in Syria. May Allah have mercy of the victims and may He grant patience to their families.
April 22nd, 2013, 10:42 am
apple_mini said:
The analysis by Alexander Orlov seems a little exaggerated and simplified. But it is still very alarming and scary.
Even the real events will just unfold half-way, the balance in ME will be going wild and bloody.
Consider Iraq, if the rebels and Nusra/Al Qaeda gain ground in Syria, the fighting will easily spill over to eastern part of Iraq. Just see how restless the Sunni are right now in Iraq.
Do not expect anything constructive and sensible from the west regarding Shia-Sunni conflict. They won’t send in anyone to stop it, rather it will be gold rush for their exploration of arm sales which is current accounting for large chunk of worldwide arm trades.
It is sad to see how foolish Arabs are in those matters. We are depleting our precious resources cheap for the west and buy weapons from them to support their most lucrative business to kill each other.
April 22nd, 2013, 10:45 am
revenire said:
Tick tock, tick tock
Shouldn’t be too long before the expiration of the warning the army gave earlier. Then you can report a new massacre as the SAA mows down the terrorists.
16 hours ago…
ULTIMATUM AND DEADLINE GIVEN FOR “AL-BARZEH” !! ..
The Syrian Arab Army has given Armed US/ NATO Mercenaries in “Al-Barzeh” Damascus a deadline of tomorrow afternoon, to lay down their arms and surrender or face their wrath … – J
April 22nd, 2013, 11:11 am
apple_mini said:
As expected, the rebels’ losing on the ground triggered a new propaganda war accusing SAA committing another massacre in Jdeidet al-Fadel.
Hague already jumped out condemning the regime even the details and evidence are either missing or waiting to be verified.
SHRW and SANA both gave different accounts and there are a few video available.
I have seen one by the regime with locals cheering the arrival of SAA and giving interviews to address their support to the army.
Another video shows truckload of dead people. One thing caught my attention: some corps apparently indicates their death occurred at least many days or not least weeks ago by the stage of decomposition. That contradicts the rebels/opposition’s account that killing/massacre happened just two days ago after the SAA went in the town.
I wonder if the truth was as the opposition claimed, I would call what the SAA has been conducting is extremely stupid and dangerous for their strategy and survival.
The regime has been painstakingly picturing itself as the liberator and protector of Syria. And they are making ground in battle. What were they thinking to kill civilians so to lose support from Syrians and even to turn Syrians against them?
Not to mention many Sunni soldiers are still in ranks of SAA fighting the war.
April 22nd, 2013, 11:24 am
revenire said:
The entire “opposition” is filled with liars who are nothing more than paid prostitutes for the West. No one takes their cries of “massacre” seriously any longer.
The army is destroying their “revolution” and they are hurting.
Flee to Raqqa rats – the SAA is coming for you.
To Hell
April 22nd, 2013, 11:55 am
zoo said:
The SNC leadership waltz: A Sunni intellectual, then a Kurd, then a Sunni preacher, then a Christian communist.
Syria opposition names George Sabra interim chief
http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/syria-opposition-names-george-sabra-interim-chief.aspx?pageID=238&nID=45421&NewsCatID=352
April 22nd, 2013, 12:20 pm
zoo said:
#65 Reve
In Barzeh ahead of the ultimatum, the rebels have thrown this morning 5 mortars on the neighboring areas where poor Alawites live. Homes have been destroyed but no human casualties.
April 22nd, 2013, 12:26 pm
Uzair8 said:
Another Gruesome Massacre Near Damascus
Hassan Hassan
21 Apr 2013
At least 450 people were summarily executed in Jdaidet Al Fadhl, near Damascus. Some of the victims, including women and children and a mosque imam, were reportedly slaughtered by knives. Local Coordination Committees (LCCs) activists say 100 of those had been arrested by the regime’s forces some days earlier. The numbers are expectedly on the increase, with the regime’s forces are still roaming the area and carrying out summary execution.
[…]
April 22nd, 2013, 12:36 pm
zoo said:
Are they asking Bashar al Assad to resign before the negotiations or just not to present himself in the next election?
The statement is left unclear so as not to provoke the SNC anger
Joint Statement of the Participating Countries in the Istanbul Meeting on Syria, 20 April 2013
http://www.mfa.gov.tr/joint-statement-of-the-participating-countries-in-the-%C4%B0stanbul-meeting-on-syria_-20-april-2013.en.mfa
Foreign Ministers of Egypt, France, Germany, Jordan, Italy, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, UAE, UK, USA and Turkey came together in Istanbul on 20 April to review the developments in Syria.
The Ministers were extremely concerned with the situation in Syria which is a result of the brutal campaign of the regime. They agreed that immediate action has to be taken to bring this conflict to an end.
With reference to their discussions in Rome Meeting of February 28, 2013, the Ministers reiterated their firm support for a political solution to the conflict in Syria within the framework of the Geneva communique. They welcomed the work of the National Coalition for a political solution in Syria and expressed their support to this end.
They also restated their firm position that Bashar Al Assad and his close associates have no place in the future of Syria and that they must cede power to a transitional executive body to prevent further bloodshed in the country and prepare the ground for an orderly transition that would lead to a unified Syria where the rights and interests of all Syrians are protected.
They welcomed that the National Coalition, which they recognize as the legitimate representative of the Syrian people, is further expanding its basis by embracing all Syrians, who adhere to the basic principles and objectives of the revolution. They also praised the decision of the Arab League to transfer the seat of Syria to the National Coalition for Syrian Revolutionary and Opposition Forces.
April 22nd, 2013, 12:44 pm
Dolly Buster said:
Oh yeah, I’ve listened to many hours of Feiz classes.
He has some strengths in ‘Aqeedah
April 22nd, 2013, 1:01 pm
Tara said:
Wow!
I personally wouldn’t write a better statement than above. I think Kerry is a man of integrity. I also think that al Khateeb is one if the best thing that happened to the revolution. It is clear that al Khateeb mounts a widespread respect. He would definitely be elected for presidency if he to run. Rhetoric aside, I honestly believe that Bashar is getting his last chance now and if he blows it ( and he is likely to do so), he is then just digging his grave and the graves of many many of his supporters.
April 22nd, 2013, 1:02 pm
Hassan said:
Life existed on this planet since long before Islam. There are religions, traditions, and civilizations which are more than 5000 years old. Their Prophet was born in the 6th century AD which is when the cult started. Momo created a cartoon called Allah and wrote a novel when he was on weed and his followers believe there was no life before Islam and world had started only after their Prophet.
With this belief that everything started and everything was learnt only after the birth of their Prophet, they live with the mindset which is 600 years evolutionarily primitive than civilized human beings.
***********************************
Former Assad Commando veteran and proud Syrian Nationalist.
April 22nd, 2013, 1:12 pm
zoo said:
A justification for the rebel defeat: Hezbollah from Lebanon or from Syria?
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/middleeast/syria/10010837/Lebanese-Hizbollah-leading-Assad-offensive-in-Syria.html
Regime forces are making a concerted advance around the rebel-held town of Qusayr near the Lebanese border, and have captured several villages.
The Syrian National Coalition says this is only possible because Hizbollah, whose fighters are better trained in guerrilla warfare than the regime’s, have taken over from regime forces on the ground.
…
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights also said Hizbollah were at the forefront of the battle, which has been going on for several days. “It’s Hezbollah that is leading the battle in Qusayr, with its elite forces,” Rami Abdel Rahman, director of the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, said.
“It’s not necessarily fighters coming from Lebanon. It’s Hizbollah fighters from Shiite villages on the Syrian side which are inhabited by Lebanese.”
April 22nd, 2013, 1:19 pm
zoo said:
Al Khatib poetic excuse for becoming a free bird again.
What cage is is talking about? The SNC or the FOS?
“When a bird is in his cage, he remains imprisoned and paralysed. Yesterday I came out of the cage of deception that I was in.”
April 22nd, 2013, 1:24 pm
ziad said:
‘Jordan opens skies for Israeli drones flying to Syria’
http://stratrisks.com/geostrat/12031
April 22nd, 2013, 1:41 pm
zoo said:
Tara
I hope you will switch your adoration to hardliner George Sabra, now that Ghaliun and Al Khatib have flown from the SNC cage, despite the fact he is a communist and just represents a Syrian small minority.
April 22nd, 2013, 1:46 pm
revenire said:
Sabra always looks angry. I can’t understand the scowls he usually has on his face. Why so serious George?
April 22nd, 2013, 1:51 pm
Uzair8 said:
Perhaps regimists mistake Assad’s surviving for winning.
Moving on.
Hussain AbdulHussain @hahussain 16h
Every few weeks Assad forces launch an all out attack to regain territory. Gains r often modest and quickly reversed. #Syria
Amjad of Arabia @amjadofarabia 14h
@hahussain Just like Hitler’s attempts to forestall the inevitable on the Eastern front.By 1943 his army was kaput.
April 22nd, 2013, 2:10 pm
Tara said:
Zoo,
I think George is a gem of a man.
April 22nd, 2013, 2:19 pm
mjabali said:
الأخ Observer:
The battle in al-Qusayer is important for these points:
1- Cross border fights are taking place.
2- al-Qusayer is in an important strategic point.
3- If al-Assad controls al-Qusayer: he keeps a danger away from the Alawi “future” state.
4- sl-Qusayer, originally a Christian little town that mushroomed to include Sunnis and Alawis. Now there are only the international Jihadi club over there coming from Lebanon (Uzair you should be there….they are calling you)…that is where the kid whacking the knife at the neck of the Alawi general…check out you tube and see the sermons from there..
5- I am, if you happen to know, for political solutions. I said this from day one. And wish this blood shed ends today before tomorrow. And let us all put all of these criminals into court. Spare no one.
By the way, I know my country Syria so well as you can say. That is why I called you أخ, because that is how we speak to each other.
April 22nd, 2013, 2:30 pm
DAWOUD said:
Syrians freedom fighters are resisting Hizballah (Hizba@s) terrorists who are aiding the murderous dictator and terrorist (Bashar al-Assad). Stop Bashar’s and Hasan Nasra@s’ terrorism!
http://www.aljazeera.net/news/pages/1364cc5d-c66c-4ff8-a449-bba55ba5bde2?GoogleStatID=1
تقدم للثوار بحلب وقتال بالقصير مع حزب الله
تجددت اليوم الاثنين في ريف القصير بحمص الاشتباكات العنيفة بين الجيش السوري الحر وقوات النظام المدعومة بقوات حزب الله اللبناني وفق ناشطين، كما سيطر الثوار على كتيبة عسكرية وبلدة في ريف حلب، مع تواصل القتال العنيف والقصف في ريف دمشق ومناطق عدة.
وأفاد مدير المرصد السوري لحقوق الإنسان رامي عبد الرحمن بأن حزب الله هو الذي يقود معركة القصير معتمدا على قواته من النخبة، مشيرا في حديث لوكالة الصحافة الفرنسية إلى أنه ليس بالضرورة أن يكون المقاتلون قادمين من لبنان فبعضهم يقيمون بقرى على الجانب السوري من الحدود.
وأوضح مدير المرصد أن الاشتباكات في قرى ريف القصير أدت اليوم إلى مقتل اثنين من الثوار، وذلك غداة مطالبة الائتلاف الوطني السوري المعارض حزب الله أمس بالانسحاب “على الفور” خشية أن تتسبب تدخلاته بجر المنطقة إلى صراع مفتوح على “احتمالات مدمرة”.
وكان الناشط أبو بلال الحمصي قد تحدث للجزيرة أمس عن إرسال حزب الله تعزيزات من منطقة الهرمل في البقاع اللبناني إلى القصير، مشيرا إلى تهديد الجيش الحر بقصف ضاحية بيروت الجنوبية (معقل حزب الله) في حال استمر الحزب بعملياته داخل سوريا.
وتشهد القصير منذ ثلاثة أيام تصعيدا عنيفا، حيث تراجع الثوار من عدة قرى تحت ضغط القصف المتواصل حتى اليوم، وتشكل المنطقة نقطة ارتباط بين الحدود اللبنانية ومحافظة حمص التي تعد أكبر محافظات سوريا، وهي أيضا صلة وصل بين دمشق والساحل السوري الذي يعد معقل الموالين للنظام وحيث توجد قاعدة بحرية روسية في ميناء طرطوس.
[…]
April 22nd, 2013, 2:34 pm
mjabali said:
Hassan aka the Fake Alawi:
You said that you joined the army in 1958 and left in 1995 and has a car dealership:
The question is:
I know that al-Baath is a failed system because it relied on the least smart class of Syrians, same applies to the army. Hafez needed followers: But: your English my dear officer is really good, you seem to me much younger than 70 years old.
April 22nd, 2013, 2:36 pm
Dawoud said:
74. Hassan
If you are here in the USA, I hope that the FBI knows exactly your location because you are a Hizballah (Hizba@s) sympathizer/loyalist. U.S. counter-terrorism authorities are working hard to track Hizba@s sleeper cells because of its history of terrorism. Hizba@s and Iran carried out the Khobar Towers terrorist attacks and Iran was behind the 1988 PAN 103 terror (read Robert Fisk)……
Do you donate any money to Hizba@s from your alleged “car dealership?” If so, you are giving money to terrorists.
April 22nd, 2013, 2:45 pm
ziad said:
والله محيي الحلبية لك خااي
https://twitter.com/ZeinaZz_/status/326271412773986304/photo/1
April 22nd, 2013, 2:51 pm
revenire said:
Dawoud maybe put the comic books down for today?
April 22nd, 2013, 3:06 pm
revenire said:
DAMASCUS: JUDAYDAT AL-FADHL LIBERATED AND PURIFIED. CITIZENS ECSTATIC. FREE AT LAST.
http://www.albaath.news.sy/imgs_up/1700/p1–2.gif
Citizens of Jdaydat Al-Fadhl explode with support for the great Syrian Army. Free of the Jihadist Salafist Wahhabist rats, they can now live freely in a secular nation.
We are delighted to inform all of you that the enemy is in tatters as we write. The discredited propaganda machine in the West is now trying to foment anger by inventing stories of massacres and mass graves in the suburb of Jdaydat Al-Fadhl. The only problem with that howler is that the SAA just cleansed the area and it was the rats who were in control for a short time. The so-called “Syrian Lavatory for Human Rights” in England was the first to announce this preposterous story. Be advised, o’ readers, that the only dead bodies in the area are those of the terrorist rats which the Syrian army killed to the tune of 547. This number is not made up. Syrian Military Intelligence has counted the number of terrorists killed in this stunning attack the day before yesterday on this area.
For several weeks the SAA, security personnel and militia had been forcing many of the cockroaches to gravitate in the direction of this suburb out of Daraayyaa in order to finish them off as they concentrated in, what they thought, were defensible positions. The secret to the whole affair was a network of informants the SAA had among them who kept providing detailed Intel to the High Command. It does not take a genius to figure what happened after that. Artillery and pin-point accurate snipers did the rest. It also did not help the rats when they found out there were no more caches of weapons in the area.
This is a major victory for the SAA and militia. It now means the rats have no place to gather near the capital. It is a fact that the only hope put out for them now is to try to secure a position in the Der’ah area close to Jordan. But that is another story.
At Khaan Al-Shaykh, disgusted citizens took up arms against the rats and killed 4 of them. These were Jabhat Al-Nusra scavengers who had sucked the lifeblood out of the people in this area. Businessmen hired professional guards and joined them in killing every one they could see. Monzer reports that another 3 surrendered, were beaten up by the citizens, and then turned over to security.
http://syrianperspective.blogspot.com/2013/04/first-post-april-22-2013-syrian-army.html
April 22nd, 2013, 3:07 pm
Ameera said:
يا عيني على القدود الحلبية يا عيني
بدي ابوس شنئات وجهك شنئة شنئة
April 22nd, 2013, 3:22 pm
Ameera said:
بدي سلطة فواكي من عند رامز بعدين اتمشى لعند استيد بالغسانة و اخدلي اركيلة فواكي مشكل
April 22nd, 2013, 3:29 pm
zoo said:
As more of their armed troops have been “horrifyingly massacred’, the SNC is facing a deep depression and desillusionment from the lack of foreign support for their “national” revolution other than from Al Qaeda terrorists.
Maybe George Sabra will cheer them up after Al Khatib transformed himself into a bird and flew out the SNC cage while the others are still inside.
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/world/article11467677.ece
A statement by the Syrian National Coalition umbrella opposition group, issued from Istanbul, said the death toll “continues to rise and has reached the hundreds” and described the killings as a “horrifying civilian massacre”.
“The deafening silence of the international community over these crimes against humanity is shameful, and has become routine for the victims and their families,” the statement said.
“Syrians no longer expect an answer to our pleas for help or a chivalrous intervention from our brothers and neighbours. We no longer expect to be supported with the necessary arms to empower the Free Syrian Army to defend our people.”
April 22nd, 2013, 3:30 pm
revenire said:
The SNC statement makes me laugh. Crimes against humanity? Ha ha coming from a group of Western backed terrorists. That’s funny.
The Friends of Syria is dead. 11 countries showed up. The rats didn’t get any cheese.
Assad is a hero worldwide for defeating these swine.
April 22nd, 2013, 3:34 pm
Tara said:
Dear Ameera,
If you live in Montreal area, may I point to you Damascus Restaurant and to Aleppo Restaurant. You may have some temporary satisfaction for your culinary desire until Syria and all of us are reunited. Regards.
April 22nd, 2013, 3:48 pm
Citizen said:
Today in Aleppo kidnapped two Metropolitans Syrian Orthodox, Rome Orthodox!!!
April 22nd, 2013, 3:56 pm
zoo said:
First challenge to Greek-Orthodox George Sabra? A coincidence?
http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/395757/two-bishops-kidnapped-in-northern-syria-state-media
“An armed terrorist group today kidnapped Bishop Yohanna Ibrahim, head of the Syrian Orthodox Church (in Aleppo) and Bishop Boulos Yaziji, head of the Greek Orthodox Church (in Aleppo) while they were on humanitarian operations in the village of Kafr Dael in Aleppo province,” the news agency said.
“Terrorists intercepted the bishops’ car in Kafr Dael village, took the driver out of the car and kidnapped the bishops,” it added.
Reached by AFP, sources in the Greek Orthodox diocese of Aleppo declined to comment on the incident.
Christian residents of Aleppo reached by AFP said Ibrahim set out in his car to pick up Yaziji from the Bab al-Hawa crossing on the Turkish border, which is under rebel control.
The car was intercepted on the way back by gunmen who kidnapped the bishops and killed their driver, the residents said on condition of anonymity.
Read more: http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/395757/two-bishops-kidnapped-in-northern-syria-state-media#ixzz2RE6eSWFj
Follow us: @inquirerdotnet on Twitter | inquirerdotnet on Facebook
April 22nd, 2013, 4:37 pm
Citizen said:
54. DOLLY BUSTER said:
We don’t need a multipolar world, if the existing pole is Ok.
Your question answered by Paul Craig Roberts below
http://www.activistpost.com/2013/04/if-you-want-to-go-to-heaven-you-had.html
If you want to go to heaven, you had better get busy overthrowing Syria
The United States government has been at war for eleven years. The US military destroyed Iraq, leaving the country and millions of lives in ruins and releasing sectarian blood-letting that had been kept in check by the secular Saddam Hussein government. On any given day in “liberated” Iraq, the death toll is as high as during the height of the US attempted occupation.
In Afghanistan eleven years of US attempted occupation has had no more success than a decade of Soviet occupation. The Afghans are still not worn down despite more than two decades of war with the two superpowers. Like the Soviets, the Americans have managed to kill many women, children, and village elders, but precious few warriors. In place of the Soviet puppet government there is Washington’s puppet government. That is the only change, and Washington’s puppet is no more secure than the Soviet one was.
In Libya, Washington used its corrupt NATO puppets and CIA-recruited bandits to overthrow another stable government, that of Muammar Gaddafi, leaving Libya mired in sectarian violence. A stable prosperous country has simply been destroyed by western governments that profess human rights values and condemn China and Russia for not having any.
Washington has also been killing civilians with drones and air strikes in Pakistan and Yemen, two countries with which Washington is not at war but has purchased the governments, paying the Pakistani and Yemeni governments for the right to murder their citizens and destabilizing both countries in the process.
And now in Syria Washington is at work destroying another stable secular government headed by a British trained eye doctor…
April 22nd, 2013, 4:38 pm
Uzair8 said:
A retweet by AJE correspondent Rula Amin on AJE Syria blog tweet list:
Gregg Carlstrom @glcarlstrom 2h
Two salafi sheikhs in Lebanon, Rafii (Tripoli) and Assir (Sidon), issued calls tonight to mobilize followers to fight in Qusayr, in Syria.
April 22nd, 2013, 4:49 pm
revenire said:
It is heartening to see the moderates kidnapping Christian bishops. Bravo revolutionaries! This development will surely cause Obama and Kerry to intervene to put these people in power.
The moderate and secular holy warriors are the best.
April 22nd, 2013, 4:50 pm
Citizen said:
‘Jordan opens skies for Israeli drones flying to Syria’
Here in Russia we are watching with concern all the moves and potential harassment beginning of overt military attack against Syria.
Lavrov Warns West against Supplying Syrian Opposition with Armaments
http://english.farsnews.com/newstext.php?nn=9107163442
The lifting of the embargo on arms deliveries to the Syrian opposition by western countries will constitute a crude violation of international law, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said.
“As for the embargo which the European Union imposed on the delivery of arms to the Syrian opposition, it should not have been declared in the first place, because that is prohibited by international law,” Lavrov said at a Monday press conference in Moscow following his talks with Guinean Foreign Minister Francois Lonseny Fall, the Voice of Russia reported.
“The public lifting of the embargo, if things come to that (I am saying ‘if’, because there are many sober-minded states in the European Union that expressed serious concerns about the step), EU countries’ international commitments, which prohibit deliveries of arms and ammunition to non-governmental entities, will not disappear,” the minister said.
April 22nd, 2013, 4:51 pm
Ameera said:
تؤبشيني حبيبة قلبي تارا روحي ربي يبعتلك احلى نصيب
انا مو عايشة بموريال بس بعرف مطعم داماس يلي هنيكي
بتذكري كسر السفرة كل يوم جمعة بمورة و لا طلعة جدودنا
بس ايه الله يرحم شي بدي اتنغص لاتنغص ئال شو بدي اذكر يا سفرجل كل عضة بغصة
انت شامية؟ من وين مياتك؟
April 22nd, 2013, 4:55 pm
zoo said:
Monday, April 22, 2013
The battles for Qusair after Daraya
Videos
http://uprootedpalestinians.blogspot.ca/
April 22nd, 2013, 5:02 pm
majedkhaldoun said:
Mjabali
What is the strategic importance of Qusair?
Qusair is not on the road between Damascus and the coast,it is only importance is the military airport is seven miles north of Qusair, this now, has been destroyed, the people of Qusair are not friendly to the rebels,the rebels should withdraw from Qusair once the airport has been destroyed and the ammunition were taken away(to Lebanon or to the rebels somewhere in Syria)
Assad is trying to maximize its gains befor the june meeting between Obama and Putin,Iran will be top on their agenda,Putin knows US will never interfere militarily in Syria,Israel will attack Iran,with the help of Turkey, Turkey will not help unless there are concessions from US in regard to Syria,so NFZ in the north,would be the most Turkey can get, Assad must acquise.
April 22nd, 2013, 5:10 pm
zoo said:
Another challenge for George Sabra and Selim Idriss: Stop trying to bring Lebanon in the Syrian war
Human Right watch calls on Syrian fighters to end arbitrary cross-border attacks
Published: April 22, 2013 at 4:09 PM
http://www.upi.com/Top_News/World-News/2013/04/22/HRW-calls-on-Syrian-fighters-to-end-arbitrary-cross-border-attacks/UPI-75591366661370/
DAMASCUS, Syria, April 22 (UPI) — Human Rights Watch says Syrian rebel forces have been indiscriminately shelling villages in Lebanon, violating the laws of war.
In a release Monday, HRW called on both sides of the conflict in Syria — those loyal to President Bashar Assad and those against him — immediately to stop cross-border attacks on inhabited areas in Lebanon.
HRW’s plea came after reports of rebels firing on the Shiite villages al-Qasr and Hawsh al-Sayyed in Lebanon’s northern Bekaa region April 14, killing two people and wounding three. Shiite villages were shelled in Bekaa Saturday as well, but there were no reports of casualties from those attacks.
“Even if fighters are present in Lebanon, there is no excuse for any warring party to conduct indiscriminate strikes on residential areas,” said Nadim Houry, deputy Middle East director at Human Rights Watch. “All sides need to take all feasible precautions to protect civilians.”
Read more: http://www.upi.com/Top_News/World-News/2013/04/22/HRW-calls-on-Syrian-fighters-to-end-arbitrary-cross-border-attacks/UPI-75591366661370/#ixzz2REFwWacF
April 22nd, 2013, 5:14 pm
Citizen said:
Rumors about a possible U.S. attack on Iran have been around for a long time. But it looks like they are starting to become reality. Thus, the United States is arming its allies in the Middle East, giving a clear message to the Iranian authorities about the impending confrontation. Will there be a war? What are the true causes it? To whom it benefits and what may be the consequences? These issues concern the whole world today.
U.S. arming allies
Expected future arms U.S. allies in the Middle East, the Pentagon chief Chuck Hagel called “very clear” signal to Iran, which demonstrates the possibility of using military force to eliminate the nuclear threat. On the eve of a Middle East tour Hagel media reported on contracts worth $ 10 billion, which provide for sale to Israel of refueling aircraft KC-135 military aerocrafts V-22 Osprey, anti aradar missiles and radar equipment installed on the aircraft. In the United Arab Emirates will be supplied F-16 fighters and missiles to them. The same rocket U.S. to sell Saudi Arabia, previously procured the American fighters.
“This is a very clear message to Iran,” – said Hagel in Israel on the first paragraph of his visit to the Middle East region. He added that the use of military force should be the last resort to contain Iran in its efforts to acquire nuclear weapons, while there is time for economic sanctions and diplomacy. Expected future arms contracts, according to Hagel should, first of all, to strengthen the military might of Israel. He added that the United States recognize Israel’s right to decide which way to protect themselves from Iran. Israeli authorities have repeatedly stated the ineffectiveness of international diplomacy, urging negotiations to add a heavy threat of force. Also, they do not exclude that can self-initiate military action against Iran.
See also: Israel is ready to fight on all fronts
Earlier, the U.S. Senate passed a resolution which stated that Washington will fully support Israel, if the state decides to attack Iran itself, or be subjected to aggression. According to the resolution, the U.S. government will Israel diplomatic, military and economic aid. Co-author of the document, Republican Senator Lindsey Graham, said that the U.S. does not want another military conflict in the world, but also put up with Iran’s nuclear status, no one will.
http://translate.google.ca/translate?hl=en&sl=ru&tl=en&u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.pravda.ru%2Fworld%2Fasia%2Fmiddleeast%2F22-04-2013%2F1153368-iran-0%2F
April 22nd, 2013, 5:26 pm
Uzair8 said:
‘Western leftists & Arab nationalists condemn #Syria’s revolution under the pretext of opposing foreign ‘imperialist’ intervention; the #US & #EU deny effective weapons to the rebels under the pretext of safeguarding Israel; the only effective foreign intervention in Syria is that of #Russia & #Iran in favour of #Bashar’s regime. Despite all of that, the revolution will eventually succeed and those who stand by Syria’s dictator will reap nothing but shame.’
Azzam Tamimi
19th April 2013
http://www.twitlonger.com/show/n_1rjriq8
April 22nd, 2013, 5:29 pm
annie said:
Shaykh Al-Yaqoubi calls for a military intervention in Syria
In a recent statement, the Syrian, shaykh Muhammad Al-Yaqoubi called Jordan and Turkey to an immediate military intervention in Syria to save the Syrian people and put an end to its suffering; and to help the Syrian people establishing the next government.
Shaykh Al-Yaqoubi’s calls comes, as he confirmed, in response to the most recent massacre in which the regime forces killed ca 500 people in a town outside Damascus.
He said, any risks in having military intervention by our neighbours, brothers and friends is less than the risks taken day by day in leaving the regime to continue slaughtering the Syrian people.
He also called the National coalition of the Syrian Opposition for an immediate emergency meeting in which a formal call to Jordan and Turkey for military intervention should made and sent via the diplomatic channels.
Shaykh Muhammad Al-Yaqoubi is a world-renowned sufi scholar and theologian. He is one of the forefront leaders of the Syrian uprising. He was an instructor in the Grand Omayyad mosque and is classified as one of the 500 most influential Muslims figures in the World.
April 22nd, 2013, 5:34 pm
Citizen said:
105. UZAIR8
Azzam Tamimi is no more than a bearded old farter 🙂
April 22nd, 2013, 5:48 pm
Uzair8 said:
#107 Citizen
Dear Citizen
That sounds suspiciously like ANN. Are you sure she hasn’t hijacked your account?
April 22nd, 2013, 5:56 pm
Citizen said:
Russia is planning to play a more active role throughout the Middle East, and that the Russian government is planning to reassert some of the influence Moscow has lost in the region during the last years of the Soviet era and the early 1990s.
A Russian fleet, composed of the anti-submarine destroyer Admiral Panteleyev and the two logistic warships Peresvet and Novelskoy, with a total number of 712 crew have entered the Iranian Army´s first naval zone in Bandar Abbas.
The three vessel´s visit is aiming at consolidating the relations between Iran and Russia and the expansion of interactions between the two countries in the field of naval security. The three Russian warships have left their home port Vladivostok for duty in the world oceans and are visiting Bandar Abbas en route to their operational destinations. The Russian Ministry of Defense has announced, that Russia has begun forming a separate Mediterranean squadron.
—————–
http://youtu.be/XoXo6X7Xuog?t=5s
April 22nd, 2013, 6:07 pm
Citizen said:
108. UZAIR8
word (hijacked) usually spinning in bearded head! and the word (hijacking hijackers) spinning in head of Israelis! so the all are not ours !!
April 22nd, 2013, 6:18 pm
Citizen said:
good night!
April 22nd, 2013, 6:19 pm
zoo said:
Two “Tunisians” linked to Al Qaeda arrested in Canada.
The funny part is that they are supposed to have been in contact with AlQaeda in… Iran! Weren’t they rather back from Syria?
2 linked to al-Qaeda arrested in terror plot in Canada
April 22, 2013
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police says two men planned to attack passenger train in Toronto.
Canadian police and intelligence services arrested two suspects Monday who allegedly planned to derail a passenger rail train in Greater Toronto in what the Royal Canadian Mounted Police called a “major terrorist attack.”
RCMP Assistant Commissioner James Malizia said at an afternoon news conference that Chiheb Esseghaier, 30, of Montreal, and Raed Jaser, 35, of Toronto, had received “direction and guidance” from “al-Qaeda elements” in Iran, but that there is no indication they were “state-sponsored.”
Neither suspect is a Canadian citizen. The RCMP would not identify their nationalities or say how long they had been in the country, but Superintendent Douglas Best said they had been in Canada a “considerable period of time.”
Canadian media reported the men are Tunisian.
April 22nd, 2013, 6:22 pm
ghufran said:
Adnan Ihsan-USA :
التضحيات المجانيه غير مقبوله … ومن الافضل ان يطوى ملف العسكره ،،، ولا خوف من الانتقام …ويجب ان تعترفوا بانكم خذلتوا … فالمعركه مع النظام ليست بالبندقيه فقط .. وهناك اسلحه افضل من لغه الرصاص … وتجار الاسلحه وامرآء الحرب هم وحدهم المستفيدون من عسكره الثوره … والشهدآء لن تذهب دمائهم هدرا ،،، القو السلاح وانتهت هذه المرحله وبلا تضحيات مجانيه … وقد حذرنا من عسكره الثوره ودفع الشعب السوري الثمن باهضا لهذه المغامره ،،،، نحن معكم ،،، وسواء كان الشهيد من الشعب او الجيش ،، نحن الشعب السوري ندفع الثمن … نقتل انفسنا بانفسنا ،،، والقاء السلاح لايعني الهزيمه ،، ولا انتهاء اهداف الثوره التي قامت من اجلها ،،، ولكن لماذا التضحيات المجانيه … دعونا نختار طريقا اخر للنضال ،،، فهناك اخوة لكم سيقفون معكم … وسنكمل المشوار ،، حتى تتحق الاهداف التي حلمنا بها ببناء سوريه الجميله … لكل ابناءها ،، بمختلف طوائفها .. واعراقها ،،، ولنختصر الدماء ،،، فالجيش جيشنا والشعب شعبنا ،،، ولماذا لانفهم اننا الخاسرين عندما نرهن انفسنا لاجندات الاخرين ….. اختيار طرق اخر للثوره ليس عيبا ،، بل العيب ان يتحاور الاخوه واهل البيت بالسلاح … هل وصلت الرساله
April 22nd, 2013, 7:12 pm
ziad said:
Ghufran #113
The dispatch of Adnan Ihsan is the smartest and most rational message I have heard about the Syrian crisis in a very long time.
Thank you.
April 22nd, 2013, 7:36 pm
ann said:
Armed men snatch two Syrian bishops near Aleppo city – 2013-04-23
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/world/2013-04/23/c_124616085.htm
Bishops John Abraham and Paul Yazigi were snatched in Kafr Dael near Aleppo while doing humanitarian work, the report said, adding that gunmen cut off the bishops’ car and drove off to unknown destination.
The state media spelled no further details but other media reports said the kidnappers were radical Chechens affiliated with al-Qaida-minded groups.
The Syrian government has accused armed rebels affiliated with al-Qaida of being behind the civil conflict that has engulfed Syrian since two years and a half ago.
[…]
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/world/2013-04/23/c_124616085.htm
April 22nd, 2013, 7:41 pm
zoo said:
Assad forces retake towns near Damascus;
By David Enders and Roy Gutman | McClatchy Newspapers
BEIRUT — Troops loyal to Syrian President Bashar Assad have overrun towns southwest of Damascus that had been dominated by anti-Assad forces for most of the past year, leaving at least 100 people dead.
The precise toll of the military assault on Jdedet Artouz and Jdedet al Fadhil was hotly disputed, with the government claiming it had killed scores of “terrorists” while opposition officials in Istanbul put the number of dead at as many as 500 civilians. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, the only group that attempts to count casualties from both sides of the conflict, said it believed 101 people had died; at least 24 of those were rebel fighters.
Rami Abdurrahman, the head of the observatory, said his group was still investigating what took place and was attempting to determine how those killed had died.
Read more here: http://www.mcclatchydc.com/2013/04/22/189358/assad-forces-retake-towns-near.html#storylink=cpy
April 22nd, 2013, 7:42 pm
revenire said:
The Syrian Arab Army has raised the flag in al-Qusayr. The rats have been cleansed.
Our heroes are on the move. Look for new claims of massacres from the desperate rats.
“Syrian Army before us, Lebanese borders behind us” was the cry of the rats.
April 22nd, 2013, 7:43 pm
ann said:
Pointless if you ask me. Filthy Tunisian animals don’t need a visa to go to terrorist paradise!
Tunisian embassy in Beirut to look after Tunisian citizens in Syria – 2013-04-23
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/world/2013-04/23/c_124616106.htm
The consular section of the Tunisian embassy in Beirut will be strengthened so as “to defend and protect the interests of Tunisian nationals living in Syria,” the foreign affairs ministry said in a statement.
The announcement came following growing critiques levelling against Tunisian authorities for not looking after the interests of its citizens living in Syria.
Apart from 16,000 Tunisian expatriates in Syria, it is estimated that thousands more are currently fighting alongside Syrian “rebel groups” against the Syrian government.
Tunisia severed its diplomatic relations with Syria in February 2012, provoking the reciprocity from Syrian authorities which expelled the Tunisian ambassador shortly after.
[…]
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/world/2013-04/23/c_124616106.htm
April 22nd, 2013, 7:49 pm
ziad said:
Zionists & Zionist bedouins (gulf traitors) hand in hand against Syria
https://twitter.com/MKERone/status/326345105646682112/photo/1
April 22nd, 2013, 7:54 pm
zoo said:
The “FSA” rebels have tried to prevent Al Nusra fighters from bombing Hezbollah positions inside Lebanon for fear of getting them involved.
The rift between the two factions of the rebels is growing by the day. Neither George Sabra nor Selim Idriss have any control on the rebels and Al Nusra. The “FSA” may soon be totally under the control of al Nusra and will disintegrate.
Syria’s opposition is increasingly dominated by Sunni militants with Al Qaeda-affiliated Jabhat Al Nusra playing a major role.
Heavy fighting has been raging in Qusayr for days, with rebels gaining control of parts of a military base and Hizbollah reported to have been using artillery in response.
Syrian rebel commanders said they were pushing hard to stop factions from Jabhat Al Nusra attacking Hizbollah targets inside Lebanon.
“This is a dangerous position, the war can spread, it is already spreading, into Lebanon at any moment and we cannot stop Islamist groups from going into Lebanon if Hizbollah has come into Syria,” said one influential opposition figure.
Speaking at a ceremony mourning a Hizbollah fighter killed in Syria, the vice-president of the group’s executive council, Sheikh Nabil Qauk, evoked the plight of Lebanese citizens living in a string of villages inside Syria.
“What Hizbollah is doing with regard to this issue is a national and moral duty in the defence of the Lebanese in border villages,” he said.
Read more: http://www.thenational.ae/news/world/middle-east/hizbollah-at-war-with-the-syrian-people#ixzz2REtUjZpg
Follow us: @TheNationalUAE on Twitter | thenational.ae on Facebook
April 22nd, 2013, 7:55 pm
revenire said:
Unconfirmed reports Hezbollah has moved rocket batteries near the Syrian-Lebanese border.
April 22nd, 2013, 8:04 pm
Tara said:
حبيبتي أميرة
ايه أنا شامية وأنتي؟
مبين عليك كتير أمورة
شو راماكِ لعنا؟ هل موقع بيوجع القلب
April 22nd, 2013, 8:08 pm
Tara said:
The oil fields are back to its owners.
Read more here:
http://news.yahoo.com/syrian-rebel-oil-sales-least-month-off-161232794.html
April 22nd, 2013, 8:17 pm
majedkhaldoun said:
Zoo
Hizb Iran and their leader Nasr iran moved inside Syria and are killing Syrians,in doing so, they declare war against Syrians and I assure you Hassan Nasr Iran will be dragged from his fake beard and hanged in Marjeh in Damascus
April 22nd, 2013, 8:27 pm
revenire said:
Brother Majed is that in the Koran?
April 22nd, 2013, 8:29 pm
ann said:
FASCIST and COLONIALIST EU Declares Syria an EU COLONY!
EU eases sanctions against Syria to help opposition – 2013-04-23
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/world/2013-04/23/c_124616022.htm
According to a statement issued by the EU Foreign Affairs Council in Luxembourg, the 27-member bloc gave green light to three types of transactions:
_ imports of oil and petroleum products, including related finance and insurance
_ exports of key equipment and technology for the oil and gas industry to Syria, also including related finance and insurance
_ as well as investments in the Syrian oil industry.
[…]
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/world/2013-04/23/c_124616022.htm
April 22nd, 2013, 8:30 pm
Tara said:
Germany is softening up to lifting arms embargo:
• Britain and France will renew their attempts to lift the EU arms embargo on Syria in talks with EU foreign ministers in Luxembourg, the Daily Telegraph reports. It noted that Germany appeared to soften its opposition to the plan when foreign minister, Guido Westerwelle, said he would accept the lifting of the arms embargo if other countries pushed for it. On Saturday Westerwelle urged the Syrian opposition to distance itself from terrorists.
ThevGuardian
April 22nd, 2013, 8:44 pm
Syrian said:
الانتحار اللبناني في سورية!
الياس خوري
APRIL 22, 2013
“بصرف النظر عن نتائج المعارك التي تدور في ريف حمص وحول مدينة القصير، فإن ما يجب الاشارة اليه، هو ان عناصر حزب الله الذين يقاتلون الى جانب النظام السوري وشبيحته، يرتكبون اليوم الخطأ الأساسي القاتل في تارخهم. وان نتائج هذا الخطأ الكارثية لن تنحصر بــــهم، بل ستمتد الى الطائفة التي يحتكرون تمثيلها، وستشمل لبنان بأسره، لأنها ستكون اللعبة الانتحارية الأخيرة والنهائية، في تاريخ الانتحارات التي صنعتها البنى الطائفية اللبنانية المقاتلة، خلال العقود الأربعة الماضية”
“الجحيم الذي يبدأ اليوم لا علاقة له بهوية المنتصر في سورية، فبعد السقوط الفعلي للنظام الأستبدادي، لم يعد الخيار” هو بين انتصار الشعب او النظام. النظام لن ينتصر ولا يستطيع ان ينتصر، بل صار الخيار هو بين انتصار المعارضة او الذهاب الى خيار تقسيمي مستحيل، اي الى خيار حرب اهلية طويلة.
وفي الحالين فان قرار الاشتراك في القتال في سورية هو انتحار حتمي. ففي حال انتصار المعارضة، فإن الجروح التي تصنعها مشاركة حزب الله في القتال لن تندمل بسرعة، كما ان قيامه بكسر الحدود اللبنانية السورية، سوف يعني ان اعادة ترميم هذه الحدود ستكون بالغة الصعوبة، وبذا فإنه يؤسس انتحارا لبنانيا جماعيا، عبر احتمالات انتقال القتال الى البقاع بشكل رئيسي. اما في حال الذهاب الى الحرب الطويلة، فإن هذا يعني ان لبنان سيكون احدى ساحاتها الرئيسية، مما يعني ان حزب الله سوف يفقد نهائيا الأرض التي يقف عليها.”
http://www.alquds.co.uk/?p=36651
April 22nd, 2013, 8:48 pm
ann said:
Russia warns against lifting embargo on military supplies to “Syrian opposition” – April 22, 2013
http://rt.com/politics/military-opposition-syrian-supplies-195/
Russia’s foreign minister reminded that lifting the embargo on weapons supplies to the “Syrian opposition” is a violation of international law and expressed hope that ‘reasonable’ European states would prevent such a step.
Sergey Lavrov also noted that there was no real need for the embargo imposed by the European Union as the international law forbids such supplies anyway.
“The public lifting of this embargo, if it comes to this (and I say if, because there are more than few reasonable nations within the EU who have voiced their serious concern about such step) will still leave us with the international obligations of the EU nations banning the supplies of weapons and ammunition to non-state subjects,” Lavrov told media in Moscow on Monday.
The issue was discussed on Sunday in Istanbul at the meeting of the “Friends of Syria” group.
British Foreign Secretary William Hague said both UK and France supported the lifting or amending the embargo. German FM Guido Westervelle suggested that his country would not oppose the repeal of the embargo on arms sales to Syria, if such move will be proposed by other EU countries.
The German minister also told reporters that the issue will be discussed at the conference of the foreign ministers of the European Union member-states, due in Luxembourg on Monday.
The EU embargo on weapons supplies to Syria expires on May 31.
Earlier on Saturday US Secretary of State John Kerry announced his country planned to double the financial assistance to the “Syrian opposition” and also promised to increase the amount of “non-offensive military supplies” to the “rebels”.
The official ignored the requests to provide weapons, but according to the US media, CIA agents are already taking part in supplying arms to the militant groups in Syria through Turkish territory. The CIA has refused to officially comment on these reports.
Lavrov told reporters that he and Kerry agreed to discuss the Syrian issues at their meeting in Brussels in the course of the Russia-NATO council session.
“We agreed to meet and discuss what we, Russia and the United States, can do in order to stimulate those who still oppose the peaceful process to change their position,” he announced.
[…]
http://rt.com/politics/military-opposition-syrian-supplies-195/
April 22nd, 2013, 9:22 pm
ann said:
On Syria, Qatar Is Told to Drop “Rebels”, by Latin American countries, India, S. Africa and Malaysia – April 22, 2013
By Matthew Russell Lee, Exclusive
http://www.innercitypress.com/syria1qatletters042213.html
UNITED NATIONS, April 22 — After Syria envoy Lakhdar Brahimi on April 19, responding to a Press question about the Al Nusra Front, said that extremism is under-estimated, the Qatar-drafted General Assembly resolution is now the subject of negotiations and letters.
Inner City Press has obtained and is exclusively publishing letters to Qatar about the resolution from Malaysia, a group of six Latin American countries, and the troika of Brazil, India and South Africa.
The Latins — the Permanent Representatives of Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Peru, Mexico and Uruguay — suggest to Qatar, as do South Africa and India, the inclusion in the draft of war crimes by the opposition, and to “avoid language on the recognition of any opposition group as the legitimate representative of the Syrian people.”
Malaysia wants to “note” and not “welcome” the opposition.
Qatar and other co-drafters including Saudi Arabia are said to want to go forward, thinking that their proposed language on the “opposition” could set the stage for given the UN seat of Syria to the “opposition”, just as the Arab League did over the reservations of Algeria and Iraq, and the “dis-association” of Lebanon.
There would be a higher percentage of No votes and abstentions in the UN General Assembly. So what will Qatar and Saudi Arabia do?
[…]
http://www.innercitypress.com/syria1qatletters042213.html
April 22nd, 2013, 9:40 pm
ann said:
Al-Qaeda Fires On Syrian Protesters!
Residents of Al-Hasakah demonstrated against the presence of armed groups today. Jabhat al-Nusra dispersed the protesters with dushka fire.
April 22nd, 2013, 9:55 pm
Sami said:
Looking at the graph above about humanitarian aid delivered vs promised while the obvious candidates for criticism are glaring something to note is Russia’s abysmal contribution to actually help those most affected by the armed conflict.
So Russians whine and complain about other countries supplying weapons and causing more harm than good, while their weapons and ammunitions is involved in suppressing, killing, displacing, and slaughtering Syrian civilians (which they are more than happy to keep selling it to the murdering marauding regime) in order to make a buck while contributing an abysmal amount that barely surpasses that of Switzerland to actual help the victims that survived their weapons
“hypocrisy is the tribute that vice pays to virtue”
April 22nd, 2013, 9:57 pm
ann said:
Syrian President Takes a Stroll in The Park ..
http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=14e_1366674352
April 22nd, 2013, 10:00 pm
majedkhaldoun said:
Syrian
Hizb Iran already committed suicide by fighting in Syria helping Assad
Ann
you must be eating a lot of Fulful(pepper)
April 22nd, 2013, 10:01 pm
zoo said:
Are the enemies of Syria running out of options to hide the humiliation of having made premature and false predictions?
More Help for Syrian Rebels
By THE EDITORIAL BOARD
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/04/23/opinion/more-help-for-syrian-rebels.html?_r=0
Long after Western governments predicted he would be gone, Mr. Assad is hanging on even as his country unravels, deepening sectarian divisions, expanding the fighting across borders and forcing an estimated one million Syrians to flee to neighboring countries.
There are increasing fears about whether the country can hold together, whether the fighting will destabilize its neighbors and whether, when all is said and done, extremist groups with connections to Al Qaeda who have been among the best anti-Assad fighters will emerge on top.
…
Meanwhile, the European Union on Monday eased sanctions to allow European importers to buy oil from the Syrian opposition, which controls some territory with oil deposits.
This may have little practical effect given the country’s battered infrastructure, but it could boost the opposition’s credibility and finances.
The European Union should think twice about letting its arms embargo expire because that could open the door to Britain and France providing the rebels with lethal aid.
Assisting the rebels is not the whole answer. Mr. Obama and Europe should keep trying to persuade Russia to abandon its unconscionable support for Mr. Assad and to work cooperatively to stabilize the region.
April 22nd, 2013, 10:05 pm
Sami said:
Majed,
Not only is she eating too much fulful but she is recycling old videos and pretending they are new.
Her latest sham is the “Bashar takes a stroll in the park” video, it is recycled from when Bashar gave his thtupid thpeech at Omayyad Sqaure from January of Last year.
Deception and lies is all they are good for…
[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XrUcsLnvavY]
April 22nd, 2013, 10:19 pm
zoo said:
Al Nusra terrorists expressed their deep satisfaction that EU companies will help the reconstruction and exploitation of the Syrian oil wells they are controlling. They will try to control more of them.
They will prove to German Foreign Minister that they are the best ‘alternative to the Assad regime’
Hardline Islamist rebels – including the al-Qaeda-linked Al-Nusra group – notably are in at least partial control of Syria’s largest oil reserves in Deir Ezzor in the east and Hassaka in the northeast.
In a new signal of support, EU foreign ministers meeting in Luxembourg formally adopted measures enabling EU companies on a case-by-case basis to import Syrian crude and export oil production technology and investment cash to areas in the hands of the opposition.
“We want regions controlled by the opposition to develop, we want to help economic reconstruction,” said German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle on arriving for the talks.
“People will see there is a real alternative to the Assad regime exists.”
http://www.nation.com.pk/pakistan-news-newspaper-daily-english-online/international/23-Apr-2013/hezbollah-role-in-syria-fighting-draws-rebel-ire
April 22nd, 2013, 10:20 pm
MarigoldRan said:
The Assadists have already given up most of the country to try to hold onto Damascus and a small sliver of land connecting Damascus to Lattakia through Homs and Hamas.
There’s talk of a “regime offensive” but this “offensive” comes AFTER the regime has lost most of its territory in the south and the east.
April 22nd, 2013, 10:22 pm
MarigoldRan said:
For the Assadists it’s 3 steps backward, one step forwards. The war continues.
April 22nd, 2013, 10:23 pm
ann said:
NATOs Death Squads Al-Qaeda Mercenary Terrorists Getting A Warm Welcome From The Syrian Military
http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=7be_1366673406
April 22nd, 2013, 10:24 pm
Tara said:
Sami,
Wasn’t it the same Ann who used to quote an article then changes the content deliberately? Now she is trying to deceive us again by recycling old videos. Were was Matthew then? Such a despicable behavior! Do these beings know any integrity?
April 22nd, 2013, 10:32 pm
MarigoldRan said:
Nope. They have no integrity. It’s best to treat them like the morons and the losers that they are.
Personally I think they’re an excellent example of what the Assadists are like. You can tell a lot about a regime by the behavior of its supporters.
April 22nd, 2013, 10:33 pm
zoo said:
To start his new job with panache, “Angry George” calls on the Arab League to ask Lebanon to stop the involvement of the Hezbollah fighters in the fight between the Syrian Army and the rebels.
It is certain that, as usual, the AL will solve the issue very quickly, especially now that the SNC holds the Syrian seat.
George Sabra Named Acting SNC Chief, Accuses Hizbullah of Declaring War on Syrian People
by Naharnet Newsdesk
In the first speech after being named caretaker SNC leader, Sabra described Hizbullah’s role in fighting in the central province of Homs as a “declaration of war against the Syrian people.”
“What is happening in Homs is a declaration of war against the Syrian people and the Arab League should deal with it on this basis,” Sabra said.
“The Lebanese president and the Lebanese government should realize the danger that it poses to the lives of Syrians and the future relations between the two peoples and countries,” he added.
Sabra accused Hizbullah of “occupying villages in Homs, terrorizing the residents and preventing them from expressing their opinions.”
“Hizbullah’s fighters are terrorist fundamentalists who have crossed our border and the Lebanese government must deal firmly with them,” he said.
He warned that Syrians “will not be tolerant with any group occupying their land, be it Lebanese or non-Lebanese.”
“We urge our Shiite brothers in Lebanon to call for an end to the killing of their Syrian brothers,” Sabra added
April 22nd, 2013, 10:33 pm
MarigoldRan said:
Most Assadists are despicable people, which makes sense because the regime is a despicable regime.
April 22nd, 2013, 10:39 pm
ann said:
Report: Jordan allows Israel to use its airspace for Syria attack – 04.22.13
French newspaper Le Figaro says Jordan decided to allow Israel to use its airspace to monitor situation in Syria and attack country’s chemical weapons facilities
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4370634,00.html
French newspaper Le Figaro reported Monday that Jordan has decided to allow Israel to use its airspace in order to monitor the situation in Syria and even attack the country’s chemical facilities, if the need arose.
The French newspaper’s website noted two routes to be opened to Israel: a southern route from the Negev and a route via Amman. Opening Jordanian airspace would mean Israel can avoid flying over southern Lebanon.
[…]
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4370634,00.html
April 22nd, 2013, 10:39 pm
revenire said:
HA HA RATS DESPERATE NOW, CALLING FOR MEDICAL SUPPLIES
FSA Facebook Page (Turkish) Begging For Medical Supplies
Part of channel(s): Syria (current event)
Situation getting worse for FSA terorrists in syria.
Today, official Syrian Revolution Page (Turkish Version) published new image showing medical supplies need by the terorrists in Syria.
The list consist of there subjects in general: antibiotics, painkillers and surgical equipment.
They also noted telephone numbers for those who want to contribute.(yes, there some fb users asking “how can i contribute?” ) I didn’t called the numbers personally but can’t say im not curious.
Looks like FSA getting desperate about foreing support. (USA/EU/Gulf Countries)
fb page: https://http://www.iranmilitaryforum.net/military-conflicts/updates-on-military-action-in-syria/7250/www.facebook.com/SuriyeDevrimi
April 22nd, 2013, 10:44 pm
ann said:
Al-Qaeda Filthy Animal in Deir Azor Under The Syrian Hammer
Allahu Akbar.. Allahu Akbar.. Allahu Akbar .. Al-Ham-Dooli-La
http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=757_1366652915
Big shout out to all EU foreign ministers 😀
Oh and I almost forgot.. CHEERS
April 22nd, 2013, 11:01 pm
ann said:
Al-Qaeda Filthy Animal in Deir Azor Under The Syrian Hammer
Allahu Akbar.. Allahu Akbar.. Allahu Akbar .. Al-Ham-Dooli-La
http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=757_1366652915
Big shout out to all EU foreign ministers 😀
Oh and I almost forgot.. CHEERS
April 22nd, 2013, 11:05 pm
ann said:
More NATO Mercenary Filthy Ottoman Animals Coming To Die in Syria!
http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=c95_1366680820
April 22nd, 2013, 11:53 pm
Juergen said:
Saudi Arabia, rehab for Islamists
Sex parties, a gym and a spa: Inside the Saudi prisons where terrorists caught in Saudi Arabia are sent
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2312136/Sex-parties-gym-spa-Inside-Saudi-prisons-terrorists-caught-Saudi-Arabia-sent.html
April 23rd, 2013, 12:06 am
Juergen said:
Ann
I would be glad to hear your own words from time to time, may be even your own opinion. So far only Matthew challenged you into an outburst of personality.
April 23rd, 2013, 12:11 am
MarigoldRan said:
Given the frequency of his posts, and the loser-ness quality of his life, I’m pretty confident he’s posted under other aliases before.
In the meantime the Europeans have lifted the oil embargo… because the rebels control most of the oil
April 23rd, 2013, 12:14 am
ghufran said:
More than 500,000 Syrians have fled to Jordan since the onset of the conflict in their country more than two years ago, according to the Amman government and the United Nations — a figure equal to nearly one-tenth of Jordan’s population. While 160,000 are housed in refugee camps, Saad and the vast majority have been living in cities, where their presence is stoking tensions with an increasingly resentful host community and posing what Jordanian officials call one of the greatest crises the country has faced in decades.
Jordanian government officials say the cost of hosting the rapidly growing refugee population is expected to reach $1 billion this year. Yet the true cost of hosting the refugees, who compete with Jordanians for jobs and limited housing, is far broader, economic experts say.
The state-run Economic and Social Council says that due to electricity and water subsidies, each Syrian who crosses into Jordan directly costs the government about $3,000 annually. The Health Ministry says it spends half of its budget on medical care for Syrians alone and needs about $350 million in emergency funding to sustain the country’s public-health-care system past this month.
According to the Labor Ministry, about 160,000 Syrians are working illegally in Jordan, accepting lower pay to fill positions in bakeries, auto garages and cafes that were once held by Jordanians, about 20 percent of whom are unemployed.
“You walk into a bakery, there are Syrians; you walk into a factory, there are Syrians,” said Mohammed Mashagbeh, 35, a Jordanian carpenter who said he left Mafraq after losing work to Syrians and now lives in the capital, Amman, where he earns half his previous wages. “There is no longer room in Jordan for Jordanians.”
The kingdom has long served as an oasis for those displaced by the various wars that have wracked the region, and it is home to more than 1.8 million Palestinian and 500,000 Iraqi refugees. But unlike their Palestinian and Iraqi predecessors, the bulk of Syrians who have flooded Jordan hail from rural regions and are under-skilled and poorly educated, arriving with limited funds and placing an immediate burden on the government’s social services, economic experts say.
“In many ways, while Iraqis came to Jordan with investments and were effectively job creators, Syrians are arriving as job-
takers,” says Jawad Anani, economist and president of the Economic and Social Council. Many Jordanian business owners dispute that, saying that Syrians take work that Jordanians do not want and that they work harder.
April 23rd, 2013, 12:49 am
Juergen said:
Assad Guided by Russian Lessons from Chechnya.
“When asked how long the war would take, the soon-to-be assassinated independence leader of the Chechen people, Dzhokhar Dudayev famously responded, “it will be a war of 50 years”.
This week’s focus on Chechnya reminds me how Assad’s strategy to suppress the revolution is influenced and informed by his Russian allies. Some would go as far as suggesting that the similarities point to the Russians actually managing the operation – from SCUD launches to international “diplomacy”.”
http://sarabiany.wordpress.com/2013/04/22/assad-guided-by-russian-lessons-from-chechnya/
April 23rd, 2013, 1:29 am
Dolly Buster said:
Perhaps this person is not called “Ann,” but it stands for Abkhazian News Network. Just throwing ideas out there.
I heard their program was very effective.
There was an AQAP spokesman Abu Harith Awfi and they caught him and put him through spa and sex. He came out condemning AQAP, I was shocked.
April 23rd, 2013, 2:31 am
Juergen said:
Dolly
I wonder if the Saudis have the means to send half of their citizens to rehab, the ideology which brings many Saudis to AQ and similar groups is state funded in schools and universities.
April 23rd, 2013, 2:43 am
Juergen said:
Reve
Your SAA heroes love to say Allah akbar when committing their atrocities. I bet you have an shiny excuse for that right?
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=250274941784965&set=vb.283927114964582&type=2&theater
April 23rd, 2013, 3:19 am
Juergen said:
Robert Fisk: Inside Damascus – memoirs reveal the Hafez approach
Hitherto unknown information has emerged from the confidential archives of the Syrian presidency and foreign ministry
“What would Hafez have done? Every Syrian asks this question. ”
http://www.independent.co.uk/voices/comment/robert-fisk-inside-damascus–memoirs-reveal-the-hafez-approach-8581709.html
April 23rd, 2013, 3:34 am
Albo said:
So the wicked Eu wishes to see what remains of Syria’s oil industry burn, like it happened in Kuwait it seems.
Meanwhile
France’s embassy in Libya has been hit by what appears to be a car bomb, injuring two guards in the first such attack in the capital Tripoli since the end of the 2011 war that ousted Moamar Gaddafi.Residents living near the embassy compound, in the capital’s Hay Andalus area, said they heard two blasts early in the morning around 7am (local time).”We think it was a booby-trapped car,” a French embassy official said.”There was a lot of damage and there are two guards wounded.”In Paris, foreign minister Laurent Fabius condemned what he called a heinous attack and said everything would be done to find the perpetrators.
____
After Merah in France, the Tsarnaev brothers in Boston, a collection of attacked embassies already, yet more justifications for their brillant policies in the Arab and Islamic world. I wonder how many bloodied noses and humiliations it can take before Westerners get it through their heads that their leadership is corrupt and incompetent.
Oh wait, they are well aware of it. Time to take action against the rotten 1% then, you know Bernard Henri Levy and assorted garbage.
April 23rd, 2013, 4:08 am
Dolly Buster said:
Zoo was very happy when the Shiites had a rising star, and used to hang thousands of people in Iraq under the leadership of the Rafidi swine Nouri al Maliki.
But now the Shiites are going to be decimated everywhere. There is justice after all !!
My condolences to Zoo about the Shia Crescent coming to an untimely death.
April 23rd, 2013, 4:41 am
Syrialover said:
JUERGEN #158
That latest article by Rabid Fisk was also posted earlier, but I will take the opportunity to comment again.
The article is a deferential puff piece about a book by the horrible witch Bouthaina Shaaban, a notorious member of Team Assad.
It’s a sad indication of how far Fisk has fallen.
Fisk in the article heroizes Hafez Assad. He even fantasizes about how wonderful it would be to have Hafez here today and ask him what he would have done!
Well here’s the answer for Fisk:
What Hafez would have done is what his boys Bashar and Maher are now doing. They are mimicking their daddy and honoring his legacy of “leadership”. The model was programmed into their upbringing and DNA.
Fisk should read this, by a leading Syrian writer:
“Daddy Dearest – Inside the mind of Bashar al-Assad”
President Bashar al-Assad is a man trapped in his dead father’s web
QUOTE:
“The harsh military-security apparatus set up by his father, so successfully tested in the troubles of the 1980s, was the only option for Bashar. The young president was completely immersed in his father’s experience. His father’s legacy dominated the mentality of the son, and he could not escape from it, or think outside it. Every time Bashar the president confronted a new development in the current crisis, he resorted not to his own common sense but looked back for similarities to what his father had experienced in the past and how he had reacted. He became a brutal mimic man.”
http://www.thedailybeast.com/newsweek/2013/03/04/daddy-dearest-inside-the-mind-of-bashar-al-assad.html
April 23rd, 2013, 6:58 am
Akbar Palace said:
Citizen,
Another Islamist-inspired terror plot. This time foiled.
Give as the usual conspiracy theory on this one.
http://news.yahoo.com/bail-hearing-set-2-men-canada-terror-plot-063001608.html
Syrialover,
How is the arab and muslim world going to get moderates to control all these violent forces in the Middle East? If it isn’t a secular thug like Assad, it’s some intolerant Islamist group.
April 23rd, 2013, 7:52 am
Tara said:
Akbar,
It is the “secular” thugs like Assad who causes radicalism out if desparation. Give people a meaningful productive and dignified lives and they will all forget about the 72 virgins awaiting them in heaven. Treat them as subhuman and remove hope from their lives and they will all have nothing to live for. Treat the cause of the disease, the symptoms will abate.
Syrians have always always been moderate, even their religious figures. Ask your Syrian relative of how much love of life they have, nevertheless if we are forced to choose Al Nusra vs. Assad, the choice is clear. I’d rather cover all over and quit my job rather than repeatedly seeing an old man humiliated then burned or buried alive or a youth beaten to death. It is beyond the human ability to cope with.
April 23rd, 2013, 8:16 am
zoo said:
Lebanese Salafists fighters will be welcomed in Syria by a delegation of men and women from Syria Comment who want them to stop the “humiliation” of the Syrians. The war between Sunnis and Shias that Israel has been dreaming of has started. How far and bloody would it go? SC warmongers are extatic.
Lebanon Sunni sheikh urges followers to join Syria fight
Lebanese Salafists call upon their supporters to show solidarity with pro Bashar’s fighters and stand up to their defence, calling it a “jihadist duty”
AFP , Tuesday 23 Apr 2013
http://english.ahram.org.eg/NewsContent/2/8/69956/World/Region/Lebanon-Sunni-sheikh-urges-followers-to-join-Syria.aspx
Sheikh Ahmad al-Assir, a controversial Lebanese Salafist sheikh, has urged his followers to join Syrian rebels fighting troops loyal to President Bashar al-Assad and the Lebanese Shiite movement Hezbollah.
….
“Nasrallah and his shabiha have taken the decision to enter into these areas (Qusayr) in order to massacre the oppressed people there,” Assir added.
“There is a religious duty on every Muslim who is able to do so… to enter into Syria in order to defend its people, its mosques and religious shrines, especially in Qusayr and Homs.” Assir said joining the fight in Homs is “especially a duty for the Lebanese because Lebanon provides the only gateway” into central Syria.
He said his address mainly targeted “residents of the border areas,” but added: “This fatwa (religious decree) affects us all, especially those who have military experience.”
..
Meanwhile, in the north Lebanese city of Tripoli, a second Sunni sheikh, Salem al-Rafii, echoed Assir’s call. “As Hezbollah sends fighters to defend Shiite areas… we will also send money and men to our Sunni brothers in Qusayr,” he said.
“We also call on all young Sunnis to be ready, as a first wave of young men and weapons will be sent to carry out their jihadist duty in Qusayr and to defend Sunni regions,” he added. On Monday, Rafii called on those who wished to fight in Syria to sign up to join the fight.
April 23rd, 2013, 8:57 am
zoo said:
#162 AP
Are you finally waking up to the realities of this ethnically religiously complex region that has been traumatized and manipulated by centuries of European and Turkish colonialism.
There is no shortcut to democracy. Especially when these same colonialist powers, having done irreparable harm by dividing the borders and people based exclusively on their own interests, still do not want to get their hands off the region. (France and the UK)
“If it isn’t a secular thug like Assad, it’s some intolerant Islamist group.”
April 23rd, 2013, 9:08 am
zoo said:
Bashar al Assad has predicted it. The Al Qaeda terrorists have been boosted by their “glorious” military successes in Syria that are praised by the Syrian rebels and tolerated by the EU and the USA. There is now a spree of terrorist attacks that targeted the USA, Canada, France.
The more success al Nusra will have in Syria, the more money Al Qaeda will get and the more young Sunni extremists will feel they have to contribute to the war against the heretics. All this encouraged by “fatwas’ of hysterical Sunni sheikhs.
The West should get ready for a backfire of their vicious policy in Syria thatis dictated mainly by Israel, Qatar and Saudi Arabia.
April 23rd, 2013, 9:26 am
zoo said:
Parade of a tortured Alawi captive in Tripoli’s street
http://news.yahoo.com/lightbox/syrian-man-rope-tied-around-neck-being-led-photo-131058944.html
BEIRUT (Reuters) – Stripped to the waist, his face heavily bruised and a rope around his neck, the grey-haired Syrian man was led by his captors on a humiliating parade through the northern Lebanese city of Tripoli.
“I am an Alawite shabbiha,” read slogans daubed on the bare chest of the man, referring to militias from a minority sect fighting for President Bashar al-Assad in neighbouring Syria. Vigilantes led the man through Tripoli, a predominantly Sunni Muslim city, on Monday.
No one stepped in to stop the degrading procession until he was handed over to army intelligence, Tripoli residents said, his treatment yet another sign that the Lebanese state is losing its battle to contain street tensions over Syria’s bloodshed.
April 23rd, 2013, 9:42 am
mjabali said:
Radicalism comes from ideology and reactions to what some perceive as “injustice”: economical, religious or political. Also it comes from anger and inability to live with others.
April 23rd, 2013, 9:48 am
Tara said:
Zoo,
You are quick to post a link to the maltreatment of the Alawi Shabeeh but never condemn the humiliation or the beating to death of your average non-minority Syrian.
How can one interpret that?
April 23rd, 2013, 9:54 am
AIG said:
Zoo,
If Israel wants a Shia-Sunni war, why are you and other regime supporters letting Israel have its way? The fact is that Assad wants the war, not Israel. He had 11 years to build a more free and more economically prosperous Syria. He did not. Now he is paying the price of his stupidity. Israel has nothing to do with this.
And stop whining like a little child about terror coming to the West. Suck it up and fight the jihadists instead of complaining.
April 23rd, 2013, 10:04 am
zoo said:
Chechen jihadists are the kidnapers of the two Syrian Bishops
http://www.saudigazette.com.sa/index.cfm?method=home.regcon&contentid=20130423162668
“The news which we have received is that an armed group… (of) Chechens stopped the car and kidnapped the two bishops while the driver was killed,” an official from the Syriac Orthodox diocese said.
A source in the Greek Orthodox diocese, speaking to AFP on condition of anonymity, said Ibrahim was coming back from an area along the Turkish border, where he had collected Yaziji.
A group of armed men stopped their car near Aleppo, forcing the driver and a fourth person out. The driver was subsequently shot in the head, the source said.
“According to this person, the kidnappers spoke classical Arabic and appeared to be foreigners. They told them that they were Chechen jihadists,” he told AFP.
April 23rd, 2013, 10:08 am
Akbar Palace said:
Syrians have always always been moderate, even their religious figures. Ask your Syrian relative of how much love of life they have…
Tara,
Well, I haven’t talked to my ex-father-in-law in years. But I recall many conversations. I would say, perhaps like many Israeli “mizrachim”, he enjoys arabic culture and language, but at “arms length”. He, perhaps like many mizrachim, don’t have too many nice things to say about arabs, generally. So perhaps he is caught between fond memories and today’s realities.
He (as well as many on this website) have helped me to understand arabs, and bascially is all boils down to the fact that there are good people and not-so-good people. I hope the “good” people in Syria win this war.
Are you finally waking up to the realities of this ethnically religiously complex region that has been traumatized and manipulated by centuries of European and Turkish colonialism.
Zoo,
If I accept your explanation, will you allow Israel to use crude Scud-type missiles against Hamas, Hezbollah and other enemies without complaining?
Please sign on the dotted line….
April 23rd, 2013, 10:13 am
zoo said:
#169 Tara
I think you and others are doing an excellent job in praising Al Nusra terrorists for the car bombs, kidnapping, decapitation that are helping so much Sunni Syrians to get their dignity back.
I am sure you have secretly enjoyed the photos of the hideous ‘parade’ of a tortured Alawi. It certainly satisfies partly your desires of revenge and blood that you have expressed so many times.
April 23rd, 2013, 10:17 am
Tara said:
Zoo,
I know that you know that I do not condone Islamists. I know that you know that I do not condone terror acts. I know that you know that I do not love or hat people based on their religion. I know that you know that I am in it because I can’t tolerate subjugation of all and any human being. So stop pretending and just admit that to yourself at least. You do not need to admit that to me.
April 23rd, 2013, 10:44 am
Dolly Buster said:
Syrian Christians sided with the criminal regime, which opened a set of problems for them.
You reap what you sow, as the Bible states.
April 23rd, 2013, 10:58 am
ann said:
MORE and MORE OVERTLY COLONIALIST EU is Carving Out A New Kuwait in Syria
Interview: Western powers support rebels to divide Syria: local opposition figure – 2013-04-23
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/world/2013-04/23/c_124621836.htm
DAMASCUS, April 23 (Xinhua) — A Syria-based opposition figure said Tuesday that the exiled opposition and their Western backers are serious about purchasing the Syrian crude oil from rebel- controlled areas in northern and eastern Syria with a purpose of dividing the Syrian territories.
Maher Merhej, leader of the Damascus-based National Youth Party, told Xinhua he had reached the conclusion after his recent meeting in Turkey with a number of Syrian National Coalition (SNC) members in exile.
Merhej said he was assured that the coalition and the Western countries were “completely serious on the highest levels” about the move.
A day earlier, the European Union (EU) eased certain sanctions against Syria, including the oil embargo, so as to “help the civilian population” and support the opposition in the conflict- ravaged country.
According to a statement issued by the EU Foreign Affairs Council in Luxembourg, the 27-member bloc gave green light to three types of transactions: imports of oil and petroleum products, exports of key equipment and technology for the oil and gas industry to Syria, as well as investments in the Syrian oil industry.
The EU asked the Syrian authorities to consult with the exiled SNC before approving any such transactions, and to ensure that the transactions do not circumvent EU sanctions against Syria, in particular the asset freezes on those people associated with the violence in Syria.
Merhej stressed that the Western powers called on the coalition to hurry to form an interim government in a bid to run the business of selling Syria’s crude oil.
The West plans to set up new pipelines from northern and eastern Syria into Turkey at the Iskenderun hub in the province of Hatay on the Mediterranean coast of Turkey, he said, pointing out that such a step aims at “eliminating all political solution and also setting a stage for dividing Syria.”
The move totally infringes upon the sovereignty of Syria, he said.
As for Jordan’s fresh meddling in Syria’s crisis, Merhej said the Western-backed country is “involved because it has no independent decision.”
He said anti-Syrian administration powers want to establish two parts of the armed rebels: one in the north near the borders with Turkey, the other in the south close to the Jordanian borders.
The Syrian troops have taken all precautions and are fully capable of defending Syria, he said, reiterating that such development on the Jordanian border will only further complicate the crisis.
[…]
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/world/2013-04/23/c_124621836.htm
April 23rd, 2013, 11:12 am
Dolly Buster said:
@Zoo
Hey pig, what about the 80,000 people killed by your Alawite bаstards?
They just killed 500 people yesterday, and you are still talking about the 3 people kidnapped by the rebels.
April 23rd, 2013, 11:17 am
revenire said:
Juergen I don’t make excuses. The army needs to kill them all without mercy.
April 23rd, 2013, 11:50 am
ghufran said:
Ghalioun’s after-the-fact holy smoke:
قال رئيس “المجلس الوطني السوري” المعارض السابق برهان غليون الثلاثاء٢٣/٤/٢٠١٣ “اننا لن نتحرر من النظام قبل أن نحرر أنفسنا من الارتهان لإرادة الدول الصديقة التي تدعمنا”، مشيرا الى ان “الدعم لشراء الولاءات يفاقم من محنتنا ويعزز انقساماتنا”.
وكتب غليون في صفحته على موقع التواصل الاجتماعي “فيسبوك”: “أعتقد أننا تساهلنا نحن المعارضة كثيراً تجاه تدخلات الدول الشقيقة والصديقة في شؤون تنظيمنا وعملنا الداخلية، من الجيش الحر إلى قوى الثورة والمعارضة الأخرى. وربما كان السبب ثقتنا الزائدة بأنفسنا أو إحساسنا بوحدة المصالح العربية. وبالنسبة لبعضنا كانت التبعية ثقافة سياسية”.
واشار غليون “علينا منذ الآن أن لا نسمح لأي طرف أن يقرر مكاننا ويشارك في تنظيم شؤوننا مهما كان، وأن لا يقوم بعمل يمسنا من دون التشاور معنا، سواء تعلق الأمر بالسلاح أو الإغاثة أو القرارات السياسية والدبلوماسية”.
وطالب غليون “السوريين المنتشرين في كل مكان من الذين يدعمون الثورة أن يدركوا هم كذلك أن أي دعم لا يكون بهدف وطني شامل لن يساهم في تحرير شعبنا وبلدنا”.
وقال المعارض السوري “إن الدعم لشراء الولاءات يفاقم من محنتنا ويعزز انقساماتنا” واعتبر ان ذلك “يقوى أعداءنا الذين لا يقتصرون اليوم على نظام القتلة المتمركز في دمشق وحده”، حسب تعبيره.
في سياق اخر، شن رئيس “المجلس الوطني” السابق هجوماً لاذعاً على طريقة استقالة الخطيب، قائلاً في تصريحات صحفية إنه “أضعف المعارضة والثورة” وتصرف كأنه “موظف” لدى الحلفاء
April 23rd, 2013, 12:17 pm
ann said:
EU plan to buy “rebel” oil act of aggression: Syria – Tuesday, April 23, 2013
http://zeenews.india.com/news/world/eu-plan-to-buy-rebel-oil-act-of-aggression-syria_844236.html
Damascus: An EU plan to buy oil from “rebel-held” areas of Syria is illegal and an act of aggression, the Syrian foreign ministry warned on Tuesday in letters to the United Nations.
“In an unprecedented decision that contradicts international law and the UN Charter… the European Union has decided to allow member states to import petrol… under the pretext of supporting the opposition,” state news agency SANA reported, citing the letters.
“It is an illegal decision and an act of aggression.” “Syrian rebels” fighting President President Bashar al-Assad’s troops won a fresh boost Monday when the European Union eased its oil embargo to let them exploit the resources they control.
But the decision raised a furious response in Damascus.
The European Union will be trading “with the so-called opposition Coalition, which represents no one in Syria,” the letters to UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon and the Security Council said.
The decision is an act of “complicity in the theft of resources that belong to the Syrian people, represented by the current, legitimate government,” they added.
“The European Union is following its political and economic campaign that targets the national economy and the daily bread of Syrian citizens,” the ministry added, referring to EU sanctions on the Assad government.
The European Union is nonetheless concerned that most oilfields in Deir Ezzor in the east and Hasake in the northeast are controlled by Al-Nusra Front, whose leadership has pledged allegiance to Al-Qaeda.
[…]
http://zeenews.india.com/news/world/eu-plan-to-buy-rebel-oil-act-of-aggression-syria_844236.html
April 23rd, 2013, 12:20 pm
Uzair8 said:
I glanced thru the Daily Mail ‘Sex Party…’ (Saudi rehab) story and didn’t see anything on such ‘parties’.
There was the bit about well behaved prisoners being granted 2 day breaks for ‘proximity’ with their wives in special suites within the complex.
Another sensationalist headline unless I missed something.
April 23rd, 2013, 12:24 pm
Tara said:
Al Khatib made a grave mistake resigning. He should’ve stayed and exposed what needed to be exposed. He should’ve looked the Syrians in the eyes and stated the facts as he sees it. He remained vague and obscure and that doesn’t help. What did he mean when he said he us a free bird? Why not to be blunt, honest and deal with the consequences?
April 23rd, 2013, 12:29 pm
Uzair8 said:
Regarding the 2 christian clerics. I heard on the radio one of them had spoken to bbc arabic in recent days and was critical of the regime (very risky). Later I heard he was critical of both sides.
Anyway, AJE Syria blog reported an hour ago the clerics had been released and were already in Aleppo Cathedral.
Also, I saw this earlier tweet by Hassan Hassan:
Hassan Hassan حسن @hhassan140 6h
If Bishop Yohanna was kidnapped, Let’s hope by Syrian rebels or freelance kidnappers coz if Syrian or foreign intelligence, they’ll kill him
Btw Hassan Hassan with a fresh article:
Hizbollah’s strategy in Syria will accelerate sectarian war
Hassan Hassan
Apr 24, 2013
April 23rd, 2013, 12:30 pm
ann said:
Chuck Hagel Green Lights Israeli Attacks On Syria and Iran – April 23, 2013
http://www.infowars.com/chuck-hagel-green-lights-israeli-attacks-on-syria-and-iran/
On Tuesday, Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel did penance for his perceived sins against Israel. The former senator from Nebraska was criticized during his confirmation process by the likes of John McCain for not joining the march to war against Iran.
Hagel’s opposition to sanctions against Iran were considered antisemitic.
South Carolina Senator Lindsay Graham went so far as to say that Hagel “would be the most antagonistic Secretary of Defense towards the state of Israel in our nation’s history.”
All doubt was put to rest on Tuesday when Hagel met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Tel Aviv. Hagel green lighted an attack on Iran, dispersing any remaining doubt about his past. The Wall Street Journal described Hagel’s transformation as a “recasting” and said he “expanded a U.S. charm offensive aimed at Israel while advancing an Israeli objective – trying to convince Iran that it faces a realistic military threat as it continues to rebuff Western diplomatic efforts.”
During a news conference delivered from Israel’s military headquarters, Hagel stressed that Israel and the United States are in “complete” agreement on Iran policy. He reiterated that Israel, as a sovereign state, has a right to attack Iran for its as of yet unsubstantiated nuclear weapons program.
He said there’s no “daylight” or “gap” between the United States and Israel when it comes to taking out Iran’s nuclear reactors (and, although unstated, its military and civilian infrastructure). In order to accomplish this, Hagel said the United States has agreed to sell Israel more military hardware, including V-22 Osprey transport aircraft and air refueling tankers that will be used in the coming attack. Hagel insisted the arms deal is meant to send a message to Iran.
Sending advanced refueling tanker planes, crucial for an attack, is something not even the neocon administration of George W. Bush was willing to do.
Oddly, U.S. officials believe affirming Israel’s desire take out Iran and selling it more sophisticated military technology will make an attack less likely.
In addition to backing Israel’s “sovereign” right to attack Iran, Hagel demonstrated the Obama administration’s support for Israeli attacks inside Syria. Hagel and Israeli Defense Minister Moshe Ya’alon flew within five kilometers of the Syrian border and approximately 30 miles from Damascus in an Israeli Army UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter.
On Monday, the French newspaper Le Figaro reported that Jordan has decided to allow Israel to use its airspace to stage raids inside Syria. The newspaper noted two routes that will be opened to Israel – a southern route from the Negev and a route through Amman. The agreement will allow Israel to avoid flying over southern Lebanon.
[…]
http://www.infowars.com/chuck-hagel-green-lights-israeli-attacks-on-syria-and-iran/
April 23rd, 2013, 12:44 pm
majedkhaldoun said:
Moaz Khatib is very weak leaders,true rebel leaders do not quit, however even George Sabra is better leader than Khatib
Lebanon is in danger of getting involved in Syrian crisis,sectarianism is strong over there,Hizb Iran made a fatal move, Lebanon geography will change.
The two orthodex motrans were released
April 23rd, 2013, 12:55 pm
Badr said:
In case you had any doubts:
Syrians live in fear as kidnappings increase
By Jeremy Bowen
BBC Middle East editor, Damascus
April 23rd, 2013, 1:03 pm
Dolly Buster said:
Al-Khateeb was pretty nice, he had gray hair and nice cadence. He was fairly good looking. Then he made a fool of himself by resigning, in the same day that Riad As3ad was wounded. This gave an impression of weakness to the evildoing sсum on the Shiite side.
The war continues though.
Let us heed Israeli intelligence and bomb the bejeezus out of SAA for using sarin gas.
April 23rd, 2013, 1:26 pm
ann said:
I wonder how John Kerry will explain this to the people of Massachusetts the next time he’s up for re-election?!
US Turns Away 1000′s of Cancer Patients, but has $123 Million for Terrorists in Syria – April 21, 2013
http://www.infowars.com/us-turns-away-1000s-of-cancer-patients-but-has-123-million-for-terrorists-in-syria/
The US has announced that it will provide militants in Syria, now openly admitted to being Al Qaeda terrorists, with $123 million in military aid – while thousands of cancer patients at home are being turned away from clinics because of budget cuts. Compounding the the criminal negligence of telling sick people to seek help elsewhere, is the fact that the military aid the US is providing terrorists in Syria will be used to perpetuate an already 2 year long, sectarian-driven humanitarian disaster.
RT recently reported in their article, “US to give $123 million military aid package to Syrian rebels,” that:
The US$123 million defense aid package, announced by Kerry at the meeting in the Turkish capital on Sunday, includes body armor, armored vehicles, advanced communication equipment and night vision goggles.
In an April 3, 2013 Washington Post article titled, “Cancer clinics are turning away thousands of Medicare patients. Blame the sequester,” it was reported:
Cancer clinics across the country have begun turning away thousands of Medicare patients, blaming the sequester budget cuts.
Oncologists say the reduced funding, which took effect for Medicare on April 1, makes it impossible to administer expensive chemotherapy drugs while staying afloat financially.
When one considers that the conflict in Syria was premeditated by the US, Saudi Arabia, and Israel, as early as 2007, simply to overthrow the Syrian government and weaken neighboring Iran, the mind-numbing criminality of America’s current foreign and domestic policy becomes even more obscene.
It was reported by Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Seymour Hersh in his 2007 New Yorker article, “The Redirection: Is the Administration’s new policy benefiting our enemies in the war on terrorism?” that:
To undermine Iran, which is predominantly Shiite, the Bush Administration has decided, in effect, to reconfigure its priorities in the Middle East. In Lebanon, the Administration has coöperated with Saudi Arabia’s government, which is Sunni, in clandestine operations that are intended to weaken Hezbollah, the Shiite organization that is backed by Iran. The U.S. has also taken part in clandestine operations aimed at Iran and its ally Syria. A by-product of these activities has been the bolstering of Sunni extremist groups that espouse a militant vision of Islam and are hostile to America and sympathetic to Al Qaeda.
Now clearly, while the West attempts to feign ignorance over the inception and rapid expansion of Al Qaeda in Syria, these 2007 plans are coming into fruition. It was revealed by the London Telegraph and the Washington Post that even “non-lethal” aid provided by the United States, including flour, was being used as a political weapon by Al Qaeda’s al-Nusra front in Syria to win over support in territory it invades and occupies.
When pursing a destructive war of geopolitical hegemony abroad takes precedence over the health and well being of a nation’s citizens at home, the government taking such a posture has lost all legitimacy. The people of America will continue to watch their nation rot out from beneath them as long as they continue investing their money, time, energy, and attention into an establishment clearly divorced from the interests of the vast majority.
[…]
http://www.infowars.com/us-turns-away-1000s-of-cancer-patients-but-has-123-million-for-terrorists-in-syria/
April 23rd, 2013, 1:33 pm
Uzair8 said:
I heard the report Badr has shared (#186) in the early hours on BBC World Service radio.
I was appalled and disgusted by the accusation against ‘rebels’ cutting off the finger of a captive. Whether it was rebels or criminals pretending disguised as rebels it is still disgusting and condemnable.
I’ll take the opportunity to make a point on my mind for a while.
Can brutality from all sides ultimately be blamed on the regime? Let me explain. It shouldn’t be surprising if there is brutality across society and even amongst some opposition (civilians or defectors).
It was the regime who, over four decades, built this environment and culture of brutality and disregard. Yes those who commit such acts should be condemned and held responsible, however, we cannot dismiss the responsibility of those who allowed and encouraged the prevailing orthadoxy.
It will take a lot of hard work and many years to drain this swamp and eliminate such unacceptable traits.
April 23rd, 2013, 1:36 pm
majedkhaldoun said:
I found it very odd that Russia sent message to US FBI alerting them to Tamerlane .yet when he went overthere in few months they have no report about checking him there,and nothing to report to the FBI,
It is also odd that FBI closed the case about Tamerlane and were not concerned about him going to Russia as he returned from there,one senator said he was on fly alert list.
Revenir who lives in California should be on FBI criminal list
April 23rd, 2013, 1:51 pm
ghufran said:
Moaz did the right thing by leaving a corrupt and ineffective political animal (NC) after realizing that:
1. the MB is in control, that means no political solution
2. HBJ is calling the shots, that means the war will go on
3. NATO is not serious about providing military help, that means a quick win over regime forces is unlikely.
Leaving the NC does not mean Moaz will have no role in Syria’s political future, I still think he is a patriot who could not sit at the same table with war mongers and people who lie for a living.
Sabra on the other hand is a political prostitute who thinks that playing nice with the Islamists will help Christians in Syria and may secure him a charity position in a future government, he is a perfect example of a useful idiot, his only role it to make the SNC look “secular” to please the West.
April 23rd, 2013, 1:55 pm
mjabali said:
Uzair:
Dude you are a genius.
April 23rd, 2013, 2:27 pm
Akbar Palace said:
You Have the Right to Remain Silent NewZ
Reverse,
How do you like California? I thought you were living in Syria.
April 23rd, 2013, 2:42 pm
AIG said:
AP,
Is that true, the R idiot is an American?
April 23rd, 2013, 2:55 pm
MarigoldRan said:
Almost certainly. He thought the Vietnam War was only 10 years long. Only dumb Americans like him are that outspokenly stupid about history.
April 23rd, 2013, 3:07 pm
Uzair8 said:
192 Mjabali said:
“Dude you are a genius.”
Why, how kind of you to say so. 🙂
Joking aside, no better time to quit than at the top – LOL. Stating it in writing may help me to quit for real.
Of recent (months) I came here for news really, from main posts or comment section. While here I can’t help taking any opportunity to undo regime propaganda and lies when the opportunity arises. My brain is wired thus.
I don’t hate Alawites. And Mr Mjabali I can honestly say I don’t have an ounce of hatred against you in my being.
Nice knowing all revolutionaries on here and keep up the good work.
I’ll still read the blog and the comments. I won’t post unless I am moved enough to or there is something I deem very important to share.
Forgive me for any excesses or for becoming a burden.
Thanks for Professor Landis and the team for providing the platform to participate.
See you all again on Victory. InshaAllah.
“Ashaab yureed isqat annidham.”
May God bless the Syrian people.
April 23rd, 2013, 3:12 pm
Hopeful said:
#173 Zoo
Terrorist acts like car bombing, kidnapping and decapitating are EVIL and are condemned.
Terrorist acts like torturing boys to death, bombing cities by planes, and firing scud missles at civilians ar EVIL and are condemned.
Now can you repeat after me or will you stay silent again?
April 23rd, 2013, 3:21 pm
Hopeful said:
Lest it be forgotten, the opposition should demand that a neutral UN organization examine the body of Al Bhuti to determine the cause of death. This case should not be dropped.
April 23rd, 2013, 3:26 pm
zoo said:
The chemical accusations frenzy against Syria are just rumors propagated by enraged UK, France, Qatar and the SNC as the Syrian Army is systematically dislodging the rebels from areas they have occupied for a more than a year and the EU have decided to keep the arms embargo to rebels
USA: No proof of Syria chemical weapons
US Secretary of State John Kerry says Israel has not been able to confirm that Syria has used chemical weapons.
24 Apr 2013,
http://www.sbs.com.au/news/article/1759258/No-proof-of-Syria-chemical-weapons-US
US Secretary of State John Kerry says Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has not been able to confirm to him that the Syrian regime had used chemical weapons against rebels.
“I think it is fair to say (the prime minister) was not in a position to confirm that in the conversation,” Kerry said, explaining that he had telephoned Netanyahu following reports of their u
April 23rd, 2013, 3:43 pm
zoo said:
#197 Hopeful
“Now can you repeat after me or will you stay silent again?”
Are you a school teacher? Or a just a bully?
April 23rd, 2013, 3:50 pm
zoo said:
182. Tara
Al Khatib did very well to quit the Qatar Moslem brotherhood cage.
He is a free bird now, he is not squeezed anymore by greedy, arrogant and ambitious wannabe politicians.
Will he talk? I doubt as this will be the end of what is left of the credibility of the opposition and they would appear as they are: A nest of snakes.
If he dares expose the opposition, they will kill him and put the blame in the regime.
In any case his poetic declaration is very clear to the ones who are not blinded as to believe that Qatar wants the good of Syrians, that the SNC represents all Syrian or that the Al Nusra are ‘holy warriors’.
April 23rd, 2013, 4:02 pm
Tara said:
Zoo,
What prevent you from condemning the terror inflicted by the regime? I find it hard to believe you are an another Reve or another Ann.
Do you not believe it happened or do you believe it was well deserved? or let me use my imagination the same way you use yours in regard to the “personal” soap oprah relationship you have created for me in regard to the family or Bashar. Could it be be that you are under a threat of a physical or a financial duress if you to utter the slightest of condemnation?
Thinking about it, I am not sure I like for you any of the scenarios above. I continue to think that there is a beauty under the beast shell. Can some shake you to wake up?
April 23rd, 2013, 4:09 pm
revenire said:
HNN Homs News Network
TERRORIST OFFICERS TRY TO CUT SECRET DEAL FOR SAFE PASSAGE TO TURKEY !!
Following the tight collar imposed by the outstanding Syrian Arab Army in “Al-Raqqah” by cutting supply lines to Terrorists, some of the leaders from “Al-Nusra Front” Terrorist organization attempting to save themselves, sent notable elders of Tribes to negotiate on their behalf with Commanders of Division 17 requesting a safe passage to Turkey, in exchange for delivery (set-up) of the Commander from “Free Satans Army’ (FSA) and his full Brigade to the Syrian Arab Army ..
Syrian Command Response: The only way any Terrorist Officer will be leaving “Al-Raqqah” is as a rotting corpse …
SECRET TREACHEROUS DEALS ON OFFER,, MORE SIGNS THEY ARE FINISHED, AND IT’S EVERY DOG FOR HIMSELF NOW …
NICE RESPONSE BY OUR COMMAND, GO GET THEM LIONS … – J
April 23rd, 2013, 4:18 pm
zoo said:
The two Sunni Islamists arrested for preparing a terrorist attack in Toronto
Raed Jasser Ibrahim Ammour, is a Jordanian national who was born in Tulkarem in the West Bank in 1967.
Mr Esseghaier, a Tunisian-born doctoral student at a Montreal-area university,
Read more: http://www.thenational.ae/news/world/americas/man-charged-over-canada-terror-plot-visited-the-uae-but-is-not-a-resident#ixzz2RJrhKAc1
Read more: http://www.thenational.ae/news/world/americas/man-charged-over-canada-terror-plot-visited-the-uae-but-is-not-a-resident#ixzz2RJrXr7Pf
Follow us: @TheNationalUAE on Twitter | thenational.ae on Facebook
April 23rd, 2013, 4:26 pm
revenire said:
Brother Majed do you know the two terrorists they arrested in Canada?
April 23rd, 2013, 4:29 pm
Tara said:
Zoo,
I don’t think being afraid of getting killed makes a man like al Khatib silent. I just agree he is a weak leader. He should have stayed on and fight for his people.
April 23rd, 2013, 4:32 pm
Tara said:
Mari,
Do you know of It is a valid complaint to the FBI that Reve keeps linking the propaganda of a terrorist organization and its chief thug. I have asked Reve twice to stop spreading Nasrallah propaganda nonsense and he has not complied. Is this a freedom of speech issue or is it against the US law?
April 23rd, 2013, 4:39 pm
zoo said:
#202 Tara
In a civil war, because this is what that so-called revolution has become, there are excesses on both sides.
You keep insisting that it is a war between ‘good’ and ‘evil’, and you and the western media keep insisting on the ‘evil’ is the Syrian army, and the ‘good’ the opposition. The media and videos accusing the Syrian Army army abound but videos and media accusing the opposition are fairly rare and immediately taxed of propoganda.
Therefore I find quite natural to re-establish the balance by showing that it is pure naivety to think that the Syrian regime and half of the Syrian population are all ‘evil’ while the opposition and the other half are ‘good’.
You can see with your own eyes that is not true.
April 23rd, 2013, 4:43 pm
Syrialover said:
MAJEDKHALDOUN, TARA and others,
On Moaz Al-Khatib, commentators out there say he has made a strategic decision to step clear of the current opposition structure and will be back later on the political stage.
The opposition organization has failed to cleanse itself of the Muslim Brotherhood virus that has been making it weak and conflicted.
Who knows what exhausting stupid wrestling matches Khatib’s been forced into backstage. He’s probably being told to shut up. He’s also probably calculated the cost and risk to the future of being accused of working with the MB.
And bear in mind, whoever takes the reins in post-Assad Syria will only be transitional – that’s how it works.
Also, TARA, Khatib has certainly not been “vague and obscure” on some very big issues that matter in this conflict. He’s been making powerful statements that the MB creeps who have a backstage chokehold on the opposition would be incapable of even thinking.
Without his voice there would have been a bleak silence or at best weak mutterings from the opposition on the things he’s spoken out about.
A couple of other observations about Khatib as a person.
I imagine he would have very little appetite, time and head space for the ongoing internal problems in the opposition. All the manipulation, distorted agendas, ego clashes and enfeebling compromises – for whose benefit? The MB? Certainly not the people of Syria, who are all he really cares about if you listen to him.
He is also one of the few opposition figures who only recently left Syria, where he and his family and organization were prominent in the community.
There might be a limit to how much he expects his extended family and associates to suffer the consequences of him punching out the regime while the organization he is meant to be representing and leading cares more about playground squabbles, pinching and pulling each others hair.
April 23rd, 2013, 4:44 pm
MarigoldRan said:
Freedom of speech. If he has not made any specific threat against specific people or organizations then it’s fine according to US law. There is a reason why the US or Western Europe does not have civil wars like Syria. They’ve figured out that it’s better to let the idiots talk, so that they can make fools of themselves.
April 23rd, 2013, 4:46 pm
zoo said:
Tara
My opinion is that Al Khatib has remain silent for two reasons: one is that anything he would have said against the SNC would have served the Syrian government and weakened even more the opposition, and second because he thought he could be physically eliminated by extremists from Al Nusra or the MB if he openly denounced them.
He preferred to get out of the cage where he was trapped
April 23rd, 2013, 4:51 pm
revenire said:
رفع العلم السوري امام مبنى القنصلية الفرنسية و مسيرة سيارات بمناسبة عيد الجلاء – ملبورن استراليا
April 23rd, 2013, 4:52 pm
revenire said:
To Tara with love…
April 23rd, 2013, 4:54 pm
Tara said:
Zoo,
Please make yourself clearer to avoid coming back to the same subject again and again.
While I find it easy in me to condemn the opposition, al Nusra, the rebels, or the FSA for committing atrocities, you keep dodging any request of condemnation of the regime terror. Please answer directly. Did it happen? And if your answer is yes, do you condemn it? Is beating an Alawi supporter to death by salafists is equal in the crime scale to beating to death a Sunni rebel by the SAA or is it more of a crime?
April 23rd, 2013, 5:03 pm
Syrialover said:
TARA #206 said:
“I just agree he [Khatib]is a weak leader. He should have stayed on and fight for his people.”
Hang on. Have you thought that it’s possible Khatib was not being allowed to lead?
That he was being ordered not to speak without permission from all kinds of idiots, that he was expected to defer to people he couldn’t respect or trust, and was being continually undermined and marginalized by the MB factions in the opposition?
If he jumps from that ship and swims independently he is being strong, not weak.
April 23rd, 2013, 5:07 pm
Citizen said:
162. AP
Other terrorist plot inspired by the Islamists = Another false flag inspired by the Zionists!
Islamists are not intended Islam religion
Zionists are not intended them Jewish as a religion
What do you want to reach?
By the way, if you want to know about the Syrians, you have to ask them and not to ask your grandfather!
Your cousin Bernard was able to play on the strings of Islamists clash with non-Islamists and do riots! Its destructive work! And so many Zionists do such black deeds! You cannot cover the sun! false is false!
April 23rd, 2013, 5:13 pm
Tara said:
SL
“Hang on. Have you thought that it’s possible Khatib was not being allowed to lead?”
So what stopping him from publicly exposing it all? Afraid of his life? I doubt it very much. I do not think any Syrian is at this stage afraid of death.
He is in much stronger position when he is at the helm of the SNC to affect changes as opposed to working on his own. How is he going to work solo? By posting on his FB?
April 23rd, 2013, 5:16 pm
zoo said:
#214 Tara
We better stop here. Let’s not get into what is worse and back to who started it.
While civil war is a war and excesses of violence are unavoidable, I condemn cruelty, torture and physical degradation of individuals perpetrated by any side of the conflict.
April 23rd, 2013, 5:18 pm
Tara said:
Zoo@211
You may have a point there. That he is afraid of making the opposition weaker. I doubt he is afraid of being assassinated. (Remember, we are are not afraid of death for a good cause..) But still, he is making the opposition weaker by resigning. I might be mistaken, but in my opinion he has the charisma, the good look, the ethics, but perhaps lacks leadership skills and he is new to this business. He looks pure to me so he may be not able to maneuver things politically.
April 23rd, 2013, 5:23 pm
Syrialover said:
#196. UZAIR8
Am I readng a resignation letter from you?
That makes me sad.
You have been a sane and decent voice here, sharing information that’s worthwhile.
You’ve also been doing a lot more thinking and caring about what’s happening to Syrians than some others who insist on clogging up this forum.
Thanks for your contribitions. I hope you will come back for visits – this forum has lost too many like you.
April 23rd, 2013, 5:25 pm
zoo said:
Tara
Like Ghaliun and Seda, Al Khatib will disappear in the mist of exile and he will be forgotten. I doubt he’ll have any role other than a preacher. The guy is not a politician, he is a dreamer.
Now we have a “gem” man and Majed said that “even Sabra is better than Al Khatib”. I have my doubts as the guy appears to be a bully without any political subtlety, but let’s see.
April 23rd, 2013, 5:26 pm
Tara said:
Reve@213
وحياة راس بنتي يارا I do not read most of your posts and I don’t open any of your link. I am not saying that to make you feel bad. You made yourself completely irrelevant and unreadable. Reflect, consult with your elders, reincarnated yourself under another moniker, and then one may give your writings another chance. In the interim, you are wasting your time.
April 23rd, 2013, 5:28 pm
revenire said:
Tara you told me that a few times before but I am not convinced. You spend an awful lot of time talking about me.
Your posts here are:
1.) Batta (wishing him dead)
2.) Zoo (the same question over and over)
3.) Me (telling me you ignore me)
April 23rd, 2013, 5:32 pm
zoo said:
#219 Tara
By resigning without saying much, I don’t think he harmed the opposition as much as he would if he had revealed the dirty cooking inside the SNC with the MB, the Salafists, the Turks, the US agents and the Qatari reconstruction businessmen vying for power.
He may turn out to have been a misunderstood visionary: He called for negotiations with Bashar al Assad and this may very well happen.
April 23rd, 2013, 5:34 pm
revenire said:
Guy needs to shave that beard off (or have it shaved off). It is quite “ratty” looking.
April 23rd, 2013, 5:34 pm
majedkhaldoun said:
Syrialover
If concerned about his family back inside Syria was the reason for him to quit,then he should never have taken that job at the begining.He knows the regime and its brutality,Burhan Ghalioun brother was arrested and tortured to death,that did not stopped Mr.Ghalioun from leading the SNC.
You said that he was under the pressure from MB
All those who were leaders were not MB,Mr, Hito said it, MB has very few influence on the opposition.I frankly find that Mr. Khatib to be against MB is not supported by his statements, he is against radicalism as we all are,but he is strong pro-islamist.
Till he comes out and speak and explain why he left,you are only assuming,he himself said the reason was the west promissed and did not deliver.
I found it strange that the coallition is not containing several military representatives,Salim Idris is a concensus person.
The concept of democracy is not well inbeded in their thinking,they did not grow up with democracy,they still believe that every one of them should be the top person,they all need JN but they all against its ideology.
We all know that Mr. Khatib is patriotic person, I personally believe Mr, Michael Kilo is another possible leader but he is stuck in his anti islamic position, QAtar and KSA are the money and arm suppliers,so it is natural now to lead,but future Syria will be governed by Syrian,not Qatar not KSA
April 23rd, 2013, 5:37 pm
Syrialover said:
TARA and MAJEDKHALDOUN,
We don’t know what is going on inside the opposition. And if Khatib “exposes it” he could look like an egotistical spoiler, get drawn into ugly slanging matches and add to the chaos and criticism of the opposition.
The opposition that is going to REALLY matter post-Assad are those who run in legitimate elections.
Think of Egypt and Tunisia and how things could be different there if they’d had opposition movements that were better organised and headed by unifying and impressive leaders.
April 23rd, 2013, 5:39 pm
Tara said:
Zoo@218
Ok. I will stop here for now. I don’t think you were fed hatred. I think it is our life experience that influences our world view. I am sad that you were so close to us yet your life was never touched in a way that makes you capable of a little more empathy to our pains. At the end, It is what it is..
April 23rd, 2013, 5:40 pm
zoo said:
Wishy-washy Kerry: This is a “vital moment” for Assad to work with opposition
http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-250_162-57572615/
Video Interview with Kerry
“This is a vital moment to try to get him to realize he either comes to the table to negotiate, or the opposition is going to get greater and greater support, and ultimately he will have to make that decision,” Kerry told CBS News’ Margaret Brennan in Doha, Qatar.
April 23rd, 2013, 5:41 pm
Tara said:
Reve,
I am addicted to zoo so I ask him the same questions again and again. Your posts, on the other hand, I do not read. So stop addressing me. Deal? Also when you indirectly threaten or insinuate bad thing in regard to someone I like on SC, I will not remain silent. So stop insinuating things about others. Ok? You will them completely and utterly ignored.
April 23rd, 2013, 5:48 pm
Tara said:
Uzair,
I am too sad that you are leaving. You are a good guy. I wish you’d reconsider.
April 23rd, 2013, 5:51 pm
zoo said:
…
April 23rd, 2013, 5:54 pm
Syrialover said:
MAJEDKHALDOUN #226,
I wish you were right about the MB not having much impact inside the opposition. But I keep reading plenty of informed comment that says they still have. I have posted some of it here and am happy to post more if you are interested.
Hito’s appointment was linked to MB manoeuvering. Again, same sources.
The present opposition needs to do a lot of fast and heavy lifting to build an interim and transitional structure, not play with politics.
I personally am very disappointed that it can’t seem to include and support Khatib and Salimn Idris and more like them.
But they are guys for another stage and another game that will come.
April 23rd, 2013, 5:55 pm
zoo said:
#228 Tara
Don’t you realize it’s not only very presomptuous to make assumptions on the lives of people you hardly know but also very condescending.
Such hasty judgements do not do you justice.
April 23rd, 2013, 5:57 pm
Citizen said:
Foaming at the Mouth
From Reuters:
Israeli spy says Syria used chemical arms, U.S. unconvinced
Oh, it’s an Israeli spy, is it? You mean a spy whose agency motto is “By Way Of Deception, Thou Shalt Do War” ?
Story continues:
Syrian government forces have used chemical weapons – probably nerve gas – in their fight against rebels trying to force out President Bashar al-Assad, the Israeli military’s top intelligence analyst said on Tuesday.
The assessment met with skepticism from the United States, which has declared any use of chemical weapons in Syria’s two-year-old civil war a “red line” that could trigger intervention.
U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said he spoke to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the latter “was not in a position to confirm” the briefing given by Itai Brun, a military intelligence brigadier-general, at a Tel Aviv conference.
“I don’t know what the facts are,” Kerry told reporters in Brussels.
Netanyahu’s office declined comment on Kerry and Brun’s remarks, made a day after U.S. Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel said while visiting Israel that Washington’s spy agencies were still assessing whether such weapons had been employed.
“To the best of our understanding, there was use of lethal chemical weapons. Which chemical weapons? Probably sarin,” Brun told Tel Aviv University’s Institute for National Security Studies in the most definitive Israeli statement on the issue.
Forces loyal to Assad were behind the attacks on “armed (rebels) on a number of occasions in the past few months, including the most reported incident on March 19″, Brun said.
The Syrian government and rebels last month accused each other of launching a chemical attack near the northern city of Aleppo.
Brun’s comments were likely to deepen international concerns over events in Syria. Kerry said separately on Tuesday that NATO needed to consider how practically prepared it was to “respond to protect its members from a Syrian threat, including any potential chemical weapons threat”.
FOAMING AT MOUTH
Speaking with a Powerpoint presentation showing what appeared to be a wounded or dead child, Brun said that foam coming out of victims’ mouths and contracted pupils and “other signs” indicated deadly gas had been used.
Another Israeli military officer with knowledge of Brun’s briefing said it drew on secret intelligence other than material available in the public domain.*
*Empasis mine. Once again, we are beholden to Israel’s “secret intelligence.” Hardly worth more than a chuckle.
Another article from the New York Times pushes the same spooky narrative but also reveals an important point:
None of the assertions — by Israel, Britain or France — have been made with physical proof of chemical weapons use. Experts say the most definitive way to prove the use of chemical weapons is to promptly gain access to the site to collect soil samples and examine suspected victims.
Lest we forget–Here’s an excerpt from a USATODAY article from December 4, 2003, entitled General: Israelis exaggerated Iraq threat:
“In an article in Strategic Assessment, a publication of the Jaffee Center for Strategic Studies at Tel Aviv University, [Shlomo Brom, who was a senior Israeli military intelligence officer and is now a researcher with Israel’s top strategic think tank] said weapons of mass destruction probably would not be found in significant quantities in Iraq.
He said Israeli intelligence overplayed the potential danger before the war. Based on intelligence warnings that a U.S.-led invasion could trigger an Iraqi missile attack on Israel, possibly with chemical or biological weapons, the Israeli military ordered citizens to update their gas mask kits. As the war began, the military told Israelis to prepare for an imminent attack and carry the masks with them everywhere.
Israelis largely ignored the order, and even Cabinet ministers were seen without the kits. In the end, Iraq did not fire missiles at Israel.”
I thought I’d let one of Israel’s own speak rather than be accused of putting out biased opinions.
Anyway, since Israel is allowed to make their own unsubstantiated claims, why can’t we do the same thing?
Hey, at least we’ve got pictures and audio, Israel? Where’s yours?
http://youtu.be/BLAMVtLq2V0?t=6m41s
April 23rd, 2013, 6:05 pm
revenire said:
Tara I think you are used to leading men around on leashes. You come off a bit too haughty for me. Your insolence would earn you a spanking in many areas of Saudi Arabia.
Please correct yourself or don’t address me.
April 23rd, 2013, 6:15 pm
Citizen said:
Russia knows precisely what is coming; more weapons and training from various countries (which may well be from the US and/or NATO sources) as a prelude to an overt invasion by the US and/or NATO.
Russia does not want a military confrontation here with either the US or NATO; but it may come to that, if there is an overt invasion of Syria by outside forces.
http://rt.com/politics/military-opposition-syrian-supplies-195/
Russia warns against lifting embargo on military supplies to Syrian opposition
April 23rd, 2013, 6:15 pm
Citizen said:
YOUR COMMENT IS AWAITING MODERATION = black hole
April 23rd, 2013, 6:20 pm
Tara said:
Zoo,
Condescending where?
One’s life experience is one’s life experience. That is all I am saying.
Weren’t you the one who judged my relationship to the revolution through your own assumptions in regard to my family relationship and you hardly know me?
April 23rd, 2013, 6:23 pm
majedkhaldoun said:
Syrialover
Again I say if you actually attend their meeting and discussions you would not say MB is influencing their decisions, but the problem is (Listen)Money is the mother milk of this revolution,and it is coming from Qatar and KSA, so it is natural that their interest is met, you can not beg someone and cuss him, your goal should be to get rid of the BIG RAT Bashar,later we insist on democratic system and we will get it
April 23rd, 2013, 6:26 pm
Citizen said:
The West is now to buy oil from Al nusra front in Syria after a decision was taken to lift an oil embargo and certain sanctions, in what will fuel more violence and allow extremist groups more funds to grow and multiply.
One could argue that the European Union is certainly drilling a more proximate alliance with the Al-Qaeda affiliated militants, only this time they have no exit strategy.
Who said war wasn’t profitable.
@Dannymakkisyria
April 23rd, 2013, 6:29 pm
Syrialover said:
MAJEDKHALDOUN here’s your answer to #190 where you said:
I found it very odd that Russia sent message to US FBI alerting them to Tamerlane .yet when he went overthere in few months they have no report about checking him there,and nothing to report to the FB,
News sources reported: “Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) said the FBI had told him the bureau was not aware before this week that Tsarnaev had visited Russia or had returned, in part because the Russian airline Aeroflot misspelled his name on a passenger manifest that was given to U.S. customs authorities
April 23rd, 2013, 6:45 pm
Syrialover said:
Here’s your answer MAJEDKHALDOUN to #190 where you said:
I found it very odd that Russia sent message to US FBI alerting them to Tamerlane .yet when he went overthere in few months they have no report about checking him there,and nothing to report to the FB.
News sources reported: “Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) said the FBI had told him the bureau was not aware before this week that Tsarnaev had visited Russia or had returned, in part because the Russian airline Aeroflot misspelled his name on a passenger manifest that was given to U.S. customs authorities
April 23rd, 2013, 6:50 pm
zoo said:
Tara
I made no assumptions. I just used the elements that you revealed without been asked. You expressed your “pity” for many corrupted members of your family, your upper class education, your ‘well connected’ family, your ignorance of the popular areas of Damascus, the villa of your relatives in Zabadani, your deep rooted hatred for Bashar and Asma al Assad and much more.
When you write:
“your life was never touched in a way that makes you capable of a little more empathy to our pains”
What do you know to affirm such nonsense?
April 23rd, 2013, 6:50 pm
Citizen said:
Tens of thousands of Al-Qaeda jihadists not enough to bring democracy and prosperity to Syria!!!
Before we continue our conversation about the links between Islamist extremists and Western government agencies, let us briefly review a few conclusions from previous articles about what came out of the Arab spring. First of all, it is no secret that events during the Arab Spring were inspired by the US government and supported by its European counterparts. If that were not the case, President Obama would not have said, “Mubarak has to go,” among other things, and he would not have made his interest quite so plain.
Second, the goal of the color revolutions in the Arab world was clearly nothing more than property redistribution on a particularly large scale — not a desire to spread Western-style democracy there.
Third, the US government and Islamist organizations like the Muslim Brotherhood became partners because they share a spiritual affinity and because the latter are virtually the only force in the Islamic world capable of armed rebellion.
Fourth, the Islamists are cooperating with Western government agencies not because they respect Western values but out of sheer opportunism. Property redistribution in the Arab world is their goal also, and in that they are functioning as a junior partner.
How might future relations between the Islamists and their White House patron evolve? What happened in Benghazi suggests that these relations may change for the worse and do so quite unexpectedly.
April 23rd, 2013, 6:55 pm
zoo said:
In his interview with CBS, Kerry seems in a deep state of mental confusion. Some time he was stumbling, looking for his words. I am afraid he may end up with a concussion.
http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-250_162-57572615/
He contradicted himself several times, once he says that Bashar al Assad should nominate a transitional government and withdraw , the other time he says Bashar al Assad should come to the negotiation table.
It seems that the US foreign policy in Syria is a mess.
April 23rd, 2013, 6:56 pm
Citizen said:
nighty night!
April 23rd, 2013, 7:03 pm
revenire said:
Syrian Perspective
Homs: At al-Qusayr, the rebels will have to concoct a new plan of attack against the NDF and SAA. The SAA controlling the town of Al-Nabi Manduh in northern Lebanon creates a relatively difficult task for infiltration. For the first time, the rebels have to take a different route into Homs; it will be an arduous journey. It is not to say the SAA’s defense is impregnable; however, they will need many rebels and stronger fire power if they’re going to make any attempt to defeat the powerful force on the border.
Today, is the first day I have not counted more than 20 dead in al-Qusayr; this leaving me perturbed because that may mean the FSA is concentrating on a new battleground. It may be too early to tell and we do not want to jump the gun, but I am almost certain they will accept defeat soon.
-Leith
April 23rd, 2013, 7:06 pm
Akbar Palace said:
A few responses:
Under the tutelage of a friend known to the Tsarnaev family only as Misha, Tamerlan gave up boxing and stopped studying music, his family said. He began opposing the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. He turned to websites and literature claiming that the CIA was behind the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, and Jews controlled the world.
http://news.yahoo.com/bomb-suspect-influenced-mysterious-radical-202945456–politics.html
I see this guy Tamerlan could have made a great career here on Syria Comment.
AIG, when you’re finished controlling the world, could you let me try? I’m looking for job security.;)
BTW, have you noticed that after every ME-related article (mostly on Yahoo News), the comments are all “crazy anti-semitic”?? Perhaps you need better control of the world – you’re not doing a good job.
BTW – Majedkhaldoun mentioned in Post #190 that Reverse is living in CA. Nice weather there. Not too many Scuds flying overhead.
Citizen,
My experience with Arabs is limited for sure. I would like to get to know them better. This website helps. Besides my ex-father-in-law who immigrated to Israel from Halab, Syria, I knew a Syrian-American with last name “Ayubi”, which, I think, is a fairly popular name in Syria. He was very nice and very friendly. He loved Syria but, I think, he had some disappointments with the government. I think his father fell out of favor with the Baathists. I have no details. We were talking about “Hamat Gader”, which, I think he visited as a young man/boy. It is just inside the Israeli border and is a wonderful spa.
Lastly, I worked in Kuwait and the UAE a few years back. I had more contact with the UAE customer and I found them odd and interesting at the same time. Yes, gone 5 times/day. They once offered me warm camel milk, which I found difficult to get used to. One of the bosses there, who had more of a angry and suspicious demeanor had a book on his desk. I glanced at the cover, and all it showed was a jewish star with a sword cutting through it. Needless to say, he probably wasn’t to fond of “The Chosen”;) Interestingly, others on my team did not get visas because their last names sounded jewish. Go figure. My security representative told me personally not to mention my background if asked. In short, make something up. I was “Italian” during my 2 visits.
Oh, I also befriended a very moderate Palestinian-American from another blog years ago. I can’t say enough about him. Smart, talented and MODERATE. A joy to be with. Last name Dajani. They were orange growers.
Tell us your experiences with the Jews/Mossad/Zionists. Are you going to visit Israel any time soon!?
April 23rd, 2013, 7:07 pm
Tara said:
Zoo,
““your life was never touched in a way that makes you capable of a little more empathy to our pains”
Have you ever believed that Syrians are revolting for freedom and dignity and to them it isn’t a foreign conspiracy? Has it ever crossed your mind that we really truly just want karamah and freedom? Have you ever lost sleep from news about arial bombardment of towns and cities? Have you ever replayed the look of horror on a child face waiting for his own slaughter after all his family was slaughtered? If the answer is no and if you harbor no visceral hatred then what else other than your life experience is affecting your views?
April 23rd, 2013, 7:19 pm
Tara said:
Zoo
To answer your question:
Zoo,
I made no assumptions. I just used elements that you revealed without being asked. You expressed your extreme empathy to Alawis, Shiaa, and Christians’ plot while at the same time failed to acknowledge even partly the plot Sunnis have experienced under Assad’s regime even when Alawis themselves admit it, your swift condemnation of parading the Alawi supporter and your complete silence towards parading masses and masses of ordinary non-supporter Syrians, your upper class education, your politeness, your refrain from filthy and vulgar insults even towards those who insulted you, your deep resentment towards the Sunni ideology and your generalization towards “terrorism made in Sunnistan” as opposed to your infatuation to everything Shiaa, and much much more. All points towards life experience that either non-exist or unpleasant with Sunni Syrians.
Oh, I forget. And the most important element of my argument is your insistence that Persian women are more beautiful than Syrian women is what really sealed the conclusion.
April 23rd, 2013, 7:23 pm
majedkhaldoun said:
Syrialover
The secretary napolitano said they were aware of his trip to Russia
Also my question is Russia knew of him being in Daghestan
A.P
there are more news,just wait
April 23rd, 2013, 7:26 pm
Tara said:
Reve@236
I am sorry Reve that I come off sounding arrogant when I respond to you. You are polite in general and in like that but your call for carpet bombardment, unleashing chemical weapons, gazing the “rats”, your incitement of genocide, and cleansing 70% of the population make me angry and unable to respond with humility.
April 23rd, 2013, 7:55 pm
revenire said:
Tara I am sorry to tell you this but you really have no say in Syria. You admit leaving Syria and not being inside Syria. You are not even part of the opposition.
None of the pro-terrorist rabble at SC who post against the Syrian government have anything to say – they’re just noise and a sideshow.
On another note, all women are beautiful. Perhaps if you removed your ugly positions on Syria your beauty might shine through.
April 23rd, 2013, 7:56 pm
majedkhaldoun said:
http://www.experts123.com/Videos?517385609
April 23rd, 2013, 8:07 pm
revenire said:
Syrian Perspective
HOMS:
ALL VILLAGES WEST OF THE ASSI RIVER ARE NOW RAT-FREE!! All Jabhat Al-Nusra snakes, cockroaches, reptiles, rats and apes are gone.
Homs City: A sophisticated camera and equipment to manufacture missiles were unearthed by security today inside the northern part of the Episcopalian Center for the Aged. Security also found IEDs. Big score for our government.
Hayy Al-Waawiyyaat: A tunnel built in the direction of Jubb Al-Jandali used to store ammunition and weapons was destroyed completely.
Northwest Al-Nufoos in the Baab Hood area, a safe house filled with rats was put to the torch with a confirmed 10 dead. 4 were wounded and taken prisoner. No names.
Khitmallu east of Homs near Jubb Al-Jarraah: Dumb apes trying to arm a car with C-4 went into the cosmos as vapor when the ordnance exploded unexpectedly. Everybody inside was killed. Wael tells me the scene was particularly gruesome because the bodies were blown apart.
Haalaat: Another botched effort to infiltrate from Lebanon went awry when the sneaky rodents found 300 well-equipped militia waiting in the countryside for them after being alerted to their exact locations. The actual confirmed dead are 12. Their bodies are decomposing as I write. The other rats went back to the comfort and safety of the Lebanon.
F`
April 23rd, 2013, 8:16 pm
Akbar Palace said:
No Good Deed Goes Unpunished, Part III
All the more reason to stay out of Syria??
Dzhokhar Tsarnaev told investigators that the brothers were self-trained and self-indoctrinated, and were striking back at the U.S. for killing Muslims.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887324235304578440843633991044.html?mod=WSJ_hppMIDDLENexttoWhatsNewsSecond
The Tsarnaev brothers and their family didn’t quibble when they were allowed to immigrate to the “Great Satan”. Even Reverse, the Big Assad Supporter, lives comfortably in the USA.
Anyway, it getting clear that most terrorists are:
– not poor or destitute
– spoiled
– bored
– stupid
– angry
– misguided
– brainwashed
– and confused
The uncle from Maryland is the only one not in denial.
April 23rd, 2013, 8:22 pm
zoo said:
Tara
I can’ bear anyone who expresses superiority over others, religion, ethnicity or social class. Unfortunately these days the ones who show that in all forms and shape by calling Shias and Alawites heretics on this blog and in the real world happen to call themselves Sunnis. That’s unfortunate for you that your condone such behavior .
No one can deny that todays’ Iranian culture is far superior than anything done in Saudi Arabia or Qatar and in most of the Sunni dominated countries. Even Turkey’s modern culture is still not at the level of the Iranian’s. Istanbul is being disfigurated by horrible buildings. Obviously you have never been to Iran to observe the respect and attention given to arts, architecture and history. Everybody admits it, even if they disagree with the political system. .
The same way I admire the modern English culture much more than the French one, it does not make infatuated with the UK.
Therefore as far as culture and arts are concerned my admiration does not need to be justified and until the Arab countries that are mostly dominated by Sunnis, are able to produce more than foreign made malls, towers and glittering hotels, I will still stick to my first choice.
Iran happened to be Shia dominated. Is it a coincidence? I would not know but even if it was Zoroastrian or Budhisth, it would not have changed my opinion.
If you feel disturbed by these evidence, sorry that’s not my problem.
By the way I am capable of compassion, despite your insinuations
I hope this close that subject once for all.
April 23rd, 2013, 8:31 pm
zoo said:
Tara
I will not argue with you or try to explain my attitude toward the conflict that has destroyed the country in the name of ‘dignity and freedom of speech’. You are far too emotional, heinous and radical. Therefore it is a useless dialog.
April 23rd, 2013, 8:40 pm
majedkhaldoun said:
Zoo said
“I can’ bear anyone who expresses superiority over others, religion, ethnicity or social class.”
Then Zoo says
No one can deny that todays’ Iranian culture is far superior than anything done in Saudi Arabia or Qatar and in most of the Sunni dominated countries. Even Turkey’s modern culture is still not at the level of the Iranian’s
Zoo propably can not bear himself
April 23rd, 2013, 8:41 pm
ann said:
Syria slams EU decision to lift oil embargo for rebels benefit – 2013-04-24
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/world/2013-04/24/c_124622008.htm
DAMASCUS, April 23 (Xinhua)–Syria’s Foreign Ministry said Tuesday that the EU’s move to ease an oil embargo on Syria to allow “rebels” to sell crude oil is tantamount to an act of aggression, according to the country’s official SANA news agency.
In a letter sent to the UN Security Council, the ministry said the EU decision to allow importing Syrian oil and its derivatives and investing in Syrian oil industry through exclusive transactions with the oppositional National Coalition violates the principle of noninterference in the countries’ internal affairs.
In its letter, the Syrian Foreign Ministry dismissed the EU decision as “an unprecedented step,” accusing the EU of being involved in the “political and economic campaign” to target the country’s economy.
“Neither the EU nor any other party has the right to take any measures that would affect the state’s sovereign rights over their national resources,” said the ministry.
The EU countries “have gone even beyond that to allow the possibility of investing these resources in favor of one group that claims to be an opposition and represent the Syrian people while it actually represents no one by its masters and their interests that are connected to foreign sides,” it said.
“Syria demands that the UN Security Council take necessary measures to prevent the implementation of this illegitimate decision that contradicts with the rules of international law and the UN Charter,” the ministry urged.
It warned that “Syria will practice its natural right to take the necessary measures to maintain its sovereignty over its natural resources in the face of the attempts of piracy and looting.”
It reiterated that the sanctions which the EU imposed on Syria since the beginning of the crisis are “illegal” and “illegitimate”, adding that the sanctions have resulted in nothing but increasing the suffering of the Syrian people.
Deputy Russian Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov also criticized the EU’s decision to buy oil from the Syrian opposition as “counterproductive and contradicts the international law.”
In a statement, Bogdanov said “the legitimate Syrian government still exists and that such unilateral steps would deepen the crisis and won’t contribute to the achievement of a political settlement.”
In Damascus, Maher Merhej, leader of the Damascus-based National Youth Party, told Xinhua on Tuesday that the EU move aimed to partitioning Syria.
The West plans to set up new pipelines from northern and eastern Syria into Turkey at the Iskenderun hub in the province of Hatay on the Mediterranean coast of Turkey, he said, pointing out that such a step aimed at “eliminating all political solution and also setting a stage for dividing Syria.”
The move totally infringes upon the sovereignty of Syria, said Merhej.
[…]
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/world/2013-04/24/c_124622008.htm
April 23rd, 2013, 8:52 pm
Tara said:
#
“You are far too.., heinous..and .,,. ”
You heinous.!
If you want to use insult, please do not have a conversation with me.
April 23rd, 2013, 8:53 pm
Syrialover said:
# 257. AKBAR PALACE
Your list of terrorists’ attributes excludes some of the most significant factors.
Some or all of these will apply to almost all of them (including jihadist salafis):
– mental problems
– social disconnection and feelings of inadequacy
– failure to find direction and career
– extreme immaturity
Basically losers, with fantasies of becoming important.
I also believe some of the the holy warrior jihadists are atracted and thrilled by the violence. It gives them the chance to kill and terrorize and control people because they can never do that in their home country.
April 23rd, 2013, 9:04 pm
zoo said:
Tara
Aren’t you expressing your hatred for Bashar al Assad on a daily basis and calling for killing and torturing him and other as a revenge?
If these calls are not heinous, what are they ?
April 23rd, 2013, 9:10 pm
Ghufran said:
This video is a must see regardless of where you find yourself on the political spectrum:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BAmfiZWzPYs&feature=youtu.be
I find that most people in this video are good Syrians who were mistreated by the regime, to put it lightly, and are now being left out in the dark, to end this war , the grievances of those people have be addressed in a fair and humane manner.
April 23rd, 2013, 9:17 pm
Tara said:
#
Aren’t you expressing your hatred for the rebels on a daily basis and calling for killing and cleansing and disinfecting cities and towns, cheering for HA and IRG flocking in to perform more extensive cleansing?
If these calls are not heinous, what are they ?
April 23rd, 2013, 9:17 pm
zoo said:
Who thought that there were so many Tunisian terrorists roaming the world? They are beating the Saudis and the Chechens. Obviously they don’t feel at ease in a rather liberal Tunisia.
April 23rd, 2013, 9:18 pm
Ghufran said:
A lesson in foreign policy for the incompetent French president:
A car exploded outside the French embassy in the Libyan capital Tripoli Tuesday morning in what was likely a planned attack. No group has claimed responsibility for the explosion, which wounded two French security guards and damaged part of the embassy’s compound. In a statement, French President Franςois Hollande demanded a swift investigation: “France expects the Libyan authorities to shed the fullest light on this unacceptable act, so that the perpetrators are identified and brought to justice.”
Certain things stood out as notable in Tuesday’s blast — number one being that no one was killed. And it went off at 7 a.m., before Libyans were up, and hours before the customary line for visa-seekers usually starts forming outside the embassy.
Scrutiny now falls on militant Islamist groups active in Libya who are furious about France’s war against their comrades in Mali and the Sahel. “None of the recent attacks in Libya were major,” said Rami El-Obeidi, former intelligence chief for the Libyan rebels, by phone from Tripoli. “The militants don’t want Libyan casualties because they fear a backlash. The only thing that comes to mind is that this is retaliation for Mali. It’s a very clear message to Hollande.”
Read more: http://world.time.com/2013/04/23/whats-behind-the-bombing-of-the-french-embassy-in-tripoli/#ixzz2RL79lFLH
April 23rd, 2013, 9:25 pm
revenire said:
Tara should the Tunisian and Libyan rats roaming around with guns be left alone?
April 23rd, 2013, 9:26 pm
MarigoldRan said:
The retard is retarded. ‘Nuff said.
April 23rd, 2013, 9:52 pm
Visitor said:
While weakling Khatib resigns from a meaningless post, wannabe Hitto continues to recede towards irrelevance and so-called NC and SNC become synonymous with failures due to reasons we enumerated here on this website on more than one occasion, our most holy warriors of the Nusra Front and associates continue to score resounding victories in Qusair today where 18 criminal thugs of the Hezbo terrorist outfit were sent to deep Jahannam.
————————————–
Akbar Palace,
I will have to answer your questions regarding the fall of the towers over the weekend, when I’ll be back from my trip.
In the meantime, I maintain the A&E for 9/11 videos which I linked here to you and others present compelling evidence to implicate the US government in staging those events.
April 23rd, 2013, 10:01 pm
Akbar Palace said:
Your list of terrorists’ attributes excludes some of the most significant factors.
Syrialover,
I agree with you 100% and thank you for the additions. I think we all have to come face-to-face with the reality that most of these terrorists are not in any bad way really, certainly not as bad off as MANY other people who don’t even think of doing these things.
A few comments on your additions:
“mental problems” – one could say that anyone who takes the life of an innocent person has a “mental problem”. But this is not a simple question to answer. The Sandy Hook killer was a 20 yr old with Aspergers Syndrome. In his case, killing kids in a school may be similar to killing Nazis in a video game (this is why I hate video games). They have difficulty between fantasy and reality.
“social disconnection and feelings of inadequacy” – apparently the older terrorist said he didn’t have one american friend, yet he was married to an american. He was an accomplished fighter who trained around lots of people. Were his feelings of loneliness and isolation perceived incorrectly? The younger brother had LOTS of friends at school both in college and high school.
“failure to find direction and career” – yes, this could have been an issue with the older man. The younger was still in school. Who paid for the Mercedes? The University. Probably a large factor was just not having the parents around?
“extreme immaturity” – yes, for sure. What can you do about it?
There was a movie with Tom Cruise about a society where people get arrested BEFORE they commit their crimes. Is this something we need to do? Can we do it? No, we can’t.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Minority_Report_%28film%29
Basically losers, with fantasies of becoming important.
Yes.
I also believe some of the the holy warrior jihadists are atracted and thrilled by the violence. It gives them the chance to kill and terrorize and control people because they can never do that in their home country.
This is something I don’t even want to understand. Total brutality. Sounds like Baathism.
A few cartoons from my favorite (conservative) cartoonist, Michael Ramirez:
http://townhall.com/political-cartoons/michaelramirez/2013/04/21/108737
http://townhall.com/political-cartoons/michaelramirez
_______________________
I will have to answer your questions regarding the fall of the towers over the weekend, when I’ll be back from my trip.
Visitor,
That’s fine. The people interviewed seemed very knowledgable and respectable. Yet, as much as they don’t believe the NIST reports, there does not seem to be any information proving explosives were used to bring down the WTC bldg #7. No one alerted authorities about hole being drilled and wiring being installed. Two things that would survive the collapse. OTOH, the NIST models do show (using sophisticated structural analysis programs, the same one I use) a “domino effect” once one of the major floor beams collapses.
So we can discuss this further if you’d like.
April 23rd, 2013, 10:39 pm
zoo said:
What makes a terrorist?
http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2013/04/23/the-terrorist-tipping-point-what-pushed-the-tsarnaev-brothers-to-violence.html
The keys to the development of most terrorist minds are not really about their ethnicity, religion, or race.
Here are three surprising factors that contribute to creating deadly terrorists, whether they are from al Qaeda or the IRA: testosterone, narrative, and theater. Testosterone, narrative, and theater: TNT, if you will. That’s the truly critical and explosive mix inside the terrorist’s mind.
First: testosterone. Almost all of the people who carry out terrorist attacks are young men….
Second: narrative. This is perhaps the most important and most misunderstood element in the shaping of a terrorist’s thinking. It is often confused with ideology and, in the case of Islam, with religion. But testosterone-driven young men looking for glory are not, by and large, given over to theological exegeses. Often their religion is self-taught, cherry-picking slogans from the religious texts or, these days, from videos on the Web….
Third: theater. Terrorism is all about spectacle and always has been….
April 23rd, 2013, 10:40 pm
zoo said:
#266 Tara
I have no desire to discuss as you just are throwing undocumented accusations when the Blog is full of you expression of hatred and your anger at anybody who disagree with you.
Sorry Tara, here you don’t own the truth. Get used to that.
Just watch what you write because you are only judged on what you write not what you think.
April 23rd, 2013, 10:46 pm
Ghufran said:
قامت مساء اليوم الثلاثاء عناصر من المخابرات الجوية بمداهمة مقهى ساروجة الكائن في حي ساروجة بدمشق واعتقلت جميع من كان فيه من الشباب والشابات عرف منهم :
1- وائل سعد الدين
2- ميساء الصالح
3- شيار خليل
4- وعد الجرف
5- بشار فرحات
6- أحمد زغلول
7- أسامة عزو
8- معاذ الفرا
9- لينا الصمودي
10- مؤنس حامد
11- أماني إبراهيم
12- ندى الجندي
وعلق شاهد عيان على عملية الاعتقال بالقول : “الأمن يشن حملة اعتقالات جديدة من أجل التعويض عن بضع عشرات أفرج عنهم بموجب العفو الأخير”. وأضاف: لكنني لم أشاهد مع هؤلاء الشابات والشباب سوى كتب وبعضهم يحمل جهاز لابتوب” وختم بالقول ” يروحوا يتمرجلوا على مسلحي الجيش الجيش الحر وجبهة النصرة يلي صرعوا راسنا فيها مو يتمرجلوا على شباب وصبايا عزل إلا من القلم والكتاب”.
April 23rd, 2013, 10:46 pm
Syrialover said:
# 272. AKBAR PALACE
The older brother bomber was apparently not telling the truth when he said he had no American friends. But his best friend and two (of the friend’s) Jewish friends were murdered with their throats cut on the anniversary of 9/11. The police are now reexamining the case with the bomber in mind.
Both the bombers and their mother turned off people with their conspiracy theories about 9/11. The younger one is referred to in the media as a “9/11 denier”.
Just saying.
April 23rd, 2013, 10:56 pm
Sami said:
“Just watch what you write because you are only judged on what you write not what you think.”
Says the man with 101 monikers denying massacres and calling for the bombardment of Syria and Syrians.
Just take a look at the mirror and you will see the real face of heinous, or tap one of the other propagandists sitting beside you pasting crap all day…
April 23rd, 2013, 10:58 pm
Akbar Palace said:
No Good Deed Goes Unpunished, Part IV
What makes a terrorist?
Zoo,
That’s exactly my point. In most cases, it is a perceived and often warped sense of injustice or grievance that never even affected them. That’s where the brainwashing comes in.
Boston bombing suspect Dzhokhar Tsarnaev has told interrogators that the American wars in Iraq and Afghanistan motivated him and his brother to carry out last week’s deadly attack, according to the Washington Post. The paper cites “U.S. officials familiar with the interviews” as its source.
http://news.yahoo.com/report-boston-bombing-suspect-tells-interrogators-wars-iraq-165838834.html
Why doesn’t he bomb the Baathist headquarters in Syria or Iraq?
Meanwhile the US took this family in a provided them a lot of opportunity, including a $2500 university grant.
Syrialover,
Thanks for the additional info. I heard about the murder of the 3 people they are investigating. I didn’t know they were jewish.
Pretty sick.
The younger one is referred to in the media as a “9/11 denier”.
Yes, the 19 Saudis and Mo Atta were really Yeshiva students…
April 23rd, 2013, 11:01 pm
Sami said:
Ghufran,
The educated and the moderates are the biggest threat to the regime for they are the real promise of a better Syria.
So many of our youthful promises have been either rotting in jail or six feet under from torture.
The thug would rather burn Syria down and call himself the lord of rubble than step down.
April 23rd, 2013, 11:03 pm
ann said:
267. zoo said:
Who thought that there were so many Tunisian terrorists roaming the world? They are beating the Saudis and the Chechens. Obviously they don’t feel at ease in a rather liberal Tunisia.
They’re unemployed, cheap and stupid 😉
April 23rd, 2013, 11:12 pm
Syrialover said:
Iran is now making Hizbollah earn its funding.
Article: Hizbollah’s strategy in Syria will acecelerate sectarian war.
EXCERPT:
“The escalation of Hizbollah’s involvement in Homs follows a series of media reports that suggests the party, in coordination with Tehran, has moved aggressively and openly to back the regime of Bashar Al Assad. According to the Kuwaiti newspaper Al Rai, Nasrallah visited Tehran this week and met with Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and the commander of the Al Quds Brigades, General Qasim Sulaimani.
“On Monday, Mr Al Assad expressed resentment towards Lebanon’s “dissociation policy” during a meeting with a pro-Hizbollah Lebanese delegation. The Syrian president said: “A person cannot dissociate himself if that person is within a circle of fire and that fire is getting closer to him.”
http://www.thenational.ae/thenationalconversation/comment/hizbollahs-strategy-in-syria-will-accelerate-sectarian-war#ixzz2RKfFVCjv
April 23rd, 2013, 11:22 pm
revenire said:
My God you are a boring sort SL.
April 23rd, 2013, 11:39 pm
Tara said:
Zoo,
And the blog is full of expression of your hatred towards the 16 millions Syrians who hate Bashar. Sorry, I know it is a tender subject talking about the gem in your mind. You may want to check Batta’s toes worshiper FB to maintain a balance . They definitely share THE LOVE.
In your case, you deny your hatred to non-minority Syrians. In my case, I offer no apology hating Batta, his regime, and his shabeeha and I do not deny that I wish them a divine justice to be served in its glory. And if you loving heart can not handle my anti-Bashar sentiment, I am sorry. There is nothing I can do in response to killing 70,000 Syrians, and displacing millions.
I have no desire to discuss either, additionally I have lost my patience in regard to your inability to acknowledge the legitimacy of my feeling towards thug one and his entourage not that I need your validation. Please do not expect any different answer in case this subject is brought upnagain.
April 23rd, 2013, 11:40 pm
Tara said:
Posting again
*YOUR COMMENT IS AWAITING MODERATION.*
Zoo,
And the blog is full of expression of your hatred towards the 16 millions Syrians who hate Bashar. Sorry, I know it is a tender subject talking about the gem in your mind. You may want to check Batta’s toes worshiper FB to maintain a balance . They definitely share THE LOVE.
In your case, you deny your hatred to non-minority Syrians. In my case, I offer no apology hating Batta, his regime, and his shabeeha and I do not deny that I wish them a divine justice to be served in its glory. And if you loving heart can not handle my anti-Bashar sentiment, I am sorry. There is nothing I can do in response to killing 70,000 Syrians, and displacing millions.
I have no desire to discuss either, additionally I have lost my patience in regard to your inability to acknowledge the legitimacy of my feeling towards thug one and his entourage not that I need your validation. Please do not expect any different answer in case this subject is brought upnagain.
April 23rd, 2013, 11:42 pm
Syrian said:
One of the main factor of the elder bomber in Boston behavior,is his childhood’s scars from the war in Chechnya.All the good life in the US could not make them go away.
Now in Syria we have a whole generation of young kids that have been through ten times the violent war of Chechnya,who will grow up with more scars, no amount of regime propaganda will make them forget what they saw by their own eyes,
All who have bet everything on one man,will never escape the wrath of their scars for very long time.
Long after Batta’s is gone.mostly those who supported him and their kids will suffer for the choices they made.
April 23rd, 2013, 11:42 pm
Juergen said:
Uzair,
please reconsider. One has labled many here for being anti alawite, totally out of the blue, so dont take it serious, we all know you have a good heart.
April 24th, 2013, 12:16 am
Juergen said:
may be something all can agree on:
Fairuz son has said yesterday that they work on a new album. Some folks in Beirut sugest that Fairuz new album will come out this summer. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WX-1qbNEUZU
April 24th, 2013, 12:18 am
Juergen said:
April 24th, 2013, 12:45 am
Juergen said:
Dschumblatt:”It is permissable to kill anyone who is with the regime.”
April 24th, 2013, 12:48 am
revenire said:
Uzair see you in Damascus… don’t let the door hit you on the way out.
April 24th, 2013, 12:59 am
Syrialover said:
JUERGAN #288
Daniel Pipes has a clear contempt for the Arab peoples and has made a career of it.
He’s a creep and intellectual charlatan. He has nothing to say except to those who think like him.
April 24th, 2013, 2:33 am
Hopeful said:
#284 Tara
This is what “ideology” is all about. Syria’s conflict is much harder than Egypt or Libya precisely because there are many people like Zoo and others who strongly believe in the ideology propagated by the regime and its leadership. It is not much different from Nazism or Fascism. It cannot be ignored if a political solution is to be achieved.
April 24th, 2013, 2:35 am
revenire said:
This one will cause a few to be VERY uncomfortable:
Western spies in Syria behind abduction of archbishops: Moaz al-Khatib
The former leader of Syria’s opposition National Coalition Ahmed Moaz al-Khatib says Western spies currently active inside Syria were behind the recent abduction of two archbishops in Aleppo.
According to Khatib, tens of Western spy agencies are currently active in Syria, reports show.
The reports also added that the former head of the opposition has claimed that it was also possible for a foreign intelligence agency to work in Syria to instigate more tension in the country.
He said that those responsible for the abduction of the archbishops are trying to add to the unrest in Syria.
Syriac Orthodox Archbishop of Aleppo Yohanna Ibrahim and Greek Orthodox Archbishop of Aleppo Paul Yazigi were abducted as they were reportedly carrying out humanitarian work in a village in Aleppo governorate on Monday.
According to Aleppo residents, Ibrahim went to pick up Yazigi from the rebel-controlled Bab al-Hawa crossing with Turkey. Their car was intercepted on the way back by militants who kidnapped the archbishops and killed their driver. The two were later released on Tuesday.
Khatib submitted his resignation in March, in protest against the institutional limitations of the foreign-backed body.
On Monday, George Sabra was named the caretaker of Syria’s opposition National Coalition.
The Syria crisis began in March 2011, and many people, including large numbers of soldiers and security personnel, have been killed in the violence.
The Syrian government says that the chaos is being orchestrated from outside the country, and there are reports that a very large number of the militants are foreign nationals.
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/2013/04/24/299938/western-spies-abducted-syria-bishops/
April 24th, 2013, 2:37 am
Badr said:
Qatar faces backlash among rebel groups in Syria
By ZEINA KARAM and BRIAN MURPHY
Associated Press
April 24th, 2013, 3:09 am
It’s Impossible to Talk about Islam (Syria After Boston) | jewish philosophy place said:
[…] Alain Badiou has said what? Last night I watched this Frontline video, which I found posted at Syria Comment, a site by Joshua Landis which always plays it straight down the middle re: that conflict. The […]
April 24th, 2013, 9:40 am
Mina said:
Jordan: Zaatarai refugee camp
http://angryarab.net/2013/04/26/what-is-happening-in-zatari-camp-in-jordan/
As to mustard gas and sarin gas they have been already used in Bahrein, Egypt and Yemen. Pictures of the suffocated protesters were on al Jazeera for a short while before the heat turned to Libya/Syria.
just a quick look at google gives results but on twitter in Arabic it would be much more
on the web a report by “physicians for human rights” about the use of mustard gas in Bahrein is available
https://s3.amazonaws.com/PHR_Reports/Bahrain-TearGas-Aug2012-small.pdf
April 26th, 2013, 3:30 pm
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