The Work of Fabrice Balanche on Alawites and Syrian Communitarianism reviewed by Nikolaos van Dam
Posted by Joshua on Saturday, November 30th, 2013
IMPRESSIVE SYRIA STUDIES BY FABRICE BALANCHE
Reviewed by Nikolaos van Dam
Fabrice Balanche is a well-known French scholar who wrote a lot about Syria, mostly in French. His best-known books are La région alaouite et le pouvoir syrien [The Alawi Region and Power in Syria] (Paris 2006) and Atlas du Proche-Orient Arabe [Atlas of the Arab Near East] (Paris 2012), which is to be published also in Arabic and English. Balanche is presently the Director of the Research and Study Group dealing with the Meditteranean and Middle East at the University of Lyon 2.
On 29 November 2013 Balanche obtained his “habilitation à diriger des recherches” (a kind of super PhD) at the University of Lyon 2, France. His theme was « Le facteur communautaire dans l’analyse des espaces syriens et libanais » [The factor of communitarianism in the analysis of Syrian and Lebanese spaces]. As a member of the jury during the “habilitation” session, I made the following comments on his academic work.
Fabrice Balanche deserves to be complimented for his two decennia long studies on the Middle East and Syria in particular.
Balanche did not originally intend to write specifically about communitarianism (communautarisme), but the issue, more or less unavoidably, crossed his path, due to the social realities with which he was confronted during his field studies in Syria. Officially the existence of communitarianism in Syria was denied by the Syrian regime, and in practice it was (and is) a subject surrounded by taboos. According to the official ideology of the ruling Ba’th Party, communitarianism was not supposed to exist; and as far as it did exist, the phenomenon was considered to be no more than a negative residue of obsolete old traditions (rawasib taqlidiyah), which needed to be banned and disposed of. The reality was, however, completely different, as is clearly demonstrated in Balanche’s studies.
Whereas communitarianism is officially a part of the Lebanese political system, its existence is officially denied in Syria’s contemporary political system. Nevertheless, social realities are rather similar in both countries, as explained by Balanche.
Studying “the factor of communitarianism in the analysis of Syrian and Lebanese spaces” was considered a very sensitive issue in Syria. It is not surprising, therefore, that Balanche did not get the required cooperation in this respect from the Syrian authorities, or the requested support from French academic institutions inside Syria. The latter, according to Balanche, even worked against him, because the French institutions concerned were afraid that supporting Balanche’s work could negatively affect their own positions vis-à-vis the Syrian authorities.
One could say that Balanche had a somewhat rough academic landing in Syria because of these sensitive circumstances, but he persevered and finally managed to achieve his aim through intensive and painstaking fieldwork. Balanche succeeded in penetrating deeply into Syrian society, at first mainly in Alawi circles. By becoming very close with their community he noticed how all kinds of doors within Alawi society were opened, providing him with an intimate look into its inner workings. Being close to one community had, however, as a side effect that his contacts with other communities, such as parts of Sunni society, were made more difficult, if not blocked altogether. Later on, Balanche made up for this by widening his Syrian social circuits outside the Alawi community, and entering into Sunni circles. When entering the “Sunni world” it appeared as if he stepped into “another Syria”. Through informal channels Balanche was able to obtain a lot of essential information and insights. Having obtained a working knowledge of Syrian colloquial Arabic, Balanche had the necessary tools to get to the bottom of what was happening. Without this immersion into several different communities, he would not have come half as close to achieving the same high academic level. His fieldwork, not always appreciated by others, has turned out to be indispensible.
Whereas Volume 1 La facteur communautaire dans l’analyse des espaces syriens et libanais (140 pp.) constitutes the central part of Balanche’s studies discussed here, Volume 2 Parcours personnel (or large Curriculum Vitae) (139 pp.) should not be considered as less important, as it provides many highly valuable and detailed insights into the inner workings of Syrian society and into the many obstacles with which one may be confronted when doing field work there. Volumes 3 (536 pp.) and 4 (550 pp.) are an enormously rich and impressive collection of Balanche’s numerous earlier publications, which he refers to wherever necessary, in the two first volumes. Next to these four volumes one should also consult Balanche’s splendid Atlas du Proche-Orient arabe (Paris: Sorbonne, 2012, 135 pp.), and take note of his earlier book La région alaouite et le pouvoir syrien (Paris: Karthala, 2006, 315 pp.), which provides many highly interesting details not included in Volumes 1 and 2. (All these works together comprise some 1800 pages).
Although I do agree with many, if not most of the points Balanche makes in his analysis of communitarianism, I think it is necessary to pose some questions and add some marginalia where parts of his conclusions and predictions for the future are concerned. Before I come to that, however, I want to note that certain predictions or observations made by Balanche in the past have turned out to be fully correct. The present-day bloody conflict in Syria is often judged on the basis of wishful thinking, by the general public, as well as among politicians and academics, and realism is not always appreciated if it does not fit into the wishful thought of those concerned. After the start of the Syrian Revolution in March 2011, many observers and politicians expected the regime of Bashar al-Asad to fall quickly. They were, apparently, not aware of the inner strength and coherence of the regime, as they were not burdened by any deep knowledge of it. Had they read Balanche’s works, they might have known better. When Balanche during an interview in France in 2011 commented on the situation in Syria by saying that the regime was not “ripe” to fall and that the country was going straight into the direction of a civil war, he was categorized as a “defender of the Asad regime”. When in mid-2012 he continued to declare that the regime should not be expected to fall soon, his interview was published under the title of “L’interview qui fâche” [The interview which makes you angry] (Volume 2, p. 78). His “realism” was clearly not appreciated. In an interview with L’Hebdo Magazine of 15 November 2013, Balanche predicted that the al-Asad regime is not going to fall. And during a symposium on 4 November 2013 Balanche said that he expected Bashar al-Asad to win the war, leaving open the question, however, “who will win the peace.”
Since the Asad regime relies so heavily on people from its own Alawi community, its strength can be attributed, to a great extent, to the issue of communitarianism. As described by Balanche, however, the importance of communitarianism has been ignored or even denied in various academic circles because of prevailing ideological or idealistic motivations, on the basis of which, for instance, class, rural-urban and economic factors are considered much more important than communitarian ones. This phenomenon of denial has, according to Balanche, been stronger in France than in the Anglo-Saxon academic world, although it may have changed more recently.
Fifteen years ago (1998) Balanche already hinted that, if the Alawi-dominated Ba’th regime fell, the Alawi region might break away or separate from Syria proper (Volume 2, p. 33). In his Thèse de Doctorat, L’intégration de la region côtière dans l’espace syrien: une intégration nationale ambigüe [The integration of the coastal region in Syrian space: an ambiguous national integration] (Tours, 2000, 800 pp.), Balanche has argued that the potential for a separation of the Alawi region from Syria is well-founded, a view he repeated in his book (2006), as well as in the volumes which are being considered in this evaluation. Balanche even sees evidence of such a potential development in both the transport infrastructure and the presence of certain military bases in the Alawi region. He interprets these as having strategic importance for the defense of the Alawi territories within the Syrian internal context (Volume 1, p. 79).
Balanche compares the case of Syria with that of post-Tito Yugoslavia, which fell apart into several states. One should be careful, however, in making such a comparison. In the first place, the population of Yugoslavia was made up of various ethnic groups with different languages. The Syrian population is much more homogeneous in the ethnic context, and the Alawis should, in principle, be considered as Arabs, like the majority of the Syrian population. Moreover, the Alawis would in general not at all want to separate from Syria. The only reason why they would wish to establish their own state, or autonomous region, is that the Alawis might feel threatened by the Sunni majority to such an extent, that they would, purely for security reasons, want to escape from radical Sunni anti-Alawi revanchism, which could explode after an eventual toppling of the regime of Bashar al-Asad. In such a scenario the Alawi population from Damascus and other cities might wish to flee to their original homeland, or that of their ancestors. But the Alawi community fleeing from Damascus sounds simpler than it is, because many Alawis have lived there (and in other Syrian cities) for several generations, including Bashar al-Asad himself, who, from that perspective, should be considered a Damascene (although it is clear that the local Sunni population considers him as an Alawi originating from the Alawi mountains). I could not really imagine the Alawi community being prepared to leave Damascus and its Alawi neighborhoods before losing their very last defensive lines and witnessing a major part of the city turned into ruins. This may be due, however, to my lack of imagination to see greater part of Damascus changed into rubble (as already happened in Aleppo).
One should, moreover, not underestimate the durability of colonial boundaries, however much these may have been rejected in the past. Additionally, if Alawi-dominated rule were to be replaced by Sunni-dominated rule, the successor regime in Damascus would, in my view, certainly try to regain control over the whole area of Syria, including the Alawi coastal region. When dealing with international boundaries, every inch of territory acquires an almost holy importance, because national sovereignty is at stake. Loss of even an inch of territory can lead to further claims, political instability, tensions in international relations, and sometimes to further wars.
Balanche notes that territorial partition may not bring peace at first, but that, in the long term, the bringing into practice of former US President Wilson’s principle of “national self-determination” to the ethnic-confessional communities of the Middle East could bring stability and democracy. Some areas are, according to Balanche, already going through a phase of federalism (like in Lebanon), or semi-independence (like in Iraqi Kurdistan) (Volume 1, p. 126).
Where Syria is concerned, one should, however, not underestimate the force of Arabism and Arab identity. Balanche has correctly noted that Arab nationalism has not at all been a success, and that primordial loyalties have turned out to be stronger. He even cynically comments that “Les indices de la supercherie baathiste étaient pourtant clairs depuis des décennies pour celui qui connaissait réellement la société syrienne.” [The indications of Ba’thist deception were clear for decades to those who really knew Syrian society] (Volume 1, p. 145). Regardless, that does not mean that the Syrian Alawis, after generations of Arab nationalist indoctrination, would not also feel they have a Syrian Arab identity, irrespective of the extremely negative Sunni anti-Alawi feelings which have increased during the many years of Alawi-dominated Ba’th rule and repression. In the past, many Alawis themselves already rejected the Alawi state that was created during the French Mandate.
The Ba’th regime in Syria has achieved exactly the dramatic opposite of the ideals it originally wanted to achieve. Half a century ago, it still declared that it wanted to abolish sectarianism and communitarianism, but by making communal loyalties the central key to their power, the Ba’thist rulers became prisoners of their own system and achieved the anti-thesis of their Ba’thist Arab nationalist ideology and ideals. They have thereby even endangered the very existence of Syria, with sectarianism stronger than ever before, as is demonstrated through the ongoing civil war.
Balanche has concluded in this respect that national integration in Syria constituted a danger for the power position of the regime, and has appropriately questioned whether durable territorial integration is possible without social integration (Volume 2, p. 35). Personally, I would have liked Balanche to give some additional insights into the opposition within the Alawi community against the Alawi dominated Ba’th regime. After all, many Alawi villages have their political prisoners, and the Syrian Ba’thist dictatorship applies to all Syrians. Balanche makes clear that the Alawis in general have taken the side of the regime, not out of positive conviction, but rather out of fear for the future, and what would happen if the regime of Bashar al-Asad were to fall. When reading Volume 1, I wondered whether one could really say, as Balanche does, that Hafiz al-Asad “a fait un monolithe d’une communauté alaouite divisée en multiples clans” [Hafiz al-Asad has made a monolith of the Alawite community that used to be divided into multiple clans] (Volume 1, p. 114), except in the sense that they seem to be united in their common fear for radical Sunni revanchism. A more detailed explanation can be found, however, outside Volume 1 and 2, in his book (2006, pp. 159-172).
Balanche presents a possible future break-up of Syria as an almost inevitable development (Volume 1, 146) when he concludes that: “Un divorce à l’amiable est alors préférable à une guerre civile communautaire qui aboutira au meme résultat. Cela implique que les acteurs locaux et internationaux soient rationnels et raisonnables en privilégiant un scénario tchécoslovaque plutôt de yougoslave.” [An amicable divorce is preferable to a communitarian civil war that leads to the same result. This would imply that local and international actors would be rational and reasonable by favoring a Czechoslovakian scenario rather a Yugoslav one]. I am afraid that the civil war has already progressed much too far to make a scenario similar to that of Czechoslovakia possible, and doubt whether this would ever have been a realistic option in the first place. After all, the Czechoslovakia case does not fit into the Syrian model since, like in former Yugoslavia, substantial different ethnic-linguistic groups were involved. Syria is much more homogeneous in this respect.
Balanche convincingly explains why the often-suggested existence of a Shi’i alliance or “Shi’i crescent” (consisting of Iran, Iraq, Syria and Lebanon) is a wrong (albeit increasingly popular) concept, as alliances are strategic and not ideological or religious (Volume 1, pp. 107, 124). Moreover, the areas inhabited by Shi’is do not constitute an uninterrupted geographical area.
Balanche uses the term “Syrian Arab nation” throughout his work. According to the ruling Ba’th Party’s ideology there is, however, only an “Arab nation”, of which the Syrian Arabs are one part. They don’t say: “We are all Syrian Arabs”, but rather “We are all Arabs”. Only at a later stage of Ba’thist rule did the “Syrian identity” become a more accepted concept, even though it contradicts the Ba’thist ideology. Stressing the wider pan-Arab identity at the cost of the more restricted Syrian Arab identity did, in practice, not positively contribute to “nation building” in Syria, but rather achieved the opposite: a strengthening of communitarianism for lack of tangible results in the field of pan-Arabism and because of the discouragement, earlier on, of the Syrian identity.
Balanche describes Jordan as a “paradox” in the region. Jordan does not suffer from fragmentation on the basis of communitarianism like Syria and Lebanon, as it has a quasi ethnic-confessional population with a 95% Sunni Arab majority (Volume 1, p. 125). Elsewhere in his study, Balanche interestingly defines the Palestinians as a “quasi-ethnic group” (Volume 1, p. 26), which has developed as a result of their political circumstances. He does not, however, hint at the potential consequences of the large Palestinian presence in Jordan for its supposed homogeneity. Balanche concludes that Jordan is paradoxically one of the most stable Middle Eastern countries because of its ethnic homogeneity, being, however, at the same time, the most artificial state in the region.
I want to end by pointing out some minor details.
Balanche notices that the isolated villages of the Alawi sect of the Murshidiyin in the remote Alawi Mountains were only given accessible asphalted roads in the early 1990s once they had clearly entered into the clientele of the Asad clan (Volume 1, p. 81). This is correct, except for the fact that the Murshidiyin had already shown their allegiance to the Asads much earlier on, as can be concluded from the fact that already in the first part of the 1980s the Murshidiyin constituted the backbone of Rif’at al-Asad’s elite troops, the Defence Platoons (Saraya al-Difa’). When in 1984 Rif’at intended to take over power by force from his brother President Hafiz al-Asad, the Murshidiyin turned out to be completely unreliable towards Rif’at, as they all choose the side of the president, as a result of which Rif’at’s revolt became toothless and failed completely.
The Murshidiyin, therefore, could already be considered loyal to President Hafiz al-Asad from 1984 onwards, and from that perspective might have been given their asphalted roads much earlier. On the other hand, it may have taken some years before the president really trusted the Murshidiyin, because they had switched sides so easily.
In conclusion I wish to stress that Fabrice Balanche has produced excellent and impressive academic work. On that basis he strongly deserves to be supported for his Habilitation à Diriger des Recherches.
Nikolaos van Dam
Former Ambassador of the Netherlands to Iraq, Egypt, Turkey, Germany and Indonesia (1988-2010). Also served as a diplomat in Lebanon, Jordan, Palestinian occupied territories and Libya. Author of The Struggle for Power in Syria. Politics and Society under Asad and the Ba’th Party, 4th edition, London: I.B. Tauris 2011 (5th printing 2013). www.nikolaosvandam.com
Comments (422)
Ghufran said:
Why do we need a foreigner to tell us about fellow Syrians?
Have we become so dysfunctional that we can only understand ourselves if a foreign journalist or an academic was nice enough to tell us who we really are?
Delivering news and analysis is one thing but pretending to know more about Syria than Syrians themselves is something else. I never felt at ease when a non Syrian regardless of his title delivers a piece of ” research” about Syria that rotates around the assumption that Syria is a collection of tribes and sects with competing agendas.
November 30th, 2013, 7:06 pm
Timothy Friese said:
“Balanche compares the case of Syria with that of post-Tito Yugoslavia, which fell apart into several states. One should be careful, however, in making such a comparison. In the first place, the population of Yugoslavia was made up of various ethnic groups with different languages. The Syrian population is much more homogeneous in the ethnic context, and the Alawis should, in principle, be considered as Arabs, like the majority of the Syrian population.”
This could use some correction. The core of Yugoslavia speaks one language, confusingly referred to by separate names of Bosnian, Croatian, Serbian, and Montenegrin (Serbo-Croatian). The worst fighting was even between these groups and not between them and the other major groups of Yugoslavia: Slovenes, Kosovars, and Macedonians. Exclude the outliers of Slovenia and Macedonia and the remaining state is perhaps as homogenous as Syria. In Syria as in Yugoslavia (and Lebanon) many of the lines are confessional and not ethnolinguistic, and no less powerful all the same.
For more on the Serbo-Croatian issue, see the clear wikipedia article: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Serbo-Croatian
November 30th, 2013, 9:50 pm
Ghufran said:
A friend who agrees with Mr. Balanche challenged me to write a follow up on the above piece based on more than just pride or emotions, and here is my little comment:
There is no doubt that many alawites and christians are now in support of some type of separation of coastal areas, but that support is ironically mostly driven by pride and emotions also. For the coastal region to be converted to a mostly alawites, with a small Christian and Sunni presence, a massive bloody, unethical and undoable campaign of sectarian cleansing has to take place, that campaign also requires regional and international support neither of which is available today. Add to that the fact that over 3 million Syrians live in the ” wrong” areas today and you will understand that Blachard’s prediction is a long shot at best. Saying that the man has to be right this time because he was right about Assad’s regime survival is simplistic because a lot of people did not believe the media hype about a speedy fall of the regime.
Finally, Syrians have more in common than they are willing to admit and many Syrians today will go back to their senses and regain their class and social identity when the war comes to an end. I know as a fact that many Sunnis do not want to be under an Islamist regime and many alawites can not stand the idea of having to leave city life and live among villagers regardless whether they are Sunni or alawites. No offense intended to either conservative Muslims or villagers. The issue is not as simple as Sunnis are bad and alawites are good, or the opposite, it is far more complicated than that.
One thing for sure, for Balanche’s theory to have a chance, this war needs to continue and it needs to get bloodier, I happen to believe, and hope, that the opposite will happen especially if the deal with Iran goes through and Assad’s close circle is squeezed and forced to merge with a wider and more representative power structure.
Balanche is obviously betting on Assad getting more stubborn and managing to drag a lot of people deeper into an unsustainable situation.
November 30th, 2013, 10:42 pm
zoo said:
Fabrice Balanche has been right from day one, and he was accused of been pro-Assad. His study and analysis are fascinating and convincing.
It is clear that Syria is now divided into three parts. One controlled by the Kurds at the Turkish border, one by the Alawites on the coast and a third one by Sunnis extremists on Iraq border
While the christians are welcomed among the Alawites or even the Kurds, the moderate Sunnis who were openly opposed to the Alawites and did not sympathize with the Kurds are in a dire situation as the only place left is the Islamist extremists areas.
It appears that as long as Syria is divided, they are the real losers of that war.
November 30th, 2013, 10:49 pm
zoo said:
Ghufran
Lebanon has been divided de facto after the civil war. The north is in majority Sunni, the south in majority Shia, the mountains in the south are Druze, the mountains in the North are Christians. Beirut is divided, the north is christian, the south is Moslem.
So in Syria, we will see the same pattern emerging. Aleppo and Damascus will follow a similar divide.
After this war, Kurds, Alawites, Christians have learned which is their primary identity.
The moderate Sunnis are the only ones who will still invoke the “Arab Syrian identity” as they do not control any geographical areas and do not identify with any of the groups that do.
November 30th, 2013, 11:09 pm
Riad Matqualoon said:
I am sorry to seem provocative, but I am glad that finally Dr. Landis recognizes that somebody else “has been right about Syria more than most of us.” In most what Dr. Landis stated or wrote about Syria fall into one category “negative and doomed to be destructive” not even one positive point I have ever heard or read from him.
I will not reiterate what has been in the material about Fabrice Balanche’s discourse about Syria, but I will reiterate 2 points mentioned in the material which Dr. Landis, despite of his marriage to fellow Syrian, he seemed always to see the empty part of the glass not the full part of the glass.
2 points are: (I will just copy and paste)
1) “Balanche compares the case of Syria with that of post-Tito Yugoslavia, which fell apart into several states. One should be careful, however, in making such a comparison. In the first place, the population of Yugoslavia was made up of various ethnic groups with different languages. The Syrian population is much more homogeneous in the ethnic context…”
2) “After all, the Czechoslovakia case does not fit into the Syrian model since, like in former Yugoslavia, substantial different ethnic-linguistic groups were involved. Syria is much more homogeneous in this respect.”
Eventually, Syrians are one people and they can/must be together!! The winds (Somoom) of Arab peninsula would not alienate Syrians from each other despite of all what has been created in their ways!!
Finally, I would like to ask this simple question: Is it not a flaw in introducing the Fabrice Balanche’s material without a precise academic definition of the term “Communitarianism”?!!!
November 30th, 2013, 11:15 pm
Heads-up said:
Just so you may know, our well informed and highly reliable sources who work very hard, around the clock and behind the scenes authorized the release of the following very important heads up, in order to keep you up to date with current events.
Our patrons reviewed the material presented in this latest post posted by the owner of the site and his helpers. Our well informed benefactors once again came to the unavoidable conclusion that the material presented in the main post is sheer propaganda lacking any intellectual depth seeking in essence to polish the ugly face of the murderous regime, implying in the process a clear desperate attempt to spread propaganda on behalf of the falling regime of outlawed perverted criminals of the outcast so-called Assad. In general, the material has no bearings whatsoever on the interests of Syria and its people who are fighting the most important war on behalf of all Mankind, the existential fight against humankind archenemy, the Serpent-Head and its proxies. Needless to say, the acts of fabrication and propaganda of this site’s administrators fall squarely and evenly under the definitions of aiding and abetting of criminals of the worst kind in human history. Our benefactors firmly believe that any new posts will only reinforce the same cheap propaganda fueled by the site owner and others who write on his behalf.
As a result of their assessments, our benefactors decided to keep the site on the blacklist. And they would strongly urge readers to exercise extreme caution, sound judgement and critical analysis when reading anything written by the owner or associates of the this clearly suspicious and much-below standards site.
November 30th, 2013, 11:20 pm
zoo said:
Ghufran
You said
“Assad’s close circle is squeezed and forced to merge with a wider and more representative power structure.”
Nowadays the ones whom the West are squeezing are the opposition and the remaining of the crumbling FSA.
The trouble is they is not much to get from that.
November 30th, 2013, 11:38 pm
don said:
Londoners gather to stop the war machine
http://voiceofrussia.com/news/2013_12_01/Britons-gather-to-stop-the-war-machine-4487/
This Saturday, the “Stop the War” coalition hosted an International Anti-War Conference in London. The event’s mission statement read: “In a historic setback for the organizers of the War on Terror, protest and public opinion helped stop a new war on Syria. But the West continues its interventions, creating failed states in an arc from Central Asia to West Africa. We need more effective anti-war resistance internationally. This conference is a chance to analyze, build links and lay plans.” Voice of Russia’s London reporter Howell Davies took a look at a few of the meeting’s highlights and spoke of the growing disenchantment among the Britons with their government’s attempts to police the world.
…
December 1st, 2013, 3:35 am
don said:
US in secret talks with Hezbollah
http://www.ummid.com/news/2013/December/01.12.2013/us-in-talks-with-hezbollah.html
“If in Geneva a deal was struck, doors to other deals might be possible” an unnamed “senior Iranian official” told the Washington-based Al-Monitor this week. “Syria, Iraq, Lebanon, Yemen and also Afghanistan just a few weeks before the United States withdraws.” In a message clearly directed at Israel and Saudi Arabia—US regional allies who for their own strategic reasons fear a rapprochement between Washington and Tehran—the Iranian official added: “We prefer that regional powers understand new details are to be added to the equation.”
Like Tehran, Hezbollah has indicated that it is looking for a bargain, welcoming Tehran’s own overtures to the US and entering into secret talks with Washington. So as not to disrupt this process, both Tehran and Hezbollah have chosen to downplay the significance of the November 19 bombing at Iran’s Lebanese embassy, which killed 6 Iranians and 17 passers-by in a Shia Beirut neighborhood dominated by Hezbollah.
Israel, meanwhile, is clearly disturbed by the reports of secret talks between Washington and Hezbollah. While there has been no official Israeli comment, within hours of the talks being revealed, the Jerusalem Post carried a report that claimed it has learned from army sources that Hezbollah “is carrying out massive preparations” for war with Israel.
The report begins: “On both sides of the Israel-Lebanon border, the IDF (Israel Defense Forces) and Hezbollah are quietly and intensively preparing for the next clash between them, a conflict both expect will surpass previous wars, in the scope of firepower each side will seek to employ.”
…
December 1st, 2013, 4:34 am
don said:
Is the US changing sides in the regional conflict between Iran and its enemies?
http://www.jpost.com/Features/Front-Lines/The-road-to-Tehran-333444
Even before any comprehensive agreement was reached on the nuclear file, Washington appears to have begun to dismantle the carefully assembled diplomatic structure seeking to contain Iranian regional ambitions.
A report by respected Washington-based journalist Hussein Abdul Hussein in the Kuwaiti Al-Rai newspaper this week revealed details of an indirect US channel with Hezbollah.
The report comes, of course, close on the heels of the interim agreement concluded in Geneva between the P5 + 1 world powers and Iran, allowing the latter to continue to enrich uranium.
News items are also surfacing suggesting a stark split between the US and Saudi Arabia over regional policy in general, and policy toward Syria in particular. Saudi officials are going on the record expressing their alarm at the direction of American policy.
Meanwhile, agreement has now been reached over the long-postponed “Geneva 2” conference, to discuss the war in Syria.
The conference will go ahead because US-backed Syrian opposition representatives abandoned their demand that President Bashar Assad could have no part in any transitional phase of government in the country.
What does all this add up to? There are an increasing number of voices which perceive a shape behind all these details: Namely, an effort by the current US administration to turn the Iranian regime from an adversary into a partner. The method: Acceding, in part or whole, to key Iranian demands.
Let’s take a look at each item in more detail.
The usually reliable Abdul Hussein’s report details the mechanism by which the US is speaking to Hezbollah, in spite of that organization being a US-designated terrorist group. British diplomats are the ones doing the talking.
The channel of communication between UK officials and the “political wing” of the movement was recently revived, in tune with the improving relations between London and Tehran.
It is now serving to transfer messages between Washington and Tehran.
An unnamed diplomatic source quoted by Abdul Hussein explained that this dialogue is “designed to keep pace with the changes in the region and the world, and the potential return of Iran to the international community.”
The official went on to explain that because the US does not concur with the (British, entirely fictitious) division of Hezbollah into “political” and “military” wings, direct dialogue is currently not possible.
The report goes on to outline moments in recent months when the US has found itself on the same page as Hezbollah. One of these, very notably, was the occasion in June when the Lebanese Army, together with Hezbollah fighters, fought against the partisans of the pro al-Qaida Salafi preacher Ahmad al-Assir in the Lebanese town of Sidon. The US backed the army, without reference to the key role played by Hezbollah fighters in the action, which resulted in al-Assir’s defeat.
The other was the US condemnation of the recent al-Qaida-linked bombing at the Iranian Embassy in Beirut. The condemnation, well-noted in Lebanon, did not contain any reference to the presence of Iranian and Hezbollah fighters in Syria.
The Abdul Hussein report also tells us the US “outreach” to Iran has not been on the nuclear file alone. Rather, even before any comprehensive agreement was reached, Washington appears to have begun to dismantle the carefully assembled diplomatic structure seeking to contain Iranian regional ambitions.
The Geneva 2 conference is now scheduled to take place on January 22. It is a US-sponsored affair. It is not yet clear if Iran itself will be there. But what is clear is that the conference will take place entirely according to the agenda of Assad and his backers.
In a statement issued on Wednesday, the Syrian Foreign Ministry said, “The official Syrian delegation is not going to Geneva to surrender power… The age of colonialism, with the installation and toppling of governments, is over. They must wake from their dreams.”
The armed rebels will not be sending representatives to the conference.
They, financed and armed by Saudi Arabia and Qatar, have formed a new “Islamic Front” that is battling around Damascus, in Aleppo and in the border region of Qalamoun this week.
But the stark contrast between the US-led diplomacy and the events on the ground is another clear reminder of the extent to which Washington’s position has moved away from confrontation, away from Riyadh – and toward Tehran.
Assad has revived his fortunes in the course of 2013, mainly because of the Iranian assistance he has received. Washington, which officially backs the opposition, appears to be sponsoring a conference which will crown this achievement.
So is the US in fact changing sides in the contest between Iran and those regional forces seeking to contain and turn back its advance?
Michael Doran of the Brookings Institute suggested this week that Washington is in the first phase of seeking a “strategic partnership” with Iran, an “entente cordiale” which would see a US-Iranian alliance forming a lynchpin of regional stability.
…
December 1st, 2013, 5:22 am
don said:
Death Squad Mercenary Killers Under The Syrian Hammer
Army Kills Danish Sniper in Western Syria
http://english.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13920910000570
Abu Serveh, the Danish sniper, was killed during the operations when army attacked and destroyed the gathering centers of the armed rebels in Rabia village in reef Lattakia, FNA dispatches said Sunday.
Abu Serveh fought along the armed rebels in Aleppo in Northern Syria before moving to Reef Lattakia.
The Syrian army also killed more than 50 armed rebels in Al-Kabir village again in Reef Lattakia.
Earlier this week, the Syrian army repelled a terrorist attack on a strategic region in Northern Reef Lattakia.
Syrian army units pushed back 40 militants who were trying to penetrate the Northern countryside of Lattakia via Nabi Ashaya mountain.
The terrorists were attempting to penetrate into Lattakia from Dourin and Kafr Ajouz villages.
Tens of terrorists, including two Al-Nusra Front ringleaders named Abu Ossama and Abol Fazl Al-Kuwaiti, have been killed in heavy clashes in Lattakia.
…
December 1st, 2013, 5:45 am
ALAN said:
6- right!
December 1st, 2013, 5:47 am
don said:
Children escape as mortar hits French school in Damascus
http://www.rappler.com/world/regions/middle-east/44996-syria-damascus-mortar-hits-french-school
DAMASCUS, Syria – A mortar shell hit the French school in the Syrian capital Damascus on Sunday, December 1, while classes were in session, but caused no injuries, a school official told Agence France-Presse.
“A mortar shell landed on the chimney of a classroom around 9 am (0700 GMT). No one was hurt but the windows shattered and the walls cracked,” Bashir Oneiz said.
School nurse Aline Farah said students were in class when the mortar hit.
“It was a miracle that no one was hurt, neither students nor teachers nor employees,” she said.
The Charles de Gaulle school in the upscale central district of Mazzeh is the only foreign school still open in the Syrian capital.
It has some 220 students, down from a pre-war population of 900.
It caters both to Syrian students and the children of a few remaining foreigners living in the country despite a brutal 32-month conflict between the government and rebels.
…
December 1st, 2013, 5:56 am
everd said:
Thank you Mr. Ambassador and Syria Comments for sharing this discussion!
December 1st, 2013, 6:32 am
apple_mini said:
My 2 cents:
The outcome of this bloody war is up to those moderate Sunni in Syria.
Alawi will take any measures and steps necessary to insure their safety. The general sense of self-preservation will be the decisive factor.
How do those Alawi get guarantee and voucher to safeguard their communities if Sunni majority takes over the government?
One thing for sure, Alawi will not give up their dominating power in the military in a foreseeable future.
December 1st, 2013, 7:24 am
Robert Harneis said:
“After the start of the Syrian Revolution in March 2011, many observers and politicians expected the regime of Bashar al-Asad to fall quickly. They were, apparently, not aware of the inner strength and coherence of the regime, as they were not burdened by any deep knowledge of it. Had they read Balanche’s works, they might have known better.”
Hmmm. They said they expected it to fall quickly. To mock the various governments that have deliberately done everything they can to bring about the present bloody civil war as ignorant, not to say stupid, is either to flatter them or on the other hand to insult their intelligence and known competence. It is also to ignore their recent past performance in Somalia, Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya and now Syria. For them to be serially stupid, as you seem to assume, you have to believe they have no interest in reducing the countries in question to powerless bloody confusion and that they are not prepared to bring this about regardless of the consequences to the populations of those countries. The question is,do you believe Western rhetoric about peace, human rights and democracy or Western realpolitik? Ask yourself this question – can you imagine the simpering handwringing Western foreign ministers brazenly telling their electors, “We are sending in the intelligence services, special forces and arms to destabilise this country that has done us no harm. We are forming an alliance with a bunch of medieval dictator petro monarchs to do this. We are importing into Syria bloody fanatical mercenaries knowing, like Balanche and other experts, that the regime will probably not fall but that the country will be plunged into a frightful conflict, part civil war and part invasion by jihadis and takfiris and that Al Qaeda will be strengthened thereby and over 100,000 may die. But don’t worry, we will of course introduce an assassination policy afterwards should the Islamist fundamentalists become too powerful – after all, on balance, it is in our geopolitical interests to do this.”
Let us face the facts as we know them, there absolutely no reason to suppose that the foreign ministries and governments concerned were unaware of what one lone academic and others knew. There is every reason to believe they are perfectly happy with the outcome. That is not to say that at another level they may have completely miscalculated.
December 1st, 2013, 7:36 am
The Work of Fabrice Balanche on Alawites and Sy... said:
[…] IMPRESSIVE SYRIA STUDIES BY FABRICE BALANCHE Reviewed by Nikolaos van Dam Fabrice Balanche is a well-known French scholar who wrote a lot about Syria, mostly in French. […]
December 1st, 2013, 7:44 am
zoo said:
16@ apple mini
I think that the moderate Sunnis are shocked and disappointed by the disastrous performance of the opposition lead by Sunnis that has brought a human and economical catastrophe on the country.
The hopes that the Sunnis could dominate and control the country have thus faded away.
As they found themselves in limbo, their choice is clear, either they put (sell) the country under a Saudi-Qatar Sunni domination or accept that a revamped version of the secular Baath party and a strong Alawite presence are the only chance to keep the country independent and stable.
If a Sunni military chief with enough credibility emerges, we could have considered a military regime like Egypt. Selim Idriss has wished he would be Syria’s Al Sisi but he controls a very small fraction of the rebels and has taken extreme Islamist positions that preclude him from being a candidate.
It is very encouraging that Egypt, a country with almost 90% of Sunnis have decided on a Constitution for a civil state. Therefore the Islamic component seems to have has lost its political appeal.
So far, I believe that the moderate Sunnis, reluctant to submit their country to the non-democratic GCC countries will stick to a new version of the secular Baath party while pushing for the participation of other political parties.
December 1st, 2013, 8:15 am
Heads-up said:
Why are Blanchard, the Ambassador and the owner of the site all WRONG and engaged in cheap propaganda on behalf of a desperate falling Assad regime?
The answer is simple. Assad has fallen LONG AGO mr. Blanchard and Ambassador! Otherwise he would not have needed the terrorists of hezboola, the Iraqi shiite terrorists and the terrorists of mullahstan as well as the thousands of Russian mercenaries to be fighting in Syria on his behalf.
Obviously Blanchard is not SO impressive after all having ignored the fact that Syria is NOW occupied by the above terrorists and Assad supporters and so-called Alawites are NOT SO coherent after all.
This is just another post by the chief propagandist, owner of the site, which proves that the site is much much below standrads. The site and anyone who contributes to its falsehoods are a huge insult to BASIC not so shisticated intelligence.
December 1st, 2013, 8:27 am
Tara said:
Stop fooling yourself.
The moderate Sunnis and the secular Sunnis want Assad out and will pay whatever price.
May I remind all that it is Asma’s moderate Sunni extended family that have collected millions to topple Batta.
The seed of resistance agains the mafia regime was planted in our chest when we were small children at the time of Hama massacre and sure enough 30 years later the revolution erupted and the same seeds are implanted in the heart of ALL Syrian children.
Syria will never be a country again as long as the mafia in power. Feel no safe.
December 1st, 2013, 8:28 am
don said:
Death Squad Mercenary Terrorist Killers Invade Maaloula Again
“Syrian rebels” enter Christian village near capital
http://www.nwherald.com/2013/12/01/syrian-rebels-enter-christian-village-near-capital/a6wrioy/
DAMASCUS, Syria — “Syrian rebels” including members of al-Qaida Jabhat al-Nusra entered a predominantly Christian village near Damascus on Saturday and were fighting government forces in the old part of the town, activists and state media said.
The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said “rebels” broke into Maaloula in the early hours after starting the offensive the previous night, leaving casualties on both sides. The group says Jabhat al-Nusra members are among those fighting in the area.
Syria’s state news agency SANA said government forces “wiped out a number of terrorists” while targeting their hideouts near Maaloula, using its preferred term for rebels fighting to overthrow President Bashar Assad. It gave no further details.
It was the second attack on the area in nearly three months. Jihadis, stormed the village and held it for several days until troops launched a counter offensive in early September and regained control. Since then, most of Maaloula’s 3,300 residents fled to safer areas.
Maaloula, about 40 miles northeast of the capital, had previously been firmly in the government’s grip. The village was a major tourist attraction before the civil war. Some of its residents still speak a version of Aramaic, a biblical language believed to have been used by Jesus.
A Maaloula resident told The Associated Press in Damascus that the “rebels” are now in the western part of the town and have captured the Mar Takla convent, where several nuns were staying.
…
December 1st, 2013, 8:30 am
zoo said:
@17 Robert
I disagree with you. The West has been intoxicated by the rapid ‘successes’ in Libya, Tunisia and Egypt. They have always hated the Syrian regime opposed to Israel and who was keeping the West at arms lenght. They have been brainwashed by Qatar and Turkey who took the lead of the uprising and hammered that the opposition was capable of changing the regime to a Islamist one that they guarantee will be friendlier to the West.
They totally ignored Balanche’s early analysis and warnings and taxed them as been pure pro-regime propaganda.
They fell in the trap of ‘group thinking’ therefore losing sight of the reality on the ground.
Now they are re-reading Balanche work and realize how stupid, misinformed and blinded they have been.
It just took them 120,000 dead, millions of displaced and billions of dollars of destruction to get to that.
December 1st, 2013, 8:30 am
Observer said:
So Fabrice Zoo and Apple all agree with my very assessment that there is no such thing as Syria. There is Alawistan, Kurdistan, Sunnistan now. Then let them divide peacefully unless of course some would like to stay on top while others are asked to remain on the bottom.
Sectarianism has erupted fully and welcome to the 50 year war.
In Lebanon there is Jabalistan Traboulsistan, Maronistan, Maradastan, Aounistan, Hizbistan, Amalistan, Hariristan and Refugeestan
In Iraq there is Sadristan, Shiistan, Sunnistan,and Kurdistan. With time the same will slowly infect the rest with Persianistan, Baluchistan, Ahwazistan, Kurdistan, Azeristan, Hazzarastan,
There was a brief period of a Syrian National Identity but now, we have it from the mouthpieces of the regime insiders: we are Alawistan. Go ahead create your great utopia and move back to your mountains and create your state and God bless you but get out of our hair.
December 1st, 2013, 8:33 am
Observer said:
While this blog discusses the psychopath at the helm in Damascus these day, Tom Friedman is writing a most interesting article today in the NYT about the evolution of the so called Bedouins in the GCC.
By the way TARA, before I post this note, a psychopath is someone who has no emotions when it comes to the suffering of others. As a matter of fact it will inflict suffering to preserve its own status no matter what that is.
In one experiment, rats would receive food if they depress a lever, but at times depressing the lever would send an electrical shock to a rat in a cage next door where the suffering is heard and witnessed. The rats did not starve themselves but actually reduced their food intake so that the suffering of their fellow rats in the adjacent cage can be minimized. In essence, the rats have more compassion than the psychopaths running Syria.
Here is the post
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/12/01/opinion/sunday/friedman-the-other-arab-awakening.html?ref=opinion&_r=0
December 1st, 2013, 8:43 am
Tara said:
Observer,
Examples of psychopath are abundant on Syria comment too.
December 1st, 2013, 8:48 am
ALAN said:
13. ALAN said:
6- right!
Thumb up 3 Thumb down 25
Thank you friends! Now I am sure of the rightness of my beliefs!
/There is Alawistan, Kurdistan, Sunnistan/
Recital of despair! No interest in your music!
Europeans are racing to meet the government in Damascus!This is a fact!
December 1st, 2013, 10:29 am
ziad said:
Time to bomb Israel – with truth
Israel has six months for their stage two attempt of wrecking the Mideast peace process. They have lost no time launching their counter attack. Like the pros they are, they had their B-Team preparing for the expected loss at Geneva Two.
They have used their traditional route for seeding the public’s mind with new fears, using our ever ready Congressmen and Senators to front their subversion of the American democracy. Our Founding Fathers knew we could never keep what they had given us without an informed citizenry to protect itself from government expanding its power through all kinds of contrived machinations.
Militant Zionists have contrived machinations in their DNA, something they justify simply by saying that others would do this if they could, so they are just beating them to the punch. That would be a popular billboard message for every prison on the planet.
There is a consensus among analysts that the Zios’ first move would be to claim Iran was not in compliance with the agreement. We have pros around here who have dealt with the slippery and slimy types, so anticipating their moves becomes second nature after a few decades.
For a country which has milked a couple of decades out of an invisible bomb, a non-compliance scam is just a piece of cake. The Israelis just make the charge and never provide any real support for it.
They have this wonderful echo chamber in the US that hypnotizes Americans into accepting accusations as proof…if they are heard often enough. The Zionist lobby machine to accomplish that has long been constructed and remains well oiled from constant use.
December 1st, 2013, 11:46 am
Tara said:
Qalamon battle is not going as the Iranian puppets in Syria and Lebanon are expecting. HA is losing lots of men. Ah ya Zainab, ooh ya Hussein ain’t adequate to calm families of the killed so what are the Iranian puppets to do?
No brainer. Invoke Israel…
Regime Hyenas are out telling us Israelis are fighting Batta in Ghouta.
And you think we will be fooled. Are you stupid people?
December 1st, 2013, 12:29 pm
ziad said:
Who Are The Mother Agnes Critics?
It would be hilarious, if it wasn’t for the severity of the Syrian crisis, to read some of the allegations being directed against the Syrian based nun, Mother Agnes Mariam.
The Open Letter to Stop the War coalition, has been signed by over fifty alleged activists, who declare themselves to be “opponents of conflict”, and having been endorsed by the Independent’s journalist Owen Jones, has since seen Mother Agnes remove herself from Stop the War’s annual conference.
What has been omitted from the open letter though, which denounces Mother Agnes as being a “partisan” for Assad, has been some background details of those claiming that Mother Agnes, “has been consistent in assuming and spreading the lies of the regime”.
Looking over the list of 55 names, a substantial number of those who have signed, strike a chord with anyone familiar, with the marginal fringes of Britain’s left wing circuit. Included are members of Worker’s Power, the Socialist Worker’s Party, the International Socialist Network and former members of the now defunct Worker’s Revolutionary Party.
It strikes me as strange, that this motley crew of self-proclaimed British Trotskyists, view themselves as being the vanguard of Human Rights in Syria, especially with their warped views of the world, which includes the tiny London based Workers Power, declaring themselves to have established the Fifth Communist International.
Even on their website, there appears to be little on either the political or humanitarian crisis in Syria, nothing about Mother Agnes but allot about the Trotskyist interpretation on the Marxist Theory of Economics and adverts for pamphlets on the Russian Revolution, Leon Trotsky and a “reprinted edition of Degenerated Revolution”.
December 1st, 2013, 12:49 pm
ziad said:
Syria dispatch: from band of brothers to princes of war
The Free Syrian Army began as a simple group of fighters battling Assad. But Ruth Sherlock, in Antakya, finds their mission is now making millions from bribery and extortion
The Free Syrian Army commander leant against the door of his four-wheel drive BMW X5 with tinted windows and watched as his men waded through the river on the Syrian border moving the barrels of smuggled petroleum to Turkey.
Feeling the smooth wedge of American bank notes he had just been given in exchange, he was suddenly proud of everything he had become.
In three short years he had risen from peasant to war lord: from a seller of cigarettes on the street of a provincial village to the ruler of a province, with a rebel group to man his checkpoints and control these lucrative smuggling routes.
The FSA, a collection of tenuously coordinated, moderately Islamic, rebel groups was long the focus of the West’s hopes for ousting President Bashar al-Assad.
But in northern Syria, the FSA has now become a largely criminal enterprise, with commanders more concerned about profits from corruption, kidnapping and theft than fighting the regime, according to a series of interviews with The Sunday Telegraph.
December 1st, 2013, 1:29 pm
Syrian said:
“not aware of the inner strength and coherence of the regime, as they were not burdened by any deep knowledge of it. Had they read Balanche’s works, they might have known better.”
Strength and coherence my foot, it was the Hizboola terrorists and Iran unlimited support that saved this criminal regime from falling long time ago.
Those outside forces will have to go home one day then we will see if the regime “inner strength”can save it from the Syrian people
December 1st, 2013, 1:42 pm
Mina said:
#17
Your analysis is indeed the only rational explanation to the Western powers’ astonishing silence on Iraq’s monthly bloodbath and the new one they created in Libya. Why should it work in Syria when it doesn’t in these countries is a question no journalist ever asked.
December 1st, 2013, 1:46 pm
ghufran said:
The alliance and coordination between elements in the opposition and Israel is not done under the table now, it is public with no shame or embarrassment. This happens when Israel continues its policy of annexation, occupation, theft of land and water and ethnic cleansing against Palestinians. A video was made available by Israeli media, it follows reports of meetings between Saudi and Israeli security officials and an interview with Al-Walid Bin Talal (close ally of the Saudi king) where he clearly states that Israel is not the enemy but Iran is.
This is the piece about opposition members meeting with Israeli officials in Turkey:
December 1st, 2013, 1:50 pm
Observer said:
Yes Syrian Apple_Mini admitted as much praising them for saving the psychopath that has no compunction about killing children.
When confronted with the death of Hamza Alkhatib he said: this story of Hamza is an old one; I spoke with his father; do you know that he has 21 children. Meaning that it does not matter if he has lost one, he has 20 others. But again, the regime and its insiders on this blog know the “price” of everything and the “value” of nothing.
Not only Hizbass troops are returning in body bags, they are returning without heads.
Today, the meeting of Nuslira with the Iranians was not mentioned on the Manar.
Great news indeed
December 1st, 2013, 1:51 pm
Syrian said:
Alawis peasants getting rich from the hundreds of check points inside Damascus
معظم أفراد الجيش على الحواجز العسكرية باتوا يعيشون برفاهية مدهشة فأغلبهم أصبح لديه سيارات يركنها بقرب الحاجز ومعظمهم يقتني الأي فون أو الجالاكسي ويضع سماعات على أذنيه أما الآخرين الذين لا يعيشون هذه الرفاهية فلديهم دراجات نارية يتنقلون بها بين الحواجز وفي ساعات الليل المتأخرة تراهم في النوادي الليلية أو في المطاعم يتناولون العشاء ويشربون مالذ وطاب من المشروبات ثم يحيون الرئيس القائد والفرقة الرابعة والحرس الجمهوري
December 1st, 2013, 1:54 pm
Syrian said:
Observer. Now that the initial success of Hizboola in Syria have withered down.Hizboola is staring to realize that the Syrians fighters are not what they accustomed to fight in southern Lebanon,
وقد كتب أحد المقاتلين السوريين على جثة أحد مقاتلي حزب الله بعد قطع رأسه: ” إذا كنت ريحاً لا قيت إعصاراً”.
_____________________________________
_________________________
الدكتور فيصل القاسم
منقول للنقاش من صفحة سمير العبوي:
ليس هناك أدنى شك بأن حزب الله أبلى بلاء عظيماً ضد الجنود الإسرائيليين على الأرض في بنت جبيل وغيرها. لكن لا ننسى أن إسرائيل تعتبر مقتل جندي واحد كارثة وطنية بالنسبة لها، لهذا فهي تتجنب الاشتبال المباشر مع قوات حزب الله خوفاً من مقتل العديد من جنودها. والأمر الآخر أن الجندي الإسرائيلي مجبول على عدم التضحية بنفسه هكذا بسهولة. لكن يبدو أن حزب الله لم يأخذ هذا بعين الاعتبار عندما زج بقواته في سورية. لا أدري لماذا تناسى أنه يواجه أناساً ينتظرون الشهادة كما تنتظر الأم ابنها الغائب، فهم مثل قواته وأكثر لا يبالون كثيراً بالحياة. لا عجب أن تتحدث التقارير الواردة من بيروت الآن عن تململ كبير داخل الضاحية الجنوبية وفي أوساط حزب الله بعد أن بدؤوا يستقبلون مقاتليهم العائدين من أرض الشام مقطوعي الرؤوس. وقد كتب أحد المقاتلين السوريين على جثة أحد مقاتلي حزب الله بعد قطع رأسه: ” إذا كنت ريحاً لا قيت إعصاراً”.
December 1st, 2013, 2:30 pm
ghufran said:
The rebels hit a French school in Damascus with mortars and the French FM is angry (!!):
قال مصدر سوري أن قذيفة هاون سقطت على المدرسة الفرنسية في منطقة المزة الشيخ سعد بدمشق.
وقال المدير الفرنسي للمدرسة ميشيل لوبريتر إن “القذيفة سقطت على سطح المدرسة وألحقت أضرارا مادية دون وقوع إصابات بين الطلاب”.
وأضاف لوبريتر “إن اطلاق قذائف الهاون على الأطفال في المدرسة هو محاولة لكسر المستقبل”.
واستنكرت فرنسا، عملية استهداف المدرسة الفرنسية “شارل ديجول” بالعاصمة السورية دمشق.
وأدان وزير الخارجية الفرنسى لوران فابيوس، فى تصريح صحفى، بأشد العبارات، سقوط قذيفة هاون صباح اليوم على المدرسة الفرنسية فى دمشق فى وقت تواجد الطلاب.
ووصف فابيوس هذا العمل بـ”الجبان”.. مشيرا إلى أنه كان من الممكن أن يؤدى إلى سقوط ضحايا من بين الأطفال الصغار.
وشدد رئيس الدبلوماسية الفرنسية على أن المدنيين هم أول ضحايا النزاع الدائر بسوريا منذ عدة سنوات (ما يقرب من ثلاثة أعوام)، مؤكدا ضرورة وضع حد لدوامة العنف فى البلاد.
Just few months ago, the French stooge, by choice and not be design, was hailing the same rebels as heroes but now they are just cowards in his French eyes just because a French school was hit by the rebels holy mortars !!
What you hear from disappointed rebels supporters is a mere distraction, yes there is a bloody battle raging on and a lot of people are getting killed but the attack on Ghoutah has failed, Nabek is falling and Yabroud will probably be attacked next. I do not want to see any Syrian getting killed but I think foreign fighters came to Syria to kill or die, they have no agenda for life.
If rebels had any support, they lost most of it by now after people saw who those rebels are, that is the main reason, not Iran’s support, why they are on the retreat.
December 1st, 2013, 2:30 pm
Syrian said:
The disappointed are those who are reminiscing about using chemical weapons again.
Claiming that taking over a very small town by shelling the hell out of it or starving another town to death as a regime victory is the real distraction.
December 1st, 2013, 3:09 pm
Tara said:
The regime retook Deir Attia only to lose Maaloula. It will retake Maaloula and lose 3 other towns.
The rebels should take the revolution to the mountains and to Al Dahya. Offense is the best defense. Let them scramble and use their shabeehs to protect their areas.
December 1st, 2013, 3:23 pm
Syrian said:
After the Hizboola terrorist who did a suicide bombing to save his friends from the FSA ,A story from the “not Disappointed” regime supporters sites that can be a Bollywood movie about an air force pilot who when realizing he can get out from his damaged plane decided to dive into the FSA area and blow himself
فلم هندي سوري منحبكجي
هذا الفلم من احدى صفحات الشبيحة
قصة بطل
انصابت طيارتو قوق سما دير عطية إصابة جانبية ما دمرت الطيارة .. رجع عالمطار وحاول يفتح الدواليب بس للأسف ما انفتحت .. طار فوق المدرج مرتين تلاتة بدون فائدة .. إجا ليقذف نفسو من الطيارة طلعت الإصابة مأثرة ع هالميزة كمان .. فانحبس جوا الطيارة ..
الطيارة بالسما بذخيرتها وهو محبوس فيها .. وبما أنو ضابط فهو بيعرف وين أصعب المناطق اللي الجيش ما قدر يسيطر عليه ..
أخد طيارتو ع منطقة بالقلمون اسما البترا .. هالمنطقة بدها فيلق مشاة ليحررها .. اشتبك معن لحتى خلصت الذخيرة منو ودمر تحصينات كتيرة للعدو ..
بالأخير لما شاف الوقود رح ينتهي..
تحول لـ كاميكازي وفجر نفسو بمقر العدو ..
December 1st, 2013, 3:55 pm
Syrian said:
A big victory happened in Dara’a today,the capture of one of the main bases of the regime and the capture of huge numbers of Assad’s militias as shown in this YouTube clip
http://youtu.be/dAwoAw03q2Y
December 1st, 2013, 5:12 pm
Syrian said:
الدكتور فيصل القاسم
40 minutes ago
أخطر تطور عسكري اليوم في سورية وقع في درعا المنطقة الجنوبية من سورية بسقوط كتيبة التسليح، بينما يدور الصراع الآن على كتيبة الكيمياء. وإذا سقطت، سيكون لسقوط الكتيبتين مفاعيل خطيرة جداً على المنطقة الجنوبية عموماً كما يقول البعض. ولا ندري صحة هذا الكلام.
December 1st, 2013, 5:17 pm
ALAN said:
‘Threat to homeland is real’: FBI concerned over American fighters in Syria
http://rt.com/usa/american-fighters-syrian-war-539/
US security officials warn of the threat coming from American citizens fighting alongside anti-Assad jihadist rebels in Syria – and might return to the US radicalized, experienced and ready to attack.
maybe Mr. Landis to offer them heat seeking toys to play in the democratic game !
December 1st, 2013, 5:17 pm
Tara said:
Syrian
Thanks for the Film Hindi script….has been long long time since I watched one. A song is missing though and a female hero, may be a made-up mother angus? I just can’t picture her in a movie without make up. No one will come.,
Jokes aside, I haven’t been following Deraa battle recently, but someone today mentioned to me that Assad shabeeha has been almost annihilated from the south. Is that true?
December 1st, 2013, 5:29 pm
ALAN said:
Increasing strain in the US-Saudi Relations
The gap between the US and Saudia is widening, and the “strategic alliances” has thus been pushed to its limits. The way things are unfolding, particularly, in and around the Middle East, with the seeming rise of Jordan as a new ‘regional power’, are likely to further damage the US-Saudia bilateral relations.
December 1st, 2013, 5:32 pm
Syrian said:
The leader of Banyas shabihas who was one those responsible for Banayas and Albayda massacres has been eliminated in one of the 2 great battles of Ghouta and Qalmouns
الاسم الكامل له “علي وجيه شدود” وقد نعته الصفحات المؤيدة بصفته “أسد الدفاع الوطني”، حيث كان يشغل منصب زعيم الشبيحة (الجيش الوطني!)، في بانياس وريفها، وهو أحد المتورطين في مجزرتي البيضا ورأس النبع في بانياس، التي راح ضحيتها مئات الأبرياء ذبحا.
وفوق ذلك فإن “علي وجيه شدود” هو متزعم شبكة قراصنة النظام في الساحل، والمسؤول عن صفحات الشبيحة في محافظة طرطوس.
وقد قالت صفحات ثورية إن “علي وجيه شدود” قضى اليوم الثلاثاء 11/26/ 2013 في القلمون، وبعضها قال إنه قتل في معارك الغوطة.
ويتحدر “علي وجيه شدود من قرية “خربة السناسل” التابعة لبانياس في الساحل
http://m.facebook.com/l.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fattribution_link%3Fu%3D%252Fwatch%253Fv%253DXxZ2g67mDbM%2526feature%253Dshare%26a%3DJ9U-qNgx_7zytKELFXTdbw&h=7AQHsR0La&enc=AZOOVorgois8CV11gEqlv8qPud-I3foXPckPiqlw8x-FjVGXe-BdJXyB-qqVjDRPIeijxfF3fRgJzcQKmCJTYdTRX5J7HDROxoLysiFAsfPZaNjc0NEaYcdOIGr5Xb5WVPpkQrgEp8nhHMRImhjTYT2GHKH_Mp53KyboYcTSRUzB3Umfky1zXE-1FvqFPhSsYXPeQs9oAOieknvLi6iHpfUq&s=1
December 1st, 2013, 5:35 pm
ALAN said:
The indefatigable, fiery Jonathan Azaziah debuts “Solidarity (Global South Anthem)”, the latest single off of his debut album “Son Of Kufa Volume 1: Rise Of The Anomaly” and uses it as the backdrop to update the world on the Iranian, Syrian, Lebanese, Russian, Zimbabwean, Latin American and Palestinian fronts of the worldwide resistance to the plots of the US-Israeli Empire.
http://youtu.be/X-sPgcuz2mo?t=1s
December 1st, 2013, 6:09 pm
Syrian said:
Tara, you know in the shabiha world everything is possible, from mother shabiha defending the regime while she was visiting Israel then claiming the recent Ghouta victories are due to the help of Israel, killing and capturing hundreds of Shia fighters from Lebanon and Iraq is a reason for our “disappointment”
Any of these events can be a great Indian movie plot.although I imagine in the case of the “kamikaze pilot” they would use Bushra from Dubai by skypeing from the beach with the pilot and the recently widowed Michellen Azzar as the other woman fighting for his love and in the shadows mother shabiha promising the soon to die pilot a randevu in Shabih heaven, of course while all are dancing to Ali Deek
Now seriously,About Dara’a the YouTube clip I put speaks for itself about the numbers of shabihas that were caught today
December 1st, 2013, 6:19 pm
SYRIAN HAMSTER said:
remember the rebels who recently surrendered their weapons according to one dog-poop head-wrap laureate on this site. It turned out they were more desperate (i mean the rebels) than many of us would like to admit.
December 1st, 2013, 6:50 pm
Tara said:
Syrian,
The film must have 2 sides, existentialism and spirituality. It must appeal to emotions,,,
Existentialism is the core. A pilot is lost between two widows. Both lost Shabeeh husbands by the war. Both want the pilot. He is torn. He can’t choose. It is affecting his performance. Suddenly, a heat- seeking missile provided by the guided king of the guided kingdom strike him just a second before performing the SA usual heroic acts of throwing barrel bombs on elementary school while school in session. As he is injured, spirituality takes place. Mother shabeeha is lurking in the background, carrying a baby satan, walking in a similar pattern to the female figured- satan walking in Mil Gibson Passion of the Christ. She gives him a yellow smile. She is trying to lure the pilot to become a Shabeeh hero, encouraging him to go ahead , despite his wound to throw this barrel bomb on the school children and to die as a hero…
December 1st, 2013, 7:05 pm
Sami said:
…
December 1st, 2013, 7:09 pm
Ghufran said:
Leaks about how Geneva 2 talks will be organized:
صحيفة “الحياة” اللندنية قالت أن “أحد السيناريوهات المقترحة في مؤتمر جنيف 2 أن يتوسط المبعوث الدولي الأخضر الابراهيمي ونائب الأمين العام للأمم المتحدة للشؤون السياسية جيفري فيلتمان في المفاوضات بين ممثلي النظام والمعارضة في سوريا لتشكيل حكومة انتقالية بصلاحيات كاملة بعد اتفاق الأطراف على جدول الأعمال”.
وأوضحت أن “التفاهم الأميركي – الروسي للمؤتمر الدولي تضمّن دعوة وزراء خارجية الدول الدائمة العضوية في مجلس الأمن ونحو 25 وزيراً آخر، بحيث تتضمن الجلسة الافتتاحية في 22 كانون الثاني المقبل خطابات لكل من الأمين العام للأمم المتحدة بان كي مون والابراهيمي ووزير الخارجية الأميركي جون كيري ونظيره الروسي سيرغي لافروف وممثل الحكومة السورية وزير الخارجية وليد المعلم وممثل وفد المعارضة بين رياض سيف أو أحمد الجربا، في ضوء نتائج اجتماعات هيئة الرئاسة لـ”الائتلاف” في منتصف كانون الثاني المقبل”.
ولفتت المصادر إلى ان “اليوم الثاني من المؤتمر يتضمن بدء المفاوضات، حيث ينتقل الوفدان المفاوضان إلى غرفة أخرى، ليقوم الابراهيمي وفيلتمان بنقل الرسائل بين الطرفين عبر الحديث حصراً إلى رئيسي الوفدين للاتفاق على جدول الأعمال، بحيث يكون فيلتمان مقرر المحادثات لرفع المحاضر إلى الأمم المتحدة بعد الاتفاق على المبادئ الأساسية التي ستتناولها المفاوضات بين الفريقين”.
Riyad Saif seems like a better choice to head the NC but the opposition may not have a unified team. Both sides are raising certain unattainable demands to please their audience but the reality will be different if you believe the assumption that the USA and Russia want a deal and not just a PR event.
My favorite part is Rifaat Alassad’s request to be represented as part of the opposition.
December 1st, 2013, 8:03 pm
Syrian said:
Tara, the plot is getting too thick to the average simple minded shabih in Syria, while one or two of SC shabiha will get the ending. I doubt the general shabih population would get it, so while your version might get critical acclaim by the shabiha higher-ups and get the shabiha’s Oscar it will be a box office disaster.
Ali Deek with gun shots in background is a must, and I suggest that mother shabiha is the actual mother of the baby she is carrying and the pilot is father, the baby will reresent the future of shabihastan.
December 1st, 2013, 8:15 pm
Ghufran said:
According to Rasoul Mahmoud Zakaria ( Homs ), dr Muhammad Al- Muhammad ( Baba Amr then Jobar) who was on GCC media asking for “medical supplies” was in charge of extracting human organs that were stored in bio containers then sent to Ariha ( and possibly Turkey as a final destination) to be sold in the black market.
Next time you see a Turk choosing Syrian sweets over Turkish delights or speaking with a Syrian accent ask him if he had a recent transplant. This war will be remembered not just by how many Syrians died but also by how savage and brutal people were when they dealt with human lives and dead bodies, foreigners will think ” head cutters” every time Syria’s name comes to a discussion.
December 1st, 2013, 8:28 pm
don said:
hehehehehe!
Turkey deports 1,100 European fighters: report
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/world/2013-12/02/c_132933211.htm
ISTANBUL, Dec. 1 (Xinhua) — Turkey deported 1,100 European citizens who came to Turkey to join al-Qaida groups fighting in Syria to their home countries, local Haberturk daily reported on Sunday.
The report said Ankara has sent a report to Germany, Belgium, France and the Netherlands, which the fighters mainly came from.
Turkey arrested these European citizens with the help of the National Intelligence Organization, Gendarmerie forces and police units in 41 operations in 2013, the report said, adding there are still around 1,500 European citizens who want to go to Syria and fight on the front lines along with al-Qaida.
…
December 1st, 2013, 8:31 pm
Ghufran said:
Kurds now want an independent province within a future federation in Syria:
أعلن زعيم “حزب الاتحاد الديموقراطي” صالح مسلم، أكبر مجموعة مسلحة كردية في سوريا، أن الحزب يسعى إلى قيام إقليم كردي مستقل في إطار سوريا فدرالية، مشيراً إلى أن لجنة تعد دستوراً لهذا الإقليم.
December 1st, 2013, 8:57 pm
Tara said:
The heroic tradition of the Assad army: click a bottom and throw a barrel bomb on civilians.
سقط اليوم الأحد مزيد من القتلى جراء قصف قوات النظام ولليوم الثاني على التوالي مدينة الباب بريف حلب شمال سوريا باستخدام البراميل المتفجرة، وقال ناشطون إن مسلحي المعارضة تمكنوا من تحقيق تقدم في درعا، فيما تواصلت الاشتباكات بمنطقة القلمون بريف العاصمة دمشق، ووثق ناشطون سقوط أكثر من ألفي قتيل في نوفمبر/تشرين الثاني المنصرم.
وقال ناشطون إن 26 شخصا قتلوا في القصف الذي استهدف وسط مدينة الباب اليوم، وذكر المرصد السوري لحقوق الإنسان أن من بين القتلى امرأتين وأربعة أطفال، وعبر عن مخاوفه من ارتفاع حصيلة القتلى لوجود عدد كبير من الإصابات الخطيرة والمفقودين تحت الأنقاض.
وشنت طائرات النظام أمس السبت غارات على السوق التجاري في مدينة الباب، أسفرت عن مقتل 29 شخصا، بينهم سبع نساء وطفلة. وتتعرض مدينة الباب وأحياء وقرى أخرى في مدينة حلب يومياً لغارات جوية مكثفة منذ أكثر من أسبوع.
وذكر المرصد السوري أن المروحيات استخدمت البراميل المتفجرة في غارتي السبت والأحد. وتتهم المعارضة السورية وحكومات دول غربية ومنظمات حقوقية النظام السوري بإلقاء براميل متفجرة على أهداف مدنية، ووصفت الخارجية الأميركية هذه البراميل في وقت سابق بأنها “قنابل حارقة تحتوي مواد قابلة للاشتعال يمكن مقارنتها بالنابالم”.
وذكر المرصد السوري أن اشتباكات دارت بين قوات النظام ومسلحي المعارضة في منطقة حلب القديمة مع تعرض مناطق في بلدة دير حافر لقصف الطيران الحربي.
December 1st, 2013, 9:00 pm
don said:
YAWN!
Syria membership in Arab League to be restored after Geneva-2 deal reached – Secretary General
http://rt.com/news/syria-arab-league-membership-561/
December 1st, 2013, 9:09 pm
Syrian said:
According to SANA the regime mouthpiece after the arrest of Rasoul Mahmoud Zakaria he confessed (under touter of course )and accused one of the few doctor that stayed behind in Homs to treat the wounded to selling humans parts,
I can not even imagine the helpless situation he is now, I pray his agonies be over very soon.
القسم : سياسة – محلي
عاجل – سانا
أقر الإرهابي رسول محمود زكريا أحد عناصر ميليشيا “الجيش الحر” من بلدة كفرعايا في حمص بقيامه بعدد من الأعمال الإجرامية بحق عدد من المواطنين من قتل وخطف إضافة إلى مشاركته بعدة عمليات سرقة أعضاء بشرية والمتاجرة بها.
وأشار المدعو زكريا الذي ألقت الجهات المختصة القبض عليه إلى أنه ارتكب جرائم قتل لمواطنين قرب بلدة كفرعايا وقام بنقلها إلى مشفى ميداني في بلدة جوبر القريبة الذي كان يشرف عليه “الدكتور” محمد المحمد ليقوم بانتزاع أعضاء من أجساد المواطنين القتلى ويضعها في برادات صغيرة ثم نقلها بسيارة إلى أريحا بريف إدلب وتسليمها لأشخاص محددين هناك.
واعترف زكريا بأنه قام بعشر عمليات نقل أعضاء بشرية إلى أريحا، مبيناً أن “الدكتور محمد ظهر عدة مرات على قنوات فضائية وهو يطلب العون للمجموعات الإرهابية أثناء معالجته لأفرادها أثناء ملاحقة الجيش للمسلحين في منطقة بابا عمرو”.
وذكر الإرهابي زكريا أن الأعضاء التي كانت تسرق يشمل أغلبها “كلى وأكباد ومفاصل”.
من جهته قال الإرهابي ابراهيم محمد الجاموس إنه كان يعمل سائقا لصهريج و”شارك في نقل ذخيرة وتهريب مازوت وإدخال مواد كيميائية للمسلحين في تلبيسة إضافة إلى إدخال ذخيرة من تركيا وتوزيعها على المسلحين في القصير وتلبيسة وحمص القديمة”.
وأقر المدعو الجاموس بأن أحد متزعمي المسلحين طلب منه الذهاب إلى تركيا لإدخال أسلحة وذخيرة وعند وصوله إلى المكان المحدد في تركيا “طلب منه ثلاثة أشخاص أتراك مرافقة سيارات تركية محملة بكمية من الغالونات ذات اللون الأزرق إلى داخل الأراضي السورية”.
وذكر الإرهابي الجاموس أنه تأكد فيما بعد أن “الغالونات كانت تحوي مواد كيميائية وأنه تم إيصالها إلى بلدة تلبيسة حيث أشرف خبير تركي على إفراغها وقام بتوزيع كمامات على المسلحين الذين شاركوا في عملية الإفراغ” مضيفا إنه قام بنقل كمية من المواد الكيميائية إلى معمل لتصنيع الصواريخ المحلية داخل تلبيسة.
December 1st, 2013, 9:10 pm
Ghufran said:
According to UN sources, Iran will be given a seat at Geneva 2
December 1st, 2013, 9:19 pm
Syrian said:
So it seems that all the talk about the new Emir of Qatar asking for a new relation with Hizboola is jus talk. In a long over due step Qatar kicks out up to 30 of Hizboola supporters
قطر ترحل لبنانيين شيعة: تبليغ 8 وحديث عن 30شخصا
المجموعة: تحت الضوء نشر بتاريخ الإثنين, 02 كانون1/ديسمبر 2013 01:07
تلقّى عدد من اللبنانيين الذين يعملون في قطر اتصالات تطلب منهم الحضور إلى «مكتب البحث والمتابعة» في وزارة الداخلية القطرية. ولدى وصولهم، تم إبلاغهم بضرورة التواصل سريعاً مع كفلائهم في قطر، والعمل على القيام بإجراءات سريعة لمغادرة البلاد خلال مدة تراوحت بين أسبوع وشهر، بحسب الوضع الاجتماعي لكل منهم.
وتبيّن من اللائحة أن العدد الفعلي للبنانيين المطلوب مغادرتهم قد يتجاوز لائحة الـ 8 كما ورد الى بيروت. وقال متابعون إن الحديث الفعلي هو عن ثلاثين لبنانياً وخمسة سوريين، من الذين ترد على بياناتهم الشخصية أنهم يتبعون «المذهب الشيعي أو الجعفري»، وليس بينهم أحد من «أتباع مذاهب أو ديانات أخرى»، بحسب ما قال مصدر معني في الدوحة.
وحضر أكثر من كفيل قطري إلى وزارة الداخلية، ونجح بعضهم في تمديد مهلة الإنذار لأسابيع إضافية، لكن الأمر يقتصر على المتزوجين فقط.
السفير اللبناني في قطر، حسن نجم، ظل طوال نهار أمس يتلقّى اتصالات من اللبنانيين المشمولين بالقرار، وهو طلب إمهاله بعض الوقت لمعرفة التفاصيل، وقد أبلغ وزارة الخارجية في بيروت بما وصله من معلومات، كما تلقّت قيادتا حزب الله وحركة أمل المعلومات نفسها.
ولفت مصدر في الدوحة إلى أن جميع مَن تلقّوا طلبات المغادرة هم من الذين دخلوا إلى قطر منذ نهاية عام 2006، وأن بعضهم يحتل مراكز مرموقة في مؤسسات قطرية، إعلامية واقتصادية، وفي شركات خاصة أيضاً.
وقال وزير الخارجية والمغتربين في حكومة تصريف الأعمال عدنان منصور لـ«الأخبار» إنّ «المعنيين في لبنان تبلغّوا قرار ترحيل خمسة لبنانيين، عبر السفارة اللبنانية في قطر، لا عبر السلطات القطرية، أحدهم بسبب إعطائه شيكات من دون رصيد، أما الباقون فسيُرحّلون من دون ذكر الأسباب». وأتى هذا الإجراء بعد اتفاق وزراء الداخلية في دول مجلس التعاون الخليجي الخميس الماضي على «اتخاذ مزيد من الإجراءات ضد مصالح حزب الله اللبناني في دول المجلس وضد المتعاونين معه»، وتكليف فريق عمل مختص لوضع اللوائح. وأشار منصور لـ«الأخبار» إلى أن «الذين سيعودون لا علاقة لهم بأي نشاط حزبي»، كما أن القرار «اتخذ في قطر وحسب، ولم نتبلّغ قراراً مماثلاً من أي دولة خليجية أخرى»، مؤكداً «أننا في صدد جمع المعطيات لمعالجة الموضوع عبر القنوات الدبلوماسية».
December 1st, 2013, 9:39 pm
Syrian said:
Now it is Russian’s turn to go back home in a body bag.the Aleppo fighters say the killed Alexey Maliuta a Russian mercenary fighting with the regime providing his photo ID
ثوار حلب ينشرون صورة ضابط روسي قاتل مع الأسد
المجموعة: سورية اليوم
العربية.نت – نشر ثوار حلب صورة لضابط روسي في صفوف نظام الأسد قتل في المعارك، فيما تواصلت المعارك في النبك في القلمون بريف دمشق بين الجيش الحر وقوات النظام وميليشيا حزب الله. وأفاد ناشطون بأن قوات النظام قصفت المنطقة بالمدفعية والصواريخ.
وفي حلب، أحبط الجيش الحر محاولات قوات النظام للتقدم في حي سيف الدولة ومناطق أخرى.
وفي دليل جديد على تورط عسكريين روس في القتال، أعلن مركز حلب الإعلامي أن قوات المعارضة نشرت صورة هوية لضابط روسي، قالوا أنه قُتل أثناء مشاركته مع قوات النظام في القتال ضد الثوار في السخنة بريف حلب الجنوبي.
وتظهر الهوية أن الضابط (Alexey Maliuta) يعمل مع شركة أمنية، حيث تحدثت وسائل إعلام عن مشاركة عسكريين روس في القتال مقابل مبالغ طائلة
December 1st, 2013, 9:51 pm
Syrian said:
A list of only the top officers in Assad’s militia that were eliminated in November2013
وزع ثوار سوريون قائمة بأسماء الصباط التابعين لبشار الأسد الذين قتلوا خلال شهر تشرين الثاني الماضي، وهم وفق اللائحة الموزعة:
اللواء بسام عبدالله
اللواء الركن عدنان إبراهيم
اللواء الركن فواز أصلان
اللواء الركن محمد وجيه سلطون
اللواء الطيار سهيل أحمد عكرة
اللواء المهندس هيثم الكنج
اللواء انور العبد الله
اللواء علي أيوب نصر
اللواء هاشم فايز عاشور
العميد ابراهيم ميهوب ميهوب
العميد احمد سليمان غانم
العميد الركن الطيار اصف سليمان
العميد الركن الطيار أليف عيسى سليمان
العميد الركن الطيار إحسان كحل
العميد الركن الطيار بسام عبد الكريم مكارم
العميد الركن الطيار قيس توفيق سليمان
العميد الركن المظلي أمين مخيبر ديوب
العميد الركن المظلي عدنان ديب
العميد الركن حسن عبدالله الابراهيم
العميد الركن عدنان ابراهيم
العميد الركن علي كامل غانم
العميد الركن علي محمد عثمان
العميد الركن فيصل الحمود
العميد الركن محسن فارس القاضي
العميد الركن منير شاهين
العميد الركن نضال كامل رحال
العميد الطيار أسعد ميهوب سليمان
العميد الطيار بســــام عبد
العميد الطيار بسام عبد الكريم مكارم
العميد الطيار دريد أسعد قشعور
العميد الطيار علي حسن علي
العميد الطيار مظهر وسوف
العميد الطيار ميسر يونس ونوس
العميد الطيار يائل الكنج
العميد المظليي تميم عارف تامر
العميد ايمن كامل رحال
العميد ايمن محمد ابراهيم
العميد أحمد علي ابراهيم
العميد تـمـيـم عـبـد اللـه
العميد تيسير كحيلة
العميد حـكـيـم أحـمـد
العميد حكيم أحمد
العميد صالح نهاد عباس
العميد عبد الكريم علي حسن
العميد عبد الهادي آت
العميد عدنان يوسف غانم
العميد علي شاهين شاهين
العميد علي كامل غانم
العميد عماد عباس الكنج
العميد عمار يحيى
العميد فؤاد عبد الرحمن
العميد مأمون علي حمدان
العميد محسن داؤود
العميد محمد أنيس يوسف
العميد محمد غدير علي
العميد محمود درويش
العميد مظهر علي اسماعيل
العميد معن علي أبو أسعد
العميد نضال رحال
العميد هيثم اليونس
العميد ياسر سلمان شعبان
العميدالركن محمد عبدالله
العميد الركن إبراهيم أسعد عيسى
العقيد احمد عصفور
العقيد اسماعيل اسماعيل
العقيد اسماعيل محمود اسماعيل
العقيد الركن الطيار المظلي نزار سعيد اسبر
العقيد الركن الطيار منير أحمد ابراهيم
العقيد الركن المظلي ابراهيم عزيز ابراهيم
العقيد الركن المظلي علي أحمد قاسم
العقيد الركن أحمد محمود سليم
العقيد الركن حسن عبد الله قاسم
العقيد الركن سامر أحمد حسين
العقيد الركن عماد عباس
العقيد الطيار احمد ديوب
العقيد الطيار اياد عيسى صالح
العقيد الطيار أسعد سليـمان
العقيد الطيار إياد علي
العقيد الطيار حافـظ إبراهــيم المقــداد
العقيد الطيار حسان سلمان نده
العقيد الطيار حسن عبد الله القاسم
العقيد الطيار غالب علي علي
العقيد الطيار مازن عبد الرحمن
العقيد الطيار مأمون علي حمدان
العقيد الطيار مطيع حسن سليمان
العقيد المظلي عمار جودت اسماعيل
العقيد المظلي يوسف معلا
العقيد المهندس محمد موسى.
العقيد امتثال علي صالح
العقيد آصف محمد أحمد
العقيد أسـعد عـلي
العقيد إياد حسن
العقيد إياد عباس
العقيد باسم عثمان
العقيد باسم محمود حمد
العقيد بسام سعيد حسن
العقيد بلال عطية
العقيد جلال جابر عمار
العقيد جهاد يونس القدور
العقيد حسن عزيز سلوم
العقيد خالد هرشوش
العقيد رامي مطيع شهيره
العقيد زبيدة عبد الحميد ديب
العقيد سمير نايف سلوم
العقيد صلاح جميل عمران
العقيد طلال طحطوح
العقيد عبد اللطيف غانم
العقيد علي اسعد غالية
العقيد علي خضر
العقيد غياث ابراهيم جمالة
العقيد غياث قاسم
العقيد فادي محمد علي
العقيد فداء شاهين
العقيد مازن محمد عبد الرحمن
العقيد محمد الأحمد
العقيد محمد فاضل
العقيد محمد محمود احمد
العقيد نشأت صبيح
العقيد نضال صالح مخلوف
العقيد وسيم توفيق ديب
العقيد وعد تمين سلطان
العقيد يعرب عزيز ديب
العقيد يوسف معلا
December 1st, 2013, 10:18 pm
Syrian said:
The known names of Hizboola terrorists killed in Syria in November 2013
وسقط لـ”حزب الله” عشرات القتلى في سوريا في شهر تشرين الثاني، عرف منهم
خليل نصرالله، علي مسلم وهبة، وسام شرف الدين، حسين علي رغدا، مجد فؤاد الحاج حسن، رضا علي قانصوه، صلاح يوسف، ذو الفقار عزالدين، بلال حسن حاطوم، علي عز الدين هزيم، علي اسكندر، حيدر كالوت، محمد علي الحاج علي، عباس محمد ادريس، حسن رغدة، محسن كمال الفن، حسين علي علوش، حسام نسر، قاسم حرب، جعفر رعد، صلاح الدين يوسف، حسن نعمة، حسين عصام شبلي، رضا قاسم زهوي، حسن محمد مرعي، يوسف ناجي، علي شبيب محمود، أحمد كامل خريس، حسن علي ادريس، يوسف حلمي حلاوي، حسن صالح مصطفى، علي نايف طليس، حسين غالب مطر، حسن ناصر الدين، أسعد احمد بزال، زهير شوقي سلامة، حسن اسماعيل زلغوط، محمد حسين حسين ( ابو زهراء)، أحمد سلوم، عفيف مرتضى، أكرم صادق حوراني، أحمد حسن حرب، موسى أحمد صقر، مهدي ياغي، ابراهيم سامي مسلماني، عباس منير مرعي، حسام الزركلي، حسن بدر الدين مظلوم، محمد نور الدين، عباس علي ترحيني، عبد الله خليل، حسين محمد حسين، علي الهادي، ماجد دندش، حسين دشوني، عباس حلال، محمد علي، أسد بكري، طلال قاسم جزيني، حسين محمد نذر، محمد مهدي ياغي، بهاء الدين علي يوسف، محمد قاسم سلمان، علي جعفر ركين، محمد حسين ركين، حسن محمد حمادي، علي كامل رقة، محمد مصطفى الشحوري، حسين حمزة، علي مرتضى، عدنان بدوي، محمد المقداد. — via Zakwan Baaj
December 1st, 2013, 10:27 pm
zoo said:
The Arab League replies to Jarba’s announcement that the Syrian seat will go the SNC’s ‘interim governement’
Syria membership in Arab League to be restored after Geneva-2 deal reached – Secretary General
….
http://rt.com/news/syria-arab-league-membership-561/
RT: When will Syria resume its membership in the League?
NE: This will happen when certain changes take place in Syria after the Geneva conference and when we see concrete results. The idea of the Geneva conference is based on an agreement between the government and the opposition. As soon as this happens, Syria’s membership in the League will be resumed.
‘We’d be burying our head in the sand if we were to ignore the need to support the opposition’
RT: Why is it that you don’t receive certain members of external and internal opposition in preparation for the Geneva II conference?
NE: We had a meeting in Cairo in August 2012, where we had about 250 people from Syria, representing all sorts of opposition groups, both internal and external. The opposition delegation at the conference should represent all internal and external groups, regardless of whether it is the Free Syrian Army or any other group. We are willing to organize a meeting in Cairo where everybody’s interest will be taken into account.
RT: Why is it that you did not invite, say, the National Coordination Committee?
NE: You see, we have the League Council in the League of Arab States, and the Council has decided that it is the Syrian National Coalition who represents the Syrian opposition today. If the National Coordination Committee, or any coordination committees, want to join in, they are welcome. We will not determine who should represent Syria. The League Council has recognized the Coalition as the legitimate representative of the Syrian people. The Secretary General has to follow the Council’s decisions.
December 1st, 2013, 10:55 pm
zoo said:
Turkey changes its mind and offers a poisoned present to Europe for Xmas.
Turkey deports 1,100 European fighters
http://www.china.org.cn/world/2013-12/02/content_30766376.htm
December 1st, 2013, 10:56 pm
zoo said:
A special message for Jarba, Idriss, Fabius and other dreamers
A Syria solution must have Assad’s blessing: Minister
AFP , Sunday 1 Dec 2013
http://english.ahram.org.eg/NewsContent/2/8/87988/World/Region/A-Syria-solution-must-have-Assads-blessing-Ministe.aspx
No solution proposed at Syria peace talks next month will be implemented without President Bashar al-Assad’s approval, the deputy foreign minister said in remarks published Sunday.
“The Syrian (government) delegation at Geneva will be working under Assad’s directives, and any solutions proposed will have no impact unless Assad approves of them,” Faisal Muqdad said in remarks in the Syrian press.
He lashed out at Western calls for Assad to step down, saying the president “represents Syria’s sovereignty and unity”.
December 1st, 2013, 11:37 pm
zoo said:
Bashar al Assad accuses Saudi Arabia of making Geneva II conference useless
Assad: Our Battle With Saudi Is Open-Ended
http://english.al-akhbar.com/content/assad-our-battle-saudi-open-ended
Ten days ago, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad met with a delegation of party leaders and politicians from Arab countries. He said unequivocally: The battle will continue as long as Saudi Arabia continues to “back terrorism,” and the flow of extremist fighters, money, and arms into Syria continues.
…
He added, “Saudi Arabia and other countries are strong backers of terrorism. They have dispatched tens of thousands of takfiris to the country, and Saudi Arabia is paying up to $2,000 as a monthly salary to all those who take up arms on their side.”
Assad said, “There is another problem, related to al-Qaeda’s infiltration through the border with Iraq. This is something that the authorities in Baghdad are cracking down on but not entirely with success. Consequently, stopping Saudi support would have a decisive impact, especially since the militants and those behind them have been caught by surprise by our army’s capacity to confront them. Now, we know, and the whole world knows that al-Qaeda does not pose a threat to Syria alone. We hope for rational solutions in the coming months, but the issue is also contingent upon our ability to confront those, and we are determined to fight them until the end.”
The [Saudis] gave cover to the Camp David agreement, supported the war on Lebanon in 1982, and today, they are engaged in an open-ended war against Syria. We are now openly saying that we are at war with them.
The Syrian president then told his audience, “In light of the situation on the ground, we do not believe that it is possible to reach a settlement soon. As long as fighters, weapons, and funds continue to be sent across the border into Syria, we will not stop pursuing them. No one in the world can stop us exercising our right to defend our country. Moreover, today, we find little that can be agreed upon in Geneva, especially since some wrongly believe that we are going there to hand over power to them.”
December 1st, 2013, 11:43 pm
zoo said:
Coincidence? the four GCC countries that depends of the USA military for their protection announce a new currency pegged to the dollar against common sense
Dubai: Four Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries will announce the introduction of a common currency by the end of December, a Bahraini daily reported on Sunday.
The common currency to be announced by Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar and Saudi Arabia will be pegged to the dollar, a source told Akhbar Al Khaleej.
“The decision to peg the Gulf currency to the dollar is political and is not related to the economy,” the source said.
From an economic point of view, it would have been better to peg the new currency to a basket of currencies because the volume of trade of the Gulf states with the countries of the European Union is much larger than that of their commerce with the United States. Gulf exports of oil to the European Union are estimated to constitute about 70 per cent of European imports,” the source said.
December 1st, 2013, 11:51 pm
Ghufran said:
Congratulations,
The sharia authority in Aleppo decided that lawyers are not necessary:
(Source : aksalser)
أصدرت هيئة ” محامو حلب الأحرار ” بياناً أدانت فيه تعميم الهيئة الشرعية في حلب حول شروط قبول وكالة المحامين.
و قالت هيئة المحامين في بيانها : ” إن إلغاء مهنة المحاماة يدل على جهل فاضح بحق الدفاع المصون بالشرعية الإسلامية ( الوكالة بالخصومة ) :
و قررت هيئة المحامين التوقف عن المرافقة أمام الهيئة و المحاكم الشرعية في حلب، و طالبت جميع المحامين و القضاة الانسحاب من الهيئة الشرعية.
و كانت الهيئة الشرعية في حلب أعلنت رفضها قبول وكالة أي محام إلا بعد اعتماده كوكيل من قبلها.
December 2nd, 2013, 1:01 am
Syrian said:
Hafez Assad had vanished all real lawyers and judges and have not been seen since 1980
December 2nd, 2013, 2:50 am
mjabali said:
Observer:
Reading your comments is fun these days: keep on the good work. Not because of any worthy information (like when you want to convince us that the Gulf countries are going through an industrial revolution and an Enlightenment era had reached the Persian Gulf Countries) but just for the comedy in it.
But: I have a point about a phrase you used few times. You said that you want the Alawites to “get out of your hair.” Meaning: Alawites leave Damascus now and leave it to Observer, Tara, the non-peasant Syrian …etc and the rest of the Sunnis.
In your mind there should be no Alawites in Damascus. They should leave you alone. Pack their bags and leave. This is what you are saying.
You want the Alawites with your passive aggressive dismissive to “go back to the mountains.” Also meaning the Alawite has no place in the coastal cities.
This is laughable also because if we take the Kurds and the Turkmen from the Sunnis of the coast, we will have about ten Sunnis left. Amongst the ten Sunnis who left there would be 2 Sharkas and the rest you could never know where they came from.
Observer: فاقد الشيئ لايعطيه
Your family came to Syria about a hundred or two hundred years ago from Kurdistan. So, I understand why you will never recognize the existence of the Syrian identity.
If we look at the Alawites, one could find that they were not only in the cost but all over SYRIA. The Alawites were in Damascus and its surroundings, while your family was still in Kurdistan.
The Alawites are Syrians who were following something else before they became Alawties. Even my dog knows this.
Alawism spread all over Syria. Check with the records of your grandfather and see how many Alawite (and other minorities) villages did he destroy, burn, and loot around Damascus before you come and tell the Alawites to leave “Your city” and that there is no Syrian Identity.
December 2nd, 2013, 4:42 am
ALAN said:
ألأكراد :اسلام سنة و علويين ويزيديين و اكراد مسيحيون و يهود و وكاكيية ! أبزرفور ! اذا كنت كرديا فلا أنصحك بمحاولة قطع أصابعك !!!
December 2nd, 2013, 6:09 am
zoo said:
Let’s applaude another of the opposition achievement in their clear vision of Islamic Syria
Al-Qaeda Clears Christianity off Raqqa Church, Makes New Office
http://media.farsnews.com/media/Uploaded/Files/Images/1392/09/11/13920911000478_PhotoI.jpg
December 2nd, 2013, 8:00 am
zoo said:
“Welcome to Twitter Mr. Western Puppet”
Syrian opposition splintered ahead of peace talks
By BASSEM MROUE
http://www.ledger-enquirer.com/2013/12/02/2832950/syrian-opposition-splintered-ahead.html
BEIRUT — Within minutes of opening a Twitter account this past week, the leader of Syria’s main Western-backed opposition group received an onslaught of criticism.
“Welcome to Twitter Mr. Western Puppet,” one comment to Ahmad al-Jarba read. Others called him a Saudi stooge and scorned the opposition’s perceived ineffectiveness.
The comments reflect the deep disillusionment and distrust that many Syrians have come to feel toward the Syrian National Coalition, Syria’s main opposition group in exile. They also underline the predicament of who will represent the Syrian opposition at an upcoming peace conference in Geneva marking the first face-to-face meeting between Syria’s warring sides.
Read more here: http://www.ledger-enquirer.com/2013/12/02/2832950/syrian-opposition-splintered-ahead.html#storylink=cpy
December 2nd, 2013, 8:14 am
zoo said:
The pitfalls of Sunni political Islam
http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/the-politics-of-the-sunni-world-and-iran.aspx?pageID=449&nID=58839&NewsCatID=406
The problem with “political Islam” has not been about its reference to religion, but has all been about Islamism’s denunciation of the “freedoms of others” who might be non-practicing Muslims, as well as non-believers. In short, it was all about the definition of politics, on behalf of Islamists.
Islamists of all sorts define politics as a mechanism to impose values and rules on society, and it is a matter of defining politics in terms of authoritarianism. The theories of “Islamic democracy” could not go further than proposing a curious mixture of elective politics and a “politically correct way” of denouncing liberal, individual rights and freedoms.
….
Besides, it became clear that there are no clear boundaries between moderate political Islam and radicalism apart from the moderates’ official denunciation of violence. That is why the Muslim Brotherhood of Egypt and even al-Gannouchi of Tunisia could not dismiss radicals, Libya turned out to be the land of Islamist gangs, and the so-called moderate Islamist opposition of Syria could not compete with al-Qaida affiliated groups. Since moderate Islamist discourses as well as radical ones have a conspiratorial worldview and skepticism concerning values of democracy, rights and freedoms, radicalism has always been a more appealing rival.
December 2nd, 2013, 8:44 am
zoo said:
Any date for Jarba’s planned formal speech asking for the full Syria seat at the Arab League ?
Syria opposition to take full possession of Arab League seat
Nov 26 2013
http://www.arabnews.com/news/483401
..
The League subsequently granted the seat to the Coalition, which assumed it at a ceremony in March, but postponed full participation in the body’s activities until a provisional government was formed.
That has now been accomplished, and Jarba said he would be making a formal speech in the coming days to coincide with the Coalition becoming fully active in the body.
December 2nd, 2013, 8:51 am
Afram said:
“Balanche convincingly explains why the often-suggested existence of a Shi’i alliance or “Shi’i crescent” (consisting of Iran, Iraq, Syria and Lebanon) is a wrong (albeit increasingly popular) concept, as alliances are strategic and not ideological or religious”
The day the Saudis&Israel went ballistic..US,Iran>Nukes deal.
KSA was instrumental in advancing USA influence in the east, and the Arab and Muslim countries.They used money and Wahabism as instruments.
The purpose of such help was to maintain the Saud Family’s hold on power for as long as possible.In the absence of Communism , the”Suni faithful ” lost a big rallying point,and a Focus against atheism.With communism out of the way, they had to create a new threat to remain useful and the focus against Shia started. Iran was shiate long before the revolution, but it was OK with the Shah in Power, At the moment, and with the collapse of all their plans in SYRIA, and the blunders of the bearded ones in Egypt, the folly of depending on KSA to further influence events in the middle east came to zilch. with the demise of KSA as the largest oil producer in the world, due to the discovery of other sources in Russia, and the USA, and elsewhere, The economic value of KSA started to diminish.
the fact that the Hormuz straights makes the gulf oil passage a more risky outlet for gulf oil than from other sources, Protection of this passage became more expensive.
Israel’s failure to crush Hizballah in 2006 turned Israel,in the strategic sense from a valuable asset / protecting US interests in the Area,to an ALLY in need of protection,The Pragmatism in the USA policy planners,and after the evaluation of the facts on the ground,taking into consideration the changing factors in Russia, China, and even India led to a change in emphasis from the middle east to ASIA, where the returns on US interests are much higher per dollar invested. Israel, being run by a much more intelligent ruling circle, will draw the right conclusions and will adjust its policies accordingly and will weather the coming storm.
KSA however, does not have the brains nor the vision to see the handwriting on the wall, will not be able to make the necessary changes, and will eventually collapse. There are far more women in KSA that want to drive cars than there are women who want to fight a JIHAD. And far more Men would like to wear jeans than there are men who who want to blow themselves up. the trend of history is irreversible. While the KSA creation” Al Qaeda” get a lot of publicity,they are feared and hated by a vast Majority of Muslims all over the world. they are viewed as a mutation of the true Islam.
lower the Curtains the show has ended for the house of Saud!
December 2nd, 2013, 9:04 am
don said:
Free Syrian Army funded by US and Saudi Arabia – FSA warlord
http://voiceofrussia.com/news/2013_12_02/Free-Syrian-Army-funded-by-US-and-Saudi-Arabia-FSA-warlord-5758/
One of the commanders of Free Syrian Army (FSA), an opposition force in the country, said that the organization regularly meets with intelligence representatives of Western and Arab countries, reports RIA Novosti citing a Lebanese TV channel “Al-Mayadin”.
As Saddam al Jamal, head of the Eastern Front in FSA, says in a video posted on one of Syrian opposition websites, commanders occasionally meet with representatives of the intelligence agencies of Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Jordan, UK, France, and the United States.
“Officers of Arab and other intelligence agencies meet with FSA commanders and question their adherence [to one or another group] as well as ask them about extremist groups fighting in Syria,” says al Jamal. He also added that “these intelligence agencies dispatched spies in Syria and provide the FSA with information.”
According to the field commander, one of such meetings was attended by Saudi Arabia’s Deputy Defense Minister Salman bin Sultan and Intelligence chief Bandar bin Sultan. Intelligence chief “asked all of the FSA commanders to submit reports on Syrian military facility attacks and undertook a commitment to provide financial aid and weaponry for these operations.”
…
December 2nd, 2013, 9:49 am
don said:
FSA Leader Defects to ISIL and Exposes FSA as a Saudi-Israeli Run Project
December 2nd, 2013, 9:54 am
don said:
Free Syrian Army: from peasants to criminals
http://voiceofrussia.com/news/2013_12_02/Free-Syrian-Army-from-peasants-to-criminals-4318/
In three short years the Free Syrian Army commander had risen from peasant to war lord: from a seller of cigarettes on the street of a provincial village to the ruler of a province, with a rebel group to man his checkpoints and control these lucrative smuggling routes. Feeling the smooth wedge of American bank notes he had just been given in exchange, he was suddenly proud of everything he had become.
The FSA, a collection of tenuously coordinated, moderately Islamic, rebel groups was long the focus of the West’s hopes for ousting President Bashar al-Assad.
In northern Syria, the FSA has now become a largely criminal enterprise, with commanders more concerned about profits from corruption, kidnapping and theft than fighting the regime, according to a series of interviews with The Sunday Telegraph.
“There are many leaders in the revolution that don’t want to make the regime fall because they are loving the conflict,” said Ahmad al-Knaitry, commander of the moderate Omar Mokhtar brigade in the Jebel az-Zawiya area, south-west of Idlib city. “They have become princes of war; they spend millions of dollars, live in castles and have fancy cars.”
At the beginning of the Syrian war, cafés in Antakya, the dusty Turkish town on the border with Syria, was alive with talk of revolution.
Rebel commanders were often seen poring over maps discussing the next government target. Almost three years later the fight against Bashar al-Assad is long forgotten. Discussion now surrounds fears of the growing power of al-Qaeda’s Syrian outfit, the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, and the criminality and corruption that grips rebel-held areas.
With no overarching rule of law, every city, town and village comes under the control of a different commander.
“I used to feel safe travelling around Aleppo and in [the neighbouring] Idlib province,” said one Aleppo resident who works with a local charity to distribute food to civilians in the area. “Now I am afraid to leave the street outside my home. Every time you move you risk being robbed, kidnapped, or beaten. It all depends on how the men on the checkpoints you are crossing feel that day.”
Some fighting groups manage the transfer of crude oil from the field to the refinery and then to the border, others have simply set up checkpoints that impose levies on smuggler gangs.
“Three years ago the rebels really wanted to fight the regime,” said Ahmed, an opposition activist living in Raqqa, close to the country’s oil repositories.
Mahmoud, a rebel fighter from Jisr al-Shugour in Idlib, detailed the painful decline of his fighting unit. It is a story oft repeated across northern Syria. “We joined the revolution when men only had hunting shotguns to defend their villages. In the first months we liberated our town, took terrain and we were happy, we had a case to fight the regime. We were bringing freedom to our people,” he said.
In April this year, the mood started to turn. “People arrived who were not with the revolution, they were only interested in selling guns,” he said. “They called themselves FSA, but they had no interest in fighting Assad. They seized areas that were already free of the regime and set up checkpoints on roads there and started charging people for access.
At least 85 per cent of the fighting groups he used to know have started smuggling oil and cars, he said. Many had also turned to exploiting the finances of sponsors funding the war against Assad.
…
December 2nd, 2013, 10:04 am
Heads-up said:
Just so you may know, our well informed and highly reliable sources who work very hard, around the clock and behind the scenes authorized the release of the following very important heads up, in order to keep you up to date with current events.
In a nutshell, Zarif’s mullahstan has just started kissing the Guided Kingdom’s ass.
Zarif is acting on behalf of the Supreme Head Wrap so that he may gain audience with His Majesty, the Guided King, World wide Commander of the Faithful. The Supreme Head Wrap figures that he may gain legitimacy by sitting across The Guided Commander of the Faithful in one room.
The Guided Kingdom’s response was swift and straight to the point: Your words don’t mean a thing to us. You have proven to be low life scum bags of pathetic liars. We are looking at your deeds and they are ugly.
An audience with the Guided Commander of the Faithful is a no go for the Supreme Head Wrap or his Zarif.
December 2nd, 2013, 10:20 am
don said:
Syrian killed by Israeli troops in Golan Heights
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/world/2013-12/02/c_132935822.htm
JERUSALEM, Dec. 2 (Xinhua) — A Syrian gunman was reportedly killed in a brief exchange of fire with Israeli forces in the central Golan Heights on Monday morning.
Israeli troops patrolling the area came under small arms fire from across the interim border and returned fire, accurately hitting a target, the army said in a statement.
The Jerusalem Post said the incident took place near the Quneitra border crossing, where Syrian rebels and Syrian government forces continued to wage heavy battles on Monday.
The paper said the gunfire directed at the Israeli patrol was likely initiated from a Syrian army position. There were no casualties on the Israeli side.
Shortly before the incident, a mortar shell fired from Syria fell in Majdal Shams, a Druze village adjacent to the interim border fence in the northern Golan. The projectile, which exploded between two homes, caused no injuries or damage.
…
December 2nd, 2013, 11:18 am
mjabali said:
Mr. Afram: Hello first…
Nice logical REAL analysis..
December 2nd, 2013, 12:03 pm
Mina said:
Afram,
you say “KSA was instrumental in advancing USA influence in the east, and the Arab and Muslim countries.They used money and Wahabism as instruments.”
but it’s not through Wahabism they advanced USA influence, but with TV. Through Wahabism, they guaranteedto the USA that Islam would remain backward and/or tribal-local, or at least that was what the West believed.
December 2nd, 2013, 1:04 pm
zoo said:
Another great achievement of the rebels in their effort to ‘topple’ Bashar al Assad: taking nuns as hostages
Syria: Nuns taken hostage by armed gunmen says papal envoy
last update: December 02, 19:30
http://www.adnkronos.com/IGN/Aki/English/Security/Syria-Nuns-taken-hostage-by-armed-gunmen-says-papal-envoy_32938958733.html
”In the afternoon, armed gunmen stormed the Santa Tecla monastery in [the Christian town of] Maalula, taking the twelve nuns,” Mario Zenari told AKI.
December 2nd, 2013, 1:56 pm
Heads-up said:
UN declares Serpent head of Ass-head a war criminal
December 2nd, 2013, 2:03 pm
Heads-up said:
Why is Syria and the few other so-called progressive revolutionary states in the Middle East are SO BACKWARD, while the Guided Kingdom is so advanced?
Our knowledgeable benefactors pondered over this important question and made some far reaching observations.
They observed that while Syrians and other so-called revolutionaries were experimenting with misguided thoughts, mostly imported from misguided infidels, during the last couple centuries, the Guided Kingdom was busy building a Guided State based on the Guidance provided by His Eminence Shiekh Mohammad Ibn Abd Al-Wahhab, May Allah be Pleased with him and give him highest place in Paradise.
As a result, the Syrians and their so-called revolutionary comrades sunk head deep into misguidance which culminated in 1963 by the take over of the country by the low life scum bags of the Assads and the serpent heads.
Many Syrians became so misguided that at one point couldn’t distinguish between friend and foe, as many Syrians at one point considered the low life scum bags of hezboolla as so-called freedom fighters while events proven them avowed enemies of Syria and its people. Only those who lose the Guidance would fall into such deadly misjudgement.
On the other hand, we see that the Guided people of the Guided Kingdom never made such error of judgement, thank to the infallible Guidance they have been brought up into.
Fortunately, Syrians now have a chance to reclaim themselves and shun the misguided thoughts they have been made to follow, and instead learn from their Guided neighbors in order not to fall into such unforgivable errors once again
December 2nd, 2013, 2:31 pm
Syrialover said:
Any analysis that does not factor in the Assad regime’s alliance with Iran in Bashar’s survival is useless. (referring to lead post)
I’d like to see Nikolaos van Dam give it another try. As an experienced diplomatic with years of access to intelligence sources he could do much better than what he’s done above.
He and Balanche deferentially give the brutal, thuggish peasant Assad regime almost supernatural powers. Their sectarian analysis is an insult to any civilized, normal people who happen to be Alawi.
December 2nd, 2013, 2:32 pm
Uzair8 said:
Alison McKellar @AlisonMcKellar 30m
@AboudDandachi @kencampbell66 The opinions I care about most are those of refugees, and the vast majority say they want Assad gone
December 2nd, 2013, 2:36 pm
Uzair8 said:
Link to above tweet (#91):
https://twitter.com/AlisonMcKellar/status/407586053927612416
December 2nd, 2013, 2:52 pm
zoo said:
The accusations toward Syria’s ‘high level of governement’ is regularly trumpeted by Navy Pillay to hide the UN disatrous impotence in stopping the violence in Syria. It comes as increased pressure is needed on Bashar al Assad who is not ready to yield to the requests of resignation emitted by some Western influential member of the UN.
Many hypocrite members of UN have bloody hands.. Who are they to condemn the victims of their own evil manipulations?
December 2nd, 2013, 3:00 pm
Tara said:
Can you imagine when you were a child when people asked you what you want to be when you grow up that you would grow up to be a defender a war criminal?
December 2nd, 2013, 3:10 pm
zoo said:
“The UN never named or pointed directly at Bashar Al Assad”
“The names “remain sealed until I am requested to furnish them to credible investigation,” Pillay told reporters in Geneva, adding that “it could be a national investigation or international investigation.”
http://gulfnews.com/in-focus/syria/war-crimes-evidence-implicates-al-assad-un-1.1262477
The commission, tasked with probing rights violations in Syria since shortly after the conflict erupted in March 2011, has repeatedly accused the Syrian regime of crimes against humanity and war crimes.
It has said the rebels fighting Al Assad’s regime are also guilty of war crimes.
But the four-member team, headed by Brazilian Paulo Sergio Pinheiro and including former war crimes prosecutor Carla del Ponte, has never named names nor pointed directly at Al Assad.
The investigators – who without access to Syria have relied on more than 2,000 interviews in the surrounding region or by phone or Skype for their reports – have put together a long list of suspected perpetrators.
The names “remain sealed until I am requested to furnish them to credible investigation,” Pillay told reporters in Geneva, adding that “it could be a national investigation or international investigation.”
December 2nd, 2013, 3:21 pm
Uzair8 said:
Some observations regarding the image of Mother Agnes and Syrian Girl (SG) together.
https://twitter.com/Partisangirl/status/403946273750777856/photo/1
The Mother is a mountain of a woman. She’s hulking over SG though I always imagined SG to be quite tall.
Anyway, some preliminary investigation has revealed this image may have been taken at a recent audition for lead roles for an upcoming movie. ‘Big Momma’s House 4’ according to one source.
Apparently Martin Lawrence and Nia Long are commited to other filming projects at the moment and unavailable for the third sequal of the big comedy hit.
One unnamed source claims the idea was the brainchild of President Assad’s adviser Buthaina Shaaban and the daughter of Syrian UN envoy Sheherazad Jaafari.
The idea being to use the foot in the door of hollywood and the subsequent stardom to further promote the Regime’s cause.
December 2nd, 2013, 3:26 pm
zoo said:
Pressed after her dramatic accusations that were parroted in all the media, Navy Pillay corrects her statement that wrongly accused Bashar al Assad’s direct implication in war crimes
http://www.aawsat.net/2013/12/article55324247
….
Asked to clarify her remarks, she said: “Let me say that I have not said that a head of state is a suspect. I was quoting the fact-finding mission, which said that based on their facts, responsibility points at the highest level.”
…
Both the Syrian government and opposition groups appear to be imposing sieges on contested areas as “a form of collective punishment”, in violation of international humanitarian law, she said.
“Starvation as a method of warfare is prohibited,” she said. “Now I mentioned some of these very serious factors, because as we look at the indictments before the International Criminal Court, these are some of the acts for which leaders have been indicted.”
December 2nd, 2013, 3:31 pm
Uzair8 said:
Mother Agnes was a late replacement at the auditions for Walid Muallem who was (in the last minute) refused permission from the regime due to fear of defection.
December 2nd, 2013, 3:32 pm
zoo said:
Is Turkey now shooting at Syrian families who paid to human trafickers to go back to Syria?
Syrian Child killed as Turkish army fires at group crossing into Syria
KİLİS – Anadolu Agency
http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/child-killed-as-turkish-army-fires-at-group-crossing-into-syria.aspx?pageID=238&nid=58911&NewsCatID=352
A seven-year-old Syrian girl has been killed while trying to cross illegally from the Turkish province of Kilis into Syria, after Turkish soldiers opened fire.
A bouncing bullet hit and heavily wounded Ela Şık Nayıf after security guards opened warning fire, following verbal warnings, near a group of people detected in a forbidden area between Turkish and Syrian territory.
Nayıf was taken to Kilis Public Hospital, but she succumbed to her injuries.
Her father, Bekri Şık Nayıf, told reporters that they had paid money to human traffickers, adding that they had returned from Istanbul to return to Syria.
December 2nd, 2013, 4:09 pm
ALAN said:
Hulagu, Genghis Khan, Tamerlane News:
“The terrorist groups this morning attacked the archaeological town Maloula , It is the only town in the world that its inhabitants still speak the language of Jesus Christ, and carried out acts of sabotage affected churches and the homes of civilians security.”
“The terrorist groups stormed the monastery of Mar Takla monastery and the head of the detention – the mother Blajia Sayyaf and the number of nuns who work in the convent, and the orphanage’s targeted to the monastery of Mar Takla, which houses many of the children and orphans.”
http://youtu.be/Bot3sJDwkkE?t=3s
December 2nd, 2013, 4:50 pm
Heads-up said:
The UN MENTIONED Serpent Head of Ass-head by name as WAR CRIMINAL:
تقرير أممي يكشف تفاصيل جرائم حرب بسوريا
صحف أميركية: يجب وقف جرائم الأسد المروعة
صحف أميركية: الضربة لازمة لوقف جرائم الأسد
المعارضة السورية تدعو لحظر جوي
جروح سوريا لا تندمل باتفاق نزع الكيميائي
اتهام أممي للأسد بارتكاب جرائم حرب
بيلاي أكدت جمع كميات هائلة من الأدلة بشأن جرائم الحرب في سوريا (الفرنسية)
كشفت الأمم المتحدة للمرة الأولى وجود أدلة تشير إلى مسؤولية الرئيس السوري بشار الأسد في جرائم حرب وجرائم ضد الإنسانية في بلاده.
وقالت المفوضة السامية لحقوق الإنسان بالمنظمة الدولية نافي بيلاي -بمؤتمر صحفي في جنيف- إن لجنة التحقيق بشأن سوريا التابعة لمجلس حقوق الإنسان جمعت كميات هائلة من الأدلة بشأن جرائم حرب وجرائم ضد الإنسانية، وتشير تلك الأدلة إلى مسؤولية أشخاص بأعلى مستويات في الحكومة السورية بمن فيهم رئيس الدولة.
وطالبت المسؤولة الأممية بإجراء تحقيق قضائي وطني أو دولي يحظى بمصداقية يتيح محاكمة المسؤولين عن ارتكاب هذه الجرائم.
وتعليقا على ذلك قال كبير الباحثين في معهد واشنطن لدراسات الشرق الأدنى أندرو تابلر إن هذه الأدلة ذات مصداقية لاعتمادها على شهادات جمعت من مختلف أنحاء البلاد، وهي “تؤكد أن الأسد استخدم عملاء من إيران وحزب الله اللبناني، والأكثر من ذلك أن كل الجرائم التي نفذها النظام لا يمكن أن تتحقق دون معرفة الرئيس السوري شخصيا”.
وردا على سؤال عن ما إذا كانت تلك الأدلة مرتبطة بالمذبحة التي ارتكبتها قوات النظام السوري في الغوطة بريف دمشق واتهامها باستخدام السلاح الكيميائي فيها؟ قال إن ذلك بالتأكيد له صلة بذلك، ويشمل أيضا كل المذابح التي ارتكبت منذ بداية الثورة في سوريا.
The Serpent head of Ass-head is NOW A UN CERTIFIED WAR CRIMINAL.
December 2nd, 2013, 5:19 pm
ALAN said:
فايت بالحيط!
December 2nd, 2013, 6:02 pm
Tara said:
Good timing.
Announcing that Bashar Al Assad is a certified war criminal is a great step before Geneva II. This is a good card to use. If he insists to remain in power, he risks being tried at the Hague for war crimes.
—
On another note, I just discovered that my female cousin in Canada is a shabeeha. I couldn’t believe what she writes on her FB. She was the closest girl to me growing up. Her dad and mom are shabeehas too. What a criminal family!
December 2nd, 2013, 6:52 pm
Tara said:
أفاد المرصد السوري لحقوق الإنسان بأن عدد القتلى في الحرب السورية المستمرة منذ 33 شهرا قارب 126 ألفا غالبيتهم من المقاتلين المعارضين والقوات النظامية والمسلحين الموالين للحكومة، ونبه المرصد إلى أن العدد الفعلي قد يكون أعلى من ذلك بكثير لتكتم الطرفين على الأعداد الحقيقية لخسائر كل منهما.
وقال المرصد في بيان له اليوم إنه وثّق مقتل 125 ألفا و835 شخصا منذ انطلاق الثورة السورية منتصف مارس/آذار 2011 وحتى الأول من ديسمبر/كانون الأول الجاري.
المدنيون
وأوضح أن عدد القتلى المدنيين بلغ 44 ألفا و381 شخصا، بينهم 6627 طفلا و4454 امرأة.
وقضى في النزاع الدامي 27 ألفا و746 مقاتلا معارضا وخمسون ألفا و927 من عناصر القوات النظامية والمسلحين الموالين للحكومة.
وأشار المرصد إلى أن الضحايا من المقاتلين هم 19264 مدنيا حملوا السلاح ضد القوات النظامية و2221 جنديا منشقا عن هذه القوات، إضافة الى 6261 مقاتلا من جنسيات غير سورية أو مجهولي الهوية.
أما قوات النظام، فتتوزع بين 31174 جنديا نظاميا، و19256 عنصرا من اللجان الشعبية وقوات الدفاع الوطني، و232 مقاتلا من حزب الله اللبناني الذي يقاتل منذ أشهر إلى جانب النظام، إضافة إلى 265 مقاتلا في المليشيات الوافدة من دول أخرى.
المجهولون
كذلك، قال المرصد إنه وثق بالصور والأشرطة المصورة، مقتل 2781 شخصا مجهول الهوية. وأشار المرصد -الذي يتخذ من بريطانيا مقرا ويعتمد على شبكة من الناشطين والمصادر الطبية في مختلف الأراضي السورية- إلى أن المعتقلين والمفقودين في السجون التابعة للأجهزة الأمنية السورية يبلغ أكثر من 16 ألفا، إضافة إلى أكثر من خمسة آلاف معتقل من المقاتلين الموالين للنظام، تحتجزهم كتائب إسلامية وجهاديون مرتبطون بتنظيم القاعدة.
December 2nd, 2013, 7:22 pm
don said:
Radical jihadists fully control Christian town near Damascus: report
DAMASCUS, Dec. 2 (Xinhua) — Radical jihadists from al-Qaida groups on Monday fully controlled Syria’s Christian town of Maaloula north of the capital Damascus, the pan-Arab al-Mayadeen TV reported.
The armed radicals have fully controlled the town of Maaloula and started burning houses inside of it, the TV said, adding that the rebels have also kidnapped 16 nuns from Mar Thecla Monastery, the largest monastery in that key historic area.
Maaloula is one of the oldest cradles of Christianity in Syria.
Syria’s Foreign Ministry sent two identical letters on Monday to the chairman of the UN Security Council and the UN Secretary- General on the rebels’ attack against Maaloula town and the desecration of churches and houses.
“We call on the UN Security Council to condemn these terrorist acts in the strongest terms, and we call on the international community to shoulder its responsibilities and exert pressure on the countries which are supporting these groups to stop providing them with support,” the ministry said in the letter.
…
December 2nd, 2013, 8:47 pm
zoo said:
“Hassan Abdel Azim : “There are three main players: Istanbul (he means the SNC), the NCB and the Kurdish Democratic Union”
Istanbul claims to be the only opposition”
Syrian opposition remains divided on approach to Geneva peace talks
Foreign minister says Damascus government will attend next month’s conference
http://www.irishtimes.com/news/world/middle-east/syrian-opposition-remains-divided-on-approach-to-geneva-peace-talks-1.1614626
Veteran figure Hassan Abdel Azim has told The Irish Times that his Syria-based umbrella grouping, the National Co-ordination Body for Democratic Change (NCB) consists of 10 independent secular parties.
“There are three main players: Istanbul, the NCB and the Kurdish Democratic Union, ” he says. The NCB is the only internal opposition party to control a stretch of Syrian territory, a strategic band along the Turkish and Iraqi borders.
“We are prepared to go to Geneva in a unified delegation made up of individuals [not identified by factions]. But this is not realistic. Istanbul rejects this idea. Istanbul claims to be the only opposition,” he said.
“We were the first in Syria to support a political solution and reject a military solution. We’re against both the government and the rebels.”
…
Louay Hussein, co-founder of domestic opposition group, Building the Syrian State, adopts a different approach. He says he will attend the conference if Syrians have the leading role but not if Geneva is to be “a platform for a Russo-US agreement”.
…
The situation in Syria . . . cannot be blamed solely on Assad,” he stated. “The US, and Europe, following the US lead, fostered the conflict. Europe will pay a price. . . it is impossible for Europe to feed 10 million [now homeless] Syrians. There will be new waves of [Syrian] immigration to Europe.
“Europe should move quickly to resolve the Syrian conflict and protect itself.”
December 2nd, 2013, 9:13 pm
Afram said:
@85. mjabali
thanks mate
@86. Mina
Muslims Are Responsible For Their Plight
December 2nd, 2013, 9:17 pm
zoo said:
Left in the cold with his weak and crumbling FSA militias, Selim Idriss finally cancels his long time condition that Bashar Al Assad should resign before
http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/david-ignatius-in-syria-ousting-assad-may-be-only-the-beginning/2013/12/02/24013450-5b9d-11e3-a49b-90a0e156254b_story.html
Gen. Salim Idriss, the commander of the moderate Free Syrian Army, said in a telephone interview Monday that he’s prepared to join the so-called Geneva 2 peace negotiations scheduled for Jan. 21 if the Syrian regime will agree to confidence-building measures such as a humanitarian relief corridor to besieged areas.
Idriss didn’t demand as a precondition that President Bashar al-Assad resign before negotiations begin. Instead, he said, Assad’s departure should come “at the end of negotiations.” This position was echoed by Monzer Akbik, a spokesman for the Syrian Opposition Council, the moderate rebels’ political arm.
December 2nd, 2013, 9:21 pm
ziad said:
بيريز تحدث إلى 29 زعيماً عربياً في قمة مجلس التعاون الخليجي
كشفت صحيفة «يديعوت احرونوت» العبرية، اليوم، أن رئيس الكيان الصهيوني شمعون بيريز ظهر في قمة دول التعاون الخليجي في أبو ظبي، التي شارك فيها إلى جانب دول التعاون الخليجي وزراء خارجية ماليزيا واندونيسيا وبنغلادش، إضافة إلى وزراء خارجية دول عربية.
«هذا الحدث التاريخي»، وفقاً لوصف موقع الصحيفة العبرية جرى أثناء قمة مجلس التعاون الخليجي التي عقدت في أبو ظبي أخيراً. وظهر رئيس إسرائيل شمعون بيريز «من مكتبه في مدينة القدس المحتلة أمام وزراء خارجية 29 دولة عربية وإسلامية، حيث كان يجلس ويظهر علم دولة إسرائيل خلفه»، بحسب الموقع.
وقد تحدث بيريز أمام القمة دون أن يغادر القاعة أي من الوزراء المشاركين فيها، حيث كان في القاعة كافة وزراء خارجية دول الخليج العربي وبحضور نجل العاهل السعودي.
وأشار الموقع إلى أن مساعد الأمين العام للأمم المتحدة تيري رود لارسون والمبعوث الخاص للحكومة الأميركية مارتن انديك هما من رتبا هذا الظهور لرئيس إسرائيل في القمة.
http://www.al-akhbar.com/node/196145
December 2nd, 2013, 9:26 pm
zoo said:
It is becoming evident that in Egypt, Yemen, Libya and Syria, the national army is the only reliable secular force to stop sectarian and criminal violence.
Without the army, these countries would quickly collapse in chaos.
December 2nd, 2013, 9:31 pm
ziad said:
من حقائق الإرهاب | سوريا
تحت النار وثائقي عن قذائف الإرهاب في سوريا | دمشق
December 2nd, 2013, 9:33 pm
don said:
Sydney men arrested over Syria war plans (01:54)
Police execute seven search warrants after a four month investigation into a syndicate allegedly sending Australians to fight with Al-Qaeda in Syria. Nine News. 03/12/13
http://media.brisbanetimes.com.au/news/national-news/sydney-men-arrested-over-syria-war-plans-4976364.html
December 2nd, 2013, 10:31 pm
don said:
Two Sydney men arrested by AFP for allegedly attempting to join fighting in Syria
http://au.news.yahoo.com/a/20126957/two-sydney-men-arrested-by-afp-for-allegedly-attempting-to-join-fighting-in-syria/
Two Sydney men have been arrested by the Australian Federal Police over an alleged attempt to travel to Syria to join the fight against the Assad regime.
The arrests, which the AFP says are not related to any local terrorism threat, come after reports emerged that an Australian man had blown himself up in a suicide attack at a military airport in the east of Syria.
AFP Deputy Commissioner Peter Drennan says a joint investigation between the AFP and NSW Police resulted in the arrest of a 39-year-old man from St Helens Park and a 23-year-old Lidcombe man under the Crime (Foreign Incursions and Recruitment) Act.
Deputy Commissioner Drennan said one of the men arrested was responsible helping others leave Australia to join the conflict, while the other was attempting to joint the fight in Syria.
“We will allege one of the men is responsible for arranging overseas contacts, facilitating travel into Syria for Australian citizens to fight on the front line,” he said.
“Police will allege six people were facilitated into Syria and one was stopped by Australian authorities from leaving the country.
“Police also allege that the other male committed a number of acts to leave Australia and to travel to Syria to fight in armed hostilities.”
He said the men were linked to a terror organisation Jabhat al-Nusra, which was affiliated Al Qaeda.
Joining Syrian rebels a criminal offence in Australia
The Federal Attorney General, George Brandis, says the arrests are a reminder of the risks to Australia’s national security from people who support or engage in foreign conflicts.
Senator Brandis says the threat posed by Australian travellers to Syria and other conflict zones is “significant” and will likely have long-term implications for national security.
Deputy Commissioner Drennan said while he understood the desire for the Australians from within the Syrian community to act, joining the rebels was a criminal offence in Australia, irrespective of whether people were linking up with terrorist organizations.
…
December 2nd, 2013, 11:01 pm
don said:
Analysis: Coming peace talks on Syria are likely doomed before they start
http://www.jpost.com/Middle-East/Analysis-Coming-peace-talks-on-Syria-are-likely-doomed-before-they-start-333794
Assad and its ally Iran are unlikely to compromise.
With their new-found confidence – gained from the agreement with world powers over Syria’s chemical weapons and the nuclear negotiations with Iran – they are unlikely to give in.
Most analysts who spoke to The Jerusalem Post expressed pessimism over the chances for any political solution.
At least half of the rebel forces come from the Islamic Front, said Sowell, while the more moderate Supreme Military Council of the Free Syrian Army is probably no more than 15-20% of fighting forces despite their claims that they are more numerous.
“There is also a rival ‘Free Syrian Army’ led by Riyadh al-Asaad, but his group probably only has 10-15% of total fighting forces as well,” said Sowell, and the remaining forces are either al-Qaida type groups or local free-standing groups.
Max Abrahms, an expert on insurgency and terrorism at Northeastern University in Boston, told the Post that “from the US perspective, Geneva 2 seems destined to fail.”
“The Assad regime is far more unified than the opposition, which remains fractured,” he said. “Important groups within the opposition refuse to work together or to even participate in negotiations.
This political impasse favors not only Assad, but also the most radical elements within the opposition – namely, Islamist groups over more secular ones, which have steadily gained the upper hand on the battlefield through superior organization.”
Prof. Alexander Bligh, director of the Middle East Research Center at Ariel University, told the Post that Iran and Syria are now equipped with international agreements that allow them to continue with whatever activity they are doing in the region.
The agreement over Syria’s chemical weapons is limited only to chemical weapons, said Bligh, thus allowing the Syrian regime to continue its civil war using other means as well as continue cooperation with Iran and Hezbollah. The same, he said, is true with Iran, which will continue to enrich uranium at a low level and interfere in the region.
“Assad and Iran are the winners in the regional equation at this point,” he said. In fact, Assad and his allies may have gained more confidence to attack the rebels in a more ferocious way, said Bligh. He points out that Syria might even try to provoke Israel in a way similar to the shots fired at Israel on Monday in the Golan. This could bring Iran into the arena.
Iran could even have Hezbollah remove its forces from Syria to concentrate on fighting against Israel, said Bligh. This could be a face-saving way for Hezbollah to withdraw from the Syrian war, where it has suffered many casualties, he said.
But the other option, he said could even be for Iran to use the issue to “attack Israel in a preemptive strike.” This option, he said, should not be overlooked.
…
December 2nd, 2013, 11:18 pm
Ghufran said:
The reinvasion of Maloula is a way of running forward, for the rebels to make any use of that irrational move they need to occupy another area to facilitate their withdrawal towards Irsal, and because they realize how difficult that will be they took 12 nuns as hostages to force regime forces to give them a safe passage out. From seeing how previous similar incidents were handled by the regime I suspect that this attempt will fail. The army can not afford to let jihadists escape again.
Every time you think Islamist terrorists have reached the buttom they surprise you with another dive into a deeper hole, let us see how the ” intellectuals” at the NC can twist this one !!
December 3rd, 2013, 12:07 am
Matthew Barber said:
Tara said: “I just discovered that my female cousin in Canada is a shabeeha. I couldn’t believe what she writes on her FB. She was the closest girl to me growing up. Her dad and mom are shabeehas too.”
Interesting use of a categorical identifier. So rather than indicating groups of organized thugs that use physical violence to terrorize political opponents, the term “shabeeha” indicates anyone whose political views are offensive to you?
How young does a “female cousin” have to be before espousing pro-regime sentiments makes her merely ignorant or misled, rather than a shabeeha? 17? 15? 10?
When I was in Syria, shabeeha were spreading fear in my neighborhood by walking around in groups, brandishing sticks with which they would hit cars driving by that “might” be participating in some form of expression of dissent. It was claimed that they were mostly 17-22 year-old young men being paid 1000 SYP per day (good money for uneducated youths with no special skills) to “patrol” and otherwise generate fear through these “proto-crackdowns.” It had the effect of discouraging people from remaining outdoors in the evenings, and promoted an undeclared but effective curfew.
“Shabeeh,” as used by Syrians at that point, referred to these thugs who engaged in real oppression, not to some kid who posted a picture of Bashar on her Facebook. “Shabeeha” hadn’t yet become an attack term applied blanket-fashion to tribes of opinion.
December 3rd, 2013, 12:10 am
Heads-up said:
Obviously, Pretenders to punditry who at times also act as moderators of this much below standards site has little exposure to the counless Arab media sites that deal with the Syrian crisis, and as such are unaware of how the term Shabih is applied by the main stream Arab audience. Or perhaps they do not understand the colloquial Arabic when reading the voluminous contribution of main stream Arabs in such sites. But even so, so-called pundits want to be known as such – PUNDITS and nothing less. Never mind the above mentioned deficiency.
It is SO Amazing! Pretenders to punditry never tire from wanting to condescend and teach an ‘ignorant’ Arab a word or two even at the expense of getting caught off guard as bombastic empty so-called impressively knowledgeable of Syrian society, such as the owner of the site, the NOT so impresive Balanche and now the latest addition of moderation in action who seem eager to gloat at presumed superirioty in understanding us Arabs better than ourselves.
You guys are lucky! Arabs ARE so stupid and also so eager to learn from your unabashed pretenses! Kiss my you know what?
Listen, mr. You want to target blanket statements? You have plenty to deal with here. Take care of ALL those who make blanket statements about SUNNIS by referring to them as extremists or terrorists. Until you do so, your attempts are half hearted, dishonest and unconvincing. Otherwise spend some time on Arab media sites and learn Arabic from its NATIVES.
December 3rd, 2013, 1:06 am
Syrian said:
The funny but sad thing about Ma’loula is that the battle there have been on going for 3 days now and no regime supporter and Co.said anything about it, but now that the regime foreign ministry issued a statement the posts are coming in
Even Matthew Barber did not even make a note of it this time but goes after Tara’s definition of a shabiha, I guess in Mathew’s case there is no chemical attack on Ghouta this time to distract the readers even though unlike last time, Ma’loula is actually burning this time.
It is obvious that the regime have left Ma’loula unprotected on purpose to use it as a propaganda tool again, but is seems that world had moved on and using the same town too many times is not a media savvy move.the Christians in Syria know that they are being used in this war as a propaganda tool and they did not do anything about it, the regime have been using the high monasteries as military bases to hit Rankoos and Jaba’deen , the oppositions have sent messages to the Christians leadership to stop the rigime from using these places but they did not do anything about it,now they are asking Mar Taqla for a new miracle to save Maloula ,because they finally figured out that the regime will not do anything about it on purpose.
The Christians should have learned that a regime that destroyed a 1400 old Omayyad masjid in Aleppo and 1400 years old Omary masjid in Dra’a will not care about their dear Maluola, now they are learning the hard way .
December 3rd, 2013, 1:08 am
Heads-up said:
Example of Shabih usage which may not necessarily mean the shabih is uneducated, unskilled, brandishing sticks, killing innocents or raping women
http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=YRmSoPA9bpQ&desktop_uri=%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DYRmSoPA9bpQ
December 3rd, 2013, 1:35 am
Syrian said:
As usual the news from SANA about the kidnapping of the 12 nuns is nothing but lies.
” كلنا شركاء” تنشر حقيقة وضع راهبات معلولا
BY EDITOR9 EDITOR9 – POSTED ON 2013/12/03
POSTED IN: أخبار محلية
خاص- كلنا شركاء
نفى ” الناطق باسم الهيئة العامة للثورة السورية” قيام الجيش الحر بأي أعمال تخريبية في معلولا طالت الكنائس أو منازل المدنيين الآمنين، كما نفى اقتحام الجيش الحر لـ دير مارتقلا واحتجاز رئيسة الدير ” الأم” بلاجيا سياف، وعدد من الراهبات اللواتي يعملن في الدير.
وقال الناشط ” عامر القلموني” الناطق باسم الهيئة العامة للثورة السورية، ومدير المركز الإعلامي في القلمون في حديث خاص لـ كلنا شركاء: (أعلن الجيش الحر عن تحرير معلولا بشكل كامل بعد معارك ضارية استمرت ثلاثة أيام بين مقاتلي الحر وقوات النظام اسفرت عن مقتل العشرات من قوات النظام وتدمير دبابتين طراز T72 وعربة BMB وعربة شيلكا ومنذ لحظة التحرير، بدأ النظام بتمشيط مدينة معلولا بوابل من الصواريخ والمدفعية وراجمات الفوج 14 الكائن في مدينة القطيفة).
وتابع: (وعلى الرغم من سيطرة الجيش الحر على معلولا البلد، إلا أن النظام استمر بقنص أي شيء يتحرك داخل معلولا بواسطة القناصات المتمركزة في مناطق خارج معلولا).
وحول مصير الراهبات في دير مارتقلا، قال “القلموني”: (أما عن مصير الأم بيلاجيا سياف وهي رئيسة دير مار تقلا الأثري فأفاد عناصر الجيش الحر عن محاولاتهم إخلاء الراهبات من داخل الدير وتأمينهم خارج المدينة ولكن قناصات قوات النظام حالت دون ذلك وسقط عدد من الجرحى أثناء تلك المحاولات وأكد لنا عناصر الجيش الحر ان الراهبات ما زالوا في أمان ولكن الصواريخ التي أحرقت المدينة والتي ما زالت تستهدفها بشكل عشوائي هي الخطر الحقيقي الذي يهدد الأديرة ومعالم المدينة الأثرية ومن جملتها دير مار تقلا الأثري ومن فيه من راهبات(.
وأشار أن قوات النظام أعلنت سابقاً عندما دخل الجيش الحر إلى معلولا أن الجيش الحر قام بأعمال تخريبية طالت الكنائس ومنازل المدنيين الآمنين، وأن عناصر الحر ذبحوا دمروا بعض الصلبان والإيقونات في الأديرة، إلا أنه تبين أن الكنائس والأماكن المسيحية لم تتعرض للتخريب بشهادة رئيسة الدير الأم بيلاجيا سياف.
وفي ختام حديثه، أوضح القلموني أن النظام يسعى إلى تسويق حادثة دخول الجيش الحر إلى معلولا طائفياً، كما يسعى إلى استدراج الثوار إلى ضرب دير الشيروبيم في صيدنايا الذي مازالت تحتله قواته وتوزع القتل والدمار منه على المدنيين، وسط الصمت الدولي.
وكانت وزارة خارجية النظام بعثت أمس رسالتين متطابقتين إلى رئيس مجلس الأمن الدولي والأمين العام للأمم المتحدة حول معلولا قالت في الرسالتين أن “مجموعات إرهابية تكفيرية” هاجمت بلدة معلولا في ريف دمشق ونفذت فيها أعمالا تخريبية طالت الكنائس وبيوت المدنيين الآمنين، وأوضحت خارجية النظام أن “المجموعات الارهابية التكفيرية” قامت باقتحام دير مار تقلا واحتجاز رئيسة الدير الأم بلاجيا سياف وعدد من الراهبات اللواتي يعملن في الدير كما استهدفت الميتم التابع له والذي يؤوي العديد من الأطفال الايتام.
http://all4syria.info/Archive/115587
December 3rd, 2013, 1:56 am
Heads-up said:
Our patrons authorized the release of the following important heads up.
Our benefactors analyzed the issue of Maaloula and the kidnapped women. They concluded that both are NON ISSUES and deserve no additional attention than the other areas of Syria that are experiencing similar circumstances and at times even worse.
For example the dropping of explosive barrels over civilians by the criminal regime and its shabbihs is still ongoing., even before and after Maaloula. The lives of those affected by such criminal acts are no less precious than any so-called nuns or Maaloula resident.
The use of fighter jets and bombers to level civilian neighborhoods by the criminal regime and its shabbihs is still ongoing even before and after Maaloula. The lives of those lost in such criminal acts are no less precious than so-called nuns or Maaloula residents.
The use of hezboola terrorists and their iraqi and iranian similar terrorists is still ongoing even before and after Maaloula. The lives of those affected by such criminal acts are no less precious than so-called nuns and Maaloula residents.
Our benefactors sincerely hope that the above satisfies your curiosities about Maaloula.
December 3rd, 2013, 2:17 am
Juergen said:
These facebook pages show award winning photographs from Damascus and Homs.
https://www.facebook.com/LensYoungdimashqi
https://www.facebook.com/LensYoungHomsi
December 3rd, 2013, 2:28 am
Tara said:
Mathew,
You have not heard yet?
We have broaden the definition of Tashbeeh about 2 years ago and I give Syrian Hamster the full credit for that.
You don’t have to have blood on your hands to be qualified. You can have blood on your soul too. There are different kind of Tashbeeh. There are the physical Shabeehas ( the traditional ones), and there are the cultural Shabeehas, the business Shabeehas, the تقارير Shabeehas, so on and so forth.
Examples of cultural Tashbeeh are ample. You see them in abundance in the West and on sites like SC. They commit what I call “obstruction of justice” acts. Don’t you think that lying on behalf of the regime is Tashbeeh? How about whitewashing the chemical weapon crime and claiming the dead are kidnapped Alawi children? Or denying the Houla massacre and claiming the pile of slaughtered children to be hardly a massacre.
Tashbeeh comes in different shapes and forms. Having an opposing views does not qualify. To carry and express any kind of views is legal and falls under the freedom of speech. Lying, deceiving, whitewashing crimes, denying crimes, writing “takareer”, etc are illegal. These are acts meant to enable the regime to commit more crimes with impunity These are unlawful act. They are like “obstruction of justice” charges and in my opinion should be punished by law.
Finally, there is no age limit. We saw children soldiers in Syria and I bet there are children Shabeehas too.
My female cousin Shabeeha is 33.
December 3rd, 2013, 7:01 am
Observer said:
Again I must have hit a nerve.
Get out of our hair means to completely dismantle the security house of cards; the Republican Guards; the constitution of the iPad retard; the one party system; the complete take over of the economy by a bunch of backward cretins.
It is clear that destroying any part of the country that the mafia does not control is legitimate in their eyes and that the sectarian affiliation is the only discourse they understand.
It is also clear that they cannot live with others. They can only live on top of others for to them that is the only way they wish to live and any part they do not control is now open for destruction.
So let them get their state, let them carve it out and defend and have their flag and their system of governance. There is no such thing as coexistence.
Again, ” I am selling the bust so that they can buy the boom” any buyers from those of you that still believe in Thouria Alathad?
December 3rd, 2013, 8:02 am
Adam Neira said:
Syria should not be balkanised. It should remain one country, within a clearly defined border.
Another historical example is not mentioned by the French academic in question or the author of this piece…South Africa. The comparison of South Africa in the years from the mid 1980’s to the early 1990’s, to the last three years in Syria is obviously not exact based on a measure of the intercommunal violence, but my point is relevant. It is about the ability for nations with different tribal groups and alliances to transition to a more peaceful and co-operative arrangement if the right mindset and setting is in place.
Prayers for the Syrian people.
December 3rd, 2013, 8:10 am
Observer said:
Well well, so the Alawi want to live with all of us in Syria. Well well, as a Sunni I must pay for the crime of my grandfather who burned and looted villages in Alawistan.
But again, I am told the were in Damascus and Homs and Aleppo, so why did my grandfather have to go to the mountains to loot and burn?
Again, there seems to be a defining characteristic of eternal victimhood. I must go back to Kurdistan for if the Turks and Turkmen and the Herzegovinians and the Albanians that the Ottomans brought to Syria as well as the Armenians are to go back, there will be 10 Sunnis left.
Very well, let us follow the logic: I have to pay for the death of Hassan and Hussein and Rouqaia and Ali and my grandfather’s crime is now my responsibility.
I have to give up my ancestral attachments ( I have zero of those to start with but this is another matter ) while the other remains whatever he is: Alawi Druze Maronite etc…….
If I ask for the thugs to get out of our hair because their very identity is based on sectarian hatred and an eternal victimhood complex I have to go back to Kurdistan.
This the crux of the matter again: an inferiority complexed eternal victimhood complexed sanctimonious purer than thou original authentic inhabitant turned into a superiority complexed exclusivist oppression wielding machine of destruction of any one not belonging to the sect.
Please tell me how I can get to the Door so that the Spirit can open my heart to the God of the trinity of the sectarian thinking of this wretched land.
The reality is that there is no such thing as Arab or Syrian identity or nationalism. The Arab Nationalism idea and ideals to which I aspired to turned out to be a veneer behind which true sectarianism was lurking. I always thought of myself as an Arab and never as a Kurd for to me the later was an ethnic based identity that I did not know anything about except that Saladdin was a Kurd. I felt however that being an Arab was much more important and rich and inclusive and liberating but alas Arab Nationalism died with sectarian hatred and defeat after defeat by the very founders of such an Arabism for like Syria it was highjacked by criminal mafiosi.
So get out of our hair and establish your state : Alawistan Maronistan Kurdistan Druzistan Turkmenistan Sunnistan Damascustan Aleppostan. Carve it out and get an Iranian and a Russia embassy and a naval base if you want and if you can who cares.
In the meantime, Turkey just signed a deal for oil and gas with Kurdistan. Oops Maliki is not happy. But what can he do about it. His ilk agreed to the very constitution that is pure sectarianism so that his ilk can take power but in a weakened and rump state dependent on the IRGC. Now he cannot do anything about the rump Iraq he has.
Tibbanestan is fighting against Mouhsistan today in the district of Tripoli.
Shabeehastan get out of our hair.
December 3rd, 2013, 8:32 am
zoo said:
@116 Matthew Barber
Thanks for your fully justified and timely intervention.
December 3rd, 2013, 8:42 am
zoo said:
Egypt’s Brotherhood and Jihadists: Tactical alliances
Examining the murky world of links between jihadist Salafis and the Muslim Brotherhood
http://english.ahram.org.eg/NewsContent/1/64/88177/Egypt/Politics-/Egypts-Brotherhood-and-Jihadists-Tactical-alliance.aspx
Egyptian security officers are certain that an alliance between the jihadist Salafis and the Muslim Brothers exists. The minister of interior stated this explicitly in a press conference on Sunday in which he said that the International Muslim Brotherhood supported the jihadist Salafis in Egypt and has funded them since 30 June. Military experts believe the Muslim Brotherhood is closer to armed groups loyal to them in Gaza, Hamas in particular. Nevertheless, military sources agree that the Muslim Brotherhood benefits from jihadist Salafist activities and uses them to promote its propaganda line that Egypt has been unstable since the fall of Morsi.
December 3rd, 2013, 8:55 am
zoo said:
After Egypt, Libya, Yemen and Syria, one more Arab country relies on its national army to quell terrorism, unrest and violence in cities.
Lebanese army taking over in second-largest city Tripoli
AP , Tuesday 3 Dec 2013
http://english.ahram.org.eg/NewsContent/2/8/88140/World/Region/Lebanese-army-taking-over-in-secondlargest-city-Tr.aspx
December 3rd, 2013, 9:00 am
zoo said:
Saudi Arabia is key to regional stability in the region, but it must first accept that empowered Iran and powerful Turkey could be partners and not enemies
Iran’s Zarif stretches Gulf trip to include UAE
http://english.ahram.org.eg/NewsContent/2/8/88153/World/Region/Irans-Zarif-stretches-Gulf-trip-to-include-UAE.aspx
Zarif has since Sunday been on a tour of Kuwait, Oman and Qatar trying to persuade the Gulf states that a deal between Iran and Western powers on Tehran’s nuclear programme will enhance regional stability.
…
Iran’s foreign ministry spokeswoman, meanwhile, said on Tuesday that a visit by Zarif to Saudi Arabia, at odds with Iran over several issues including Tehran’s support of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, was “on the agenda” and would happen at “the right time”.
Zarif also wrote in his Facebook post that he was ready for negotiations with Saudi Arabia whenever Riyadh was ready and added that talks would be “beneficial for both countries, the region and the Muslim world”.
After his visit to the UAE, Zarif is due to return to Tehran to meet with Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki, who is due to start a two-day visit to Iran on Wednesday.
December 3rd, 2013, 9:06 am
zoo said:
Reset of Turkish Foreign Policy or reset of region?
http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/reset-of-turkish-foreign-policy-or-reset-of-region.aspx?pageID=449&nID=58889&NewsCatID=466
In other words, the regional balance of power and alliances are in tectonic shift.
This all shows that governments have caved in to the facts on the ground. The Syrian war proved once again that it is impossible to end a conflict in this region without reconciling the regional powers and superpowers that support different sides of the conflict, pursuing a proxy war. This is the reason why the US has foundered in Iraq and Afghanistan and why the Syrian conflict gets more and more complicated every day. Radical Islamist groups, which the Syrian crisis has attracted to the country, have now become the common enemy, not just for the US and Russia, but also for regional powers.
Furthermore, the Arab uprisings, the Syrian war in particular, have intensified sectarian tensions in the region. Coupled with the U.S. withdrawal from Iraq and Afghanistan, the new configuration demands the cooperation of regional powers as well as the superpowers that are in one way or another part of any regional problem. It is about time to make them part of the solution instead.
In short, Turkey plays the new game by its own rules.
December 3rd, 2013, 9:13 am
don said:
Australian criminal network sends fighters to Syria, ringleader arrested
http://www.firstpost.com/world/australian-criminal-network-sends-fighters-to-syria-ringleader-arrested-1263231.html?utm_source=ref_article
Police estimate that about 100 Australian residents and citizens have traveled to Syria to fight in contravention of Australian law, taking up arms with terrorist militias.
…
December 3rd, 2013, 9:14 am
don said:
Best pictures of 2013 selected by TIME
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/photo/2013-12/03/c_132938019_10.htm
It was the fourth and last execution of the day committed by Al Qaeda-linked ISIS militias, in Keferghan, a town near Aleppo, in northern Syria, Aug. 31, 2013.
December 3rd, 2013, 9:20 am
don said:
Suicide bomb kills 4 injures 17 in Damascus
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/photo/2013-12/03/c_132938741.htm
Photo taken on Dec. 3, 2013 shows the damages at the site that has been struck by a suicide bombing in al-Jisr al-Abyadh district in Damascus, Syria, on Dec. 3, 2013. A suicide bomber, wearing an explosive belt, detonated himself Tuesday at a military-run administrative unit in the capital Damascus, killing four people and injuring 17 others, the local Sham FM radio reported.
December 3rd, 2013, 9:55 am
don said:
Mother superior: Nuns abducted by “Syrian rebels”
http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2013/12/03/mother-superior-nuns-abducted-syrian-rebels.html
Opposition fighters have abducted 12 nuns from a predominantly Christian village near Damascus and taken them to a rebel-held town, the mother superior of a Syrian convent said Tuesday.
The statement by Febronia Nabhan, Mother Superior at Saidnaya Convent, came as Syria’s state TV reported that a suicide attacker set off his explosive vest killing four and wounding 17. The TV gave no further details about the blast in the central Jisr Abyad neighborhood.
Nabhan said Tuesday that the nuns and three other women were taken the day before from another convent in the predominantly Christian village of Maaloula to the nearby town of Yabroud.
…
December 3rd, 2013, 10:04 am
zoo said:
Turkish analysts:
“It is not rational to tell Syrian President Bashar al-Assad to leave his post and leave the country”
“Turkey has to face the reality that there is no more chance for the opposition to take the power, ”
News Analysis: Turkish experts doubt effectiveness of Geneva II conference on Syria
Dec 03,2013
http://www.shanghaidaily.com/article/article_xinhua.aspx?id=184638
ISTANBUL, Dec. 3 (Xinhua) — Turkish security analysts and experts doubted the success of the Geneva II conference slated for Jan. 22 on the Syrian crisis due to conflict of interests, saying a permanent solution could take longer than expected.
“It is not a realistic approach to expect a permanent result out of the Geneva II conference. The conditions in the field have changed the equilibrium in the war,” Oytun Orhan, a security analyst at Center for Middle Eastern Strategic Studies (ORSAM) told Xinhua on Tuesday.
“The Syrian government forces are gaining the war on the ground. Under these circumstances it is not rational to tell Syrian President Bashar al-Assad to leave his post and leave the country, ” he said.
Meanwhile, Burak Kuntay, the director of the Institute of Social Sciences at Bahcesehir University, told Xinhua that the civil war in Syria has too many players locally and globally, blocking the way of a possible political solution.
“We can see at one corner Russia, Hezbollah and Iran and at the other corner there are Saudi Arabia and Turkey,” he said, adding that all of the players with their conflicting interests have been pushing the political solution into a dead end.
Furthermore, the increased fragmentation of the opposition emerged as an important factor derailing the political solution even more.
“There are Islamists, there are groups backed by al-Qaida, there is the Free Syrian Army. They have their own stances. In addition these groups claim that the Syrian National Coalition ( SNC), the largest opposition umbrella in exile, does not represent them and say that they do not recognize it,” Orhan stressed.
The SNC on the other hand repeated its commitment to finding a political solution to the crises in Syria.
In a recent press statement, the coalition said that Geneva II conference would be a positive step, as it would result in the formation of a transitional governing body with full executive powers, including security and military apparatuses.
However, head of media office of the SNC, Khalid Saleh, told Xinhua in Istanbul on Tuesday that “The challenge is that the Assad administration has no interest nor did it take any real steps to demonstrate its willingness to hand over powers to the Syrian people.”
“As a matter of fact, the government does not accept the basic principals of Geneva conference, which means it does not accept the basic framework to ensure the conference will be successful,” he added.
Kuntay said that the real political result can be obtained out of more closed meetings initiated by Russia and the U.S. The important thing is not international conferences but the certainty of U.S. policies, he added.
“The U.S. could not foresee what Syria would be like after Assad. That’s why the U.S. could not give clear support to the opposition fearing that pro-al-Qaida or pro-Hezbollah groups could come to the power,” Kuntay told.
According to him the uncertainty of U.S. policies would continue until the next election in 2016. “Only after then the U.S. can take concrete steps in Syria,” he added.
On the other hand, Turkey is another country that should revise its policies in Syria, Orhan said. “Turkey has to face the reality that there is no more chance for the opposition to take the power, ” he said, adding that Turkey was not as powerful as it was at the beginning.
“As you can see no one is ready for the Geneva talks yet,” Kuntay concluded.
December 3rd, 2013, 10:36 am
Mina said:
Afram, what I meant to say is just that KSA has americanized the Gulf and the rest of the Arab world through their satellite channels who broadcast 90 percent of US/UK programs. (this includes the channels they possess in Dubai and Lebanon).
Those who have their own identity and culture (Iraq, Syria, Egypt) are to be thrown to the dogs according to this agenda.
December 3rd, 2013, 10:40 am
ALAN said:
http://youtu.be/ta-oRIPNE6I?t=5m31s
December 3rd, 2013, 10:44 am
Uzair8 said:
#96 continued [Mother Agnes/Syrian Girl (SG) image]
From the same twitter conversation in which SG posted her image with Mother Agnes, Charles Shoebridge also posted one of himself with the Nun during a ‘chance meeting’ at Press Tv.
If I’m correct he presents a show on Press Tv and from my memory of his twitter I believe he is pro-regime, a sympathizer or skeptical of the revolution (?).
He is very tall. I thought Mother Agnes was a mountain of a woman however he dwarfs her. SG must be tiny.
https://twitter.com/ShoebridgeC/status/403922023321063425
Anyway, further down the twitter convo, Charles, when asked if it’s really him, tweets:
Charles Shoebridge @ShoebridgeC 23 Nov
@elmaster It is, looking very tired from not much sleep the night before. In case of any doubt, I’m on the left, #MotherAgnes on the right..
Further down the convo, Abdul tweets on 25th Nov:
AbdulazizMaz @DrMazrou 25 Nov
@Partisangirl @ShoebridgeC @PressTV @jeremyscahill I thought this was a man.. lol
This finally provoked a response yesterday from Navsteva who didn’t take too kindly to the observation:
Navsteva @Navsteva 19h
@DrMazrou Abdul you didn’t think it was a man and your attempt at a joke is pathetic
Abdul responds and he could have done without the second half of the tweet with the unnecessary insults…
December 3rd, 2013, 10:52 am
don said:
Israel Supplies Weapons to Al Qaeda Mercenaries in Syria: Government Forces Seize Israeli-made Arms
http://www.globalresearch.ca/israel-supplies-weapons-to-al-qaeda-mercenaries-in-syria-government-forces-seize-israeli-made-arms/5360124
A military source told the Syrian news agency SANA on Sunday that Israeli weaponry — including missiles — were seized in an operation in the central city of Tadmur in Homs province.
A headquarters of militants was also destroyed in the suburbs of the capital Damascus.
Elsewhere, government forces killed several Saudi militants in the strategic region of Qalamun.
In recent days, the army has gained the upper hand in the weeks-long battle in the area, which had been used as a base for militant operations around Damascus.
On Saturday, Syrian Deputy Foreign Minister Faisal Muqdad said Israel and Saudi Arabia had set up a new joint command in Jordan to oversee the operations of militants.
…
December 3rd, 2013, 11:05 am
ALAN said:
139. Uzair8
Are you taking the magic of Sufi way?Do you make use of the Jinn?
December 3rd, 2013, 11:21 am
don said:
Syria: Islamist Rebels Abduct 12 Nuns from Orthodox Monastery in Maaloula
http://www.globalresearch.ca/syria-islamist-rebels-abduct-12-nuns-from-orthodox-monastery-in-maaloula/5360101
Damascus (AsiaNews) – Islamist rebels have kidnapped a group of nuns from the Greek Orthodox monastery of St Thecla (Mar Taqla) in Maaloula (north of Damascus). Mgr Mario Zenari, the Vatican nuncio in Damascus, confirmed the information after speaking with the Greek-Orthodox Patriarchate. Through the Vatican diplomat, the latter “calls on all Catholics to pray for the women religious.”
“Armed men burst in the monastery of St Thecla in Maaloula this afternoon. From there, they forcibly took 12 women religious,” Mgr Zenari said, citing a statement from Patriarchate. The group of Islamist rebels has apparently taken them to Yabrud, some 80 km north of the capital. Neither the nuncio nor the church Greek Orthodox Church know reason behind the kidnapping.
Islamist Rebels from the Free Syrian Army (FSA) had invaded the small town on 5 September after driving out regime troops with the support of al-Qaeda-linked al-Nusra Brigades. After taking control of the city, they went on a rampage against Christian buildings, killing three young Catholic men.
More than 3,000 people, the town’s entire Christian population, fled their homes seeking refuge in Bab Touma, the Christian quarter of Damascus. Some found shelter with relatives in Lebanon or in local Greek-Catholic convents.
Only Muslims were left in town, plus 40 nuns at the St Thecla Monastery who stayed to help care for dozens of orphaned children.
As of yesterday, Maaloula became again the scene of heavy fighting between the army and Syrian rebels, including many members of the extremist Jabat-al-Nusra militia.
Clashes are concentrated mostly in the upper, oldest part of the town, where the St Thecla Greek-Orthodox and the Sts Sergius and Bacchus Greek-Catholic monasteries are located.
…
December 3rd, 2013, 11:24 am
don said:
The Battle of Maaloula in the Land of Jesus: US Sponsored Rebels Destroy Syria Christian Heritage
http://www.globalresearch.ca/the-battle-of-maaloula-in-the-land-of-jesus-us-sponsored-rebels-destroy-syria-christian-heritage/5349635
December 3rd, 2013, 11:29 am
Observer said:
Now let me ask the venerable eternal victim of my ancestor’s wrath ( although my grandfather was either drunk or chasing women in Beirut most of the time ) how is it that all of the “foreigners” that came to this land to pollute it and to dilute its original inhabitants have been oppressing the Shabihastan inhabitants for so long?
I thought that the trinity belief of the door and the spirit and the god is awfully reminiscent of Crusader ideology. It is interesting that the location of the Crusaders and the current Mountainous ideology seem to coincide. Is it possible that these people were also imported from Toulouse or San Sebastian or Rome?
As for the sins of my ancestors, it seems that the current Shabihastan power base is busy killing and raping and besieging and destroying and clustering and phophorusing and gasing the population in revenge of what happened a hundred years ago.
Now that is truly backward, barbaric, uncivilized and abhorrent behavior and mentality.
Why I see it in the mirror image of the fanatics who are blowing themselves up in Tripoli and in Dahyie and in Iranian and US embassies.
Oh my, Turkey is inaugurating the pipeline in Kurdistan.
The size of the economic exchange in the UAE has increased by 240 times since the bedouin Sunni Sheik Zayied inaugurated the modernization of the country.
Go ahead have your Shabihastan and get out of our hair.
Carve out.
The slogan Athad or we burn the Balad is turning upside down for now we have if Athad we will burn the Balad by the opposition.
It is a fight to the finish.
December 3rd, 2013, 11:32 am
Uzair8 said:
It’s always more reliable when hardcore regimists admit to and complain about operations going bad. A comment from Iran Military Forum today:
*********
It seems the Qalamoun offensive is not going well at all. If Syrian army was stricly advancing then r-a-t-s wouldn’t be capturing Maloula, Qarah, Deir Attiyeh and other surrounding towns all the time.
They should isolate the area from both sides, dig trenches around it, man them, errect fences, barricades, whatever needed. Make sure that Qalamoun is completely surrounded by Syrian soldiers in East and Hezbollah fighters in West, and then sent both in slowly clearing area by area of r-a-t-s from both sides simultaneously until eventually all the r-a-t-s retreat to Yabrud, were they will be stuck under siege and it will be time for Battle of Qusayr pt.2
What they’ve done now instead is just create a big mess where Syrian air force and army are shelling and bombing all the time and r-a-t-s are fleeing to all sides. All the towns around Qalamoun are warzone now, while SAA was doing good in these areas at first.
http://www.iranmilitaryforum.net/military-conflicts/updates-on-military-action-in-syria/msg224435/#msg224435
December 3rd, 2013, 11:33 am
don said:
An Israeli Mafia loaded petition 😉
Pay attention to:
• Guarantee safe, fair and proper access for all to humanitarian assistance, both inside and outside Syria
http://www.christiantoday.com/article/12.nuns.abducted.as.rebels.recapture.maaloula/34910.htm
NGOs report that when Islamist-dominated opposition groups take control of towns and villages, Christians are under severe threat.
A petition to be presented at the UN next week has gathered over 270,000 signatures to urge, on behalf of Christians in Syria, that all those with influence and power do everything possible to:
• Protect the lives, livelihoods and freedoms of all the people of Syria
• Safeguard the existence of the Christian community and, in particular, stop the assaulting, kidnapping, torture and killing of Christians by extremist and criminal groups
• Guarantee safe, fair and proper access for all to humanitarian assistance, both inside and outside Syria
• Make it possible for Christians to remain in and/or return safely to their homes without fear or threat of violence
• Safeguard the right of Christians to be able to worship in peace and safety and allow them space to offer compassionate care and contribute to making peace
December 3rd, 2013, 11:53 am
Syrian said:
Hizboola’s terrorists caught on the airwaves ordering the shelling of Nabek’s church and masjid
http://youtu.be/_jmykopRcKk
December 3rd, 2013, 12:51 pm
Uzair8 said:
I know Aboud Dandachi is a fan of Dr Who. I missed the recent special 50th anniversary edition on Tv but decided to watch it online a couple of days ago.
Aboud quotes a conversation from the episode regarding the mottos (‘promise’) of the Doctors from different times:
Aboud Dandachi @AboudDandachi 1 Dec
Clara: What was the promise
10thDoctor: Never cruel. Never cowardly
WarDoctor: Never give up. Never give in
#LessonsFromDoctorWho
There was another quote which from the show which I noticed:
“Great men are forged in fire. It is the privilege of lesser men to light the flame.”
Abdelqader Saleh…
Here was a gem Heaven took up to itself to hopefully give some good in return to the Syrian people. Successes? Victory? Painful punishment to the regime camp forces on the ground?
Indeed he was a gem. Syria-centric, moderate and a beautiful smile.
Only 33 they say? I imagined him much older than that. The Lion of Aleppo. A true Syrian Hero.
The martyrdom of this hero only strengthened the rebels moving them to unite under a new moderate Islamic banner. More coherent, united and stronger.
I read a moving and inspirational tribute the other day and I assumed it was Yalla Souriya eventually finishing a translation of perhaps a facebook tribute from the Tawheed brigade to it’s fallen leader. To my surprise the tribute was from George Sabra.
December 3rd, 2013, 1:53 pm
Uzair8 said:
A couple of tweets
Aboud Dandachi @AboudDandachi 21h
Saying revo is bad because of 1 heart eater,is like saying women’s lib should be reversed because of Sarah Palin #Syria
Aboud Dandachi @AboudDandachi 22h
@ArtWendeley @wsscherk Count all the “terrorists” SANA claims army has killed,they number more than the Chinese army.
December 3rd, 2013, 2:07 pm
Uzair8 said:
Iran & Hezbo’s Vietnam
Alongside current military activities the Regimists (also some western journalists) are pushing this line that the regime is winning, the rebels cannot hope to win anymore, the West/Turkey and co have abandoned the cause and tha it’ll soon be over.
Of course this is wishful thinking and psychological propaganda to sow defeatism in the revolution. A kind of force multiplier.
Regime operations come and go in phases. They haven’t the resources to gain permanent successes/victories, even with Iranian and Hezbo help. Eventually major regime offensives peter out. The regime having to take a month or two to recuperate, regroup and plan for the next futile push.
In this case perhaps the idea was to gain back crucial territory in time for Geneva. To strengthen the regime’s position. Any captured territory (incl. Aleppo they hoped) would be made permanent by a ceasefire. Imagine a ceasefire with 70% (plus Aleppo) still outside regime hands. A ceasefire would make it impossible to ever get back the territory militarily. Regime would be left in a weak position in terms of territory and thus negotiations.
Question
How long can the rebellion continue? The rebels have enough men, arms and motivation (grievance) to keep fighting. If you consider it took the Russians 10 years (?) and an initial defeat and loss of thousands of men to suppress the Chechen conflict what chance has the regime camp in doing so in the much larger territory of Syria?
Can Syria become Iran/Hezbo’s Vietnam?
What of the regime camps confidence of an Assad victory? Are there grounds for such confidence?
December 3rd, 2013, 2:31 pm
Uzair8 said:
One of the reasons behind the regime camps new found confidence (and spring in it’s step) maybe the fact it avoided military intervention. It perhaps feels intervention is off the table now after the giving up of chemical weapons and the Iran-West deal.
It feels it got away with it and feels mighty relieved. The regime and Iran feel they’ve gained some significant breathing space plenty of western blind-eye capital.
The regime shouldn’t delude itself. We know it’s nature and it still has mistakes and blunders in it. If the rebels pile enough pressure the regime, in desperation, could well overstep the mark again with, God forbid, more huge massacres and even unacceptable mass use of conventional weapons (missiles) on civilians.
Intervention is not out of the question.
December 3rd, 2013, 2:42 pm
Uzair8 said:
Here’s (as mentioned earlier) the tribute to martyr Abdulqader Saleh posted on YS on 23rd Nov. It was a bit of a surprise to find who wrote the tribute (in terms of content, wording, style etc)
Abdel Kader: A Hero and Man of High Order
Dear Syrians, Sons of the Revolution for Freedom and Dignity:
Abdel Kader Saleh passed away just as all heroes leave their battlefield. He died standing proud to live in our hearts forever.
A leader of peaceful demonstrations, skilled in handling arms and fighting the enemy.
A Hajji of high order, he made us eager to hear verses of the Quran.
This ‘good’ has left behind numerous portents of victory, signs on the front lines and in the ditches, signs and portents that inspire faith and expectations all over Syria.
Did Abdel Kader not know that martyrdom is fate, and an honor and a privilege for those who devote their lives to the will of God and freedom?
Martyrdom has always been motivation for steadfastness and victory, as life has always been coupled with splendor and dignity.
Let us pledge loyalty and unity, and show prudence, with victory but an hour’s patience away.
Let us keep our fallen heroes in our minds and hearts; and let us keep their careers alive through guns and bullets, as criminals and the corrupt fail to understand any language but this.
We will not be overcome by the clatter of the unrighteous, nor will the betrayal of the international community make us deviate from our goal.
Your Brother George Sabra
http://yallasouriya.wordpress.com/2013/11/23/abdel-kader-a-hero-and-man-of-high/
December 3rd, 2013, 2:55 pm
ALAN said:
Israel Supplies Weapons to Al Qaeda Mercenaries in Syria: Government Forces Seize Israeli-made Arms
http://www.globalresearch.ca/israel-supplies-weapons-to-al-qaeda-mercenaries-in-syria-government-forces-seize-israeli-made-arms/5360124?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=israel-supplies-weapons-to-al-qaeda-mercenaries-in-syria-government-forces-seize-israeli-made-arms
http://youtu.be/l1X0yQBkCvo?t=1s
December 3rd, 2013, 3:26 pm
Uzair8 said:
Continuing on this theme of Iran/Hezbo’s Vietnam I’ve just read the latest comment on Iran Military Forum and it is pertinent.
Remember I have predicted in the past that there will be falling out in the regime camp. Public blame game and finger pointing. There have been some reports already of allied Shia militias fighting each other in Syria.
The commenter expresses his pessimism and frustration. It must be hard to watch hard fought Hezbo successes (territory), with much sacrifice, end up back in rebel hands a short time later due to SAA (Regime) incompetence. If this continues it’s gonna come out into the open and it’s gonna be ugly. Precious Hezbo men and resources are being expended for what, nothing?
********************
If Iran isn’t going to do something this will continue for several years but finally Assad will be loser.
To be honest, I always had hope “tomorrow syrian army will be more trained,more organized,will start using Air power in better way. will … ” but now after almost 3 years I think everything is clear. In syria we are watching fight between two group of armed people. of course in such type of war human-like wahhabis will win (it’s almost impossible to Kill all of them, you need to control borders but we are waiting for this for almost 3 years) because they are much more.
In spite of hezbolah is very well trained,very well organized army with smart officers, they can’t win the war (they don’t have enough soldiers ) and we see how their success is lost because of 99% of SAA don’t knows how to fight. Why are their life lost? why? we see how human-like creatures ( EDITED ) are gaining towns and villages liberated by Brave hezbollah fighters. Maybe I am not right but I am sure, Iran has to openly start cleaning syria from [EDITED] or stop “supporting” syria this way. it cost money and much important life of brave fighters but nobody can see results.
http://www.iranmilitaryforum.net/military-conflicts/updates-on-military-action-in-syria/msg224460/#msg224460
December 3rd, 2013, 3:48 pm
ALAN said:
http://youtu.be/onx7OyCwU50?t=6m2s
December 3rd, 2013, 3:49 pm
ALAN said:
House of Saud!
Some of knocking from Mark Levine – a Zionist disinformation agent that does nothing but spin the truth to push the pro-Israel (and friends) standpoint. He thinks he’s being subtle by playing the human rights card and preaching the lie that toppling Assad is the will of the people. It’s not the majority position in Syria. Brian Becker exposes the true interests of the House of Saud (and other states in the Middle East region). Mark Levine is doing nothing but publicly embarrassing himself by showing his lack of knowledge on real dynamics in the Middle East.
http://youtu.be/bjb1tyNLUl8?t=1s
December 3rd, 2013, 4:02 pm
Heads-up said:
Just so you may know, our well informed and highly reliable sources who work very hard, around the clock and behind the scenes authorized the release of the following very important heads up, in order to keep you up to date with current events.
Afraid that time is ticking away on a possible deal Putin may have with the Guided Kingdom, He finally gave in to pressure and called His Guided Royal Highness Prince Bandar Ibn Abd-AlAzeez Al-Saud, may he be protected and given long long life so that he may crush the head of the Serpent-head once and for all.
Putin waited patiently for hours before the Guided Prince would accept the call. Nevertheless, Putin’s patience paid off and the Guided Prince eventually felt inclined to answer the call.
Putin invited the Guided Prince to Moscow for discussions to be conducted in close proximity as he was not satisfied in discussions over remote channels. The Guided Prince flew his plane to meet him and offer him the proper Guidance that would take Russia out of the deep pit it finds itself in due to the reckless behaviour of its government.
It is reported that the Guided Prince never brought up the lucrative deal that he offered to Putin in their previous meeting, for that is off the table due to the brazen behaviour of Putin which now cost him so dearly. Instead, the Russian ex-KJB chief was given a probationary period in which he would have to satisfy the Guided Prince and Kingdom that Russia’s behaviour will change in a manner that would allow the Syrian Revolution to get rid of the Serpent Head once and for all.
We will see the positive results of this meeting in the next couple months which would be decisive as far as the pulverization of the head of the serpent head is concerned.
December 3rd, 2013, 4:15 pm
ALAN said:
Rare CNN Report: How al-Qaeda Militants Get Smuggled into Syria via Turkey
http://youtu.be/MRaDvMcEgbQ?t=21s
December 3rd, 2013, 4:25 pm
ALAN said:
HOT AIR ABOVE
http://en.itar-tass.com/russia/710093
December 3rd, 2013, 4:30 pm
ALAN said:
Netanyahu Admits his Country’s Alliance with Saudi Arabia
http://youtu.be/kvJMJcVb3ZA
December 3rd, 2013, 4:32 pm
ALAN said:
‘Tales of terror’: Shocking slave labor conditions in Qatar
http://rt.com/op-edge/qatar-modern-slave-state-618/
December 3rd, 2013, 5:10 pm
mjabali said:
Observer:
Responding to your laments:
1- When you say “get out of our hair,” it means one thing. Alawites go back to your mountains. I, Observer, speaking for the Sunnis of Damascus ordering you to pack and leave. There is no other meaning to this sentence other than this. You own Damascus and you want them out. This attitude is reflected throughout all of your scribbles on this blog. This is common amongst Sunnis of Damascus to view the Alawites as strangers and should be kicked out. I am waiting for you to deny this…LOL
2- The Alawites were in Damscus and in many little villages and towns around Damscus, so your great grand father did not have to go that far to loot, burn and destroy (sectarian cleansing), while replacing the Alawites (and other minorities) with Sunnis from gods knows where. This is real and you can go to the villages around Damascus and see for yourself. History books recorded this. The Alawite history in these area is well known. Alawism had spread in all of the big cities in the Middle East.
3- Dear Observer the scholar: Alawism is based of course on many concepts of Christianity, so, when you mock the trinity of Ali, Salman, Mohammad, you are mocking Christianity. This is not the religion of the Crusades, it is a religion by itself called Christianity.
4- Your feeble attempt to smear the Alawite by associating them with the Crusaders via creed is childish at best. This is also a common practice amongst the Sunnis who always accuse the Alawites of helping the Crusaders. The funny matter is that Observer’s family was not in Syria then, so what does it matter for him if the Alawites helped the Crusaders or not. Or, if the Alawites helped the Crusaders against the evil violent Sunnis who were killing them what is the problem mr. Observer. Here you are using the “traitor” argument, which is only used by losers. When you accuse someone of being a “traitor” this means one thing: You need to see a shrink ASAP.
5- If the Alawites are going to establish a state it is going to be called al-Dawlah al-‘Alawiyah, In English; The Alawite State. Your opinion does not matter.
6- As for your call that is a “War to the finish.” Dear arm chair general: there is a war and they are trying to top and not ignite it. Your imaginary army is ready SIR GENERAL.
7- Again mocking the concepts of christianity is not good General.
December 3rd, 2013, 5:23 pm
Heads-up said:
It looks like the moderator has done an excellent job with his targeting of BLANKET STATEMENTS!
Makes you wonder why the site is so much below standards!
December 3rd, 2013, 5:43 pm
Observer said:
A nerve is itching of course. I must have hit it again.
I also can interpret history to my liking and can draw conclusions based on premises of arguments whereby the construction is set in advance to arrive at whatever point of view I like. I say that the trinity of the Door Salman the Persian to the Spirit of the Religion that is Muhammad so that Ali the God can be venerated and adored and incarnated in the person of the current leader of the community is still mumbo jumbo garbage that is only equal to the Fatwa of this demented Azhar Sheikh that proclaimed that men and women can work together only if the women breast feed the men so that they become siblings by feeding and therefore no longer able to have a sexual relationship.
This is as bizarre as the idea that God is now inhabiting the leader of the community and that divinity is a thrice constructed concept. I also think it is inhumane to proclaim that only those that have been baptized are going to have salvation. I also think that children who die before their baptism are considered unworthy of salvation and therefore go to hell. This is a piece of garbage of a Catholic Church concept that is as bizarre as all the others. As for the idea of a wrath of God exhorting Joshua to kill all in Jericho and that Yahweh gave this land to his favorite people is only equal to the Nazi idea of a superior race.
This is mumbo jumbo hatred filled ideological garbage meant to give a sense of superiority to an infinitely inferiority complexed subhumans calling themselves intellectuals.
Who care where any one comes from. Those that want exclusivist consideration can go and live together in their own fantasy land and in their own glorious state. They have my blessing, get them out of our hair. Which by the way could very well mean: dismantle the security house of cards, build a civil society, separate religion from state, build a national identity and the rule of law, separate the branches of government. But since these concepts have not even arrived at the very level of simple understanding as I read a return to the death of Ali, the martyrdom of Hussein, the protection of Zeinab, the flagellation of the fate of the glorious Ahl Al Bait, I think then a physical separation is in order. Besides, sunnis are so awful that perhaps living with them is equivalent to being soiled therefore live where the air is pure, the living is free, and the education is great.
Crusaders intermingled nicely and as a matter of fact learned how to take a bath, especially those that descended from their mountain tops and got civilized in the urban centers of the east. Those that remained in the mountains stayed without bathing to this day.
I will call the rump state whatever I like and Alawistan is as good as Damascustan. Now my ancestors seem to bother some as to where they came from and what they did and how they lived. I still however have to pay for their sins and this is coming from the Alawistan news network claiming the “superiority of the sect in its modernist outlook and its secular tolerance” that I must pay for the sins of my ancestors. How about some in the so called Republican Guards paying a visit to the Hague for crimes against humanity today.
Now, many an immigrant to Damascus became over time a Damascene and in so doing became sophisticated in the ways of Damascus. All you have to do is to visit a merchant from an old Damascus family to see how they conduct business. So my ancestors were blessed by becoming sophisticated Damascenes over time in contrast to the hordes of rural people who transformed Damascus into an appendage of some backward mountainous village and filled the streets with ugly billboards with ugly Ray Ban Spaghetti Sauce advertisement to the glory of Thouria Alathad. Lo and behold not even the family Kingdom of Saud can compete with the term Thouria Alathad for in this later instance it speaks of a possession of the entire country.
I am proud that I have been civilized by the spirit and sophistication of Damascus as my ancestors moved into the city. Now some backward “superiority complexed uppity third rate pseudo intellectual with bizarre archaic beliefs of eternal victimhood coupled with a sense of entitlement to exclude the others is now proclaiming the Al Dawla Al Alawia.
Go ahead, proclaim it, just as the head of the Alevi community in Turkey proclaimed that they are not even Turks. Join forces and carve out whatever out of Syria and Turkey and move on to build your great towns and cities with ugly lamp posts, meter high pedestrian brims, painted faces of Ray Ban Spaghetti figures of adoration, posters of mascara eyes of a bearded leader with a forked sword and a halo of light coming out of his behind. Go ahead and build highways and byways where the children of the Spaghetti thugs race at 180 km per hour at night and go on a shopping spree buying oops Maserati cars ( not Lada of course ) and think that joining some Facebook group is the ultimate in democracy.
Now how about those Unitarians that believe in the power or reason to decipher the mystery of the book. They do so by believing in re incarnation and have their priests and their turbaned ” sages” hold the truth. Now they deserve their state.
Now why not a Maronistan. They have the General Aoun and the Jemayels and the Marada to guide them and lead them. They actually have better looking posters of these leaders in the mountains of Lebanon.
Now the slogan Athad or we burn Albalad is now Burn Albalad of Athad.
Yes it is good to be an armchair General.
Any videos of the glorious Shabihastan Popular Committees in action lately?
I want the Door so that I can go out and feel the Spirit and join the Incarnation .
Bizarro on Bizarro
December 3rd, 2013, 6:28 pm
Tara said:
Can some one educate me about the Door Salman?
I want to know please.
December 3rd, 2013, 7:08 pm
Tara said:
****
December 3rd, 2013, 7:09 pm
don said:
Russia wants terror attacks stopped against religious figures, worship sites in Syria
http://voiceofrussia.com/news/2013_12_03/Russia-wants-terror-attacks-stopped-against-religious-figures-worship-sites-in-Syria-1673/
Terrorists’ criminal actions against historic monuments and churchmen in Syria must be put an end to, the Russian Foreign Ministry has said commenting on a series of terrorists’ assaults on Islamic and Christian temples and churchmen.
“The terrorists’ aggressive criminal attacks against worship sites and religious figures must be stopped. This is also important in order to create an appropriate environment for calling an international conference on Syria in Geneva on January 22 2014,” the Russian Foreign Ministry said in a commentary, posted on its website.
Reports are arriving from Syria suggesting that “the armed extremist formations have centered on the task of inciting ethnic and inter-faith conflicts,” the Russian Foreign Ministry said in an attempt to draw the attention of international and regional partners in Syrian settlement and international humanitarian organizations.
It cited numerous facts of extremists’ criminal operations.
The Great Mosque of the Omeyas in the historical district of Damascus was shelled on November 26. Four people were killed and 26 injured as they were returning from the mosque. This unique cultural monument, entered on UNESCO’s cultural heritage list, has always been seen in Syria as the symbol of peaceful coexistence between the Muslim and Christians. A basilica, where relics of John the Baptist are believed to be kept, is located in the mosque as an object revered by both Christians and Muslims.
Media reports said that the militants, retreating under the pressure of an offensive by the government troops near Kalamoon, again entered the central part of the Christian town of Maaloula, broke into the Christian monastery Mar Takla (St.Thakla), one of the most popular Christian centers in Syria, and abducted Mother Pelagia and 12 Syrian nuns.
Extremists and bandits continue committing crimes in the provincial center of Raqqa, brazenly desecrating worship sites and attempting to destroy traces of Christian presence. The fate of the Orthodox and Syro-Jacobite metropolitans, and a Catholic priest remains unknown.
…
December 3rd, 2013, 7:45 pm
don said:
Syria: UN report on Assad’s war crimes ‘doesn’t prove anything’ – expert
http://voiceofrussia.com/2013_12_03/Syria-UN-report-on-Assads-war-crimes-doesnt-prove-anything-expert-7540/
Marinella Correggia, Italian anti-war activist, author and journalist with a long record of covering events in the Middle east, spoke with the Voice of Russia about the war crimes the commissioner talked about and the UN’s evidence.
Do they have enough evidence that proves the Syrian government authorized the crimes?
We have been studying these reports since the beginning and we have 3 remarks. The first one is about methodology, second one is about standard of proof and third one is about defining the responsibility – who committed what.
As to the first thing, the methodology, unfortunately, this commission as a part of methodology works on phone interviews and interviews in refugee camps around Syria like Turkey, Jordan, but also phone interview with people who are allowed not to give their name – anonymous interviews. So, it means that everyone can say everything. The commission has no way of proving this, the standard of proof is not fulfilled and for the same events the commission speaks about, we have alternative witness who says exactly the opposite about who committed the crimes. So, in the same situation if you listen another voice about responsibility, there is a completely another version plus there are events which are not verified.
We checked also videos, so-called evidences of some events and we found that these videos don’t prove anything.
The last thing is about political responsibility. Of course in war time there are a lot of crimes which are committed but not necessarily they have been ordered by top. Many times they are committed on the ground level.
…
December 3rd, 2013, 8:01 pm
don said:
European countries in contact with Damascus on Western fighters
Bashar Ja’afari, Syria’s ambassador to the UN, revealed on Tuesday that the Syrian troops had captured around 300 Saudi fighters
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/world/2013-12/04/c_132938984.htm
DAMASCUS, Dec. 3 (Xinhua) — Syria’s Information Minister Omran al-Zoubi said Tuesday that some European countries are in contact with Damascus regarding the growing number of Western radicals [mercenaries] fighting alongside the “rebels” in the war-torn country.
Declining to name the countries and the contact methods, al- Zoubi told pan-Arab al-Mayadeen TV that these countries fear that the terrorism in Syria will have repercussion on their own region, given that many fighters in Syria are foreigners [mercenaries], including Europeans, who may return to their original countries even more radicalized.
His remarks came after Bashar Ja’afari, Syria’s ambassador to the UN, revealed on Tuesday that the Syrian troops had captured around 300 Saudi fighters.
Earlier in the day, the local al-Watan daily said that the Syrian troops killed tens of Afaghani fighters [mercenaries] in the north.
Yet, the Western countries fear the return of their nationals, who may have fought alongside the al-Qaida groups.
Some U.S. security officials recently warned that some American fighters [mercenaries] in Syria may unleash terrorist attacks on the U.S. soil after they have come back.
…
December 3rd, 2013, 8:08 pm
zoo said:
Hezbollah chief says he met Qatari envoy in recent days
http://uk.news.yahoo.com/hezbollah-chief-says-met-qatari-envoy-recent-days-230004297.html
While saying that several countries were trying to improve relations with Damascus, he noted that Saudi Arabia, which has expressed caution about the Iran nuclear deal, was determined to continue the fight inside Syria “until the last bullet”.
“There is a Saudi decision to try and change the events on the ground until January 22 … they will fail,” adding that he expected fierce battles in Syria until then.
Saudi Arabia and Iran are locked in a struggle for influence across the Arab world.
Nasrallah also said he believed the al-Qaeda group that carried out last month’s twin suicide bombings outside the Iranian embassy in Beirut was linked to Saudi Arabia’s intelligence service.
December 3rd, 2013, 9:25 pm
zoo said:
Is Saudi Arabia backing off to avoid the additional humiliation of failing to remove Bashar Al Assad militarily
Putin, Prince Bandar discuss Syria, Iran: Kremlin
December 04, 2013 02:29 AM
MOSCOW: Russian President Vladimir Putin met Saudi intelligence chief Prince Bandar bin Sultan near Moscow and discussed the war in Syria and Iran’s nuclear program, the Kremlin said Tuesday.
Russia has staunchly supported President Bashar Assad during the conflict, while Saudi Arabia has backed rebels trying to overthrow the Syrian leader.
The Kremlin said Putin and Prince Bandar discussed plans for the Geneva II peace conference on Syria to be held in Geneva on Jan. 22. It did not say when the two men met.
“There was a detailed exchange of opinions on the situation in Syria, including in the context of preparation for the Geneva II conference,” said a statement posted on the Kremlin website.
Read more: http://www.dailystar.com.lb/News/Middle-East/2013/Dec-04/239851-putin-prince-bandar-discuss-syria-iran-kremlin.ashx#ixzz2mT9JhKGb
(The Daily Star :: Lebanon News :: http://www.dailystar.com.lb)
December 3rd, 2013, 9:28 pm
zoo said:
If Bashar al Assad goes, it is almost certain that the Syrian army will collapse and Selim Idriss and his pathetic FSA fighters will be left alone to fight Al Qaeda.
Therefore if the West counts on the Syrian Army to fight Al Qaeda, they have no choice than to keep Bashar al Assad and the whole military structure intact as long as needed. Otherwise they will have either to intervene military or allow Syria to become a haven for Islamist terrorist, just like Afghanistan.
Idriss stressed the threat posed by the al-Qaeda affiliate known as the “Islamic State of Iraq and Syria,” or ISIS. He said the group was “very dangerous for the future of Syria” and that after Assad’s departure, the Free Syrian Army would be ready to join the regular Syrian army in fighting them.
Read more: http://www.realclearpolitics.com/articles/2013/12/03/al-qaedas_syrian_threat_120829.html#ixzz2mTAy2Jno
Follow us: @RCP_Articles on Twitter
December 3rd, 2013, 9:40 pm
zoo said:
@166 Don
That theatrical and distorted annoucement by Nivay Pillay is justified by the desire of the West to weaken Bashar Al Assad as the clock is ticking for the conference and he is becoming increasingly powerful while the oppositions crediblity is on a strong decline.
We can expect all sorts of ‘demonisation’ announcements directed against Bashar Al Assad by the West until the conference happens. They are needed to hide the ridicule of the West for all the empty threats and unfulfilled predictions they made over the last 2 years.
December 3rd, 2013, 9:48 pm
zoo said:
Al Azhar don’t keep parasites
Egypt: Qaradawi quits Al-Azhar
Qatar-based cleric slams Al-Azhar leader for cooperating with military-backed interim government
London, Asharq Al-Awsat—Prominent Qatar-based cleric Yusuf Al-Qaradawi resigned from the governing body of Egypt’s Al-Azhar on Monday in protest at the head of the institution’s support for the country’s military-backed government.
The cleric posted a message on his Facebook and Twitter accounts saying that he was quitting Al-Azhar’s Senior Scholars Committee “in the name of the great Egyptian people,” and accused its leader, Sheikh Ahmed Al-Tayeb, of “abusing the authority of the office to support the military coup.”
Qaradawi, a supporter of the Muslim Brotherhood, has been a fierce critic of the toppling of Brotherhood-backed former President Mohamed Mursi earlier this year by the Egyptian armed forces following mass protests against him and the Brotherhood.
His resignation comes only a day before the draft of a new constitution was presented to Egypt’s interim president, Adly Mansour. The new document, which will be the subject of a referendum later this month, replaces one passed by Mursi last year.
December 3rd, 2013, 10:05 pm
zoo said:
Only 22% of Syrians have a positive view of Turkey. Does it give some indication of how many Syrians have a positive view of the opposition supported by Turkey?
http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/turkey-losing-positive-perception-in-middle-east.aspx?pageID=238&nID=58958&NewsCatID=338
The sharpest drop was registered in both Egypt and Syria, where positive views of Turkey decreased by half. While the ratio of Egyptians with a positive view was 86 percent in 2011 and 84 percent in 2012, it had dropped to 38 percent this year. In Syria the percentages were 44 percent in 2011, 28 percent in 2012, and 22 percent in 2013.
The numbers likely reflect the repercussions of Turkey’s involvement in the developments of the two countries. While the Justice and Development Party (AKP) government has sided with the opposition calling for the Bashar al–Assad regime in Syria to quit, it has also staunchly criticized the recent coup in Egypt.
Some 88 percent of those polled in Syria believe the Turkish government is “not friendly” to their country, while this number is 68 percent in Egypt. However, 90 percent in Libya, 88 percent in Tunis, and 88 percent in Jordan believe the Turkish government is “very friendly” to their country.
December 3rd, 2013, 10:11 pm
Hopeful said:
Syrian officials are now opening talking about how an understanding between Iran, Turkey and Saudi Arabia will be the catalyst to solving the Syrian problem. It reminds me of how Lebanese officials used to think and say.
The regime that has always claimed to be independent and against any kind of foreign intervention, is now opening saying that the fate of the country it rules is in the hands of others.
Yet again, the regime supporters continue to blindly follow the corrupt, brutal and incompetent leader.
To borrow from Ghufran phrases, toz bihaik nizam wa bihaik qaaed.
December 3rd, 2013, 11:46 pm
don said:
Russia calls for immediate release of nuns abducted in Syria’s Maaloula
http://indrus.in/news/2013/12/04/russia_calls_for_immediate_release_of_nuns_abducted_in_syrias_maaloula_31353.html
Russia has called for liberation of nuns abducted in Syria’s Christian village, Maaloula, north of Damascus, Russian Foreign Ministry’s envoy on human rights, democracy, and supremacy of law Konstantin Dolgov said on Wednesday.
“We call on those who kidnapped nuns to immediately free them safe and sound,” the diplomat wrote in his Twitter blog. “The abduction of nuns from the St. Thecla monastery in Syria’s west should be clearly and specifically condemned.
The representative of the Antiochian Patriarchate Metropolitan Luka Khoury said earlier that captured hostage nuns from the Syrian monastery were alive and in Yabrud.
…
December 4th, 2013, 4:25 am
mjabali said:
Observer:
Here are my responses to your mumbo jumbo…
You should thank me for making sense of your chaotic logic….
1- You touched no nerves. I am just being polite and responding to you, although you are not polite towards me (you called me subhuman just yesterday.) You always mention me in your posts in a very improper manner.
2- I am not “interpreting history” I am presenting you with facts that always been forced to be hidden. You choose to hide your head in the sand and accuse me with something; a “traitor,” or ” infinitely inferiority complexed subhumans calling themselves intellectuals,” instead of dealing with the real issues. When you are asked about Damascus, you are referring us to Zimbabwe and Mugabi.
3- The man who issued the fatwa where a man can work with a woman only after she breast feed him is a Sunni. I have nothing to do with him. He is from your heritage not mine.
4- I really do not care about what people believe, or do not believe in. So, reading your sob story about people beliefs did not further the discussion.
5- Invoking where you come from is a reaction to you call for sectarian cleansing. It is to question who gives you the right to tell someone to leave if you are a comer yourself? Do not run from facing this critical question: why not bring where you came from if you are asking hundreds of thousands of Alawites to pack and “get out of your hair.”
6- If the Crusaders bathed or not is not my concern. My concern is when you associated me with them to slander me, as you think. Do not divert the real talk about their creed and Christianity into how they bathed or not.
7- Yes mr. Observer the Alawites are secular, no matter how hard you try to mock them. Their current lifestyle shows their readiness for this modern world, unlike your sect that is trying to march backwards. Do not hate me for telling the truth. I grew up with Sunnis and no one else and see how they had moved from being modern and ready to be a part in this world into becoming ready to march back to the 7th C.
8- When there was an Alawite State: they had Sunnis, Christians and Alawites. They had democratic elections, with the supervision of France, and they elected 5 Alawites, 3 Sunnis and 3 Christians (as I remember) to rule the state. People lived nicely and elections were held again and again with no problems. Everyone knew how to live together, so your irresponsible talk about the Alawite State, or al-Dawlah al-‘Alawiyah is kind of worthless.
9- “Sophisticated in the ways of Damascus” to me translate to look at the others as peasants. “Sophisticated in the ways of Damascus” to me means nothing. You, and your “Damascene Sophistication” can not stand in front the creative, educated hoards those coming from the mountains unleashed on the scene. Yes, you can see the Alawites as soldiers and Shabiha, but you do not see their literary figures or doctors or teachers. In one generation mr. Observers the Alawite women produced thousands of doctors: What do you have to say to that? I do not buy your “Sophistication” with a rusted Qirsh قرش مصدي as they say in Syria.
10- You got “civilized” because of the money your great grand father collected when he was the governor. He was like al-Assad now, so do not preach me here. You got a chance to study French and learn Piano, while Alawite men from your generation had to walk mountains to reach the closest school. Some of them did it and became doctors like you. The chance you had to be “civilized” did not come from fair chance. I do not blame you, but I am just pointing this to you.
PS. Speaking of “Bizzaro..Bizzaro.” your comment became really strange towards the end. Good luck and keep it coming.
December 4th, 2013, 5:50 am
Tara said:
راهبات دير معلولا نقلن بواسطة “مقاتلين إسلاميين” إلى مكان آمن (الفرنسية
The fighters are getting smarter. Instead of giving the regime the chance to kill the nuns to frame the revolution, they moved them our for their safety. Now the fighters have no problem staying in the strategic town of Maaloula. Any destruction of Maaloula from now on will solely be the regime responsibility using indiscriminate shelling.
أكد الائتلاف الوطني السوري المعارض أن قوات الجيش الحر -التي دخلت بلدة معلولا- حاولت إقناع الراهبات في كنيسة البلدة بالمغادرة لكنهن رفضن. وأوضح أن مجموعة مسلحة أخرى غير تابعة للجيش الحر أجبرتهن على المغادرة خشية مقتلهن بنيران قوات النظام.
ونفي خالد صالح المتحدث باسم الائتلاف اختطاف الراهبات، وقال إن الفاتيكان أكد سلامتهن, وإنهن يقمن مع عائلة مسيحية في المنطقة.
وكان بطريرك أنطاكيا وسائر المشرق للروم الأرثوذكس يوحنا العاشر طالب المجتمع الدولي وسائر حكومات العالم بالتدخل لإطلاق الراهبات واليتامى المحتجزين في دير مار تقلا في معلولا.
من جهته، قال موفد الفاتيكان إلى سوريا ماريو زيناري إنه تم إجلاء الراهبات الاثنتي عشرة من دير مار تقلا من قبل مقاتلين إسلاميين، على حد تعبيره. وأضاف أن بطريركية الروم الأرثوذكس أبلغته أن الراهبات أخرجن نحو بلدة يبرود.
ونقلت وكالة الصحافة الفرنسية عن رئيسة دير صيدنايا سيفرونيا نبهان أنها تحدثت إلى رئيسة دير مار تقلا الأم بيلاجيا سياف مساء الاثنين، وأكدت لها أن الراهبات ومعهن ثلاث عاملات يقمن في جو مريح في منزل ببلدة يبرود، و”لا أحد يعكر صفوهن”.
وأكد نشطاء معارضون لوكالة رويترز أن الراهبات في أمان، وأن الخطر الحقيقي عليهن يأتي مما وصفوه بالقصف العشوائي لقوات النظام السوري لمعلولا، في حين قال التلفزيون الحكومي السوري إن مسيحيين في دمشق أقاموا قداسا الاثنين للاحتجاج على “أسر الراهبات”.
في غضون ذلك، ناشد بطريرك أنطاكيا وسائر المشرق للروم الأرثوذكس يوحنا العاشر يازجي المجتمع الدولي وسائر حكومات العالم التدخل لإطلاق سراح الراهبات.
كما عبرت وزارة الخارجية الفرنسية عن قلقها حيال مصير الراهبات “بعد المعلومات التي تحدثت عن خطفهن وإرغامهن على مغادرة دير معلولا”، وطالبت بالإفراج عنهن فورا.
وكان مقاتلو المعارضة سيطروا أمس على بلدة معلولا بعد معارك شرسة مع قوات النظام السوري، وشهدت البلدة المعروفة بآثارها المسيحية القديمة معارك في سبتمبر/أيلول الماضي نزح خلالها معظم السكان، وقد تبادلت القوات المتحاربة السيطرة عليها عدة مرات منذ ذلك الحين.
December 4th, 2013, 7:02 am
apple_mini said:
It is very interesting to read the exchange between mjabali and observer.
The same mentality happens to almost all kinds of people in every culture: Aggressors rob a certain land and claim to be the rightful owner since. In the meantime, they start to twist the history to fit their needs.
Yes, I do believe a significant part of Syrian Expats who are still supporting this bloody “revolution” are doing it out of their racist mentality.
Good thing is that their support is not helping the rebel winning either.
December 4th, 2013, 7:28 am
Hopeful said:
#178 Apple_mini
Racism and sectarianism are major social diseases in our culture. I agree. But they are not exclusive to any group or sect. In the exchange you are referring to, Mjabli accuses Observer of racism when referring to “Damascene Sophistication”, yet he himself talks down the Sunnis sect in the same post who are “not ready for the modern world”. He notes, correctly, how Alawite women produced thousands of doctors in one generation, while he and others, in previous posts, looked down at the Arab bedouins in the gulf and their recent accomplishments.
I for one do not believe that these society’s illness can be cured without lifting BOTH the heavy weights of authoritarian dictatorships and religious extremism. Until people start getting their knowledge and education from sources other than the corrupt ruthless leaders and the ignorant intolerant imams, we are doomed. The rest of the world marches on.
December 4th, 2013, 7:53 am
Observer said:
Tara my understanding of the Alawi belief is that the divinity is characterized by a trinity Salman the Persian is the door to God, with Muhammad being the Spirit of God on earth and Ali being actually God. So it is similar to the trinity of the Christian Faith.
As an agnostic I look at all those faiths and claims and historical “facts” as nothing more than stupid ideologies that have trapped people in bizarro thoughts.
It is also clear that there is no room for debate or understanding as I pointed out that the sects today are as bizarre and deviant as ever. All of them. It is also clear that no one really knows how to read, as getting the mafia out of our hair has clearly been spelled out as the rule of law, civil society, equal citizenship, separation of powers, separation of church and state etc……
Also it is clear that the idea of relinquishing power is impossible to imagine so my dear Tara we have a call for Al Dawla Al Alawyia as a secular modern state where all can live together in peace and in equality and solidarity. Godspeed I say if they want to create the state and God bless them and they have my agnostic blessing as well.
Is is also clear to me that “hidden facts” of history are another twist on the “infinitely engrained inferiority complexed eternal victimhood turned into a superiority complexed exclusivist sectarian based identification” coming from uncivilized subhumans who want me to pay for supposedly “hidden facts” of my ancestor’s sins.
It is subhuman to impute responsibility to the offspring of a sinner; for in the same logic, the children of those that massacred in Hama and Houla should for generations to come continue to pay.
This is crux of the matter, in the end, once you scratch the surface Tara you have a hatred based, jealousy filled, inferiority complexed, sanctimonious holier than thou attitude and mentality that is only equal to the fanatics of the other side who apostate their opponents to justify their destruction.
As for Damascus, I am grateful that my ancestors were civilized by coming to Damascus. My ancestors of course stole and took advantage of their position and were corrupt but this is again another crux of this matter for now we have a justification of the present regime doing the same in the name of the sins of my ancestors. Well, the regime confiscated all the stolen wealth of my ancestors and good riddance I do not care. Now we need the rule of law not the rule of the jungle based on “hidden facts” of history that some have exclusive sources of.
One hidden history fact that is not so hidden is that Crusaders and Alawites collaborated and another one is that their leader asked France for independence.
Well, surely the present regime must understand that if oppressed ( by the Sunnis at that time ) they would ally with the devil to have freedom and would never trust the Sunnis again. Likewise, if I am to pay for my ancestor and wish to be subhuman I would also ask that the present regime pays for the sins of its ancestors and for collaborating with the Crusaders and if I were even more subhuman I would also ask for the death of the children of the regime commanders.
This is the essence of sectarian logic: exclude and dehumanize the other so that you can continue to oppress and kill and destroy for generations. What better motive for you to have this eternal logic than to also add to it an eternal sense and feeling of victimhood.
Is not bizarre my dear Tara that to this day we see self flagellation for the death of Hussein as a manifestation of faith today and consider having a long beard and short pants to be backward if a Sunni does it?
It is clear Tara that the idea of being equal citizens in a modern civil society is anathema to the sect based identification and continued justification for the ongoing destruction of the country. Well, today there is no going back. The slogan Athad or we burn Albalad has been turned on its head and we have the factual slogan If Athad we burn Albalad.
So, get them out of our hair, let them have their state and let them live in peace and prosperity and create their wonderful secular modern state with its ugly billboards. I wish them well and Godspeed. If they failed on the scale of all of Syria, perhaps on a small scale in a state of part of Syria and part of Turkey maybe then they can. I for one will be the first to congratulate them and will be the first to emulate them if they are successful.
December 4th, 2013, 8:23 am
Sami said:
The premise that there is only one type of sectarianism and extremism in Syria and it is Sunnicentric is within itself a sectarian and bigoted premise.
“Aggressors rob a certain land and claim to be the rightful owner since. In the meantime, they start to twist the history to fit their needs.”
Interesting, if I use the same logic that Mjabali and Apple are using I should go after them for the robbing and looting that Salah Jadid and Havez did to my Grand Father? Should I go after my Alawi cousins and their mother as well?
What a pathetically backwards mentality if that is truly the case.
December 4th, 2013, 8:34 am
Heads-up said:
Every killer shall be killed.
Today, a criminal of hezboola, described as high ranking terrorist, met his killer and gunned down in front of his hous in South Beirut. Alhamdollillah.
Hassan Houlu Laqis, responsible for many massacres in Qusair and others, was eliminated. Hizboola accused Israel. Israel denied but made it clear it was happy with the outcome.
On the other hand, Alawis or more properly N-u-s-a-y-r-i-s are aliens to Syria and its culture. Furthermore they NEVER existed throughout history outside the mountainous areas living there as oulawed criminals before they started trickling down to coastal cities and Damascus after 1963. They originate from areas to the east of Syria. Muslim scholars always considered them infidels. They still are. In fact Christians are closer in belief to Muslims than such worshipers of stars, human beings, graves and other lowly forns of worship. They always feel inferior because of the above. You may want to download the 100 or so pages of a book titled الباكورة السليمانية written by an individual who lived among them for a while and discovered all the nonesense they subscribe to. The book can be easily downloaded by typing the Arabic title in Google. It is a vety good source for laughter when you read through and discover the idiocy behind some practices. The idiocy of self flaggelation pales in front of the many idiocies you come across in the book.
December 4th, 2013, 8:44 am
zoo said:
Welcoming and collaborating with Jihadists in Syria has been the fatal mistake of the opposition. It has shot itself in the foot and is now making itself and the whole country pay the consequences .
Syria jihadist threat ‘may force US rethink on Bashar Al Assad’
Fearing a jihadist revival, former American diplomat suggests initiating contacts with Bashar Al Assad
New York Times News Service
Published: 15:25 December 4, 2013
http://gulfnews.com/news/region/syria/syria-jihadist-threat-may-force-us-rethink-on-bashar-al-assad-1.1263189
Washington: Intensifying sectarian and clan violence has presented new opportunities for jihadist groups across the Middle East and raised concerns among US intelligence and counterterrorism officials that militants aligned with Al Qaida could establish a base in Syria capable of threatening Israel and Europe.
…
Some analysts and US officials say the chaos there could force the Obama administration to take a more active role to stave off potential threats among the opposition groups fighting against the government of President Bashar Al Assad. But striking at jihadist groups in Syria would pose formidable political, military and legal obstacles, and could come at the cost of some kind of accommodation — even if only temporary or tactical — with Al Assad’s brutal but secular government, analysts say.
“We need to start talking to the Al Assad regime again” about counterterrorism and other issues of shared concern, said Ryan C. Crocker, a veteran diplomat who has served in Syria, Iraq and Afghanistan. “It will have to be done very, very quietly. But bad as Al Assad is, he is not as bad as the jihadis who would take over in his absence.”
It is not clear whether or when the White House would be willing to make such an abrupt shift in approach after years of supporting the Syrian opposition and calling for Al Assad’s ouster. It would certainly require delicate negotiations with Middle Eastern allies who were early and eager supporters of Syrian rebel groups, notably Saudi Arabia.
December 4th, 2013, 8:44 am
zoo said:
Only weak, impotent and suffering for an inferiority complex people would spend time trying to ridicule a sect that they abhor by looking at their rituals or their beliefs.
Self flagellation is no more “laughable” than turning around a ‘sacred’ meteorite or throwing stones at ‘the devil’ while staying in 5 stars hotels.
Let’s not even mention the virgin ‘houris’ waiting for the pious in heaven to satisfy his lust.
One can wonders of women would satisfy their lust in heaven.
All religions have rituals and beliefs that can be laughed at. What counts is the spiritual and humanistic aims of these religions.
December 4th, 2013, 8:56 am
zoo said:
It was expected.
The FSA made up of Syrians is being crushed by Al Qaeda that is increasingly dominated by foreigners. The war is now to defend Syria territory from a foreign islamist invasion
Syrian rebels consider joining forces with regime troops to fight al-Qa’ida
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/middle-east/syrian-rebels-consider-joining-forces-with-regime-troops-to-fight-alqaida-8981081.html
The FSA has now produced an intelligence dossier charting the rise of the jihadists with Isis “seeking complete domination in liberated areas”. The document estimates that Isis alone now has 5,500 foreign fighters, who “form its main backbone in sensitive operations” as well as 2,000 indoctrinated Syrians from the northern part of the country. In addition there are 15,000 others who provide support to the group.
December 4th, 2013, 9:13 am
zoo said:
The USA does not have anymore the fall of Bashar al Assad as a priority. Quite the contrary, they want him to confront and annihilate the takfirists, then we’ll see.
The general tendencies goes toward a compromise
http://www.lorientlejour.com/article/845388/les-tendances-generales-penchent-vers-les-compromis.html
It is clear that the concerns of the United States, recently defined by Susan Rice , now summarized in four points: they do not want that anyone to threaten their allies (this is especially Israel ) , they want to secure the sources and transport of energy, they want to fight against terrorism and , finally , they refuse any use of weapons of mass destruction.
The fall of the Syrian regime and fueling the war in Syria are certainly neither part of their priorities nor their agenda , and they now favor the search for compromise to confrontations in the manner of George W. Bush. This does not mean that the war in Syria will stop because it is a long process, but the general trend is now clear: the West and especially the United States will not accept that Islamists take power in Syria . Between them and the regime, they still prefer the regime, but the best for them is to let Assad finish with Takfirists while himself becoming weaker , allowing them to then impose a new form of power ” more democratic and certainly more flexible”
December 4th, 2013, 10:21 am
zoo said:
Israel’s violent reaction after the slap of the Iran nuclear deal.
Killing a Hezbollah leader brings Israel two main results.
One is to take a symbolic revenge on Iran for the humiliation imposed on Netanyahu. The second is to throw oil on the fire between Sunnis and Shias: Saudi Arabia and Iran, hoping to create a tit for tat violent escalation.
Intelligently Hezbollah and the Lebanese president have immediately accuses Israel for that assassination.
Of course, Israel with hundred of such murders on its conscience “innocently” denies as usual..
December 4th, 2013, 10:30 am
zoo said:
Syria’s Criminal Rebels
http://www.truth-out.org/news/item/20404-syrias-criminal-rebels
….
Unfortunately, Assad has come to have rivals in criminality among his opposition, and reportedly the rebels increasingly embody the very evils that they claim to want to overthrow. The Syrian rebels have displayed such brutality and savagery – including the cold-blooded murder of captured Syrian soldiers – that they are beginning to undermine their own cause. Many Syrian insurgents are more and more resorting to murder, smuggling, kidnappings and looting of priceless Syrian artifacts to raise funds to buy weapons and influence
December 4th, 2013, 10:36 am
don said:
Central Asians’ Trail To Jihad In Syria
http://www.rferl.org/content/central-asia-trail-jihad/25188721.html
SUZAK VILLAGE, Kyrgyzstan — Mekhribbon has lived a mother’s nightmare since she last spoke to her son by telephone during the summer.
She hadn’t seen him since 2011, when he and five friends left their ethnic Uzbek village of Suzak in southern Kyrgyzstan for migrant work near Moscow.
From that last call, Mekhribbon learned that all six young men had left Russia to join Al-Qaeda and wage jihad in Syria against President Bashar al-Assad.
“He sent some money after the first month, then he disappeared,” Mekhribbon said. “The last phone call he made was about five months ago. It was a very long number. Nobody answered when we tried to call him back. Then we asked police — security officials — to help us. We gave them the phone number my son called from when he told me ‘I will come back,’ and that’s all.”
Parents of the others also contacted Kyrgyzstan’s State Committee for National Security after receiving similar phone calls from Syria. They don’t know where their sons are now, but fear they’ve been killed. And they are asking about the trail that took their sons from their tiny Central Asian village to Syria’s civil war.
Recruited In Moscow
Kyrgyz authorities told RFE/RL that their investigation revealed the six were recruited by Russian-speaking Salafist jihadists — Sunni Muslim militants — after their arrival in Moscow, and were sent to Syria via TURKEY.
But the recruiters, thought to be from Russia’s North Caucasus region, are just one branch of an international network used by Al-Qaeda to bring fighters into Syria — not just from Central Asia, but from across the world.
Rand Corporation senior adviser Michael Jenkins testified to the U.S. Congress in November that there are now 6,000 to 8,000 foreign “rebel” fighters in Syria.
According to Jenkins, most came from nearby Arab countries, with significant numbers also coming from North Africa and Europe. “For those that have been identified as Al-Qaeda linked, it appears to be that their funding is coming from private donations — primarily in the [Sunni Muslim] Gulf monarchies,” he said. “[The donors] are wealthy individuals.”
By comparison, relatively few militants in Syria are from Central Asia. But during 2013, Central Asian jihadists have become more prominent among Al-Qaeda fighters in Salafi jihadist groups such as Jabhat al-Nusra.
Their path of radicalization and recruitment to Syria is complex and shadowy.
“One of the growing trends is for jihadists to attract people from Salafist ideology and tell them that they need to make the rest of the world adopt that ideology,” Zenn said. When you have groups like Hizb-ut Tahrir and similar groups, such as Tabliq-i Jamat, bringing people into Salafist ideology, in many cases, it makes it easier for jihadists to then recruit them because they are already one step closer towards the ultimate goal of turning them into violent actors.”
Zenn says Salafist ideology is making inroads in places like southern Kyrgyzstan. But he says Central Asian jihadists are usually recruited and radicalized after they travel abroad to places like TURKEY, Persian Gulf states, Afghanistan, Pakistan, or even Russia.
‘Religious education’
Kamatayev was shocked in October when he recognized his grandchildren in a video from Syria released by Kazakh jihadists in Al-Qaeda’s “Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant.”
Kamatayev says his son was not particularly religious several years ago.
But after the Almaty construction firm that employed Nurlan went bankrupt, Kamatayev believes his son joined an unregistered Salafist group that operates beyond the control of Kazakhstan’s state-run Islamic administration.
“His behavior changed within two or three months,” said Kamatayev. “It was 2012 if I’m not mistaken. He started to pray and he would hold the Koran and read it day and night. I scolded him and said ‘Why don’t you stop that? You can pray if you want. But why are you doing it day and night? Are you going to become a mullah?'”
“He replied that he’d had bad luck and now believes in God, and so on. Since then, he has refused to talk to me and gradually stopped all contact with us.”
Kamatayev says Nurlan took his wife and three children to the Middle East after the Salafist group in Kazakhstan helped him get work there. Then Kamatayev’s grandchildren turned up in the Al-Qaeda video from Syria.
Relatives of a dozen other Kazakh jihadists in that video have told RFE/RL similar stories. The Kazakh recruits all told relatives that they were traveling to TURKEY, SAUDI ARABIA, or QATAR for employment or to receive “religious education.” Once out of Kazakhstan, their radicalization appeared to intensify.
For Salafi jihadists from the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan (IMU), the road to Syria has been different.
Until 2011, Ravshan waged jihad as an IMU fighter in Afghanistan and alongside Pakistan’s Taliban in South Waziristan.
But after Syria’s civil war broke out, Ravshan became disgruntled with “waging Salafist jihad” against Sunni Muslim Pakistani soldiers.
He told RFE/RL it was better to fight in Syria against Alawites and pro-Assad Iranian Shi’ite militia because he considers them “impure Muslims” who have deviated from the original practices of Islam.
Ravshan also says he was quickly recruited by Al-Qaeda’s Al-Nusra Front after arriving in TURKEY.
Now, after losing a leg to an artillery shell at Aleppo in July, Ravshan is back in TURKEY where he maintains ties with the Al-Qaeda network that sent him into Syria.
Three other former IMU fighters from Uzbekistan’s Ferghana Valley have told RFE/RL similar stories about being recruited by the Al-Nusra Front after traveling to TURKEY.
They say their initial contacts with the group came through an Internet savvy Uzbek Salafist in TURKEY’s Hatay Province who uses an iPad to communicate with potential recruits from Europe, North America, Russia, and Central Asia.
…
December 4th, 2013, 11:29 am
don said:
Astana Probes Video Allegedly Showing Kazakh ‘Jihad’ Family in Syria
http://www.rferl.org/content/kazakh-jihad-video/25143704.html
A toddler in a plaid shirt launches into a tantrum as a slightly older girl refuses him a sip from her juice box.
The scene of youthful innocence could fit into the highlight reel of any family vacation — if not for the gun-wielding man standing in the background.
The government of Kazakhstan says it is aware of a video posted to YouTube earlier this month that purports to show a Kazakh “family” of 150 people preparing for jihad in Syria.
The 20-minute clip, which has since been removed from YouTube but is available on the LiveLeak website, is mostly filmed at a large villa in an unknown location.
Titled “The Muslim Family of 150 People Who Moved to Sham,” it features children, teens, and young adults explaining in Kazakh, Russian, and Arabic why they have decided to join Islamist rebels in Syria.
Sham is the classical Arabic name for Syria.
Testimonials To Jihad
“We are examining the video, but I cannot tell you when the examination will be concluded,” said Saktagan Saduakasov, a spokesman for the Kazakh state agency on religious affairs.
RFE/RL has not been able to independently verify the authenticity of the clip or identify anyone in the video, which includes testimonials from group members about the purpose of joining jihad in Syria interspersed with young children praying, playing, and participating in push-up drills.
“God Almighty obliged us to go on jihad,” says one teenager, speaking in Kazakh. “We came for jihad to the land of Sham at the Lord’s calling. Allah Almighty showed us that jihad is the most important thing for us.”
He recites a prayer from the Koran and then translates it into Russian: “Don’t say those who fell while following God’s path are dead. They’re alive and they are among us.”
Toward the end of the video, about 50 men holding weapons sit in a group on the villa’s front steps. A man wearing a hat bearing an Arabic phrase indicating a person on the path to jihad addresses the camera.
“With the Lord’s blessing we are now on jihad’s path with this equipment,” says the fighter, brandishing his weapon. “And Allah said in another verse, ‘If you turn away from my path you’ll be replaced by people from other flocks — they will not be like you,'” he adds, seeming to address why Kazakhs should participate in an Arab country’s civil war.
Drawing Central Asians
Thousands of foreigners have reportedly joined radical rebel groups fighting in Syria’s more than two-year-old civil war, which began after the regime of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad violently repressed pro-democracy demonstrations.
There have been previous reports of Central Asians, who are predominantly Muslim, being recruited to join in the fighting. In April, a parliamentarian in a Kyrgyz opposition party accused mosques in the restive south of encouraging teenagers to fight.
In September, Russia and Chinese media aired a video purporting to show six fighters from Turkmenistan captured by pro-government forces while fighting for an Al-Qaeda-connected group. One, identified as Ravshan Gazakov, was shown in a video apparently teaching his 5-year-old son bomb-making skills.
And in June Nurtay Abykayev, chairman of Kazakhstan’s National Security Committee, said there were several militants from Kazakhstan fighting in Syria.
An imam in Karagandy, about 600 kilometers from Astana, told RFE/RL that a couple had recently come to the mosque to tell him that three of their sons had left for Syria.
“There are several parents in our region who are in similar situations,” said the imam, who asked not to be identified because he was not given permission to speak on the topic. “They come to the mosque once a week to pray for the well-being of their loved ones.”
…
December 4th, 2013, 11:44 am
don said:
Interview: Army victories to boost Syrian gov’t stance in peace talks
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/world/2013-12/04/c_125808668.htm
DAMASCUS, Dec. 4 (Xinhua) — Recent victories by the Syrian army over rebel groups, mainly in the rugged al-Qalamoun region near the capital Damascus, could enhance the government’s position in the upcoming negotiations in Geneva, a military expert and former general told Xinhua in an interview Wednesday.
“The victory of the Syrian army would surely positively reflect on the government’s position in Geneva II conference,” Turki Hasan, a retired Syrian military general, told Xinhua.
In the strategic al-Qalamoun region on the northern rim of Damascus, the Syrian army made advances in the Nabek town after recapturing the towns of Qara and Deir Attieh.
Al-Qalamoun, a mountain range in western Syria, near the border with Lebanon, is considered a strategic area as it contains the international road that connects Damascus with the central province of Homs and other provinces in the north. It also is a prime location for the Syrian army, who is intent on cutting off the rebels’ supply line from neighboring Lebanon.
Hasan added that rebel groups had attempted to capture the towns and villages of al-Qalamoun, which stretches on a distance of 70 km longitude with a depth of 40 km, but were defeated in the central town of al-Qussair last June.
The army has recently launched a wide-scale offensive to regain the towns of al-Qalamoun from rebel groups, succeeding in recapturing Qara, Deir Attiah, and almost wrested back control of al-Nabek.
“The rebels attempted to tilt the balance in their favor by dismembering the state and by controlling al-Qalamoun region, to isolate the capital Damascus from central and northern Syria,” the former military general said. “They eye this tactic to tweak the balance so that it could reflect on the upcoming negotiations in Geneva II. The Geneva II conference has been delayed for this reason.”
He accused Saudi Arabia of supporting the rebels and of delaying the planned conference in the hope that the rebels could make solid achievements on the ground.
Hasan said the al-Qalamoun battle has three important aspects. The first is connected with the internal situation in Syria in terms of the battles and territorial gains of each party; the second is political and where both sides will use victories on the ground to have stronger political say during the Geneva II peace negotiations; the third aspect is concerned with the regional instability, particularly the situation in Lebanon.
He stressed that if the rebels manage to control al-Qalamoun, it could threaten the Lebanese militant group, Hezbollah, whose leader, Sayyed Hasan Nasrallah, announced his fighters were fighting alongside Syrian government troops to protect Lebanon from radical militant groups.
Hasan emphasized that the Syrian state is addressing the crisis in both military and political fashion. Regardless of the Geneva II peace conference, the Syrian army continues to make advances on the ground that the government hopes will reflect the Syrian administration’s interests.
…
December 4th, 2013, 11:59 am
don said:
Saudi criminals fighting in Syria: Al-Ja’afari
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/2013/12/04/338160/saudi-criminals-fighting-in-syria/
Syria’s ambassador to the United Nations says many Saudis who have been either sentenced to death or life in prison are released to fight against the Syrian government.
“The Saudi authorities release those criminals, the majority of them are affiliated to extremist, terrorist organizations like al-Qaeda, to send them to Syria through hidden agreements through which they are given amnesty in return for their travelling to Syria to kill the Syrians,” the Lebanese news web site, el-Nashra, quoted Bashar al-Ja’afari as saying on Tuesday.
He further noted that the Saudi nationals have traveled to Syria to join the militant groups in the country with the acknowledge of Saudi Arabia’s intelligence chief, Prince Bandar bin Sultan.
The Syrian envoy also said that the country’s army has arrested 300 Saudi nationals and hundreds of them have been killed in recent attacks in Syria.
The Syrian diplomat said that terrorist groups are killing the Syrian people with the support of Western countries, as well as Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Turkey.
He also said, “We are regretful over the death of any Syrian citizen,” adding, the international community should take into consideration the number of Syrian people killed in terrorist attacks by militants backed by Western and regional countries, especially Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and Turkey.
…
December 4th, 2013, 12:09 pm
Uzair8 said:
Is this a war of liberation now?
Has Syria become the 31st province of Iran?
December 4th, 2013, 12:41 pm
Mina said:
I can’t understand why the Syrian authorities do not post online the IDs of all these people in a great “wall of fame”. This would go viral!
December 4th, 2013, 12:54 pm
sami said:
It is hard to post that which does not exist.
This is not to say that there are no Saudis fighting but rather the numbers that regimists claim comes straight for someones ass.
Also what proof has Jaafari ever provided for any of his claims?
December 4th, 2013, 1:22 pm
ALAN said:
195. Uzair8
what are your wishes? What would you like to tell us at SC?
December 4th, 2013, 1:33 pm
Akbar Palace said:
Observer,
Just to let you know, I disagree with Mjabali. I think your posts are wonderful. I especially liked this comment:
Now we need the rule of law not the rule of the jungle based on “hidden facts” of history that some have exclusive sources of.
Yes mr. Observer the Alawites are secular, no matter how hard you try to mock them. Their current lifestyle shows their readiness for this modern world, unlike your sect that is trying to march backwards.
Mjabali,
Wearing a suit doesn’t make you “modern”. I can put a suit on a caveman and he isn’t “modern”. The Assad’s had 40+ years to come up with a free, multiparty election and freedom of speech. Even a caveman could manage that time frame. The Assad’s couldn’t.
December 4th, 2013, 1:41 pm
Uzair8 said:
Alan
I hope one day you can see beyond the geopolitics and recognise/acknowledge the suffering of the Syrian people.
The other day I had a terrible toothache (described by some online as ‘I want to die pain’) which was unbearable. I thought to myself how we adults can barely tolerate the pain of toothache yet how are the children in the regime’s prisons and dungeons able to face the unimaginable pain, terror, torture and horror inflictid upon them.
It’s something to think about.
Can people silently accept such treatment of children?
Do we tell our children ‘you’re on your own. We can’t help you. We have to look out for number one’.
It seems the fence sitters lost thier spine. They did nothing as the regime slowly escalated it’s barbarity and took away more of their rights and threatened one thing after another. The regime was only encouraged by this indifference and eventually threatened and mistreated Syrian children. Still we have Syrians who are unmoved and would rather not rock the boat. If anything they are partially responsible for the current state of affairs. There are times indifference and fence sitting is morally unacceptable.
Like Sh. Yaqoubi once said whilst appealing to the Syrian/Damascan people to rise up and reminding them of the honour and chivalry of past generations of Syria:
‘Are you the chocolate and chewing gum generation?’
‘Scared of your own shadow?’
December 4th, 2013, 1:57 pm
zoo said:
Hassan Hassan makes an apology and puts all his hopes in the Islamic front
Why Syria’s Islamic Front is bad news for radical groups
Hassan Hassan
…
In conclusion, the Islamic Front and like-minded Salafi groups should be seen as an opportunity to counter Al Qaeda rather than a threat to Syria’s future. Additionally, it is worth mentioning that rank-and-file fighters are not completely in sync with their leaders in terms of ideology, including members of Jabhat Al Nusra.
The secular-leaning Free Syrian Army has failed miserably as a counterweight to radicals as it could not establish itself as an efficient force against the regime while it was seen as a puppet for outsiders.
The situation has deteriorated since then, and the second best thing is to support the latest powerful alliance. The alternative is simply to drive these giants towards Al Qaeda.
Read more: http://www.thenational.ae/thenationalconversation/comment/why-syrias-islamic-front-is-bad-news-for-radical-groups#page2#ixzz2mXD2V43H
Follow us: @TheNationalUAE on Twitter | thenational.ae on Facebook
December 4th, 2013, 2:10 pm
Uzair8 said:
AlexSchuchman
@AboudDandachi @fpleitgenCNN central Damascus is Berlin in early 1944. The false sense of tranquility & safety will soon become a reality
http://yallasouriya.wordpress.com/2013/12/04/alexschuchman-abouddandachi-fpleitgencnn-central-damascus-is-berlin-in/
December 4th, 2013, 2:11 pm
zoo said:
Mabrook to Turkey and Qatar and the Libyans.
Libyan assembly votes to follow Islamic law
Shari’a will be used in all legislation and regulatory instruments in banking/financial and criminal law
http://www.aawsat.net/2013/12/article55324351
“Islamic law is the source of legislation in Libya,” the GNC said in a statement after the vote. “All state institutions need to comply with this.”
The Muslim Brotherhood’s Justice and Construction Party is one of the most well-organized forces in Libya and promotes Islamic law. But the secular-leaning National Front Alliance formed after the revolt calls for a more liberal position.
The GNC’s decision came shortly before a vote to form a 60-member committee that will draft the new constitution.
Unlike codified Western law, Shari’a is more loosely defined moral and legal guidelines based on the Qur’an, and Hadith—the sayings of Prophet Mohammad and Muslim traditions.
One reform may be a shift to more Islamic finance regulation, based on religious principles which avoid interest and pure speculation, which has grown with many Shari’a-compliant investment funds in the Gulf.
December 4th, 2013, 2:22 pm
zoo said:
Syria’s Brotherhood: Doomed to Repeat the Past
The Syrian Brotherhood’s new political party is a symbol of its failure to learn from history
http://www.aawsat.net/2013/12/article55324263
In Istanbul last month, the Syrian branch of the Muslim Brotherhood launched a new political party known by its Arabic name, Waad (“Promise”). It will be led by Mohamed Walid, a Brotherhood figure, but his deputy will be Nabil Kasis, a Christian. The party will include a number of minorities, reputedly a third of the membership, while the other two-thirds of the party will be reserved for Brotherhood members and independent Islamists. According to its founders, the aim of the party is “to support the oppressed, to stand with the weak and to uphold justice, and to restore the rights of the Syrian people regardless of ethnicity.”
There are a number of things wrong with this announcement. The first is that the Egyptian Brothers have attempted the same recipe before: the Freedom and Justice Party had a fair sprinkling of Copts and unveiled women. It didn’t work.
…
Herein lies the core problem with the Muslim Brotherhood’s Waad Party. Its philosophy is essentially a reworking of the Ottoman model, with its de facto domination by Sunni Muslims (the Brotherhood themselves) and its millet-like quota set aside for representatives of minority communities (Christians, Alawites and Druze). Syria’s minorities, however, have long moved on from that system and are unlikely ever to go back to it willingly. As an attempt to appeal across the barricades of war-torn and religiously-polarized Syria, the Brotherhood’s new party faces a daunting task. As an attempt to form a new social pact between Syria’s warring communities, it is doomed to fail.
December 4th, 2013, 2:27 pm
zoo said:
An interesting historical overview of the problems faced by Syria’s minorities after the ottoman retreat and how it got resolved, according to the author.
By Maled Abdeh
When the Ottoman Turks retreated from the Levant in 1918, non-Sunni minorities faced an acute dilemma: how to survive and flourish within societies that were overwhelmingly Sunni Muslim.
The Maronites of Mount Lebanon came up with a survival strategy that was not at all original: secession. They successfully lobbied France to be separated from Sunni-majority Syria, and to be given a state where they could enjoy a monopoly on political power. Thus, the State of Greater Lebanon was created, later to become the Republic of Lebanon.
For the non-Sunni Muslim minorities of Syria, it was a different story. The Alawites and Druze initially went along with French plans to have their own mini-states, but the hostility of the economically influential Damascene and Aleppine bourgeoisie scuttled plans for independence. Long-term discrimination and neglect by the Ottomans denied the Alawites and Druze the chance to form their own states, while quasi-independence under the Ottomans and long-term French patronage enabled the Maronite Christians of Mount Lebanon to fly the coop. Politically and economically, the non-Sunni Muslims of Syria were too weak to go it alone.
The Alawites and Druze opted to be part of a unified Syrian Republic not out of choice, but out of necessity. They still had to meet the challenge of surviving and thriving in a Sunni Muslim-majority country where democracy would entitle them only to a minority share of political power, not enough to clearly guarantee that the Ottoman experience would never be repeated.
Instead of seeking independence, as the Lebanese Christians had done, the non-Sunni Muslim minorities in Syria did quite the opposite: they embraced a secular, socialist brand of pan-Arabism and adopted it as their own. The Ba’ath Party became a magnet for young, aspiring and poor Alawites, Druze and Ismailis, who were drawn to the party’s secular and egalitarian creed.
By adopting pan-Arabism, the minorities had performed a great feat of one-upmanship: they had demonstrated to the Sunni Muslims that they were über-patriots, prepared to relinquish centuries-old sectarian loyalties encouraged by the Ottoman millet(pluralist) system for the benefit of the entire Arab nation. By appearing to be so, they laid down a challenge to the Sunni Muslim majority to live up to this idealized vision of what it meant to be Syrian.
In reality, it was a ruse. At first, the Ba’ath Party campaigned on issues of social justice such as agrarian reforms, which benefited poor Sunnis as well as impoverished Alawite peasants. But the minorities were not content with remaining farmers. The religious minorities of Syria were still very much obsessed with the Ottoman trauma, and nothing short of a complete capture of power would allay their fears of returning to second-class status. One institution was open to them: the military. It was through an active mass enlistment campaign, and a simultaneous policy of de-Sunnification of the officer corps following the 1963 Ba’ath Party coup, that enabled the minorities to first catch glimpse of the political power that they could enjoy under the guise of pan-Arabism and class warfare.
Ultimate power would eventually be won by a certain Hafez Al-Assad, a scheming Ba’athist air force pilot and son of a minor Alawite notable. The state that he created reflected the collective anxieties of minorities. It was decidedly secular, socialist and obsessed with “national unity.” It was, for all intents and purposes, a reaction against the confessionalism-based, class-riven but pluralistic Ottoman conception of how society should be ordered.
http://www.aawsat.net/2013/12/article55324263
December 4th, 2013, 2:39 pm
Tara said:
Akbar,
Your comment is priceless.
In your response to Mjabali who stated:
“Yes mr. Observer the Alawites are secular, no matter how hard you try to mock them. Their current lifestyle shows their readiness for this modern world, unlike your sect that is trying to march backwards.”
You said Wearing a suit doesn’t make you “modern”. I can put a suit on a caveman and he isn’t “modern”….
Hat down. Spot on!
The concept of modernity in the mind of lots of the minorities in the ME is laughable. They believe that modernity is driven by fashion, Alcohol, and perhaps relaxed sexuality and that is all. They fail to understand that this is a cheep veneer that does not fool anyone.
Lots of minorities in the ME have uncivilized mentality but with suits and mini skirts. Those same people harbor a terroristic mentality against the others, hence their active participation on the killing of their fellow citizens.
December 4th, 2013, 2:48 pm
ziad said:
مشاغبة بين موسكو وواشنطن بشأن جنيف
بندر يعود إلى بوتين .. بعد فشله سورياً
بندر بن سلطان مرة ثانية بعد أربعة أشهر في كرملين فلاديمير بوتين. اللقاء كان رسمياً وقصيراً بما لا يتيح التحدث مجدداً عن صفقة يعرضها رئيس الاستخبارات السعودية على الرئيس الروسي.
فخلال أسابيع استنفد رئيس الاستخبارات السعودية جزءاً كبيراً من الأوراق التي حملها آنذاك إلى مضيفه الروسي، لمبادلته سوريا بحكومة تملي عليها الرياض احترام المصالح الروسية لقاء موافقة بوتين على التخلي عن الرئيس بشار الأسد.
ذهب الأميركيون بعيداً في التفاهم مع الإيرانيين حول الملف النووي والتباعد مع حليفهم في الرياض، وهي ورقة أساسية فقدها الأمير السعودي، في أولوية الأمن الخليجي ومحورية الدور السعودي. كما فقد ورقة القوة العسكرية التي يشعل بها الجبهات السورية، واستنفد جزءاً كبيراً من المهلة التي منحها له الأميركيون والأتراك لإعادة تعديل ميزان القوى لمصلحة المعارضة المسلحة، قبل الاضطرار إلى تحديد موعد لمؤتمر «جنيف 2» وإطلاق عملية سياسية لا تزال غير واضحة المعالم، لكنها تبقي على النظام الذي يشنّ بندر بن سلطان حرباً شاملة عليه لإسقاطه.
ولم تنجح الفصائل السبعة التي أُعيد توحيدها، بوحي من رئيس الاستخبارات السعودية، في «الجبهة الإسلامية»، في تحقيق أي اختراق في المناطق التي كان الجيش السوري قد استعاد السيطرة عليها، سواء في الغوطة الشرقية الاستراتيجية في ريف دمشق، أو في جبهات حلب التي أصيبت فيها المعارضة بهزائم كبيرة في السفيرة وخناصر وريف حلب الشرقي.
وقال المتحدث باسم الكرملين ديميتري بيسكوف إن بوتين التقى بندر بن سلطان، في موسكو. وأضاف «جرت مناقشة الوضع في منطقة الشرق الأوسط وشمال أفريقيا». وتابع «كما جرى تبادل الآراء بشكل مفصل حول الوضع في سوريا، بما في ذلك على ضوء التحضير لمؤتمر جنيف 2». وأشار إلى أن الجانبين أكدا على «الديناميكية الايجابية للجهود الدولية لتسوية القضية النووية الإيرانية».
ولكن لا تقدم نحو «جنيف 2». الروس والأميركيون اكتفوا بتحديد الموعد في 22 كانون الثاني المقبل، لكن من دون الذهاب أبعد من ذلك في حل المشكلات الأخرى، التي تجعل من انعقاده أمراً محسوماً، لا سيما تمثيل المعارضة السورية وتشكيل وفدها إلى المؤتمر، ناهيك عن الاتفاق على برنامج عمل موحد ورؤية مشتركة.
December 4th, 2013, 3:19 pm
mjabali said:
Sami:
Please do not play with my words.
If my father stole, or looted something he should stand in front of a judge and pay for his mistakes. No one should be allowed to loot, destroy and take the property of others.
I have nothing to do with anyone but myself and my immediate family, and so far we have nothing to do with anything illegal, violent, or criminal. My family produced good people to society (In Syria and in America.) My father’s family do not go to the army. They go to school. They did not steal anyone’s land. They are doctors, engineers, teachers and so forth. And of course, they are intermarried with Christians and Sunnis.
Criminals should pay for their bad deeds.
December 4th, 2013, 3:23 pm
Tara said:
Dear Observer
Your posts continued to be priceless and I could not agree more.
“This the crux of the matter again: an inferiority complexed eternal victimhood complexed sanctimonious purer than thou original authentic inhabitant turned into a superiority complexed exclusivist oppression wielding machine of destruction of any one not belonging to the sect.”
I do agree this is the crux of the problem. They continued to draw on “hidden facts” to justify their behavior. Hidden facts they have exclusive access too and hence, of questionable authenticity. They continued to insist that the current Sunnis pay the price of presumptive sins committed in the 7 the century forgetting the fact that if the same logic is used, their sect should pay for the crimes committed against the Sunnis until the 34th century. They cover their primitive view of the world by veneer of perhaps a dress code, alcohol, relaxed sexuality and so on and call themselves fit for the modern world.
The sad thing is this revolution did not start as such. Its goal was to bring down al Assad, not because he is Alawi but because he is a mafia boss. Assad knows well their ulterior motive and used it very well to his advantage. By their unconditional support of slaughtering their fellow citizens, the exposed the hatred and the mask has fallen.
I too am for their own state for the simple fact that hatred is not curable.
December 4th, 2013, 3:25 pm
mjabali said:
Tara:
Let me make it easy for you:
Modernity is simple and it manifests itself in many different forms. You think that modernity is a short skirt and alcohol. For Alawite women modernity means opportunity and self expression. Modernity is based on individuality and the current day Alawite respect each other’s individuality. You Sunnis on the other hand are the opposite: want to repress and kill the individual choice.
Alwites in one generation, because they have no obstacles set by religion, proved that they are a part of this world, unlike your people Tara. وراء دور
If you compare the situation of women between Alawites and Sunnis now in Syria you will see how modernity is welcomed, understood and will be just moving forward amongst the Alawites. Sunni Women in Syria are getting less education, marrying early, lots of kids and a society watching her every move.
Your problem Tara is that you associate all the Alawites with the bad Alawites.
By the way Tara: Your family, which is still in the clergy of Damascus, and other clergy families are responsible for lots of the backwardness in Syria, what do you have to say to that?
December 4th, 2013, 3:36 pm
Tara said:
Mjabali
Hehe.
I agree my family or great part of them, clergy or not, are supportive of the mafia regime in Damascus and hence they are responsible for lots of the backwardness that has befallen on Syria. I told you before, I came from a criminal family. Lots of them are Shabeehas.
December 4th, 2013, 3:50 pm
Tara said:
Mjabali
Your problem Mjabali, like any other ideologically motivated individuals, is that presented to them do not matter. The more evidence to the contrary you show them, the more they clinged to their misconceptions.
Read the book written by Fouad Ajami about the Syrian revolution and try to understand the Sunnis in Syria better. The same Sunnis that elected (in free and fair election) Fares Khouri, a Christian, before the rule of your sect.
Once you read it and come up with an explanation of why the so horrible backward Sunni Syrians elected a Christian in a real free and fair election, come back and speak to me about “my people” .
December 4th, 2013, 4:05 pm
Juergen said:
This song by Fairuz expresses the feelings I have for Syria quite well these days.
December 4th, 2013, 4:17 pm
ziad said:
شاهد عيان #حلب || اللحظات الأولى بعد سقوط قذيفة بالقرب من دوار الباسل في حي الفرقان من صفحة نبض حلب
اسماء الشهداء اليوم في مدينه حلب عليهم رحمة الله جميعا
1- القاضي نصر مشلح بن أحمد و معزز تولد 1964.
2- المقدم منذر سليمان.
3- محمد مؤقت بن محمد وعائشة تولد 1959.
4- عائشة جراد بنت محمد ورئيا تولد 1976.
5- شريف جبارة بن حسين وصفية تولد 1963.
6- ابراهيم ابراهيم بن كامل وابتسام تولد 1997.
7- محمد علي حنون بن مصطفى وإيمان تولد 1997.
8- عبد اللطيف بركات بن علي وصبحية تولد 1957.
9- محمد جمال رزوق بن محمد وسامية تولد 1959.
10- أحمد مطيع بركات بن عبد اللطيف و عواطف تولد 1969.
11- عمر بركات بن عبد اللطيف وعواطف تولد 1986.
12- محمد الشيخ بن عبد الرحمن ومريم تولد 1977.
13- أحمد جبلوص بن سعيد وفاطمة تولد 1992.
14- مصطفى صيرفي بن محمد وضحى تولد 1985.
15- ناهد شعشاعة بنت ابراهيم وأمينة تولد 1963.
16- عواطف ادريس بنت حسن تولد 1962.
17- محمد جبقجي بن توفيق وسناء تولد 1982.
18- مهند كور بن بسام ولينا تولد 1969.
19- محمد بطل بن أحمد وفاطمة تولد 1991.
20- شخص مجهول الهوية.
December 4th, 2013, 4:31 pm
ziad said:
Jewish suffering, Palestinian suffering
Solidarity with Jewish suffering should lead to solidarity with victims of Zionist racism, the Palestinians
The late French scholar Pierre Bourdieu once said that the tragedy of the Palestinians is that their oppressors are the victims of Europe, which led him to call the Palestinians “the victims of the victims”.
For Bourdieu, as for many European and American intellectuals who may be inclined to support the Palestinian struggle against oppression, the “tragic question” is “how to choose between the victims of racist violence par excellence and the victims of these victims?” The answer, of course, should be simple, namely that one should always stand with Jews as victims of European anti-Semitic violence and stand with Palestinians as victims of Jewish racist violence. There is no choice to be made between the two: The first position must lead to the second. Alas, many find this point difficult to grasp.
Over the last century and a quarter, many European and Euro-American Jewish intellectuals have come to recognise the oppressiveness of Zionist and Israeli Jews towards the Palestinians and have taken public positions that criticise Zionist and Israeli conduct and defend the Palestinians. This Jewish dissent began with Zionism itself.
http://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/opinion/2013/12/jewish-suffering-palestinian-suffering-201312141957378782.html
December 4th, 2013, 5:48 pm
Tara said:
أعلن وزير الإعلام السوري عمران الزعبي أن الرئيس بشار الأسد سيبقى في منصبه، وسيقود المرحلة الانتقالية في حال التوصل إلى اتفاق خلال مؤتمر جنيف2، وبينما يجري الملك الأردني زيارة إلى بروكسل لبحث تطورات الأزمة السورية، أكدت قطر عدم إجراء أي اتصالات مع نظام الأسد.
وقال الزعبي في تصريحات تلفزيونية نقلتها وكالة الأنباء الرسمية السورية (سانا) إن ‘القرار للرئيس الأسد, وهو قائد المرحلة الانتقالية إذا وصلنا إليها’، مشيرا إلى ‘أن الأسد قائد سوريا، وسيبقى رئيسا لها’.
ورأى أن من يعتقدون أن النظام السوري سيسلم السلطة للمعارضة في هذا المؤتمر الدولي مخطئون، وقال ‘إذا كان أحد يعتقد أننا ذاهبون إلى جنيف2 لتسليم مفاتيح دمشق (للمعارضة) فلا داعي لذهابه’.
We are at the end of the rope. Let Batta’s team comes to Geneva and states above. The west will then have no choice other than to arm the FSA to topple Bashar. The west is not going to reverse its position 180 degree and will not agree that Batta stays, and at the same time would not want syria to become the new Afghanistan. The only viable solution would be Hello FSA, bye bye Batta and ISIS.
It woks for the Syrian people. They want to see Batta ending in a horrible death-Qaddafi style. Geneva would have brought him sorta dignified exit that he doesn’t deserve but divine justice would not let that happen.
December 4th, 2013, 5:48 pm
Heads-up said:
The elimination of lead terrorist Hassan Hawlo Al-Laqqis in Beirut today, most probably at the hands of the glorious fighters of the Syrian Revolution, is a great achievement to this blessed revolution which is doing the whole humanity a great service by confronting and eliminating such scum bags of low life terrorists.
Hezboola was very very sad today (Al-Hamdolillah) because the eliminated thug was a high ranking terrorist in this organization of terrorists. He is supposed to be of the same status as the terrorist Mughniya eliminated few years ago in the heart of Damascus (Al-Hamdolillah).
The ability of the Syrian Revolution to strike so deep into the heart of terrorism in the middle of the den of terrorism in South Beirut is remarkable indeed. The incident tells us that the glorious fighters of the revolution are coming closer and closer to eliminating the agent of Supreme Head Wrap, Nus-lira himself. We are looking forward o bring you the good news of this very much desired event in the fight against terror conducted by the Revolution of the Syrian people.
December 4th, 2013, 5:55 pm
ALAN said:
Uzair8:
You are trying to dance lightly, but the heavy body shows a lack of competence in the dance! You must combed your beard better! And that is nothing wrong to pray for yourself to be guided and good insight. Then I will be happy to take chocolate and chewing gum!
December 4th, 2013, 6:20 pm
Uzair8 said:
Mr Nasrallah is asking influential parties to do what they can to work for a political solution. Why such a public plea? People will interpret it as Hezbo being in trouble on the ground in Syria and it can only encourage the opposition.
I suspect his comments are a result of possible discontent in the (in particular but not excluvely) lower ranks of his organisation and the base including families of hezbo. He and his organisation are feeling it (the pressure).
With these comments he’s showing his people that they are calling and working for a political solution. Hezbo rank and file may be murmuring how long this will go on for and how many losses they are expected to absorb. Trying to contain this chatter from below and prevent it from surfacing significantly Mr Nasrallah is signalling to calm their concerns.
In short Hezbo is facing trouble and senses worse to come.
I say rebels should turn the screw tighter and accelerate Hezbo troubles.
December 4th, 2013, 6:24 pm
Uzair8 said:
Like somebody said on twitter today those mourners at Hezbo funerals should stay out there as the funerals will come at conveyor belt pace.
December 4th, 2013, 6:27 pm
Uzair8 said:
the _Young _Turks @AlexSchuchman 5h
@Charles_Lister @unaa2011 those Hezbollah supporters might as well stay out there. Processions will come at an assembly line pace.
December 4th, 2013, 6:40 pm
ALAN said:
@mfa_russia
Russia delivered today 25 tons of humanitarian aid to Syria.
December 4th, 2013, 6:51 pm
Observer said:
I do think that today the Hizb is the most hated organization in the Arab Muslim world. Its leader is a bearded turbaned religious political figure apostatizing others who do not think likewise call them Takfiris as if he has exclusive right to decide who is or who is not a Muslim.
He also has used the very same language and argument of none other than George W Bush: we are fighting them there so that we do not have to fight them here. We are in Syria to defend Lebanon otherwise it would have become like Iraq. This is the same Iraq that has accepted a constitution with the help of the very so called evil powers of arrogance and the Great Satan. This is because it gave the Kurds their autonomy but more importantly it gave the Shia their sectarian based majority rule with exclusion of the Sunnis from power. In this they had many an anti Saddam sunni lumped together into a sectarian division. They also seem to have absolved many a Shia Saddam loyalist from retribution but then again, sectarian thinking is more important than justice.
Tara, there was and there is now a determination by the Syrian people who used to make up the backbone of the Baath party to get rid of this regime. My reading of the situation is that the people have decided to turn the slogan on its head: If Athad then we Burn Albalad.
Tara, there is also no need to rely on the West in this. There is full determination on the part of the local regional powers to get rid of the regime no matter what the price is and whose alliances are forged to achieve it. In essence the stupid brutality and the brutal stupidity of the regime has created the conditions that would make the rebels do whatever it takes and ally with whomever to get rid of the regime.
In Homs, according to the NYT after a truce was conducted and a promise of amnesty to the rebels, four hundred of them who gave up their arms and surrendered to the regime were immediately put in prison. So this has destroyed any possibility of future accommodation but then again, it is difficult for the so called “modern Alawi generals” to consider the others as human.
Now to the sins of the fathers and the grandfathers. It is proclaimed my dear Tara that whoever committed a crime should be brought to justice. I would argue that this is not modern: this is basic human understanding and wired within the very genetic code and psyche of humans. To make my point when children are shown a mountain climber being on side helped by a fellow climber and hindered on the other side by another climber, they instinctively and as early as one year of age favor the helper over the hinderer. As for Justice and the rule of Law, the code of Hamurabi was not invented yesterday and the Egyptians have the Jackal headed God examine the dead by weighing their heart in one side with a feather of goodness on the other side to show that the line between good deeds and bad deeds can be tipped over by a feather.
What is interesting about the concept of modernity is that we have an assertion of insisting on the rule of law.
My experience with the so called modern Baath party mentality is that the presumed and very probably real corruption and graft of my ancestors was “corrected not through an independent court with a jury and an judge” to see if the offspring of the thief should have their possessions taken away and the wealth restored to its original owner; it was confiscated wholesale in the middle of the night without a by your leave or a modicum of justice.
Now this is not important were not so indicative of the “vengeful” mentality of the regime since its inception. It bespeaks of a sickening jealousy, hatred, meanness, and most importantly a desire to take revenge on the offspring not a desire for justice per se. Justice would have entailed taxation that is proportional, inheritance excise tax, and certainly a court decision to start with.
As for modernity, the very fact that I am reminded of the sins of 1400 years of so called oppression and the very fact that I am reminded of the population shift manipulation by the Ottoman empire and the very fact that I am reminded of the Sunni clerical establishment of its many shortcomings ( of which I have more than once attested to including those of the abhorrent Catholic Church with the abusive priests by the way and the exclusivity of the Chosen People ideology of Rabbinical Judaism ) I am lumped into a characterization that essentially deprives me of my humanity. I am not a fellow human being who has flaws and distorted arguments and sectarian thinking and upper class snobbish attitude, I am a Sunni from a Kurdish family that came from some other place that has no place among the original inhabitants and who used to the full the advantage of the Ottoman empire to enrich at the expense of others. I have also to pay for the burning and looting and killing and raping of some community perpetrated by my ancestors. I have never heard of my drunken grandfather do anything but drink and spend his time and money in cafes and yet I am also asked to accept that the “facts of my ancestor’s oppression are hidden” and known only to those that truly suffered.
Well, modernity would entail that you empathize with your fellow humans. Today, blockade of food and medicine and daily bombardment does not seem to bring any hint of modernity. All you and I are reminded of are the oppression meted out by our ancestors.
Well my dear Tara, I present to them my deepest condolences for the death of Ali who was outsmarted by Mouayyia and I present to them my deepest condolences for the death of Hussein at the hands of Yazid the Maher of his time and I present to them my deepest condolences and my eternal repentance for the disappearance of the 12th Imam and I implore them to tell me how to get in touch with the Bab Salma the Persian so that I can feel the Spirit of Ali the God through Muhammad and how the Moon and the Sun play a role in their hide and seek in deciphering the mysteries of creation.
I hope by doing so to convince them that I wish them the very best in peace and freedom and prosperity and adoration and adulation and Godspeed into full modernity in their new state that is to join the General Assembly of the UN and separate from the rest of Syria.
Get them out of our hair. We have millions of Sunni fanatics to deal with thereafter and they may prove to be infinitely more problematic for us than for them but it will be our problem. No one asked them to solve our problems. But then again that is the hallmark of the “superior complexed inferiors” that you know so well.
December 4th, 2013, 8:40 pm
ziad said:
أكثر من أربعين مواطناً بين شهيد ومصاب ضحايا القذائف الصاروخية في حلب اليوم 04-12-2013
December 4th, 2013, 8:58 pm
Observer said:
While the Hizb is fighting to protect Lebanon, a Zionist American conspiracy has hit Lebanon full force today and I must admit that it is truly diabolical that these Great and Little Satans are capable doing to Lebanon these day.
Tara this is for you as you speak French
http://www.lorientlejour.com/article/845525/le-liban-se-noie-sous-les-eaux-et-dans-lincompetence-des-officiels.html
But then again we are fighting the imperial arrogance
He he he he he
December 4th, 2013, 9:00 pm
Observer said:
And this is an editorial I found to the point also for you Tara.
By the way Syrian Hamster you are never forgotten in this debate.
http://www.dailystar.com.lb/Opinion/Editorial/2013/Dec-05/239933-desperate-words.ashx#axzz2m8Tv4ClD
December 4th, 2013, 9:01 pm
zoo said:
Many Bashar al Assad haters may have to swallow the poison. It appears that Bashar al Assad won’t leave power now or for the foreseable future, Geneva or not
http://www.csmonitor.com/World/Security-Watch/2013/1204/Who-should-be-at-table-for-Syria-peace-talks-UN-seeks-longer-invite-list.
More than a half-dozen Islamist militias and existing militant umbrella groups recently united to form the Islamic Front (IF), bringing their combined forces of as many as 60,000 fighters under one command, notes Aaron Zelin, a fellow at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy who specializes in jihadist groups.
While the IF does not include groups the US has designated as terrorist organizations, such as the Al Qaeda-affiliated Al-Nusra Front, it rejects principles and goals that the US supports, Mr. Zelin says.
The IF “refuses to participate in Geneva II, and it rejects democracy and minority rights,” Zelin notes in a recent post on the Washington Institute website. The IF charter calls for an Islamic state ruled by sharia law and sees no place for civil government or “human legislation,” he adds.
The rise of Islamist groups in Syria means that, by the time the Geneva peace conference rolls around in late January, the only realistic US option may be to swallow some accommodation of Assad – and what remains of the state his family built – as part of any deal to end Syria’s war.
As some Syria analysts note, signs of that accommodation have already surfaced in the agreement to rid Syria of its chemical weapons, and in less strident rhetoric from President Obama concerning Assad’s future place in Syria.
December 4th, 2013, 9:43 pm
zoo said:
Syrian Rebels Face Pressure on Multiple Fronts
http://www.voanews.com/content/syrian-rebels-face-pressure-on-multiple-fronts/1802913.html
December 03, 2013
ISTANBUL — Syrian rebels battling to oust President Bashar al-Assad are now facing determined government military offensives on three fronts in the north and west and along an arc of suburbs running south to east around the capital of Damascus. The offensives are stretching rebel forces and triggering more factional infighting and recriminations between their commanders, say analysts.
…
Diplomats and analysts say the struggle for Al-Qalamoun is second only to the struggle for Aleppo in terms of military significance. It’s also of similar importance to last spring’s battle over Qusair, a strategic town in sight of Lebanon. Qusair was retaken by the Syrian army thanks to assistance from Hezbollah fighters, who were in the vanguard of the assault on the border town.
The Al-Qalamoun region is seen as vital both by Syrian forces and the rebels.
December 4th, 2013, 9:48 pm
zoo said:
The key factor of this war if how the Islamic Front funded by Saudi Arabia and determined to create an “Sunni Islamic State” will deal with the FSA funded principally by Qatar and Turkey and with Al Nusra and ISIL funded by Saudi, Kuwaiti and Iraqi sunnis individuals.
If they fight against each other to gain control of ‘liberated’ areas Syria, then the Syrian Army may come out winner. That’s what is happening right now.
If, in the contrary they find a way to ally with each other then Syria in ruins, will become a Sunni Islamic State.
The weakest group, the FSA, is now trying to negotiate with the IF to join forces. Yet their ideologies are so different (Moslem Brotherhood ve Salafist) that there are doubts they’ll reach an agreement.
Al Nusra and Al Qaeda may find accomodation with the FSA or the IF, but then they will be classified as a terrorist group.
Therefore the conclusion to draw is quite obvious.
December 4th, 2013, 10:04 pm
zoo said:
A new war is looming in Syria: What is left of the FSA is getting ready to join the Syrian army
Op-Ed: Geneva 2 peace conference may be prelude to a new war in Syria
By Ken Hanly
Dec 4, 2013 – 48 mins ago in Politics
http://digitaljournal.com/article/363364
…
General Salim Idris, commander of the Free Syrian Army has dropped his demand that President Bashar Assad resign as a condition for talks to begin. In a telephone interview December 2 that the Assad regime should agree to confidence-building measures including a humanitarian relief corridors to besieged areas. Idris said that Assad’s departure could come at the end of the negotiations. Monzer Akbik a spokesperson for the Syrian Opposition Council a political branch of the opposition agreed with Salim’s position.
If there is an agreement in Geneva, it could lead to a new war with Assad forces joining with the Free Syrian army groups against Al Qaeda linked groups such as the Jabhat al-Nusra Front and the Al Qaeda in Iraq (AQI) also known as ISIS (Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham.) General Idris said that he is already fighting a war on two fronts against Assad and Al Qaeda-linked groups. AQI or ISIS is already said to have 5,500 foreign fighters in Syria who are trying to dominate the northwest area of Iraq that is controlled by rebels. The Washington Post is among the sources that suggest that a peace settlement may be used to create a united front against Al Qaeda-linked rebels:
Read more: http://digitaljournal.com/article/363364#ixzz2mZBQjqp1
December 4th, 2013, 10:14 pm
Tara said:
Syrian Hamster
Yes. You aren’t forgotten in this debate. Observer took us to near mental rapture articulating silent emotions and thoughts coming out unabashed. Come on. Take us to the second level.
Donaan and co. with their propaganda pieces were killing us in cold blood from boredom.
December 4th, 2013, 10:23 pm
Heads-up said:
Idriss denies saying he wants to fight Qaida. Rejects any role for Serpent head.
نفى رئيس أركان الجيش السوري الحر اللواء سليم إدريس اليوم الأربعاء تصريحات نسبتها له صحيفة بريطانية يبدي فيها استعداده لقتال تنظيم القاعدة بسوريا، ورفض من جهة أخرى أي دور للرئيس بشار الأسد في المرحلة الانتقالية أو بعدها.
وقال إدريس للجزيرة إن التصريحات التي نسبتها له صحيفة الإندبندنت البريطانية عارية عن الصحة، مؤكدا أنه لم يجر أي مقابلة معها.
وأضاف أنه سيكون بعد سقوط نظام الأسد جيش موحد قوامه الثوار، ويقاتل أي جهة تعتدي على الشعب. وقال أيضا إنه سيكون من واجب هذا الجيش أن يواجه أي طرف يحاول فرض رأيه على الشعب.
وكانت صحيفة الإندبندنت نسبت إلى رئيس أركان الجيش السوري الحر قوله إنه مستعد -إذا تنحى الأسد- للانضمام إلى القوات النظامية في المستقبل لمحاربة من وصفتهم الصحيفة ذاتها بالمتطرفين في تنظيم القاعدة.
كما نسبت إليه أن تنظيم الدولة الإسلامية في العراق والشام الذي يضم في صفوفه آلاف المقاتلين الأجانب يشكل خطرا كبيرا على مستقبل سوريا، ويجب مواجهته قبل أن يصبح أكثر قوة.
وفي تصريحاته للجزيرة اليوم، قال اللواء سليم إدريس إن الجيش الحر يرفض أي دور للأسد في المرحلة الانتقالية التي قد يقرها مؤتمر جنيف2 المرتقب الشهر المقبل، أو في المرحلة التي تليها.
وردا على سؤال حول حل وسط قد تتم مناقشته في المؤتمر، قال إدريس إن رفض أي دور للأسد هو موقف غالبية الثوار والجيش الحر، كما أنه شرط أساسي كي يكون لمؤتمر جنيف الثاني معنى.
وكان مسؤولون سوريون رفضوا تماما شرط تنحي الأسد، وقالوا إنه ذاهبون إلى جنيف ليس لتسليم السلطة وإنما للتفاوض على حل ينهي ما سموه الإرهاب، في إشارة إلى المعارضة المسلحة.
ونفى اللواء إدريس تعرض الجيش الحر لضغوط من أي جهة، قائلا إنه يتعاطى مع الجهود السياسية بما فيها المؤتمر المرتقب على أسس واضحة على رأسها رحيل النظام. وحث رئيس أركان الجيش السوري الحر الائتلاف الوطني السوري على أن يتبنى مواقف تكون نابعة من مواقف الثوار في الميدان، في حال شارك في مؤتمر جنيف2.
December 4th, 2013, 10:25 pm
zoo said:
The trumpetted “generosity” of Turkey for Syrians refugees offer a striking contrast with the way the victims of Van earthquake of Oct. 23 and Nov. 9, 2011 are still treated.
Van earthquake victims’ hunger strike enters 100th day
http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/van-earthquake-victims-hunger-strike-enters-100th-day.aspx?pageID=238&nID=59046&NewsCatID=341
..
Families living at the container camp lack electricity nad heating. Many adults are unfit to work and earn their living, their spokesperson says.
The 110 families living in the camp formed after the devastating earthquake are continuing their action in turns, also in protest at the lack of electricity and heating.
“We have initiated the hunger strike to find a permanent solution. Many families living here have no member who is able to work. The adults of those households are either people with illness or with a report [saying] that they are disabled. So, even if we go for a place where we would pay rent, our troubles will not end,” Ali Ahi, a spokesperson for the strikers said, calling on the government to provide permanent housing.
“We will continue our action until our demand is met. We are living here in very poor conditions. Our children are sick, we did not have electricity for 108 days
December 4th, 2013, 10:25 pm
zoo said:
Idriss “clarifies” what he actually said after the negative reaction he got. He assumes that the Syrian army will magically transform itself into the “opposition army” after Bashar is gone. The guy confirms that he is a naive amateur
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/post-partisan/wp/2013/12/04/a-misreading-of-comments-by-syrian-gen-salim-idriss/
“If Bashar al-Assad leaves power and we can have a transitional government under control of the opposition, and the ISIS [the “Islamic State of Iraq and Syria,” as the al-Qaeda affiliate is known] refuses to leave the country, it is very important for all Syrians to fight against them,” Idriss said.
“When Bashar Assad leaves power, the army will not be the regime army, but the army of the people,” the Free Syrian Army commander continued, stressing: “The army must fight ISIS.” It was this post-Assad army that Idriss was saying he would join in combating al-Qaeda, not the current regime army.
Idriss insisted throughout the interview that Assad must leave as president through negotiations for a political transition, which are scheduled to begin in Geneva on Jan. 22. “If Bashar al-Assad leaves, the problems of Syria can be solved,” he said.
To claim that Idriss is prepared to fight alongside Assad is a gross misreading of what he said.
December 4th, 2013, 10:41 pm
zoo said:
The FSA is crumbling. Its fighters are joining either the IF or ISIL or Al Nusra or they just defect. Soon there will be nobody to command.
I think Selim Idriss will forced to resign very soon as the FSA commander.
December 4th, 2013, 10:55 pm
zoo said:
The US is probing the Islamic Front funded by Saudi Arabia with the aim of bringing them to accept a political solution. It is obvious that if the USA is unable to put pressure on the ‘benefactor’ Saudi Arabia then it is a waste of time
Gen. Martin Dempsey, chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff, declined to tell reporters whether the U.S. was holding face-to-face talks with Islamist rebel groups. But he said Washington was still seeking to better understand the contours of the myriad rebel groups.
“I think it’s worth knowing whether these groups have any intent whatsoever to be moderate and inclusive, or whether they … from the start intend to be radical,” he said. “So I think that finding that out, however we do so, is worth the effort.”
..
The goal of the U.S. diplomatic outreach was to persuade some of the militants to back peace talks due to be held in Geneva on Jan. 22, Western officials told the U.S. daily.
Harf said the talks were “in response to a reality that the opposition is made up of a number of groups, some are Islamist groups, and that in order to get a political solution here, because there is no military solution, we need to get these groups to buy into the notion that there should be a [political] solution.”
Read more: http://www.dailystar.com.lb/News/Middle-East/2013/Dec-05/239977-us-reaches-out-to-syrias-islamist-rebels.ashx#ixzz2mZO3HQVM
(The Daily Star :: Lebanon News :: http://www.dailystar.com.lb)
December 4th, 2013, 11:07 pm
zoo said:
(An FSA) Rebel commander in Aleppo assassinated
December 05, 2013 12:41 AM
http://www.dailystar.com.lb/News/Middle-East/2013/Dec-05/239970-rebel-commander-in-aleppo-assassinated.ashx#axzz2mZNgfsj2
BEIRUT: A military commander based in Aleppo has been assassinated by unknown gunmen, according to pro-opposition media outlets.
Abdel-Razzaq Meshaal, aka Abu Abdullah, was killed near the neighborhood of Khan al-Assal, they said Wednesday, without mentioning when the incident took place.
Meshaal enjoyed a good reputation among the public and was active in relief and other efforts in addition to his media duties, they said.
The outlets described him as the “right hand man” to Col. Abdel-Jabbar Ukaidi, who resigned from the Revolutionary Military Council in Aleppo last month to protest the lack of rebel unity and outside support for the military insurrection against the regime of Syrian President Bashar Assad.
December 4th, 2013, 11:15 pm
mjabali said:
Tara:
Sunnis always bring the example of Fares al-Khury to the discussion to show how Sunnis accept Christians and even elect them to a “high” political position.
I do not buy this. I never did.
Here are some of my attack points against this myth:
1- The Muslims came to Syria 1400 years ago as invaders. Syria was a Christian majority country. It remained so till the 19th C. YES till the 19th C, which witnessed many migratory waves into Syria by Sunnis because of the troubles of the Ottoman State. So, if through out this 1400 years if the Sunnis elected a Christian to a position so what. It means zero. You get zero points. From a mathematical point of analysis this means ZERO.
Throughout the 1400 years, the Christians the majority of the ORIGINAL population of Damascus till the 19th C. get ONE man elected…so what?
2- Fares al-Khuri was unique in many ways, and to not elect him is a kind of not going to happen, especially when you are electing him to fix the country, but not to run it.
3- The Muslims in general (Shia and Sunnis) never gave the Christians the fair chance to rule the country. The Ruler has to be a Muslim, so electing Fares al-Khuri is just decorations.
4- Fares al-Khuri was elected in 1933 and 1943, when France was occupying Syria, so electing a Christian for a position is supported by many factors.
5- From the moment the Muslims came to Syria they took a huge church and made it into the Ummayad Mosque, they also produced a document regulating the relationship with the Christians; known as al-‘Uhda al-‘Umariyah. This document put the Christians as 2nd class citizens. The Sunnis, up to this day, would treat this document as a sort of a “holy text.” So, if you elect Fares al-Khuri to fix the place means nothing. ZERO
December 5th, 2013, 3:32 am
mjabali said:
Observer
Here is my usual fire for your impolite mumbo jumbo.
Taking into consideration, how long and repetitive your texts are, I will take a paragraph you wrote and critique it.
You said in comment #180:
“One hidden history fact that is not so hidden is that Crusaders and Alawites collaborated and another one is that their leader asked France for independence.”
Dear mr. Observer: I know you said that thinking that you are making a “traitor” out of me. LOL as mr. Revenire would say.
1- If the Alawites cooperated with the Crusaders, that happened while your family was still in a village in the mountains of Kurdistan. So why does it matter to you?
2- If the Alawites cooperated with the Crusaders, in my opinion, they did not cooperate enough. I wish they did cooperate more and more. If the Alawites cooperated with the Crusaders against those who are oppressing them day in and day out so what? The Alawites should have helped the Crusaders more.
3- The label that the “Alawites had helped the Crusaders” is considered a fabrication done by the Sunnis to justify the sectarian cleansing they did against the Alawites. To explain this: let us say we have a governor of Damscus, who hears that the Alawites in a nearby place are rebelling so he orders his Sheikh to issue a Fatwa. The Sheikh do not take that much time to issue a fatwa to kill the Alawites who “helped the Crusades.” So the governor goes and loot, burn and “clean” the place, bringing back home loot. The offspring of this governor now speaks French and drink wine and talks casually about having people leave and relocate to his likening. This offspring thinks he is still in the days of his great grand father.
4- The Sunnis who labeled the Alawites as “traitors” were foreigners. This is a travesty. You have a foreigner calling you a traitor in your own land. Their opinion should not count in the big scheme of things.
5- To go to the modern day Alawis and the French:: Observer is accusing the Alawites of wanting the French to give them independence: So what mr. Observer. Do you blame them for wanting to separate from those who have been oppressing them. Really mr Observer you shame them for wanting independence? What were the good things you showed them to make them want to be in the same state as you? Nothing. You showed them nothing, and even after they opted to stay within Syria you gave them nothing. Your big problem mr. Observer is that I know my Syrian history very well.
6- When the French entered Syria they made a government in Damascus. They were all Sunnis, with a Christian or two. Many Sunnis worked for the French and wanted the French to stay. Do not shame the people if they wanted France to stay or give them independence. France did in few years in Syria better than what the Ottomans and their minions did in Syria in 400 years.
7- Observer: If the grandfather of Bashar al-Assad had signed the paper asking the French for Alawite independence so what. He was expressing his individual freedom. I see that you are against this. He is a “traitor” in your opinion. أدعو لك بالشفاء العاجل.
8- Again this is another fabrication by the Sunnis, because logically speaking Bashar al-Assad’s grandfather was not that important in his village of al-Qurdaha. I could name for you at least three more families from the same place who were the de facto owners of most land and prestige. So having this unknown man sign this document makes no sense. Most likely he was not able to read and write in my estimate.
9- Yes there is a request of some of the Alawites to France for Alawite independence, but also there were Christians and a Sunnis, who had been working with the French in the coast. But also there is another request by more Alawites and more Christians and more Sunnis to make them join Syria. You, and many Sunnis mr. Observer neglect this important document and always invoke the ones they send to France. This way the “Other” is a “traitor.”
10- I wish the Alawties had cooperated with the Crusades and the French. WHY THE HELL NOT.
December 5th, 2013, 4:38 am
Observer said:
I have no problem with them cooperating. They had to as they were so oppressed. Likewise today the Syrians will cooperate with the devil to get rid of the regime.
That is why there is no coexistence possible. So peaceful separation is the answer. Godspeed with the Daouleh of your dreams. Get out of our hair with your eternal victimhood.
Au revoir Bon Voyage
December 5th, 2013, 7:41 am
Observer said:
Besides you are not responsible for the actions of your ancestors. So, why the defensive mode?
That is exactly my point dummy. 11000 children are dead in this conflict. Does this mean that we kill Athma’s children?
Not one of your points is valid. I can sit wherever I want with my Chardonnay and say whatever I want. If as you were oppressed you did everything in your power to gain freedom you are not a traitor. However, your response speaks volumes about your complexed and tortured pretzel logic of 1400 years of Muslim invasion of the lands and its imposition of a one religious party system.
Well well my friend, you must understand then that the same system in its mirror image is being dismantled today by the people of Syria.
They will espouse whatever ideology and do whatever alliance and cooperate with the most devilish of groups to get rid of the rule of the mafia. This mafia is a dishonor on humanity and in my opinion is the worst badge of dishonor on your noble sect.
My sect has a billion faults and I keep repeating them to whoever wants to hear; your sect has a few and I fully understand where you come from because in my humane thinking you are a fellow human being worthy of everything that it entails.
You are worthy of freedom and peace and prosperity and independence and freedom of religion and freedom of thought and a responsive government from the people by the people for the people.
So yes go ahead cooperate with whomever you want and establish your state. I wish you the very best.
At this stage pox on my and your ancestors combined for bringing us to this state.
Don’t you think it is enough that I am paying for the sins of my ancestors and you are doing the same? So go forth and prosper.
Establish your state. If millions of Sunnis would want to join and live in this secular state, you will be the winner to have the diversity of people and the stupid Sunnis who refusewill be governed by stupid Sheikhs subservient to the likes of my ancestors; who knows may be they will ask the Ottomans to come back and rule them again?
December 5th, 2013, 7:58 am
Observer said:
Besides the discourse is so backward looking that it is unbelievably boring and continues in the same vein of the death of Hussein and what happened 1400 years ago.
The French did, the Muslims did, the Ottomans did, my ancestors did, your ancestors did,
Who cares?????? Go out and smell the roses. There are no arguments. This stubborn desire to relive history is only equaled by the stupid Salafis wanting to turn the clock back to the seventh century.
Godspeed with your Daouleh. Maybe I will be the first to apply for citizenship if as you say it turns out to be fully secular.
Will you allow dual citizenship in your new Daouleh?
December 5th, 2013, 8:11 am
Observer said:
Why are you so sensitive about being labeled as a traitor? You do not believe in Syria you believe in Daouleh Alawieh. I never mentioned the grand father of the retard. If he did write to the French it is his right to do so. Why should his offspring suffer for it?
This is the crux of the difference. I am defined not by my humanity but by whatever someone else chooses to define me: grandson of this or that, Sunni, Ottoman, Kurd, Western educated, wine sipping, whatever.
This is the first step used to dehumanize the other and therefore this is the first step to permit oppression and exclusion. That is why I have not seen any remorse expressed at the suffering of others.
We only hear about the fate of this or that group. This is because the mentality is exactly medieval and NOT modern.
Suit and tie does not make this thinking modern.
December 5th, 2013, 8:17 am
Heads-up said:
Fortunately for the world, there are still some US Senators who have the courage to propose sane and workable plans for dealing with the nukes of mulala land.
Duncan Hunter is one such Senator the world and America can feel proud about.
Compare this man to Wussy Wussy Obama and co.
December 5th, 2013, 10:39 am
don said:
Syria: Pope Francis Speaks Up for Maaloula Abducted Nuns
http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/articles/527481/20131204/pope-francis-syria-nuns-abducted-maaloula-rebels.htm
Pope Francis called for prayers for a group of nuns who were abducted by Islamist rebels in southwest Syria.
Mother Superior Pelagia Sayyaf and 11 nuns were kidnapped from St Tecla Orthodox monastery in the predominantly Christian town of Maaloula as it was overrun by rebels.
“I invite everyone to pray for the sisters of the Greek Orthodox monastery of St Tecla in Maaloula, Syria, who were taken by force by armed men two days ago,” Francis said during the general audience at the Vatican.
“Let us pray for these nuns, these sisters and for all those who have been abducted during the ongoing conflict. Let us continue to pray and to work together for peace.”
His appeal follows that of Syria’s Greek Orthodox Patriarch, John Yazigi, who urged kidnappers to release the nuns, adding that some orphans who were in the foster care of the sisters had also been taken hostage.
…
December 5th, 2013, 11:49 am
don said:
Interview: Syrian Christians not to remain silent toward jihadists’ attacks: top bishop
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/world/2013-12/05/c_125808808.htm
DAMASCUS, Dec. 4 (Xinhua) — The Syria-based deputy patriarch of the Eastern Orthodox Church, Bishop Luka Khoury, said on Wednesday that the Syrian Christians will not stand indifferent to the attacks by the Islamist radical rebels that have targeted them across the war-torn country.
“We have started with prayers and will not stand indifferent because we are not weak, we have our young men who are urging us to react to the current incidents,” Khoury said in an interview with Xinhua on Wednesday.
A day earlier, radical jihadists from al-Qaida-linked groups fully controlled Syria’s Christian town of Maaloula north of the capital Damascus.
The armed radicals have fully controlled the town and started burning its houses, the al-Mayadeen TV said, adding that the rebels have also kidnapped 12 nuns from Mar Thecla Monastery, the largest monastery in that key historic area, which is one of the oldest cradles of Christianity in Syria.
“As Christian, we have always been people of peace and prayers but apparently, with these people, neither prayers nor peace would work,” he said.
Regarding the wellbeing of the kidnapped nuns, Khoury said “The nuns are fine, they called us while in captivity and told us they were fine. Anyways, there are endeavors currently underway for their release and we hope they would be fruitful, but if the endeavors failed, we would have another talk.”
He said that the nuns are old women, with the youngest one is at the age of 55. “They coerced them to leave the convent at gun point.”
Meanwhile, the bishop stressed that the Syrian Christians would never leave Syria unwillingly, saying “We don’t want the armed men, or their patrons who support them to think that any Syrian Christian would leave his country unwillingly.”
“The Christian will die in his country with peace because he knows that this is his land. The Christian is bound to his country, to the people whom he has lived with his entire life whether they were Muslims or non-Muslims.”
Asked about the radical rebels’ goal of targeting Christian towns and holy shrines, Khoury said “The scheme is to wipe off the Christian feature of Syria that had spread peace and love and civilization to the world. They don’t want to eliminate the Christian existence only, they want to kill the human and to efface the ancient archaeological and religious sites. They are not only killing the Christians but also the Muslims. They kill everyone who is not with them.”
The bishop, while saying that more than 40 churches have been subject to destruction and sabotage throughout Syria, stressed that the Syrian Christians are capable of defending themselves.
“We don’t want anyone to defend us, let them leave us alone, we know how to live, let them (rebels’ patrons) take out all of their fighters. We don’t want anyone to defend us or to teach us how to live. We live the life of love, and coexistence.”
…
December 5th, 2013, 11:58 am
don said:
The Lakkis Assassination and Israel’s ‘Kill List’
Israel Has Been Building a List of Shi’ite Targets for Years
http://news.antiwar.com/2013/12/04/the-lakkis-assassination-and-israels-kill-list/
With the assassination of Hassan Lakkis being followed almost immediately by a claim of responsibility from a Lebanese Sunni faction, it might seem strange that so much attention is being paid to the prospect of Israel having assassinated him.
It’s not surprising, however, as Israel has made much of its “Radical Front” kill list, a list of members of various Shi’ite factions that they’d just as soon kill if they have the opportunity.
Israel has made much of its anticipation of a broad, region-wide war against all Shi’ite factions, including Iran, Hezbollah and Syria. That’s not a recent thing, and it’s been something Israel’s been expecting for a solid decade, and building a list of targets for.
Lakkis was clearly on this list, with Israeli intelligence seeing him as a major driver in technological improvements by the Hezbollah militia.
…
December 5th, 2013, 12:28 pm
don said:
Lebanon in high alert at border with Israel
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/world/2013-12/05/c_132944103.htm
BEIRUT, Dec. 5 (Xinhua) — Following the assassination of a high ranking Hezbollah official Wednesday in Beirut and accusing Israel of being behind the crime, a high tense situation was witnessed on both sides of the Israeli-Lebanese border.
A Lebanese security source told Xinhua that a high alert was witnessed on both sides of the border in a preemptive move for any possible security deterioration.
The source said that the Israeli army has put its units deployed on the border with Lebanon in a high alert state and patrolled all the border region using armored vehicles and Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV’s).
It added that the patrols were accompanied by intense flightovers of the Israeli air force and border units were seen monitoring the Lebanese side with advanced eavesdropping equipment.
As for the Lebanese army, its units were placed in a high state of readiness and enforced its checkpoints, so did the Hezbollah, according to the source.
Hajj Hassan Hollo al-Laqqis, who is a prominent figure in the resistance, was assassinated near his residence in Sainte Therese neighborhood in Hadath around 12 a.m. overnight Tuesday while he was on the way back from work.
…
December 5th, 2013, 12:38 pm
don said:
Britain Courting Islamist Factions to Keep Syria War Going
Face-to-Face Meetings With Rebels Demanding Harsh Sharia State
http://news.antiwar.com/2013/12/04/britain-courting-islamist-factions-to-keep-syria-war-going/
The British government, with the blessings of other Western powers, have held “face-to-face” meetings with the leaders of several Islamist factions in the Syrian rebellion, hoping to establish ties with them as the more pro-West secular blocs become less and less relevant.
The “why” behind this remains an unanswered question, as the talks apparently began as feelers over whether or not the factions were comfortable allying with the secular Free Syrian Army (FSA).
But the factions in question are vehemently opposed to the FSA, having closer ideological ties with the al-Qaeda blocs in Syria, and with the FSA openly talking about reintegrating into the Assad government just to fight al-Qaeda and the other Islamists, that’s clearly a non-starter.
Instead, it suggests Britain may be trying to keep its options open in the event the FSA does jump ship from their regime-change ambitions.
…
December 5th, 2013, 12:44 pm
ALAN said:
247. don
On the other hand, how will Hezbollah responded to Israeli demonization? Believes the assassination squad “Kidon” he can unleash assassinations without regard and the Arab nation has become accustomed to receiving blows and punctuated sufficiency and condemnation! If the world has changed, Must move the rudder!
December 5th, 2013, 12:58 pm
don said:
Christianity Is ‘Most Persecuted Religion,’ British Parliament Told
http://www.charismanews.com/world/41994-christianity-is-most-persecuted-religion-british-parliament-told
The plight of Christians around the world was discussed in a three-hour debate at the Houses of Parliament in London Tuesday.
Members of the House of Commons were told that the persecution of Christians is increasing, that one Christian is killed about every 11 minutes around the world, and that Christianity is the “most persecuted religion globally.”
MP Jim Shannon said the persecution of Christians is “the biggest story in the world that has never been told.”
He said that although the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion is enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, there are many countries in which these rights are not given.
Shannon alleged that 200 million Christians will be persecuted for their faith this year, while he said that 500 million live in “dangerous neighborhoods.”
He added that in Syria Christians are “caught between opposing sides in the conflict,” and mentioned the “specific targeting” of Christian-dominated locations, such as Sadad and Maaloula.
MP Sammy Wilson said that in Syria, “50,000 Christians have been cleared from the city of Homs”
The recent comments of Baroness Warsi at a lecture in Washington were echoed, including her assertion that “the parts of the world where Christianity first spread is now seeing large sections of the Christian community leaving, and those that are remaining feeling persecuted.”
MP Nigel Dodds said that the “persecution of Christians is not new,” but that it is “staggering” how many Christians are killed today.
In Iraq, he noted the words of Canon Andrew White, who had said that Christians are “frightened even to walk to church because they might come under attack. All the churches are targets. … We used to have 1.5 million Christians, now we have probably only 200,000 left. … There are more Iraqi Christians in Chicago than there are here.”
Sir Edward Leigh said the remaining number of Christians in Iraq was likely to be closer to 600,000, but that this was still a shocking figure and that “things have become much worse since the invasion.”
…
December 5th, 2013, 1:01 pm
ALAN said:
‘Monstrous’ Terror: Islamist rebels hold nuns hostage in Syria
http://youtu.be/7tSKoxa7whM?t=1s
December 5th, 2013, 1:06 pm
don said:
Disillusioned Fighters Abandon Frontlines as Syria’s Revolution Goes Awry
If they want a car, they say ‘Allahu Akhbar’ and take it. If they want a wife, they say ‘Allahu Akhbar’ and take her
Now, we ask, are you Alawaite, are you Christian? If someone is Alawite we kill them
http://rudaw.net/english/middleeast/syria/05122013
MERSIN, Turkey – Zigga and his seven companions, fighters with the Free Syrian Army (FSA) in Aleppo’s scorched Old City, have given up their arms, selling them to another militia. They packed a few possessions and drove past checkpoints manned by bearded al-Qaeda loyalists, out into Turkey.
“Our revolution is finished,” says Zigga. “Now, it is just thieves remaining.”
Syria’s fractured opposition is imploding as the country continues to be carved up by warlords and extremists, enriching themselves in the areas they control.
Scores of fighters have reportedly taken the general amnesty offered by President Bashar al-Assad. Others, like Zigga and his companions, are abandoning the frontlines, disillusioned with a revolution gone awry. It has been hijacked by armies of jihadists fighting for groups loyal to al-Qaeda.
“If they want a car, they say ‘Allahu Akhbar’ and take it. If they want a wife, they say ‘Allahu Akhbar’ and take her,” Zigga says. “This is not Islamic and it is not what we were fighting for.”
Since sweeping into Aleppo in July last year, Syria’s insurgents – overwhelmingly the conservative, rural poor – exacted a terrible toll on the city’s wealthy business classes, imbuing the rebellion with heavy shades of class war.
Insurgent groups have long fought over the spoils of war – looting and pillaging – while profiteering from smuggling operations and a booming kidnap market.
But as rebel groups carved their fiefs into a dying land, battling over resources, the opposition frayed, decomposing into around 1,500 different groups, each out for itself.
Rival rebel factions recently battled in Azaz for control of the strategic frontier town. Fighting for northeastern Hasakah province’s oil reserves spiked earlier this year.
Meanwhile, austere Islamic extremism flourished as an ideological counter to the Arab nationalism of the regime.
“All the scum bubbled to the surface. In wars like this the worst people tend to become the most powerful,” says a security advisor working in Syria, speaking on condition of anonymity because he is not authorized to speak to the press.
The fracturing of the opposition has been accelerated by: The FSA’s failure to bring in the country’s Kurdish minority, which is now heavily penetrated by the regime; the arrival of many thousands of foreign fighters — ruthless hardliners who see everyone as the enemy and are flush with cash from private donors in Gulf Arab countries; and the West’s aversion to imposing a no-fly zone; instead, the United States and its allies provided arms and other material support through diffuse channels, accelerating the fracture even more.
Zigga and his companions say they stayed as long as they could. They lament a revolution in decline and think back to the days before the uprising nearly three years ago.
“I think Assad was very good. We used to have all the sects living together: Alawite, Christian, Yazidi, Druze,” remembers Hassan, one of Zigga’s companions who had been fighting the regime until a few days ago.
“Now, we ask, are you Alawaite, are you Christian? If someone is Alawite we kill them,” Hassan says, while running a finger across his throat.
…
December 5th, 2013, 1:28 pm
Heads-up said:
Shiism inferiority complex in full display in the mullocracy of mulala land:
منذ فترة والسلطات الإيرانية تروج لفكرة ازدياد المواليد وتحث المواطنين على التزاوج وكثرة الإنجاب في حين كانت حتى الأمس القريب تؤكد على ضرورة تحديد النسل تحت شعار “أطفال أقل.. حياة أفضل” و”قف، طفلان يكفيان”.
أول من خاض النقاش حول ازدياد عدد سكان إيران من خلال إلغاء سياسة تحديد النسل كان الرئيس السابق محمود أحمدي نجاد ثم قام المرشد الأعلى آية الله علي خامنئي في إحدى خطاباته الشهيرة بتأكيد هذا التوجه مصرحاً أن إيران تسع لـ150 مليونا من السكان موجها نقدا لاذعا لبرنامج تحديد النسل الذي كانت تبنته الجمهورية الإسلامية الإيرانية.
يذكر أن عدد السكان في إيران حسب آخر إحصائية لعام 2011 بلغ 75 مليونا.
وأكد مصدر موثق أن الأسباب الكامنة وراء هذا القرار الرامي لازدياد عدد سكان إيران ناجم عن تخوف قادة البلاد من ارتفاع عدد السنة في إيران.
وأشار هذا المصدر إلى إحصائية تظهر أن نسبة ارتفاع عدد السكان في إقليم بلوشستان الذي تقطنه أغلبية سنية بلغ 20% في حين معدل النمو السكاني العام في إيران بلغ حسب آخر إحصائية 1.29 بالمائة.
وأكد المصدر أن السلطات تمتنع عن الإعلان عن معدل النمو السكاني في المناطق التي يقطنها مواطنون إيرانيون سنة.
يذكر أن أقاليم بلوشستان وكردستان وجلستان (ذات أغلية تركمانية) وأجزاء كبيرة من إقليمي الساحلي وبوشهر تسكنها أغلبية سنية كما يشهد إقليم الأهواز أو عربستان الذي تطلق عليه إيران مسمى خوزستان تحولا مضطردا إلى المذهب السني بين الشيعة العرب الذين يشكلون الأغلبية في هذا الإقليم.
وأضاف المصدر أنه بالرغم من قلة الموارد الاقتصادية واستمرار العقوبات وتفشي البطالة إلا أن الإحصائيات التي تظهر ارتفاع نسبة السنة في البلاد دفع السلطات الإيرانية إلى إلغاء خطة تحديد النسل التي كانت تبنتها منذ عقود خوفا من فقدان الانسجام الطائفي المستمر منذ ظهور السلالة الصفوية في إيران منذ حوالي 500 عام حيث حولوا إيران السنية إلى التشيع.
It seems Shiism is a lose lose game no matter what Supreme Head Wrap tries.
We at Heads-up expect Shiites will become extinct within 50-100 years while Sunnis will flood the planet with new blood.
December 5th, 2013, 1:42 pm
don said:
Syria conflict threatens to tear Azerbaijan apart
Azerbaijan: The next battleground?
http://communities.washingtontimes.com/neighborhood/world-view/2013/dec/2/syria-conflict-threatens-tear-azerbaijan-apart/
Azerbaijan is a country of 9 million that sits on the crossroads of Europe, Asia and the Middle East. Demographically speaking, Azerbaijan is a melting pot. While 93% of the population identify as Muslims, this category further breaks down into significant Shia and Sunni populations. According to a 2009 Pew Research report, the overwhelmingly majority of the Azerbaijan population identify as Shia Muslims (65-75%) while 15% identify as Sunnis. The country also hosts Christian and Jewish minorities.
As in pre-war Syria, the Azerbaijan regime has forcefully maintained its secular nature, often taking preventative, albeit sometimes authoritarian, action to counter religious extremism.
However, as the sectarian nature of the Syria conflict has become increasingly well defined, fears are emerging that the civil war will tear Azerbaijan’s carefully guarded secular society apart. Unlike other Shia-majority countries, such as Iran, Azerbaijan has remained staunchly neutral throughout the Syria conflict. Officials in the capital, Baku, have repeatedly reproached Assad’s regime for its heavy-handedness against the opposition yet has also avoided openly supporting the Syrian rebels.
Prominent religious activists in Azerbaijan, on the other hand, have already begun to come out strongly in favor of certain sides. Shia leaders such as Hadji Ilgar Ibrahimoglu and Elshan Guliev, both influential voices in Azerbaijan, have denounced opposition to the Assad regime as a plot orchestrated by the United States and Israel designed to weaken Iranian influence in the region. Meanwhile, it is estimated that at least 200 Sunni ‘jihadists’ have travelled from Azerbaijan to Syria to combat Assad’s regime.
When speaking on the religious and ethnic diversity of his country, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev has often stated that one is presented with the zero-sum choice between secular peace and sectarian chaos.
While critics have argued that there is a middle road between the two is possible, there is no doubt that the ethnic and religious character of Syria’s ongoing crisis makes Azerbaijan’s current situation seem pretty black and white.
…
December 5th, 2013, 1:48 pm
don said:
Month of Horror for Christians Under Islam: September 2013
http://www.algemeiner.com/2013/12/05/month-of-horror-for-christians-under-islam-september-2013/#
This article was originally published by the Gatestone Institute.
The same month that Obama tried to wage war on behalf of the jihadi rebels in Syria (citing “human rights” concerns), some of the war’s worst atrocities were committed against that nation’s Christian minority, most notably in Ma‘loula, an ancient Christian region where the inhabitants still spoke the language of Jesus.
There, among other things, the al-Qaeda-linked jihadis fired mortars and missiles onto at least two ancient churches before looting them; some 80 Christians trying to defend their homes were killed. Others who could not flee were forced on pain of death to convert to Islam.
One man’s last words before being slaughtered by the rebels were: “I am a Christian, and if you want to kill me for this, I do not object to it.” A nun involved with humanitarian relief said the man “Is a Martyr in Christ in the full sense of this word, since he was murdered solely because of religious hatred!”
The Christian Post reports:
Jihadists reportedly forced one man to convert to Islam at gunpoint and slit the throat of another Christian woman’s fiancé and then [mockingly] told her, “Jesus didn’t come to save him.”…. “I saw people wearing Al-Nusra headbands who started shooting at crosses,” the Christian senior told the AFP. One of the shooters, he said, “put a pistol to the head of my neighbor and forced him to convert to Islam by obliging him to repeat ‘there is no God but God’ [Islamic shehada]…Afterwards they joked, ‘he’s one of ours now.’”
In al-Thawrah, Syria, Christians were also singled out for attack by jihadi invaders. In one incident, they stopped three residents, releasing two who identified themselves as Muslims, while bludgeoning to death the third after identifying himself a Christian (graphic image). They also destroyed the Antiochian Orthodox church of Sts. Sergius and Bacchus among other churches.
In Raqqah, a city in northern Syria, the al-Qaeda linked “Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant” broke the crosses off the area’s two Christian churches and placed al-Qaeda’s Islamic flags. They also set the contents of the churches—the Church of the Annunciation and the Church of Martyrs—aflame. In one video, a Muslim “freedom fighter” smashed a statue of Virgin Mary to shouts of Islam’s victory cry, “Allahu Akbar!”
These latest attacks come in the context of yet another fatwa appearing in September and issued by 36 Islamic scholars who legitimized “the right of the faithful Sunni Muslims to seize and take possession of goods, homes, property belonging to Christians, Druze and Alawite and members of other religious minorities ‘who do not profess the Sunni religion of the Prophet.’” (Earlier, before the “sex jihad” solved the problem by luring Muslim women from Tunisia and elsewhere to provide their sexual services to jihadis in Syria fighting to make Allah’s word supreme, another fatwa permitted jihadis to rape all non-Sunni women.)
Meanwhile, when publicly asked about the jihadi nature of the rebellion and the fact that the rebels often shout Islam’s supremacist war-cry, Allahu Akbar (such as when firing at Chrisitan churches), JOHN McCAIN insisted that shouting “Allahu Akbar” is equivalent to a Christian saying “Thank God,” and that the rebels in Syria are “moderates and I guarantee you they are moderates.”
Similarly, when John Kerry was also asked in September about the jihadi and al-Qaeda elements of the Syrian rebels, the U.S. Secretary of State argued that “The opposition has increasingly become more defined by its moderation … more defined by its adherence to some, you know, democratic process and to an all-inclusive, minority-protecting constitution,” an assertion that prompted Russian President Vladimir Putin openly to call Kerry a liar.
…
December 5th, 2013, 1:59 pm
ALAN said:
Muslims are the new Jews. A people persecuted for reasons of divide and rule more than any innate inferiority. The forces of exploitation and misery know this only too well.
Tariq Ali,SOAS, University of London
http://youtu.be/NaP0KEwdGro?t=2s
December 5th, 2013, 2:03 pm
Uzair8 said:
I’ve written a little piece for my next comment. Whilst writing I was listening to a nice little piece of music which I’d like to share. Last night in the early hours I tuned into Classic FM and heard the piano solo. I looked for it again online on ‘Listen again’.
‘Oh Come, All ye faithful’
Nigel Hess
Listen from 1:52:00 – starts in ~10 seconds [hopefully it’s available overseas]
http://www.classicfm.com/radio/aod/?episodeId=246352
December 5th, 2013, 2:57 pm
Uzair8 said:
I remember once Amjad of Arabia (AoA) saying how protests and demos will reassert themselves once circumstances allow. You better believe it! The revolution is alive and well no matter how some strive to claim it’s finished/derailed/hijacked.
They don’t get (or they prefer to delude themselves about) the power of the revolutionar. The power of the emotional bond that was formed in the early months. It was etched on to our hearts and burned into our souls. It’s there, buried deep. I dare any revolutionary to look back at videos of the early days, the chanting, singing and toppling of statues. Look back at the BBC panorama programme which showed unarmed syrians mowed down in cold blood while protesting. Your eyes will well with tears as the buried emotion, hurt and pain resurfaces.
Think again if you think pointing to this or that will dishearten us. We will never forget. The flame will continue to burn even if embers.
I remember how in mid August Amjad (AoA) closed down his twitter account. Omen asked me on SC what happened and I wouldn’t disclose Amjad’s last tweet to prevent regimists on here siezing on it. To deny them succour. I only said it seemed Amjad got frustrated.
In fact Amjad had tweeted how Syria would at least remain under Assad while it would be finished under the Jihadists. Along those lines.
Lo and behold, a day or 2 after he closed his account the regime carried out chemical attack on August 21st.
As you may know by now, Amjad returned on twitter in mid october back to fighting the regime online. Yesterday he recalled the time he closed his account:
Aboud Dandachi @AboudDandachi 22h
@iyad_elbaghdadi At 1 moment i actually thought ISIS was worse than regime.Then idiot Batta had to go use chemical weapons.Imbecile.
It was also about the same time a critic of the revolution and nemesis of Amjad, Edward Dark stopped tweeting. I would check to see what his position was on the chemical attacks and whether it influenced his position on Syria. There was only silence. He also resumed tweeting in around mid october.
December 5th, 2013, 3:02 pm
Uzair8 said:
The revolution is still going strong. It’s online on social networks. The same activists carrying the banner and determined as ever. I can’t think of any who have given in. The rallies and protests will hopefully reassert themselves once the Assadist threat recedes.
What do you think is keeping everyone struggling on? Without let up. This unbreakable bond was formed in the early days when the brave and heroic Syrians won much of the world over. It’s a very powerful force. Assad’s brutality and excess might have seemed a good idea to him at the time but in hindsight he will realise and regret how he created a much greater force and at the same time closed all doors for himself. He closed the door to any hope of compromise.
He thinks and hopes we have short memories..
In fact we will haunt his nightmares for a long time to come..
December 5th, 2013, 3:54 pm
Uzair8 said:
Caught this piece on Elliot Higgins (Brown Moses) on BBC World Service in the early hours:
Outlook
‘On today’s programme, a British man who spends his days going through hundreds of videos of the syrian conflict to find out the secrets of the war…’
Listen from the start for 27 seconds for Introduction then skip to 12:37
[About 10 minutes long]
http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p01m9p6h
December 5th, 2013, 4:33 pm
ziad said:
It’s freezing cold in Syria, many parts are without electricity and heating oil is too expensive for most. already reports of infants dying.
edward dark
December 5th, 2013, 5:10 pm
mjabali said:
Heads up is happy that the Sunnis are growing in numbers at an alarming rate and the Shia are not.
Heads up: Your guided logic is amazing…keep on the good work…
December 5th, 2013, 5:14 pm
ziad said:
“We Know too well that our freedom is incomplete without the freedom of the Palestinians.”
Nelson Mandela – RIP
December 5th, 2013, 5:38 pm
mjabali said:
Observer:
1- Again you flip flop from your first sentence when you say ” I have no problem with them cooperating.”
Mr. Observer if this was not your problem so why you used this issue to smear me and call me a traitor for helping the French. You are not honest right here and exhibited contradictory positions.
2- You are using the same tactics used by the regime. You are calling me a traitor the same way the regime calls the opposition traitors for getting help from the “enemies” of Syria.
3- You keep on using the logic of “victimhood.” I find this counter productive because you are hiding behind it to not answer the real questions I keep on posing to you. You run and hide behind these terms.
4- Contrary to your beliefs I am Syrian and feel Syrian and want Syria to come back. YOU are the one who calls for the partition of Syria. You have no compassion for the idea of Syria, I do. I do not speak for the Alawites, I speak for myself only. Unlike you, who calls for things to be done as if he is the leader of the biggest party in Syria. You have no party mr. Observer. You are not in an organization that is elected by anyone. You are just an individual. Stop thinking of yourself as if you are the king of Syria.
5- Again you do not tell the truth about the number of dead children in Syria: you claimed in your comment # 239 that there are 11,000 dead children. The latest pools put the number of dead children between 6 to 7 thousands, so you mr. Observer added about 4000 dead children. See, I am with you for punishing anyone responsible for the death of ANY child in syria. But, I will never fabricate numbers. This way people do not take you seriously.
6- You claim that “None of my points is valid.” heheheeeehee You know damn well that I am wasting my time discussing things with you….
7- I never said that you need to pay for what your family has done, I ask you to be careful when you call for sectarian cleansing because of the history of your family. Do not twist my words mr. observer. I said that when you call for all the Alawites to leave Damascus all I have to remember that you must have learned this from your family who practiced this policy successfully before.
8- If the Alawite State is established: it is established for all the minorities of the area to live peacefully and equally including the Sunnis. I know some would say say that the name itself is not synonymous with equality: for this I say: You need a creed like Alawism where there is no clergy around to impede the establishment of real equality. I bet you would have more freedom in it. You will prosper in it. The past experience of the Alawite State showed that Sunnis, Christians and Alawites could live together in a free society. Go ask the big families of the Sunnis of Lattakia about this.
December 5th, 2013, 5:47 pm
zoo said:
The opposition has something to be proud of: they even attracted young european Sunni terrorists to ‘topple’ Bashar Al Assad and bring ‘freedom and dignity’ to their oppressed Sunni brothers and sisters.
Their country much prefer to see them die as ‘martyrs’ then to see them come back.
Thousands of young European jihadists are fighting in Syria
http://www.euronews.com/2013/12/05/thousands-of-young-european-jihadists-are-fighting-in-syria/
Up to 2000 European jihadists are fighting against the Assad regime in Syria, according to Belgium’s interior minister. That number was said to be just 600 in June.
Joëlle Milquet, Belgian Interior Minister made the comments in a joint press conference with her French counterpart, Manuel Valls.
“With regards to the European figures, we estimate it’s between 1500 and 2000, given what we have heard from our counterparts. The numbers by country are very standard. It’s a phenomenon which is very generalised, that exists in identical proportions with people who have identical profiles” – said Milquet.
French Interior Minister Valls said he didn’t see any imminent terror threat from those EU citizens returning from fighting jihad in Syria.
“Today we do not see a direct or indirect on our respective countries, our interests, our fellow citizens, nor against those people or interests of our allies.”
Belgium and France are two of nine EU member states sharing information with Australia, Canada and the US on foreign jihadists.
The EU’s top anti-terror offical wants airline passenger information made available to keep track of would-be fighters.
December 5th, 2013, 6:08 pm
zoo said:
Majbali
I fully agree with you. An Alawite dominated state may become a magnet for all the Syrian moderates of all religions, sects and ethnicity wanting to live and thrive in a secular, secure and tolerant environment.
The Alawite-haters Sunnis may need to find a safe place to stay in Syria or go/stay abroad.
December 5th, 2013, 6:22 pm
zoo said:
Syrian Rebels Defect in Droves
http://themedialine.org/news/news_detail.asp?NewsID=39002
….
In a further blow to the western-backed rebel coalition, Saddam Al-Jamal, the former leader of the Free Syrian Army’s (FSA) Eastern Front, recently defected from both the SMC and the FSA and pledged allegiance to the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham, the largest Islamist opposition force in Syria. He had previously been aligned with the Ahfad Al-Rasoul group, which had a long history of problems with ISIS.
After defecting, Al-Jamal released a damning video about the SMC and the SNC, which stated that the groups are closely aligned with western intelligence organizations and that they had a plan to fight against ISIS and other extreme groups. According to a translation on the Brown Moses blog, he went on to say that the west was not prepared to arm groups within Syria, even through the FSA.
“They will not give it to any faction inside Syria. They want to receive 25-50 fighters and train them abroad,” he said, suggesting the weapons would only be given to small groups of elite fighters trained by the United States outside of Syria in neighbouring countries.
The spate of defections and obvious lack of influence held by the SMC within rebel groups inside Syria begs the question of the usefulness of the Geneva II peace talks, scheduled for Jan. 22. With nobody representing the groups on the ground, any talk of a transitional government or ceasefire represents only the now-toothless SNC.
The only optimistic voice about Idriss and the Syrian political opposition came from the spokesperson for the US State Department, who said on Monday, “We are still working very closely with General Idriss, we’re still working towards a Geneva conference in January, and we still believe there’s no military solution.”
December 5th, 2013, 6:29 pm
Tara said:
Mjabali
” The past experience of the Alawite State showed that Sunnis, Christians and Alawites could live together in a free society. Go ask the big families of the Sunnis of Lattakia about this.”
He he Mjabali. Syria is now an Alawi state minus the name.
Thanks but no thanks. We did not live together . Not to generalize but men from your sect slaughtered us, burned us alive and buried us alive.
If it to happen, good luck but the Shabeeha among you will not be missed.
Please take the Sunni Shabeeha into that state.
December 5th, 2013, 8:14 pm
Tara said:
Mjabali
Oh. I forgot. Please give citizenship to the Christian Shabeehas too. And do not forget my cousin….
Oh…Foufou too.. Mrs. Angus of the cross that is
With her new groom from Canada.
And I will be going swimming in Raqqa or even better in Azzaz.
But please leave us the Mahdi in Harasta. He is ours. I don’t care he is Shiaa. I have a plan for him. I am getting him married to a beautiful Sunni woman from Damascus if he hasn’t done that already. I am just afraid that he may convert… But will put it in the pre- nuptial agreement. No conversion!
December 5th, 2013, 8:19 pm
apple_mini said:
Apparently, the kidnapping of those nuns in Maloula is generating more outcry among Christian communities in the world. It also serves a clear message to sane Christians in Syria: there is no dim hope for future if the rebels takes over the country.
Yet, we have the hardcore Sunni queen Tara telling us that the rebels are holding those nuns so they can protect them from being slaughtered by Syrian army. What kind of twisted mind can spew that kind of venom?
December 5th, 2013, 8:35 pm
Majed97 said:
Majbali and Zoo,
Please sign me up for citizenship in that secular Alawite state. I have nothing but respect for my Alawite brothers and sisters for their secular and nationalistic stand.
December 5th, 2013, 8:42 pm
Tara said:
Mjabali,
To remind you with what you said, I quote “5- Again you do not tell the truth about the number of dead children in Syria: you claimed in your comment # 239 that there are 11,000 dead children. The latest pools put the number of dead children between 6 to 7 thousands, so you mr. Observer added about 4000 dead children. See, I am with you for punishing anyone responsible for the death of ANY child in syria. But, I will never fabricate numbers. This way people do not take you seriously.”
He he…..Please offer an apology and tell us who is fabricating..
Over 12,000 children killed in Syria war
Over 12,000 children have been killed since the beginning of the war in Syria. 2,344 of those children were under 10 years old, while 391 of them babies.
The children death toll has increased over 12,000 since the clashes broke out in Syria, said Syrian Network for Human Rights (SNHR) on Wednesday.
Around 12,000 children were killed and 300,000 others injured in crackdown by the regime forces in Syria between March 2011 and November 2013, among the fatalities, 8,413 were boys and 3,614 were girls.
The statement said that 560 kids were killed by sharp objects, 92 were tortured and killed and 10 of them starved to death. Among the killed children, 2,344 were aged under 10 and 391 were babies.
It also indicated that in war-torn Syria, around 215,000 dissidents were arrested for various reasons and 9,000 of them are children. A total of 1.6 million children have been displaced. SNHR also said they documented the children death with video footage, photos and identity cards.
http://www.worldbulletin.net/?aType=haber&ArticleID=123356
December 5th, 2013, 9:44 pm
ghufran said:
There is a lot of anger among people in Latakia directed at Shabeehas and thugs who belong to the extended Assad family or act as their hit men. Social media is full of posts about Slaiman Alassad, the son of Hilal al-assad, who at a time when thousands of the province’ young men died at war, he and his cousin were exchanging fire and terrorizing people in Latakia.
here is a post that attracted my attention:
شكرا سيادة الرئيس.. عائلتك ” شي بيرفع الراس”
من أراد محاربة الإرهاب فعليه فعلُ ذلك على مختلف الجبهات والمسميات.. الإرهاب المستورد والإرهاب المحلي على حد سواء.. وإلا فإن انتصاره على الأول وحسب، سيؤدي إلى سقوطه على يد الآخر.
سيخرج عليَّ ألف حيوان وبخاصة من فئة “منحبك” والذين اسميهم مجازا “تووووووووت” ليقول لي بأن هذا الوقت ليس وقت الحديث عما سيرد، وبأن هناك مهمات أكبر تتعلق بإعادة الاستقرار للبلاد.
طبعا فئة ال “توووووت” هذه، والتي تضم الملايين من العميان، لا تهمها سورية المحررة أو سورية المستقرة أو سورية الهادئة، بقدر ما يهمها رؤية النظام وقد نجا من السقوط، ولو تحقق ذلك على جثث 5 ملايين سوري وأشلاء 5 ملايين آخرين وكرامة 5 ملايين أيضا. لذا فإن كلامي هذا ليس موجها لهذه الفئة التي ما جعلتني يوما إلا أتقيأ الوطن.. أرضه، ترابه… وشموخه المزعوم!!.
خطابي موجه للريح.. الريح وحسب.. وكثيرا ما كتبت منذ العام 2005 مقالات ذهبت في مهب الرياح في حينها، لتتعاقب الأيام والشهور والسنين فيستحضرها البعض ويقول لي:” لقد قلتَ هذا في السابق وقد وصلنا إليه”.
واليوم، مع الريح مجددا، وقضية الكلاب الشاردة من عائلة الأسد، في القرداحة واللاذقية على وجه التحديد.. والسلاح الذي بأيديهم والذي يقتل النفوس ويجرح الكرامات أكثر مما يفعل ساطور بني سعود وأنياب مسلمي قندهار والشيشان.
سليمان الأسد؟؟!!!…
واعجبي… واعجبي من دولة يقودها نظام صرع صباطي ( للمرة الألف أقولها أنني أسمع من صباطي) بأنه يواجه كوكب الأرض، بل الكون كله بمؤامرة تريد نسفه من جذره فينسف بنسفه البلد كله!!!… بينما يعجز هذا النظام عن وضع صعلوك صغير كسليمان الاسد عند حده.
هذا النظام، بل الرئيس بشار الأسد تحديدا، ربما لا يعرف حتى الآن الجغرافية التي يسرح فيها سليمان وغير سليمان من العائلة ” الداشرة”، ولا خصوصيتها، ولا حالها الراهن، ولا كمية الميغا المبقية لدى أبنائها من الصبر على فواحش لم ترتكب يوما إلا من قبل هذه العائلة.
لا يعرف الرئيس أن بندقية سليمان ورشاشه فاعلان في المنطقة الخضراء للنظام، السوداء لعائلات الطائفة العلوية، التي بالكاد تجد فيها بيت واحد لم يفقد ابنا أو أبا أو أخا أو… إلخ ( طبعا باستثناء عائلات المسؤولين الذين لا يساقون، لا إلى الخدمة العسكرية، ولا إلى الاحتياط لكونهم من طبقة الأشراف.. و”تووووووووت”أشرف واحد فيهم)!!!.
علموا على كلامي..
صمت العلويين يقترب من النفاد، وقريبا سيطلقون صيحتهم مدويةً ويعلنونها صراحة:” تووووت” أخت هالبلد إذا ضل، ولا راح بستين داهية”!!!… وسينطلقون في رحلة استرداد الكرامة المهدورة. ولن تكون انطلاقتهم في المدن السورية حيث قتل أولادهم بالرصاص أو ذبحا بالسواطير، بل ستكون بدايتهم من القرداحة تحديدا، وضد الفئة الضالة من عائلة الحاكم.
لا توقفوا سليمان عند حده، بل ظلوا على ادعائكم بأنه لا علم لكم بما يفعله هذا المسخ.. فلن تعرفوا شيئا حتى يقتل بضعة أشخاص من العائلة على أيدي أخوة الشهداء في لحظات الانفجار… وعند ذلك سترسلون كتائب عسكرية لتأديب ” المجرمين”!! لكنكم ستصعقون عندما ترون سلاح أهالي الشهداء وقد وجّه إلى رأس كل من سيجردهم من كرامة سيكونون في تلك اللحظة قد بدؤوا باستعادتها.
يلي بدو يطقني برغي لا يعذب حالو… الأمن يقرأ هذه المقالة قبلك يا عوايني!!!!!.
علاء محمد …….
December 5th, 2013, 10:22 pm
Tara said:
Ghufran,
Funny.
Who is علاء محمد ? Alawi?
Why isn’t he afraid? He thinks his Alawitehood would protect him?
It may. I am not sure
I am sure though a Sunni can never make a statement in Thouria al Assad and not subjected to beating, jailing, torture, or death. Do you agree?
December 5th, 2013, 10:32 pm
mjabali said:
Tara:
You talk as if you own Damascus. Your family came to Damascus 200 years from Turkmanstan, most likely from a tent. Therefore I do not expect you you to
1- know Syrian History
2- Justice for the real population of Syria.
al-Assad has lots of Sunnis in his army. keep putting your head in the sand and not see this. Your family is still in the high ranks of Shabeeha of al-Assad.
No one know for sure how many people died in Syria and what party do they belong to. So keep on fooling yourself and others by pretending to know the truth whilst you are in New Jersey.
By the way, Damascus had many Alawites: what happened to them?
Around Damascus there were many Alawite villages: What happened to them?
What was the role of your Sheikh family into issuing Fatwas for the sectarian cleansing for the Alawites around Damascus.
Does your family have blood on its hands, like al-Assads?
December 5th, 2013, 10:36 pm
Observer said:
I am sorry to say my dear Tara that there is still absolutely no argument posited here. There are assertions of ” incontrovertible truth” and a complete inability to read simple sentences.
You know two Syrians met and one asked the other: are you Sunni, the guy said no; then the question came are you Christian, the answer was no again, then are you Alawi the answer came no again, then are you Druze the answer was no again, finally the guy asked what are you and the answer was I am an agnostic. There was a pause, when the Syrian asked his fellow agnostic Syrian : but from which origin of agnosticism you come from.
I keep telling the guy I am an agnostic. I keep telling to get the mafia regime out of our hair, I keep telling everybody that there is no such thing as a national identity, I keep telling all there is no coexistence today, I keep telling all there is no rule of law, no separation of powers, no representative regime, no independent judiciary and I keep getting back: Sunnis did this to my ancestors, and Crusaders were good to us, and yes one unimportant guy asked for France’s help, and yes there were children killed but not 11000. The 11000 by the way was the latest figure from the Observatory figures. How about the death of one child called Hamza Alkhatib.
You see my dear Tara, there is a dialogue des sourds for once again I am calling for ethnic cleansing as a tradition of my ancestors. Now what do you call the current campaign of destroying and chasing away millions of Syrians but another ethnic cleansing.
The truth of the matter is that you have to just scratch the surface to find an identity based on the hatred of the other and on the exclusion of the other and on the dehumanization of the other.
Now we have a new hardly a massacre of not 11000 but 6 or 7000.
Now Tara perhaps the new Daoula Alawia will be the envy of the world and certainly the envy of the Sunni world and of the “families of Latakia”. Once again, we do not think of citizenship and of civil society of the rule of law of equality before the law but of “families” who are thriving in Latakia. This is again another admission my dear Tara of the fact that we hare fully in the mode of the “family thinking” especially when we are told that the grand father who signed a petition asking France to grant his sect a state did not come ” from many prominent Alawi Families” that wanted to remain part of Syria. Once again, thinking in sectarian terms and “family terms” is the mental blockade you have whenever anyone brings the facts of today to the fore: this is a sectarian based regime that has tied the fate of a whole community to its fate and that has tied the future of generations to its We Burn Albalad policy.
So each time the truth is brought to the fore, you have a schizophrenic response as follows: I am Syrian first but also Alawi first. I am secular first but Alawi creed is secular in its essence. I am for coexistence but I am for special security for my sect. I am for a future of coexistence and peace but I am haunted by the burning and looting. I am for citizenship but I am a product of a family allegiance .
This is why I have asked for the creation of the Daoula Alawia for I want with every fiber of my being the freedom and peace and prosperity and happiness of the oppressed over the ages sect to have its place in the sun. Having their place in the sun on top of all the Syrians and shoving down their throat the single family rule and the single party rule and the single security house of cards rule as the regime insiders are asking for its preservation is not possible. It is finished.
The sect is double unlucky for after decades of oppression and exclusion at the hands of the Sunnis ( a claim that I have conceded for a variety of reasons not the leaf of which is to start a truth and reconciliation process ) they are now trapped in the machinations of the most barbaric and medieval and depraved mafia the world has ever seen.
I pity their trying to defend the indefensible.
One Hamza Alkhatib is enough to put the entire regime in the dock.
December 5th, 2013, 10:36 pm
mjabali said:
Observer:
From the way you talk I could tell that you have nothing to say or bring to the table…
From the way you try to attack my character I could tell that you have nothing to say.
From the way you try to talk to me through another person: I could write volumes about your state, but I chose not to. I present ideas backed with history and you present nothing…hot air…علاك مصدي
I present solutions…what you present? accusations?
See how you ran away from the real discussion.
عم بنزل مستوى تفكيري وقت عم بتناقش معك ومع تارا
With all the money your families had looted, you and Tara, both has almost zero knowledge about the history of the country you claim that you came from.
December 5th, 2013, 10:52 pm
Tara said:
Mjabali
Half of my family came from a tent in Champs élysées and the other half came from a tree in some …stan. Unfortunately, I do not own a شبر in Damascus. I am saving the money to buy a house in Monaco….But that is besides the point:
Politics aside, I am disappointed. I expected you in #274 to be a man and offer a retract of your accusation that Observer is fabricating the numbers. Instead you hid behind ” no one knows for sure argument… If no one knows for sure, why the unfounded accusation of Observer fabricating the numbers? Sorry, it wasn’t even a good try on your part.
And by the way ” to be a man” is just an expression so you do not get offended.
And I give my word, I do not live in Jersey.
December 5th, 2013, 11:00 pm
mjabali said:
Tara:
You know for sure that I do not fabricate numbers and that I have read this number.
Here is a link for you because as we say in Syria
لايصدق ال…حتى يرا
your dirty tricks are not going to get me. When anyone is sure of the number of the people killed in Syria come and talk to me. You know where I stand in all of this.
Here is an article from October this year saying the number of the children dead is 6000
http://world.time.com/2013/10/01/group-says-syria-death-toll-at-115000/
As for being from a tent, you should be proud of your origin.
December 5th, 2013, 11:06 pm
mjabali said:
Majed 97:
Welcome to the Alawite State anytime if it ever came into being. I hope they put a constitution that equals all and take religion out of the public space and leave it home. This way all are equal.
December 5th, 2013, 11:12 pm
ghufran said:
These are Major Khaled Al-Hammoud’s (FSA)8 grievances after trying to get help from the NC:
1- مؤتمر يتم عقده في اسطنبول يتم صرف 500 الف دولار عليه بين تذاكر طائرات للمؤتمرين وقاعات وفنادق، ونتيجة المؤتمر كانت باعترافهم: المؤتمر فشل بسبب انسحاب الممثلة عنزة البحرى.. فلا أهلا ولا سهلا بهؤلاء الشوارب الذي تفشل مؤتمرهم عاهرة بكل معنى الكلمة.
2- المجلس المحلي في اللاذقية يقوم باستأجار بناء خاص لاعضائه بقيمة 80 الف ليرة تركي، وكل ليرة تركي تساوي 84 ليرة سوري، ويكون المقر موجود للعاهرات وللسكر في اخر الليل، وعندما يتقدم لهم ملازم اول لطلب راتبه المقدر 200 دولار والمتعرض لاصابة في جبل التركمان. يقولون له ليس لك راتب، وبعض العاهرات يستأجرون لهن شقق مفروشة.
3- كتير من السوريات العفيفات شاهدتهن يبيعن العلكة والمحارم ويرتشفن الطريق للحفاظ على شرفهن وعلى مرآى جميع السوريين ولا احد يبالي بمتطلباتهن.
4- المجلس المحلي في دير الزور, يعقد اجتماعاته في الرياض وليس بسوريا.
5- سهير اتاسي تسرق كل اموال الاغاثة المقدمة للشعب السوري, وعندما يطالبها اعضاء الائتلاف بالاموال, تجيبهم: والاموال التي سرقتوها اين هي ؟ فتخرسهم.
6- الخطيب يريد الحوار مع الاسد
7- ميشيل كيلو والمنبر الديمقراطي يبحثون عن موضع قدم في الائتلاف.. والائتلاف لا يستطيع ان يجتمع لمرة واحدة لان كل عضو منهم سرق من الاموال ما يكفي وكل منهم يخاف من مسائلة الاخر له. ويرفضون الاجتماع .
8- سهير الاتاسي تشكل مليشية في ريف ادلب وريف حماه شبيهة بمليشيات احمد رمضان من اجل تصفية الاحرار وتصفية كل من يعارض مشروعهم.
The more I know about the regime and its opposition the more I realize how screwed the country of my childhood , Syria, is.
December 5th, 2013, 11:17 pm
zoo said:
Hardly created and funded by Saudi Arabia to “counter” Al Qaeda, the Sunni-only Islamic Front faces already high level defections’.
Leading Syrian rebels defect, dealing blow to fight against al-Qaeda
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/middleeast/syria/10498477/Leading-Syrian-rebels-defect-dealing-blow-to-fight-against-al-Qaeda.html
Two leaders of new Islamic front and one from Free Syrian Army’s Supreme Military Council, announce their defection, deal blow to fight against extremists in Syria
Britain and its allies have suffered a new setback in their attempts to forge a pro-western military alliance to fight both President Bashar al-Assad of Syria and al-Qaeda with the defection of three leading rebels.
Two of the men, Ahmed Issa al-Sheikh and Zahran Alloush, are leaders of the new Islamic Front, a group representing non-al-Qaeda Islamist factions including hardliners who want a strict Sharia state. They published a document saying they were no longer part of the Free Syrian Army’s Supreme Military Council, the military wing of the western-backed Syrian National Coalition.
The third was the north-eastern commander of the SMC, Saddam al-Jamal.
The most extreme al-Qaeda faction, Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS), published an interview with him in which he said he was defecting out of disgust with the SMC’s dealings with Saudi, Qatari and western intelligence agencies.
December 5th, 2013, 11:18 pm
Tara said:
Mjabali,
And so did observer. He did not fabricate the number either. I put the link for you. Yet, you accused him of fabrication, He did not accuse you of the same. Therefore, a real man would have apologized. This is a common sense and expected curtesy when one is proved wrong.
Any way, your vulgarity by reciting the Arabic saying is an indication of you acknowledging that you made a mistake. A civilized person would acknowledge his mistakes by offering a retract or an apology. You chose vulgarity instead.
I therefore am not interested any more and the discussion is now closed.
December 5th, 2013, 11:19 pm
mjabali said:
Zoo:
I agree with most of your assessment of the Sunnis of Syria. If you have Tara and Observer, who are educated and live in the west and still think like this: WE HAVE A MAJOR PROBLEM.
December 5th, 2013, 11:20 pm
mjabali said:
Tara:
You drag me now to discuss apologies and if I am a real man or not. I care less about all of this.
If I wanted apologies from you or Observer for all the insults you both throw at me you guys owe me at least a hundred.
Talking about real men and real characters: Do you see how your hombre Observer do not talk directly to me? For real it is entertaining to me. Observer thinks he is scoring points this way and insulting me. I want to ask a shrink about this.
December 5th, 2013, 11:25 pm
zoo said:
Israeli Environment minister on a charm offensive to seduce Turkey… and Iran
http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/israeli-minister-offers-olive-branch-in-first-visit-to-turkey-in-three-years-.aspx?pageID=238&nID=59102&NewsCatID=352
Israeli minister offers olive branch in first visit to Turkey in three years
….
The Israeli minister also touched on the Israel-Palestine issue and the recent international negotiations with Iran, describing himself as one of the “peace front” supporters.
“I certainly believe the Palestinians have the right to build their own state, I take on the two-state solution. I believe that the Iran talks in Geneva did not have a negative effect on the negotiations we have with the Palestinians. We still have five more months to complete talks, in that time we need to reach an agreement with both Iran and Palestine. Obviously, though, we do not want an Iran armed with nuclear weapons,” he said.
December 5th, 2013, 11:37 pm
zoo said:
Turkey seems to move away from Sunni countries that have only been a source of humiliation and disappointment. These countries’ present and long term instability do not make good commercial partners.
Ironically Turkey’s new foreign policy is orienting toward developing commercial ties and friendly relation with Shia dominated neighbors: Iran, Iraq, Azerbadjian, considered more stable. After the ‘Arab’ honeymoon that turned sour, Turkey is also going back to its old partner, Europe.
Therefore Turkey’s support for the FSA is decreasing and Turkey will try to take a less vocal position vis a vis the situation in Syria.
December 6th, 2013, 12:11 am
zoo said:
Insurgency Responsible for Civilian Plight of Syrians
12/5/2013
By: Nicola Nasser
…
The fact that the Syrian state and government were reacting rather than acting against the insurgency is now coming to light. This fact is explained better by the UK-based opposition Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, which reported on this December 3 that it had documented the death of (50,927) government soldiers versus (36228) insurgents including (6261) non-Syrian fighters.
..
In addition to Christians and other minorities targeted by the rebels who posture as the defenders of Sunni Islam, most of the refugees and those displaced are Sunni Muslim Syrians and more than one million of them are hosted by their compatriot Alawites in the west of the country, a fact that refutes the narrative of the US government and media about a “civil” and “sectarian” war in the country. –
See more at: http://www.iviews.com/Articles/articles.asp?ref=IV1312-5627#sthash.kjfr0Rs4.dpuf
December 6th, 2013, 12:17 am
ghufran said:
Armed thugs who invaded and destroyed Maloula are using nuns as bargain chips:
أعلنت كتائب «أحرار القلمون» أن راهبات معلولا المختطفات في «مكان آمن، ولكن لن يفرج عنهن إلا بعد تنفيذ عدة مطالب، أهمها الافراج عن ألف معتقلة سورية في سجون النظام السوري».
وقال مهند أبو الفداء، وهو من المكتب الإعلامي لكتائب «أحرار القلمون»، في تصريحات خاصة لـ«الشرق الأوسط»، إن مطالبهم «نقلت إلى النظام السوري من خلال الفاتيكان، بعد تأمين اتصال بين رئيسة دير مار تقلا في معلولا, الأم بيلاجيا سياف والفاتيكان بواسطة هاتف يعمل عبر
الأقمار الصناعية». وأوضح أن «هذه المطالب مشتركة من قبل (جبهة النصرة) وكتيبته (أحرار القلمون)».
If the mukhabarati regime had any respect for Syrian tradition in the first place, its thugs would not have taken Syrian women as prisoners.
After what happened in Iraq, Egypt and now Syria it is hard not to believe that many powerful parties, domestic, regional and international, do not want to see any Christians in the Middle East. Palestinian Christians were for years targeted with favorable treatment if they want to emigrate out of Palestine, and then the same happen in Iraq, Egypt and now Syria.
When this is done and the whole Middle East becomes a collection of Cantons and mini unicolor states, Israel as a Jewish country may not look like ” the weird guy on the bloc” anymore !!
(speaking of Israel, those of you who are naïve enough to believe that the thugs of Alaseer and their likes were able to reach and kill Hassan Al-Laqqis need good spanking to wake up)
December 6th, 2013, 12:23 am
zoo said:
Syrian Druzes openly support Bashar Al Assad.
Now let’s get some sarcasms from the anti-Bashar Sunnis on the Druze’s ‘beliefs and rituals’ as this seems to be their only frustration-relief outlet on Syrian minorities.
Arslan in Syria says Druze sheikhs support Assad
BEIRUT: Lebanese Democratic Party leader Talal Arslan and Syria’s top religious Druze leaders have reiterated support for Syrian President Bashar Assad during a meeting in the Syrian province of Suwayda.
A statement released by Arslan’s office Thursday did not mention when the meeting took place in the predominantly-Druze province of Suwayda in southern Syria.
It said Arslan, accompanied by Druze Sheikh Nasreddine al-Gharib from Lebanon as well as a delegation from Mount Lebanon including mayors, met with the Druze spiritual head in Syria Sheikh Hikmat al-Hajri, top Syrian Druze sheikhs Hammoud al-Hennawi and Youssef al-Jarbou in addition to notables from Jabal al-Arab in Suwayda.
A six-point manifesto issued at the end of the meeting declared renewed support for Assad.
It called for “rallying behind the wise leadership of President Bashar Assad and the Syrian Arab army struggling against conspiracies aimed at destroying Syria from the inside … for the benefit of [Israel] and its cheap tools.”
The document also dubbed the war a “fateful battle” waged by Assad against “conspiracies to spark sectarian strife to eliminate the Arab national presence.”
It said, however, the best way to end the bloodshed is through a political solution that would facilitate national dialogue among Syrians.
Read more: http://www.dailystar.com.lb/News/Lebanon-News/2013/Dec-05/240005-arslan-syrias-druze-sheikhs-reiterate-support-for-assad.ashx#ixzz2mfbC4vaX
(The Daily Star :: Lebanon News :: http://www.dailystar.com.lb)
December 6th, 2013, 12:37 am
zoo said:
I am impatient…When will this happen?
Syria opposition to take full possession of Arab League seat
November/26/2013
..
… Jarba said he would be making a formal speech in the coming days to coincide with the Coalition becoming fully active in the body.
December 6th, 2013, 12:45 am
zoo said:
As they are intervening in Central Africa, when will the Western countries decide to intervene militarily to stop the Jihadists in Syria?
Syria jihadists kidnap 50 Kurds: NGO
AFP , Thursday 5 Dec 2013
http://english.ahram.org.eg/NewsContent/2/8/88338/World/Region/Syria-jihadists-kidnap–Kurds-NGO.aspx
Jihadists in northern Syria have kidnapped more than 50 Kurds in the past three days, in the second such case of mass hostage-taking since July, a monitoring group said Thursday.
The kidnappings come months into major battles for control of several parts of northern Syria that have pitted Kurdish fighters against jihadists, chiefly the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL).
“In the past three days, ISIL has kidnapped at least 51 Kurds in the towns of Minbej and Jarablus,” said the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.
December 6th, 2013, 12:51 am
Hopeful said:
“For to be free is not merely to cast off one’s chains, but to live in a way that respects and enhances the freedom of others.”
Nelson Mandela
December 6th, 2013, 1:22 am
Heads-up said:
Our knowledgeable patrons determined the following.
This site, in addition to being so much below standadrs and a cheap propaganda tool for the desperate falling regime of serpentine low life Alawi terrorists. is also a den for presumed Syrians that are only good at making idle long comments.
Our patrons also found that these presumed Syrians who engage in such polemical futilities are the least beneficial to Syria and its revolution. These are words-no-action types. They can only be of benefit when they learn and practice the art of zipping their mouths.
On the other hand, a so-called terrorist state of alawistan will have no room in Syria or anywher else. So-called Alawis or more correctly N-U-S-A-I-R-I-S may have to pack up and leave and go to mulala land where they came from and belong. These are alien to Syria, its society and culture.
December 6th, 2013, 6:41 am
Hopeful said:
Mathew Barber, we need your voice to temper down the alarmingly escalating sectarian and racist rhetoric on this forum!
December 6th, 2013, 6:55 am
Tara said:
No Hopeful
Wrong. Matt voice may be able to silence all voices he wants to on SC but he can’t silence it in Syria. I say let us hear it out. Those voices you want silenced are at play in Syria and have in essence killed 120,000 Syrians including 12,000 and one children. No?
If the root cause of a problem is not identified, it can’t be fixed.
December 6th, 2013, 7:35 am
zoo said:
The Jihadists helping the opposition to ‘topple’ Bashar al Assad are targeting the Kurdish controlled areas with suicide bombers
http://uk.news.yahoo.com/suicide-bomber-kills-five-outside-syria-militia-hq-122953930.html
BEIRUT — Syria’s state television and an activist group are reporting that an explosion in the northeastern Kurdish town of Qamishli has caused casualties.
The television report did not give details about Friday’s explosion.
The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights says the blast appears to have been a car bomb that exploded near a building manned by pro-government gunmen.
The blast comes amid clashes between Kurdish gunmen and jihadi groups including members of the al-Qaida-linked Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant.
December 6th, 2013, 8:29 am
Hopeful said:
Seldom in history one can find a leader who fought hard against tyranny and discrimination, and fought even harder against the instincts of revenge, retaliation, hatred, and the blind pursuit of justice.
I wish we had leaders like him in the Middle East.
December 6th, 2013, 8:52 am
zoo said:
283. mjabali
I don’t see any problem. Expats and exiled are always bitter and highly vocal, yet they can’t change or influence much of what is happening on the ground.
That’s their problem.
December 6th, 2013, 9:03 am
zoo said:
Hague and Hollande have already proven in the last 3 years that they totally lack imagination
“It is impossible to imagine, I think, President Assad could remain on the scene in Syria in the future,” Hague said.
http://uk.news.yahoo.com/assad-must-settlement-syria-british-fm-130615180.html
December 6th, 2013, 9:07 am
zoo said:
Suhair Atassi resigns as vice president for Syria National Coalition
December 04, 2013 12:13 AM
BEIRUT: Prominent Syrian opposition activist Suhair Atassi has resigned from the post of vice president of the mainstream opposition grouping the National Coalition.
….
But Atassi has yet to make public the resignation. The activist has recently come under fire for her work in both capacities with the ACU and the coalition.
Last week, 25 members of the ACU’s staff went on strike, claiming concerns over mismanagement of aid delivery and funding that they say have gone unaddressed by Atassi.
Other former employees who quit the ACU told The Daily Star last week they had concerns about a “conflict of interest” between her political role with the coalition and the ACU. While the coalition established the ACU, the aid body is supposedly independent of all political organizations.
Amer Karkoutli, a spokesman for the striking ACU members, said the strike would continue but Atassi’s resignation was a matter for the coalition, not the ACU.
Read more: http://www.dailystar.com.lb/News/Middle-East/2013/Dec-04/239831-atassi-resigns-as-vice-president-for-syria-national-coalition.ashx#ixzz2mhi4XJ9Y
December 6th, 2013, 9:15 am
Tara said:
The sister of Satan will be sued and tried in new Syria for her crimes. The mother from hell is being exposed in this article. Western journalists threaten to pull out from conferences if she participates. Her supposed anti-Assad stance has been called into question. The widow of the French journalist Gilles Jacquier, one of the first western journalists to be killed in Syria wrote a book in which she accuses Mother Agnes of complicity in a trap laid by the regime. The men she supposedly help evacuating from Mouadamyeh were all arrested by the regime.
….
Critics question Catholic nun’s ‘alternative story’ on Syria civil war
Flitting in and out of the US since her arrival in early November, Mother Agnes Mariam de la Croix – the mother superior at St James the Mutilated monastery in Qara – is traveling under the guise of explaining the current situation in Syria. But critics suggest that the nun, who published a 50-page “report” claiming to show that footage of the 21 August chemical attacks on Damascus was fabricated, is far from a non-sectarian promoter of peace, as she styles herself in her promotional materials.
Journalists Jeremy Scahill and Owen Jones refused to participate in a Stop The War conference in London on 30 November unless Mother Agnes was dropped from the schedule. She pulled out.
— jeremy scahill (@jeremyscahill)
November 15, 2013
I’ve informed organizers of @STWuk that I will not participate in their conference if Mother Agnes is on the platform.
….
Though her report was subsequently debunked by many, including the emergencies director of Human Rights Watch, Peter Bouckaert, who claimed it was based on “no real evidence”; Mother Agnes still stands by her assertions.
But she claims not to support the Assad regime. “I am not with the regime,” Mother Agnes said in a Skype interview with the Guardian this week. “I am with the civilian population who is suffering purely at the hands of foreign agents.” She listed Qatar and Saudi Arabia as the chief instigators of sectarian fighting – countries which support the Sunni rebels and the radical Salafi opposition fighters.
Asked whether she considers Hezbollah and Iran – Shia entities which support the Assad regime – to be complicit in the fabric of foreign sectarian forces inside Syria, she said no, as “Hezbollah isn’t coming in as a religious force, and is not committing crimes of a religious nature.”
….
Many Christians have supported the Assad regime, fearing that their survival is tied to the ruling Alawite minority’s fate in the face of an increasingly chaotic Sunni majority. In her talks, Mother Agnes claims to be part of the “liberal opposition to Assad”, said Chuck Kauffman, national co-ordinator of the Alliance For Global Justice, which hosted Mother Agnes’ talk and workshop at its annual Tear Down The Walls gathering in Tucson in November. Mother Agnes has called the Assad regime “a tumor”; she told the Guardian “killing the patient will not lead us to health”.
But her supposed anti-Assad stance has been called into question. “The regime maintains tight controls over all religious institutions in the country: Islamic, Christian, Druze etc,” said Ammar Abdulhamid, a Syrian dissident and democracy activist living in exile in Washington. “Not a single appointment happens without its approval, even in-church appointments … Considering Mother Agnes’ position, she must have had regular contacts with ranking security officers.”
….
A State Department official told the Guardian the department was “aware” of allegations that Mother Agnes was connected to the Assad regime. “We strongly disagree with her comments and her depiction of events on the ground, particularly who is to blame for the use of chemical weapons on 21 August,” the official said.
Mother Agnes appears to have at least some influence with regime figures. She has helped obtain visas for journalists, at a time when the regime was exercising strict control over visa dispensations to foreigners, and she served as a fixer for the French journalist Gilles Jacquier, one of the first western journalists to be killed in Syria. His widow, a companion on his fatal trip to Syria, wrote a book in which she accuses Mother Agnes of complicity in a trap laid by the regime, something Mother Agnes calls “a web of lies”. Mother Agnes says she was able to obtain visas because the ministry “for some reason didn’t object” when she had previously brought in foreign Catholic journalists. (Mother Agnes has sued Jacquier’s widow for defamation. )
There is also the question of her involvement in the recent “evacuations” of Damascus suburb towns, including Moadamiyeh, which have been under siege and subject to a campaign of starvation by regime forces.
Allegations abound that the men of such townswere detained and arrested by the Syrian government. One activist in Moadamiyeh told the BBC at the time of the evacuation that the town’s men were being held at Mezze air base, where the government was going to “force our own people to join the Assad army”.
Asked by the Guardian if she knew the town’s men would be detained when she organised the evacuations, Mother Agnes brushes off the allegations as false, saying no one was arrested. “We warned the men of the town not to come forward,” she said. She said the men “self-surrendered”.
This account is contradicted by audio recordings obtained by the journalist Michael Weiss, a Foreign Policy columnist and editor-in-chief of the Interpreter magazine who has been chronicling Mother Agnes’s activities on Twitter. “She was very clearly the point person for the Moadamiyeh evacuation,” said Weiss, pointing to recordings which showed Mother Agnes telling young men to surrender to government forces.
So far, Mother Agnes has spoken at 16 locations around the US, mostly Catholic churches, particularly Syriac Antioch churches which serve the Syrian Christian diaspora. The Syrian American Council has been actively protesting her tour. “She comes here as a nun who is advocating for peace,” said Kenan Rahmani of the SAC. “But she’s lying about what’s going on on the ground. She’s lying about the facts.
“As someone who has been trying to defend the narrative of the Syrian war, for her to come into this country and spread propaganda makes it that much harder for Americans to make educated decisions as a public.”
http://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/dec/05/catholic-nun-mother-agnes-syria-civil-war
December 6th, 2013, 11:03 am
ziad said:
These British Extremists in Syria Love Social Media
After being publicly sacked by al Qaeda leader Aymann al-Zawahiri and accidentally beheading a fighter from one of their main allies in Syria, it’s fair to say the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS)’s PR campaign has suffered in recent weeks. So, like any half decent group of militant extremists, they’re obviously keen to address this slip. Unfortunately, a traditional media outreach is very difficult for them, given ISIS’s policy of kidnapping journalists. So they’ve turned, like many before them, to social media.
Over the past few weeks, foreign fighters from ISIS and their subgroup the Muhajireen Brigade have been busy uploading selfies across Instagram, Facebook and Twitter, in an effort to publicise their cause and win more recruits to the Syrian jihad. They offer a bizarre and fascinating look inside Syria’s most feared and least understood militant groups.
On paper, the Muhajireen Brigade are separate to ISIS, but they’re considered by some analysts to be a front group for the larger jihadist outfit. The social media evidence seems to support this view.
http://www.vice.com/en_uk/read/syrian-jihadist-selfies-tell-us-a-lot-about-their-war
December 6th, 2013, 11:11 am
Mina said:
Thanks for the link to that article (http://www.vice.com/en_uk/read/syrian-jihadist-selfies-tell-us-a-lot-about-their-war). I had indeed the feeling that this “article” (so short it looks unachieved) was indeed part of a PR operation. I am never disappointed with Le Monde when it comes to Syria…
http://syrie.blog.lemonde.fr/2013/12/04/syrie-temoignage-domar-le-tchetchene-chef-militaire-de-letat-islamique/
December 6th, 2013, 11:27 am
Uzair8 said:
Sad news about the passing of a great man yesterday. Genuinely upsetting. First thing I did last night was search for a song I came across in recent years whilst looking into a scottish band. An excellent song.
A tribute to Nelson Mandela. From an anti-Apardheit concert.
Simple Minds – “Mandela Day” live 1990
December 6th, 2013, 12:37 pm
Uzair8 said:
Leader of the racist British National Party (BNP) and Assad supporter tweets on Nelson Mandela’s death. It was mentioned on the radio this morning.
Nick Griffin MEP @nickgriffinmep 10h
Ding dong, the beatified Communist terrorist is dead! #mandela #madiba #mediahype
What an idiot. Just checked out his twitter line and there’s more anti Mandela stuff.
https://twitter.com/nickgriffinmep
Apparently he’s running (again) for some upcoming elections* for the European Parliament (he’s already an MEP). What a great judge of a nations mood, NOT.
Warren what say you?
* Btw, going by twitter, on a muslim tv channel last night on a debate show one of the discussion points was how UK muslims could help defeat Mr Griffin in the Euro elections. Unrelated to the news about Nelson Mandela.
December 6th, 2013, 12:58 pm
sami said:
So Vice is all of a sudden a PR mouth piece for Al-Qaeda according to a regime propagandist…
I guess their documentries on Donkey Sex in Colombia and Trannies in Pakistan is just another example of spreading Sharia!
December 6th, 2013, 1:21 pm
Observer said:
“{Observer:
From the way you talk I could tell that you have nothing to say or bring to the table…
From the way you try to attack my character I could tell that you have nothing to say.
From the way you try to talk to me through another person: I could write volumes about your state, but I chose not to. I present ideas backed with history and you present nothing…hot air…علاك مصدي
I present solutions…what you present? accusations?
See how you ran away from the real discussion.
عم بنزل مستوى تفكيري وقت عم بتناقش معك ومع تارا
With all the money your families had looted, you and Tara, both has almost zero knowledge about the history of the country you claim that you came from”}
This is what he wrote I also did not copy his previous 8 point post for it is repetitious.
Well my dear Tara, I have not been able to remember everthing so I copied the post for the two of us to think about it.
I think that deep down inside he is Sunni
He is a Sunni for he has exclusive availability to the true history of Syria
He is a Sunni for he wants us to suffer for the sins of our families
He is a Sunni for he cannot fathom not pigeon holing people into his concept of where they belong
He is a Sunni for his creed is the right one to live by and the other creeds are by definition inferior or backward.
He is a Sunni for there is always some foreign invader that came and tried to impose ideas on the purity of his message
He is a Sunni for even after repeatedly telling him that I have no religion he insists on giving me one although he has not promised to cut off my head for renouncing religion
He is a Sunni for his political religious creed is intertwined and he cannot think of a political idea without religious intervention
He is a Sunni for even after I asked for a truth and reconciliation commission to look into the oppression of his group I am still treasoning him for his belonging.
He is a Sunni of course because even after I have explained to him that I understand fully why oppressed people ally themsleves with whomever to flee and stop oppression he still accuses of treasoning him for even mentioning the collaboration
He is a Sunni of course because when I mention the collaboration of older generations he thinks I am making him guilty by association.
He is a Sunni of course for his call for a secular state where the minorities can live in peace is a contradiction in terms for the secular state would by definition eschew any discrimination based on religious affiliation.
He is a Sunni of course for I have to pay for the sins of my ancestors and he is further a Sunni for he cannot understand that life is basically unfair;
He is a Sunni of course for he insists that his religion is one of peace but only when his religion is supreme in the land
He is a Sunni for he cannot think except in terms of “us” and “they” and this could be religious based or family based or city based or class based.
You see my dear Tara, you and I have managed to convert him to the Sunni creed simply by holding a mirror.
Cheers
December 6th, 2013, 1:22 pm
Observer said:
Now Tara thank you for the piece from the Guardian.
Here is another one is actually present day history, not some “hidden” facts that only a Sunni would know
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/12/07/opinion/syrias-spreading-bloodshed.html?ref=opinion&_r=0
December 6th, 2013, 1:44 pm
ALAN said:
Thank God for understanding!
The former commander of the Free Syrian Army group said it was too late realized that I was part of the project, which ultimately directed against Muslims
Syria: “second front” would be not
http://rus.ruvr.ru/2013_12_06/254784427/
—————–
Americans about Syria: “We are stuck in this mess” (AUDIO)
Suddenly his sight Al-Jamal in his interview ISIS said that realized too late that I was part of the project, which ultimately directed against Muslims. Of course, he meant something different. But many in this country should think – and, perhaps, and they unwittingly involved in such “projects”?
” Russia , appear to understand this conflict a little better than many Western analysts ” – admitted in an interview with ” Voice of Russia ” Michael O’Hanlon – senior expert at the Center Security and Intelligence of the 21st century , the head of the research program at the Institute of Foreign Policy Brookings (USA). According to him, at the very beginning of the conflict , that is, two and a half years ago , the United States rushed to gain a foothold in the confidence that President Bashar al-Assad will be quickly overthrown. Washington then thought about the fact that insurgent groups might lean toward radical extremism , and their camp replenish such allies ” Al- Qaeda ” , as, for example , one of the strongest in the region of Islamist groups ” Al Nusra ” .
“I think we made a mistake in the United States ,” – said Michael O’Hanlon in our radio broadcast :
“We would have to either accept the fact that Assad remains in power – and such a policy , of course, was preferable to Russia – or more seriously to take for getting rid of him, trying to help the more moderate part of the rebel movement and acting with him to keep ” Al Nusra ” out of this. We have not taken this decision and , unfortunately, stuck in this mess . ”
According to the expert , the armed opposition in Syria is divided into many parts , it is not a cohesive force that could successfully fight. Now the insurgency , says O’Henlon or loses , or at best is in a stalemate . Nevertheless, U.S. analyst is not ready to conclude that all rebel groups are hopeless or that they are no longer interested in the fight against the regime. Michael O’Hanlon personally convinced that the West should more strongly support ” moderate ” opposition.
But the Syrian rebels , the kernel and the basic fighting force which now account for radical Islamic groups continue to fight , says senior researcher at the Institute of Oriental Studies, Boris Dolgov
” They are feeding and assistance both in the military and in logistical terms, in relation to information . Their financial support , especially Qatar and Saudi Arabia, trained instructors from NATO countries and Turkey.”
http://rus.ruvr.ru/2013_12_05/Amerikanci-pro-Siriju-Mi-pogrjazli-v-jetoj-kashe-AUDIO-6676/
December 6th, 2013, 1:55 pm
ALAN said:
The Unwelcome Return of Navi Pillay
http://ronpaulinstitute.org/archives/featured-articles/2013/december/03/the-unwelcome-return-of-navi-pillay.aspx
Daniel McAdams, Executive Director of the Ron Paul Institute, writes:
As UN Human Rights Commissioner, Navi Pillay chaired the fateful meeting in February, 2011 where Libyan NGO leader Soliman Bouchuiguir was allowed to repeat incredible tales about the “massacres” taking place in Libya – tales he openly admitted after the NATO invasion he had just made up. “There is no evidence,” he exclaimed when asked after the invasion to back up his claims, which were the basis of the chain of events that led to NATO bombing.
Now Pillay is back in the news, releasing an incredibly dubious “report” concluding that the Syria government is guilty of war crimes in its fight against a foreign-sponsored insurgency.
Pillay’s fanaticism and the religious fervor of her devotion to the doctrine of “humanitarian interventionism” is a dangerous and deadly philosophy, which justifies all manner of death and destruction.
December 6th, 2013, 2:09 pm
Uzair8 said:
We met Nick Griffin in #305.
He visited Damascus in June. Also made some remarks on Nelson Mandela back then too..
The Guardian:
What facts is the BNP’s Nick Griffin finding on his mission to Syria?
The BNP leader’s tweets from his trip to Damascus offer some intriguing insights into his world view
11 June 2013
[Image]
Nick Griffin: interesting remarks on Twitter about Nelson Mandela, the Guardian and life in Assad’s Syria.
[…]
http://www.theguardian.com/politics/shortcuts/2013/jun/11/facts-bnp-nick-griffin-syria
December 6th, 2013, 2:39 pm
ALAN said:
France degeneration flags to mourn the death of Nelson:
France, Like Qahaba, getting sucked into African mission creep, first Mali, now Central African Republic. Neo-colonialism is expensive, France is broke.
——-
http://youtu.be/RuxFER92eM0?t=1s
December 6th, 2013, 2:50 pm
Syrialover said:
Tweet for hordes of ‘experts on Syria’:
“Would you please stop referring to ISIS as “Syrian rebels”. Thank you“
https://twitter.com/iyad_elbaghdadi
December 6th, 2013, 2:57 pm
Syrialover said:
Tweet for all those earnestly analyzing and categorizing the Islamic extremists in in Syria:
“ISIS has one goal: to make their own dicks feel bigger”
https://twitter.com/Racanarchy.
December 6th, 2013, 3:03 pm
zoo said:
After Turkey, now Qatar…
Pro-Sisi demonstrators demand the expulsion of Qatari ambassador
Protesters gathered in front of the Qatari embassy in Cairo on Friday to demand that the Egyptian government cut ties with Qatar due to its support of the Muslim Brotherhood and interference in Egyptian domestic politics
http://english.ahram.org.eg/NewsContent/1/64/88462/Egypt/Politics-/ProSisi-demonstrators-demand-the-expulsion-of-Qata.aspx
Friday 6 Dec 2013
December 6th, 2013, 3:32 pm
zoo said:
Iran names seven Western oil companies it wants to return
December 05, 2013 12:47 AM
VIENNA: Iran Wednesday named seven Western oil companies it wants back in its vast oil and gas fields once international sanctions are lifted and said it would offer contract terms in April next year. Iranian Oil Minister Bijan Zanganeh named the seven in order: Total of France, Royal Dutch Shell, Italy’s ENI, Norway’s Statoil, Britain’s BP and U.S. companies ExxonMobil along with ConocoPhillips.
Iran has the world’s fourth-largest proven national reserves of oil – most of it cheap to produce – and is also home to the biggest proven reserves of natural gas, some 18 percent of the global total.
Read more: http://www.dailystar.com.lb/Business/International/2013/Dec-05/239941-iran-names-seven-western-oil-companies-it-wants-to-return.ashx#ixzz2mjG1IVdM
(The Daily Star :: Lebanon News :: http://www.dailystar.com.lb)
December 6th, 2013, 3:34 pm
Tara said:
Observer
Cc: Mjabali
With all true honesty, I do not really know why do we bother discussing.
Mjabali being ideologically motivated can not even read. You say your are agnostic , Mjabali insists to give you a religion. You gave your children the freedom to choose their own religion, he insists that you want to have the sharia law rules. I say I am secular Sunni and I couldn’t care lesson people belief or disbelief, I get asked what color burqa I wear. Evidence does not matter. Facts do not matter. The more evidence and the more facts you present, the more ideologically-motivated people cling to their misperception. Discussing with ideologically motivated people or with paid propagandists is an exercise in futility.
December 6th, 2013, 3:46 pm
zoo said:
The “Guided Kingdom” is exporting its products to Arab countries. Who is next?
Yemen report: 12 militants, mostly Saudis, carried out deadly attack on Defense Ministry
By Associated Press, Updated: Friday, December 6, 2:25 PM
SANAA, Yemen — Yemen report: 12 militants, mostly Saudis, carried out deadly attack on Defense Ministry.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/middle_east/yemen-report-12-militants-mostly-saudis-carried-out-deadly-attack-on-defense-ministry/2013/12/06/23b145aa-5eac-11e3-8d24-31c016b976b2_story.html
December 6th, 2013, 3:53 pm
Tara said:
Iran, by naming western oil companies it wants to return, is in essence kissing as* to France, Britain, and the US. The mullah has new policy in town.. Kissing the west As* , عسى ولعل they turn blind eye on its hegemonic agenda in the ME.
Will the supreme head wrap be successful?
—
Sorry for the vulgarity. Could not find a better term.
December 6th, 2013, 3:55 pm
mjabali said:
Tara:
Play another one.
You and Observer are nothing but distractors. Both have the ability to never answer a direct question. Your answers (You and Dr. Observer) are nothing but emotional composition outbursts.
Both, you and Dr. Observer, had never engaged anyone like me in your lives in a meaningful conversation; so far, both of you managed to transform it to a slander fest, while never able to answer directly. شلة علاكين تبع لف ودوران
Let me give you an example: Your hombre Observer kept on insisting on bringing the example of the Crusades and how the Alawites helped them: So I told him that this accusation is the essence of many Fatwas by the Sunnis. Observer dismissed this point and deemed it unworthy. The same thing to every point I bring him.
See, I waste my time with both of you, although I tried amongst all the insults from you and him.
Also, let Observer not fool me with this Agnostic thing, he speaks like Ibn Taymiyah. Wasn’t Ibn Taymiyah the one who kept on bringing that the Alawites had helped the invaders of Syria. Let me see you deny this.
Also if you are secular or religious, that is your choice, it is not my problem. But, what you believe in became my problem when you started spewing your hatred towards all the people from my minority, regardless if they are with or against al-Assad.
Real dialogues bring out real solutions.
December 6th, 2013, 4:25 pm
mjabali said:
I tried to understand what Observer meant in his comment #307. Any help?
December 6th, 2013, 4:29 pm
ALAN said:
Iran, in contrast to countries camel state, self-sufficient and rich in its people first and second in natural resources. Iran creates itself in all directions!! The camel states always afraid to themselves! always need others – and not self!
does anyone stop obstacle in the way of those camels in order to establish the self-power industry?
does anyone stop obstacle in the way of those camels in order to practice the Jihad in Palestine?
The ass kissing is the behavior of camel’s states. It’s okay to fund a foreign military manufacturing complexes forever!!!
December 6th, 2013, 4:31 pm
zoo said:
The nuns have not been “kidnapped” but “safely” kept as hostages to be used as bargain cards with the Syrian Government. I wonder what is the difference?
I doubt they’ll be freed in a ‘few days’ as they claim
Syria: Rebel group demands hostage swap for kidnapped nuns
Little-known Islamist rebel group demands Assad regime release 1,000 Syrian female detainees
http://www.aawsat.net/2013/12/article55324537
Antakya, Asharq Al-Awsat—A Syrian rebel group calling itself the Ahrar Al-Qalamoun Brigade has claimed to be behind the abduction of 12 Greek Orthodox nuns earlier this week. The Islamist group announced that it is prepared to release the nuns in return for the release of one thousand female detainees held by Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad’s government.
In exclusive comments to Asharq Al-Awsat, Mohannad Abu Al-Fida’a, member of the communication bureau of Ahrar Al-Qalamoun, said: “The nuns are in a safe place, but they will not be released until several demands have been met, most importantly the release of 1,000 female Syrian detainees from the Syrian regime’s prisons.”
December 6th, 2013, 4:32 pm
mjabali said:
Hopeful:
Please do not call the moderator on us…let us discuss matters in a new way. Syrians need to talk things amongst themselves and reach solution. The language is going to be harsh and hard because as you could see there are many things need to be solved.
December 6th, 2013, 4:36 pm
zoo said:
#321 MJABALI
I have long abandoned trying to make sense of the ‘priceless’ pseudo-intellectual posts by Observer.
I tried hard but my ‘peasant’ mind can’t go beyond the first line without been invaded by a strong need of sleeping.
December 6th, 2013, 4:40 pm
Heads-up said:
Serpent-head killed hundreds of thousands of Syrians and destroyed Syrian cities en-mass and therefore he cannot take part in the future of Syria. This is what William Hague, Brotish Foreign Minister, said today while visiting Kuwait.
Our knowledgeable benefactors pondered deeply over what Hague said. After careful analysis of every word of what the minister said, they felt distrubed and outraged at such irresponsible utterances made by such a person. In fact, it is what the minister failed to say rather than what he said which triggered the alarm bells at the state of mind of Mr. Hague.
Mr. Hague failed to say explicitly that such persons who commit such crimes that are of the catogory of genocidal nature and rank as the worst war crimes of the century must be brought in front of tribunals in order to apply appropriate justice against them for the committed crimes.
Our patrons further found that almost all so-called supporters of the Syrian Revolution from the western hemisphere commit the same alarming and disturbing errors of ommission as Mr. Hague did.
Syrian people must not be stupid and believe these so-called supporters of there revolution and jump into embracing them so quickly, since such presumed support falls far far short of what the events taking place in Syria dictate.
Syrian people must thank and be grateful only to those who offer unqualified support for their revolution and are eager to put Serpent head on trial with the purpose of severing its head and burning it with its tail in front of all the world to see, along with all those syooges who work on his behalhf. In particular, Syrians must be grateful to the Guided Kingdom, its Guided King, His Majesty the Worldwide Commander of the Faithful, and to all their Highnesses, the Guided Princes, especially, the Guided Prince Bandar Ibn Abd-Al-Azeez Al-Saud, may he be protected and given long long life so that he may crush the head of the Serpent-head once and for all.
December 6th, 2013, 4:44 pm
Tara said:
Mjabali
Like it or not, collaborating with the Crusaders and with the French occupiers is treachery. Sugar coat it all you want. It is treachery!
You give yourself the right to bring history to justify the present so you need to deal with the historical facts. Some of Alawi ancestors were traitors! Accept the fact and move on. We accepted the fact that some of the Sunni ancestors committed horrible mistakes too and moved on.
It is your turn to accept the facts and to move on. You are still hung on history and your feeble attempt to prove supremacy of your group or any other group is not going to be successful. No one is buying it. Take my word for it.
Your group of people have one of three alternative. Fight an eternal fight, chip off, or move on and build an equal state for all. There is no fourth way.
If you replies impolitely, I am not going to bother a response.
December 6th, 2013, 4:50 pm
Heads-up said:
Our very knowledgeable benefactors analyzed the following article and strongly recommend it be translated into English.
إيران: “أكبر شاه”.. ومحاولات لتكرار التاريخ
أمير طاهري
الأسبوع الماضي قمت بإثارة موضوع هوية «الوثيقة»، التي وقعها الرئيس حسن روحاني مع مجموعة «5+1» في جنيف. ومع الادعاء بتحقيق واحد من «أعظم الانتصارات الدبلوماسية» في التاريخ الإسلامي، زعم روحاني أن هذه «الوثيقة» «حطمت إيوان العقوبات» المفروضة على إيران. وفضلا عن ذلك، ادعى روحاني أنه حقق «انتصاره» من دون تقديم تنازلات..
وفي المقابل، نجد المدافعين عن الوثيقة في العواصم الغربية قد كرروا المزاعم نفسها لتصوير عالم خيالي سيعمل فيه روحاني، مع رفسنجاني بوصفه محرك الدمى، على طي صفحة الثورة وإغلاقها، مع إزاحة خامنئي عن منصبه الذي يشغله «المرشد الأعلى» كما لو كان هو من أراد ذلك وتحويل الجمهورية الإسلامية إلى حليف لأميركا نفسها يروضه باراك أوباما.
وعلى الرغم من هذه المبالغة وتلك الضجة، فقد استُقبل هذا «الانتصار التاريخي» بشكل فاتر، ولا نقول عدائيا، في إيران، بل وحتى داخل المؤسسة الخمينية.
وكرد فعل على ما يتعلق بجنيف، يمكن للشخص أن يقسم النخبة الخمينية الحاكمة إلى ثلاثة معسكرات..
يتكون المعسكر الأول من زمرة رفسنجاني، التي يكون روحاني عضوا فيها. وفي البداية، يحاول المتحمسون الآن تخفيف نغمة ادعاءاتهم. وفي الوقت الحالي، يقول نائب وزير الخارجية الإيراني
عباس عراقجي، رجل طهران الرئيسي في مباحثات جنيف، إن «الوثيقة» لم تكن معاهدة وليست «ملزمة قانونيا»، بل هي بيان سياسي.
وذهبت مرضية أفخم، المتحدثة باسم وزارة الخارجية، إلى ما هو أبعد من ذلك قائلة «إن الوثيقة هي مجرد صحيفة بيانات» و«بيان نوايا». ولذا، فلا يوجد بشكل رسمي في الوقت الحالي أي اتفاقية أو اتفاق، وبالتأكيد ليست هناك أي معاهدة. كل ما لدينا هو قائمة لنسخ من الأمنيات غير المتضاربة.
وما زال الوضع سيئا، فآلية إنجاز الأهداف المرجوة غير موجودة. ولقد عبر يوكيا أمانو، المدير العام للوكالة الدولية للطاقة الذرية، عن هذا الأمر بشكل صريح ومن دون تردد قائلا «ليس لدينا الأشخاص والأموال للتحقق ما إذا كانت إيران ستفي بتعهداتها أم لا». وعلاوة على ذلك، فإن الهيئة التي يجب أن توقع على الشيكات لإنفاق جزء من دخل إيران غير المجمد من النفط لم يجرِ تأسيسها بعد، على الرغم من ذكر اسم دبلوماسي فرنسي على أنه رئيسها المحتمل.
ويتكون المعسكر الثاني من هؤلاء الذين يراوغون أو يلتزمون الصمت لأنهم يعتبرون أن «الوثيقة»، أيا كان الوصف الموسومة به، ممارسة غير مؤدبة في العلاقات العامة. ومن بين هؤلاء الرافضين للمصادقة والتسليم بـ«الوثيقة» المرشد الأعلى علي خامنئي.
وفي هذا الصدد، كتب روحاني خطابا طويلا إلى خامنئي متباهيا بشأن «الانتصار الدبلوماسي». ورد خامنئي بمذكرة مقتضبة سرد فيها بعض ادعاءات روحاني، بيد أنه أضاف قائلا «يجب أن تستمر مقاومة المطالب الزائدة بإفراط (لمجموعة 5+1) لتكون المعيار للمسار الثابت للمسؤولين المعنيين، وسيكون الأمر، إن شاء الله، كذلك».
توقع روحاني أن يتلقى رسالة من خامنئي مفادها «أحسنت صنعا». غير أن هذا الأمر لم يحدث.
ومن خلال انتهاج نفس تصرف «المرشد»، رفض أيضا القادة العسكريون، لا سيما قوات حرس الثورة الإسلامية، أن يقدموا الثناء والإطراء الذي رغبه روحاني. وكان الجنرال نقدي، قائد قوات الباسيج (التعبئة) وهي وحدات شبه عسكرية، من بين الشخصيات العسكرية القليلة التي عقبت على ذلك، حيث قال «لقد جعلوا الشعب مشغولا بهذه المباحثات، إلا أنها ليست سوى تحويل عن المسار المألوف».
ويتضمن معسكر الصمت أيضا بشكل افتراضي جميع الملالي البارزين، بمن في ذلك المستفيدون من الحكومة بشكل مباشر أو غير مباشر. وفي هذا السياق، أرسل روحاني وزير الخارجية ظريف إلى قم لمحاولة إقناع الملالي بقبول «الوثيقة»، وبالفعل استمع له الملالي لكنهم لم يثنوا على ذلك مثلما كان يأمل روحاني. وكان الملا الوحيد البارز الذي عبر عن موقف إيجابي تجاه ذلك هو رئيس مجلس الشورى الإسلامي علي أكبر ناطق نوري الذي قال «لم يكن لدينا خيار سوى قبول (بعض التنازلات) لكي يتسنى إعادة الهدوء إلى البلاد».
لقد مارس بعض النبلاء في النظام مراوغات. ومن بين هؤلاء الأخوان لاريجاني، حيث قال الأخ الأكبر علي لاريجاني، رئيس البرلمان، إنه يجب على روحاني محاولة «الحفاظ على البنية الأساسية لمشروعنا النووي»، وينطوي ذلك ضمنيا على أن وثيقة جنيف تهدد ذلك الأمر. وقال الأخ الآخر صادق، الذي يترأس السلطة القضائية «يجب ألا نضحي بقيمنا من أجل رفع العقوبات»، أيا كان ما يعنيه ذلك.
وفي هذا الصدد، وصف حسن عباسي، الباحث النظري الموالي للنظام في المجال الجيوسياسي والمعروف أيضا باسم «كيسنجر الإسلام»، هذه «الوثيقة» بأنها «تراجع تكتيكي لمدة ستة أشهر»، وهو وصف بعيد كل البعد عن ادعاء روحاني أنها «انتصار تاريخي».
ولقد لفت وزير الخارجية السابق أكبر صالحي الانتباه إلى اتفاقات «التجميد» السابقة التي وقعها روحاني في فترة حكم الرئيس خاتمي. وبعد ذلك جمدت إيران برنامجها النووي، بيد أنها لم تحصل على أي شيء مقابل ذلك. وأضاف صالحي «نأمل ألا تكون الأشهر الستة الجديدة المقبلة مثل نظيرتها السابقة».
وعلاوة على ذلك، التزم المرشحون البارزون في الانتخابات الرئاسية الماضية، التي جرت في يونيو (حزيران)، الصمت حيال هذا الأمر، ومن بينهم سعيد جليلي، المفاوض النووي السابق، ومحمد بكر قاليباف، عمدة طهران.
ويتكون المعسكر الثالث من هؤلاء الذين يعدون ادعاءات روحاني حيلة ساخرة.
والجدير بالذكر أن روح الله حسينيان، عضو مجلس الشورى الإسلامي، تحدى روحاني أن «يخبره بشأن ما الذي قدمه بالفعل وكذلك ما حصل عليه حقا»، مضيفا «نحن قلقون بشأن عواقب معاهدتك». وطلبت جريدة «المشرق» اليومية من روحاني نشر النص الكامل «للاتفاقية» وإخبار العالم بالنسخة الحقيقية. وتصف صحيفة «كيهان» اليومية هذا الحدث بأنه «أكبر ضجة بشأن اتفاقية استغرقت ساعة واحدة فقط». وتتهكم «كيهان» على استخدام مفتاح ذهبي كرمز لحملة روحاني قائلة «تصور روحاني أنه سيجلب لنا المفتاح من نيويورك، والآن من جنيف».
ويعد محمد وحيدي، رئيس وحدات الباسيج المؤلفة من الطلبة، أكثر صراحة، حيث يتساءل «هل يعد هذا الاتفاق علامة على نهاية المقاومة؟». ويدعي آية الله علم الهدى «اننا قدمنا أكثر مما وُعدنا بتلقيه». ويرى الكاتب الصحافي حسين شمسيان أن إبرام الوثيقة مؤامرة «لإقصاء إيران من تشكيلات توازن القوى في السياسة الإقليمية».
وتردد صحيفة «سرات» اليومية الشيء نفسه قائلة «هذه الاتفاقية تعني تقهقرنا إلى الوراء، فهي تعني نهاية المقاومة وطرح إنجازات الثورة جانبا». وبالإضافة إلى ذلك، يدعي الأستاذ الجامعي مجتبى زاري شيئا آخر وهو «اننا وضعنا غذاءنا وإمداداتنا الطبية تحت سيطرة عدونا الذي لا يرحم في البيت الأبيض».
ويزعم منوشهر محمدي، المستشار السياسي لخامنئي، أنه «لا يمكن الثقة في القادة المجرمين لأميركا»، وأن اتفاق جنيف جزء من مؤامرة من أجل «تغيير النظام» في إيران. ووفقا للتسريبات الصادرة عن الأصدقاء والأقارب، أعرب أيضا رئيس الوزراء الأسبق مير حسين موسوي، والرئيس السابق محمود أحمدي نجاد، عن معارضتهما لهذه الوثيقة. ويرى موسوي أن حلقة جنيف عبارة عن جزء من قصة طويلة بدأت بمحاولة رفسنجاني عام 1985 استخدام الدعم الأميركي في محاولته للحصول على السلطة في إيران. وانهارت المباحثات السرية لرفسنجاني مع إدارة ريغان بسبب فضيحة «إيران – كونترا».
وبالنسبة لأحمدي نجاد، فقد دعا روحاني إلى إجراء مناظرة تبث مباشرة على التلفزيون لتقييم «الأيام المائة الأولى من ولايته».
هل سنرجع مرة أخرى إلى فترة ثمانينات القرن الماضي مع زمرة رفسنجاني على أمل اللعب بالورقة الأميركية لسحق المنافسين داخل المؤسسة الخمينية؟
أيا كانت الإجابة، فإن هذه الاستراتيجية محكوم عليه بالفشل. والآن، تعد إيران مختلفة للغاية عن تلك الأيام التي روج فيها رفسنجاني لنفسه على أنه «أكبر شاه».
نقلاً عن صحيفة “الشرق الأوسط”
December 6th, 2013, 5:19 pm
ALAN said:
Dear Mr Putin!
somebody should tell the Saudi King Abdullah to shut down Prince Bandar bin Sultan’s mercenary terror army in Syria “or else …”.
December 6th, 2013, 5:20 pm
Syrialover said:
MJABALI
You worry and disappoint me. If you are managing to see racist and sectarian and hate-filled demons in the writings of people like TARA and OBSERVER, this suggests there would be no Syrians outside your own immediate identity group you are able to deal with.
Your blinding obsession with your identity and historical issues means you can be no use to your own people, no use to Syria no use full stop.
You have one life. And you are living it with a head full of demons that have been created to serve the transient political purposes, greed and primitive aggression of a small group in Syria and their enablers, who happen to include Alawi, Shia, Sunni and Christian and others.
Sorry, that’s how you come across. It’s 2013 and tribalism is a slide back into destruction and darkness with no winners.
That’s what you should be afraid and angry and militant about – not rage at educated debaters on this forum.
December 6th, 2013, 5:27 pm
Syrialover said:
TARA #327,
To describe the actions of people hundreds of years ago as “treachery” is not reasonable. We don’t know those people. Nobody today does. Or what circumstances, pressures and options in that that era drove people’s decisions and behaviour.
Most of it is about people doing what their leaders at the time decided would help them (the leaders) survive and thrive. That’s how the world works in non-modern systems. That’s what Syrians are fighting and dying to escape.
December 6th, 2013, 5:38 pm
Syrialover said:
Funny that I got a swift 13 thumbs down for knocking ISIS in #313 and #314.
This appears to support the thesis that ISIS is seen as useful on the twisted Assadist side of the fence here.
(ISIS movement – Islamic State of Iraq & Syria)
December 6th, 2013, 5:49 pm
Tara said:
Syria lover,
I simply don’t disagree.
In any case, my opinion should simply doesn’t matter. It shouldn’t have any impact on present day Alawis. Nor the killing of Hussain by whoever should have an impact on me. Like Observer said, we offered our sincere condolences in regard to Hussain. Can we move on now.
December 6th, 2013, 6:06 pm
Tara said:
Everyone agrees that the only danger affecting the nuns is from the regime shelling. Good move on behalf of the rebels
عرضت قناة الجزيرة تسجيلا مصورا أكدت فيه الراهبات السوريات اللاتي اختفين من دير بلدة معلولا في ريف دمشق أنهن بخير بعد أن قام الثوار بإجلائهن لحمايتهن من المعارك العنيفة التي نشبت في البلدة منذ أيام.
وتوقعت الراهبات إطلاقهن بعد يومين، ولم يتسن للجزيرة التأكد من تاريخ التسجيل الذي من المرجح أنه تم يوم أمس.
وقالت الراهبات في التسجيل إنهن اضطررن لمغادرة البلدة بمساعدة الثوار هربا من القصف العنيف، وأشرن إلى أنهن يقمن حاليا في منزل مريح دون تحديد مكانه، وأن أيا منهن لم تصب بأذى.
وعرض التسجيل جميع الراهبات الـ13 إلى جانب ثلاث أخريات من المدنيات العاملات في الدير وهن يجلسن في قاعة كبيرة أنيقة تبدو أنها جزء من منزل فخم، وكانت صحتهن تبدو جيدة.
وقدمت إحدى الراهبات شكرها للأشخاص الذين أنقذوها مع زميلاتها، ونفت تعرض أي منهن لأذى، ودعت جميع الأطراف المتحاربة إلى وقف قصف الأماكن المقدسة.
وقال البطريرك غريغوريوس الثالث لحام بطريرك أنطاكية وسائر المشرق للروم المَلَكيين الكاثوليك في لقاء مع الجزيرة إنه يتوجه بالشكر إلى كل إنسان تعامل جيدا مع الراهبات، لكنه طالب بتسليم الراهبات إلى مرجعهن الروحي بطريرك الروم الأرثوذكس.
وقال إنه إذا كانت معلولا ليست في أمان فالعنوان الأكثر أمانا هو غبطة البطريرك يوحنا العاشر ياغي بطريرك الروم الأرثوذكس، وهو “عشهن الأساسي ورئيسهن الروحي”.
وأضاف غريغوريوس الثالث لحام أنه يرجو من الله “أن يعود كل إنسان سوري إلى بيته وعائلته وأن تعود سوريا إلى جمالها ومحبة أبنائها بعضهم لبعض”.
بشارة دعا قيادات الثورة السورية إلى ترتيب عملية الإفراج عن الراهبات (الجزيرة)
عملية الإفراج
من جانبه علق الكاتب الصحفي في صحيفة الجمهورية اللبنانية أسعد بشارة على التسجيل المصور بقوله إنه لا يوحي بأن المجموعة كانت تريد خطف الراهبات، لكنه لا ينفي أيضا أن الراهبات قد يكن تعرضن للضغط، داعيا قيادات الثورة السورية إلى الإسراع في ترتيب عملية الإفراج عن الراهبات.
واقترح أن يكون ذلك برعاية منظمة دولية تفاديا لحصول أي أمر مفاجئ قد يهدد حياة الراهبات، لافتا إلى أنه إذا تم ذلك فستصبح مقولة النظام السوري بأن الراهبات مختطفات مكشوفة للعيان، وفق تعبيره.
واعتبر بشارة أن هذا التسجيل يأتي لتوضيح الصورة ورسم مشهد جديد، ورأى أن الصورة لا تكتمل إلا بعد الإفراج الآمن عن الراهبات.
وقال إن أي مقايضة أو وضع شروط لإطلاق الراهبات هو خسارة للمعارضة السورية.
وكانت الراهبات العاملات في دير بلدة معلولا قد اختفين إثر تجدد المعارك العنيفة في البلدة قبل أيام، وسيطرة المعارضة عليها. وقالت مصادر النظام السوري إن من وصفتهم بـ”الإرهابيين” اختطفوهن.
في المقابل، أكد نشطاء معارضون في وقت سابق أن الراهبات في أمان، وأن الخطر الحقيقي عليهنّ يأتي مما وصفوه بالقصف العشوائي لقوات النظام السوري لمعلولا.
December 6th, 2013, 6:59 pm
mjabali said:
Heads Up aka Visitor is making a mockery again of this blog with his guided thumbs down manipulation.
December 6th, 2013, 6:59 pm
Observer said:
Thank you Tara and SL
First who is ibn Taymiayah? I have no knowledge at all about his writings and I know that he is considered an authority by some Sunnis. Now I am sure I will get an earful of explanations as he seemed to be a “historical” figure. Warning though I do not care and do not give a damn about him or anyone else. So spare me the lecture.
Second, my response to you Tara was an actual demonstration of the construction of arguments to depict the “other” in one brush once and for all; to pigeon hole them into one “category” once and for all; to show that all you have to do is to put a “label” on someone as belonging to this or that sect, and to continue to claim “historical based grievances” of our ancestor’s sins.
If I am the descendant of an ancestor that looted and raped and burned and what have you, the logic goes that I am eternally branded as guilty of those acts. If I point out that someone else collaborated with outsiders ( for a justifiable reason to flee oppression ) I am accused of branding the entire sect of treachery even though I never did but this is because the “circular logic” of sectarianism is based on eternal sense of victimhood that transforms the idea of a group into a superiority complexed holier than thou sanctimonious know it all we are better than you ideology.
We have been told numerous times of the superiority of everybody over the Sunnis. We are told daily that Sunnis are trapped in a hate filled Islamic ideology that has exacted untold misery and hardship on the populations of the region since it invaded 1400 years ago. For the sake of argument I agree fully with the assertion. Since we cannot exclude the Sunnis as they are 70% of the population and we cannot ask them to go back to their ancestral lands and we cannot kill them all, then let the two protagonists separate. East Timor did it. Why can’t we? Moreover once I agree that Sunnis were bad and point out that I do not believe that God exists and I am an agnostic, I am still branded as a fanatical Sunni.
But once I point out that every single one of the accusations leveled at me and you is nothing more than an exact replica of the supposed Sunni hate filled Islamic ideology in reverse, it seems that the intellectual historian in residence cannot understand the argument.
So I agree there is no intelligent debate here. There is a circular debate of an inferiority complexed individual hiding behind a superiority complexed holier than thou sanctimonious know it all uppity snobbish pseudo modern thin veneered really backward sectarian trapped disconnected non entity.
Please accept my apologies and my condolences and my sincere wishes for a speedy prosperous independent modern secular forward looking backward anchored historically based just and free society in your new state with your new flag and with the Ecole des Beaux Arts producing statutes and portraits of Ray Ban wearing wife totting dashing figures of an eternal leadership Daoula
December 6th, 2013, 7:03 pm
mjabali said:
Tara:
1- If the Alawites cooperated with the Crusaders that is not your business. Your family was not in Syria by then. They came at least 500 years after this, so if the Alawites did cooperate or not: it is not your business.
2- I wish if they had cooperated more.
3- You consider this treachery: treachery against what: against the mongol occupiers of Syria at that moment? LOLLLLLL funny how you occupiers are jealous if the locals cooperated with other occupiers….why the hell not…
4- The “traitor” logic is a sign of your inability to ever answer any real question..
5- Your clergy family used this “traitor” argument to issue Fatwa after Fatwa to kill and loot and destroy and force the Alawites to leave their ancestral homes.
6- Keep your head in the sand about this fact.
7- What you call traitors I call heroes.
8- When you accept the fact that this “traitor” logic is the basis of the injustice the Alawites had been through I will be nice to you and your hombre Observer.
9- I am a polite person, are you?
10- If you do not answer, that is fine with me because I know what you are going to say.
December 6th, 2013, 7:09 pm
mjabali said:
Syrialover:
1- I speak for myself and no one else.
All of you are talking to me as if I am the spokesperson of the whole Alawite sect. I am not. I am just one person with one vote. OBserver owns half of Damascus, and Tara the second.
2- When Observer say that a whole sect are traitors for dealing with the Crusades, and Tara repeats it: how do you want me to think?
3- Observer ordered the Alawties to get out of Damascus..how do you want me to say. I was born in that area too, what do you want me think? pack and never be able to go back…don’t you see the harshness of this statement.
4- Count how many times Tara and Observer insult al-Husayn Ibn Ali the revered Imam of al-Shia and their symbol. What do you say about that childish behavior? Seriously, be honest …
5- Can you please translate for us what Observer is saying in general?
December 6th, 2013, 7:24 pm
Tara said:
Observer
I easily understood your attempt to place a mirror in front of Mjabali face to show him that his expressed sentiment is an exact replica of his accusations against the supposed hate-filled Islamic ideology
To simplify it, Mjabali and people of similar ideology have lived all their lives the hate-filled ideology they accused Sunnism with, while maintaining an illusional self -perception of having the superior background. modernity-ready , sect or religion.
To make it very very very simple, it is like a cat calling a fellow cat a cat while thinking she herself is a tiger.
I must say, this is a problem I see in lots of minorities in ME. There ideology is an exact replica of the hate-filled takfiris. I do see however two difference though, the first is that they are beardless and with ties and suits, the second is that their ideology, unlike the more stupid takfiris, is somewhat hidden. You do need to scratch the surface to realize it.
December 6th, 2013, 7:41 pm
Tara said:
Mjabali
Your stiff self-righteousness is becoming too difficult to respond to. Wake up. You think you own the truth and you absolutely know nothing. Even your simplest assumption of where I live is wrong. You remind me with a religious cleric. I pity your self righteousness and have no sympathy towards it. All your responses to anyone who oppose you fall under ” I know it all. You know nothing. My sect is superior. Your sect is backward. You came from this Stan or that Stan so what the hell do you know”. Show me my family tree and prove it your assertion otherwise keep quite. Anyone canay anything about anybody. You are really offering no substance.
Time to snap out and realize that self righteousness is laughable and that such mentality belong to the المستحاثات era.
December 6th, 2013, 7:59 pm
Heads-up said:
Our very knowledgeable benefactors provided us with the following progress report about the Noble Syrian Revolution covering the most recent events.
1-القلمون:على مدرج الشهيد رفيق الحريري حطت طائرة توبوليف ايرانيه على متنها 537 جثة ولتأخذ 307 جثه.537 جثه لحزب الله وحركة امل قضوا في معارك القلمون.والطائرة اتت منذ البارحة مساء لتأخذ جثث الحرس الثوري الايراني وعددهم 307 جثث.2-القلمون: المجاهدون يسيطرون على الطرق المؤدية من القلمون إلى لبنان.3-القلمون-النبك: تم نسف 7دبابات و11مدرعه وناقلة جنود بمن فيهم.عدد قتلى النظام أكثر من 130 جندي تطايرت اشلائهم في كمين محكم استخدمت فيه الالغام الارضيه ومضاد الدروع. 4-القلمون-معلولا: الراهبات لن يفرج عنهن الا بعد الافراج عن الف معتقلة من سجون النظام.5-القلمون: مقتل 13 عنصراً من “حزب الله” الخميس.
6-ريف القلمون: 8 تكفيريين من حزب اللات يسحلهم الشعب السوري دفعة واحدة: 1-علاء زهوة.2-جواد درويش.3-محمد البني.4-أحمد البني.5-حسن النحاس.6-حسن علاء الدين.7-محسن خياط.8- علي درويش.7-ريف دمشق-القلمون: الجيش الحر يدمر دبابتين وعربة عسكرية على الاوتستراد الدولي دمشق ـ حمص بالقرب من منطقة ريما.8-بالبنادق فقط جبهة النصرة تدمر 2 و تغتنم 2 من مصفحات الأسد.9-تم قنص قائد الشبيحة عبدو جوجو وعنصر أخر حازم عنجريني شارع الحديقة.10-ريف دمشق-معلولا: المجاهدون يعتقلون أكثر من 60 شبيح مقاتل.11-ريف دمشق: قيادي بحزب اللات خليل حميد الحاج حيدر تم قتله.
12-معركة حي طريق السد مقتل240 قتيل وجرح 90.والسيطرة على عدة اماكن بعد انسحاب النظام وخسارته العددية.وهي: قطاع حي شمال الخط-مؤسسة الكهرباء-المشفى الوطني-شركة سادكوب والقريبة من حاجز التربية.13-درعا: المجاهدون يقومون بهجوم معاكس يخترقون خطوط الجبهة ويصلوا الى بيت المحافظ بدرعا.14-درعا: جيش بشار ينسحب بعد تلقية ضربات قوية وموجعه.15-حماة: تحرير حاجز السيريتل واغتنام 3 دبابات ومدرعة وذخائر ونفوق عناصر كثيرة.16-ريف حلب الجنوبي: مقتل عدد عناصر من قوات النظام اثر استهدافهم من قبل الكتائب المقاتلة بعدة الغام ارضية قرب قرية الحمام.17-القامشلي:مقتل 20 شخصا على الاقل بتفجير سيارة استهدف مقر الدفاع الوطني.
18-طرطوس: تشييع 30 فطيسة من جيش الأسد مجهولة الهوية الذين تم الدعس عليهم في درعا والغوطة والقلمون.19-اللاذقية: دبابات الجيش الحر تدمر مرصد وأليات النظام في جبل شعيا بالقرب من منطقة سلمى.20-ريف اللاذقية : أحرار الشام بالهاون 120 وصواريخ 107 قصف مواقع النظام في مرصد النبي يونس: – حواجز قرية السرمانية-حاجز التنمية- قرى الزراعة-البحصة –البركة.21-ريف اللاذقيه: دك معاقل النظام بالهاون الثقيل بجبل الأكراد.22-اغتنام دبابة مع ذخيرتها بعد قطع بعض طرق إمداد العصابة من قبل الجيش الحر.
December 6th, 2013, 8:50 pm
zoo said:
While the Bashar haters bicker about Hezbollah and Sister Agnes and the opposition still put conditions to participate to peace talks, Al Qaeda is invading north of Syria
Isis fighters instil fear to carve out heartland in Syria
http://www.scotsman.com/news/world/isis-fighters-instil-fear-to-carve-out-heartland-in-syria-1-3223851
ARMED with machine guns, black-clad al-Qaeda fighters drove their flat-bed vans calmly into the northern Syrian town and took over its imposing agriculture ministry building.
They beheaded a sniper from a rival rebel unit, displayed his head in the town square and set up roadblocks. Not a shot was fired in the takeover, in which informants, including a local mullah, played key roles.
The scene in Termanin, recounted by an activist who witnessed it late last week, is being repeated in towns along the border with Turkey and at road junctions further inside Syria that have fallen out of president Bashar al-Assad’s control.
Whether through weakness or a desire to focus on Assad’s forces, rebel units are making way for the Islamic State in Iraq and al-Shams (Isis), an al-Qaeda spin-off led by foreigners hardened by guerrilla wars in Iraq, Chechnya and Libya.
….
Learning lessons from the 2011 war in Libya, he said Isis was more determined to make real gains. “Our mistake as mujahideen is that we were preoccupied with fighting [Colonel Muammar al-] Gaddafi and did not pay enough attention to how to hold onto territory,” said the commander, nicknamed al-Jazaeri, or the Algerian.
December 6th, 2013, 9:02 pm
zoo said:
Iran warns the Gulf countries over Saudi Arabia dangerous game
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/12/05/world/middleeast/iran-takes-charm-offensive-to-the-persian-gulf.html?_r=0
One former Iranian lawmaker, who is close to Iran’s conservative faction, said the aim of Mr. Zarif’s visits was not just to reduce regional tensions but to sound an alarm over Saudi Arabia’s ambitions.
“We must not forget that it is Saudi Arabia sponsoring the terrorists in Syria, and they are also saying they want to purchase a nuclear weapon from Pakistan,” the lawmaker, Heshmatollah Falahatpisheh, said. “Mr. Zarif should make clear the regional states should not be worried over us, but over the Saudis.”
December 6th, 2013, 11:41 pm
Hopeful said:
Mjabali and Tara
I actually was not refrerring to your exchanges. I was referring to posts whose sole purpose were to demonize other sects.
Your exchanges (how Sunnis feel about Alawites, how Alawites feel about Sunnis), along with others like (how Sunnis feel about Christians), are not new news to me. I left Syria over 20 years ago knowing very well that a civil war was going to happen one day. Your exchanges were common conversations inside every Syrian home! but no one dared to discuss them outside the homes. Signs of these chasms only showed up in public whenever a Alawite man fell in love with a Sunni girl on college campus, or whenever a Sunni man ran away with a Christian girl. There was a fake facade of normalcy, while the entire society was suffering from social illnesses.
And that was only one issue. Talks about how the army and secret services were all dominated by Alawis, or how Christians in powerful positions only hire Christians, or how Alawites are not true Muslims, or how Christian girls are all slutty, or how Alawites are all militants, etc. were all common inside the homes. All Syrians need to look into the mirrors and reflect on what they taught their children in the last 50 years. Because we are where we are today because of those teachings.
December 7th, 2013, 1:28 am
SANDRO LOEWE said:
After the mess created by Assad mafia of corrupts, smugglers, criminals and child rapers I think the best solution for the future will be sending all regime alawites to Al Qardaha by creating a City-State following the example of Vatican State where Assad II, III or VI is the máximum terrenal and divine authority on earth.
December 7th, 2013, 5:27 am
mjabali said:
Tara:
I know that I am wasting my time, energy, and information discussing matters with you and your hombre OBserver.
But, nevertheless, every now and then I try to convince myself that it is important to discuss matters with those whom you do not agree with, especially those who are supposedly from the same country.
But ,so far in this round, you showed nothing of substance to further the discussion at this current time because all you do is discuss my character and psychology and mental capabilities, and morality and…etc But you can not discuss one real issue.
Concentration does not seem to be one of your habits.
December 7th, 2013, 5:49 am
mjabali said:
Hopeful:
I disagree with you when you said that the exchange I have with Tara and her friend are common. There is almost zero dialogue of this kind between Syrians. This type of discussion, if done right, is the only way to solve matters and make these people live together again.
December 7th, 2013, 5:52 am
Hopeful said:
#347 Mjabali
I did not mean that the “exchanges” are common – I meant that within each sect and household, I have heard similar “views” about other sects/groups. I should have been more precise and used the term “views within the exchanges” in my earlier post, instead of “exchanges”.
I agree that these exchanges never happened in public, and I agree that they should have. It is a shame that we had to wait till a civil war took the lives of hundreds of thousands of people before we realized the social diseases inside our homes.
Just for the record, I blame the corrupt brutal and inept regime of the Baath party and the Assad family for being occupied with keeping power, regional prestige and other nonsense instead of helping the country/society move on to the new age through real modernization and reconciliation. Now that we are having our civil war, it is time for fresh blood and new leadership to try to rescue what is left of a torn country.
December 7th, 2013, 7:08 am
SANDRO LOEWE said:
Assad ready to offer syrian Kurdistan to minimize and debilitate Syrian Revolutionaries
Kurds in Syria will create an Autonomous Regional Government like that in Iraq.
In the coming future these regions will try to unite and make war on Mosul and Kirkuk arabic resistance.
This way a future Kurdistan Nation could become one of the richest nations in the world due to existing oil reserves.
That day maybe Kurdistan and Israel will have common borders due to the stupid Chia-Sunni war. Israel could control Druzelandia and even the syrian Badia Desert until the Ephrates River.
Is it just a nightmare ? Or is it the execution of a screenplay for which stupid puppet Assad, Iran and Kurds are necessary?
December 7th, 2013, 8:33 am
Observer said:
Tara let us give the benefit of the doubt for a minute.
So let me clarify: get out of our hair means dismantle the security house of cards that is built to keep the mafia in place, and it means stopping the exploitation of fear and sectarianism to keep some minorities in support of the regime. Those that insist on a sect based Lebanon-like distribution of power are only postponing the inevitable: the full explosion and implosion of Syria that Hopeful is talking about. So if we want to live together we have all of us to agree to eschew our sect based thinking. Now, what we have is an incredible hardening of attitudes on the part of the Sunnis fueled by regional powers as the regime regionalized the conflict from the outset. We also have a demonstration of the limits of the regime’s ability to mobilize its sects to its support as without the use of heavy weapons and more importantly the use of foot soldiers from HA and Iran it would have been finished some time ago. Even the HA accept that and admit it.
Let us clarify that there is no way that the children should pay for the sins of the fathers. However a truth and reconciliation commission is needed and none too soon. As we have a demonstration of this varied idea of the history of the people of the region, where they came from, who oppressed who, etc… we need to also point out that the last 50 years of this hateful regime should bring the truth out as well.
Who knows perhaps we can take the truth and reconciliation debate all the way 1400 years back and settle the matter once and for all.
Let us clarify that there is a very weak Syrian National Identity and that for a variety of reasons and that the Sykes Picot agreements which were meant to create inherently unstable entities with ongoing mini and large explosions and artificial entities that can only be kept together by an iron fist is no longer tenable.
So let the people of the ME create their new own Sykes Picot in an orderly and peaceful way. First and foremost let us not fall into the trap of Zionist example: an exclusivist sectarian based entity that thrives on animosity and glues itself through external threats that it constantly invents. As this is a very tall order today let us then separate the political from the two other elements that are very important.
Let there be Alawistan and Maronistan and Kurdistan and Damascustan and Aleppostan BUT with a unified economic union and a supra national justice system. It may be that we will need the EU for the former and the British or American Justice Systems for the later. Circuit courts, federal courts, etc…..
Religion has got to get out of the picture for us to live together not because religion is a source of conflict inherently but because humans as Hobbes in Leviathan clearly articulated are power hungry and will exploit the ideology for the sake of power and exclusion.
In essence we have to say: Christ separated Church and State; Muhammad failed in establishing a self progressive city state in Medina and the model does not work anymore, the concept of rule by the Shia is not acceptable and the Iranian model in particular is not acceptable or even capable of answering the requirements of a modern ME.
However, the mentality is so poisoned now that dialogue is not possible. This will come about in one of several situations: one side wins outright over the other, both are exhausted and come to the table to compromise truly, or the most likely outcome in my pessimistic view a complete disintegration of the region including Iraq and Lebanon and a 50 year Sunni Shia war.
There is an ongoing ethnic cleansing campaign today. Already parts of Damascus are sealed for this or that sect. Other parts are dotted with check points. There will be movements of people. The refugee crisis will destabilize the region. The fighting will continue for another 10-20 years. There is in my mind every indication that the wings of Iran are going to be clipped. There is in my mind every indication that the Saudis and Israelis will cooperate ever more. There is every indication that Russia will do its utmost to create a sphere of influence. Multipolar world playing in the ME is going to be much more damaging that the Cold War playing in the ME was.
There is every indication also that the regime is a goner. The fighting now is not for the sake of preserving the regime but which parts of the regime can stay for preservation of the interests of HA. There is no way that regional powers are going to let the regime intact. Even the Iranians know that they cannot keep 10% of the population ruling over 90% of the population with force.
Iran also knows that it cannot keep its disparate populations together unless it creates an inclusive discourse and this discourse being Islamic is fraying as it espouses an exclusivist Shia doctrine. No wonder the Baluch are stirring. No wonder the 3 million of Afghans are not going back to even more unsafe country. No wonder Shia leaders are running to Tehran asking for a toning down of religious strife and rhetoric. They see the writing on the wall.
So my dear Tara when someone tells me that they are for Syria; I challenge them to tell me what type of Syria and under which constitution and what would a majority based regime look like and how do you have majority rule without falling into the Maliki “majority rule therefore I drag you down the street and kill you” rule. How do you preserve the minorities, how do you exchange power, how do you separate it?
I am lazy and therefore my solution is divide up the country for now and reunite economically and judicially only.
We have to get out of each other’s hair for now.
December 7th, 2013, 8:58 am
zoo said:
After its multiple blunders and failures in the Arab Spring, is Qatar, recently insulted by Saudi Arabia, changing its foreign policy toward Syria and therefore antagonizing the ‘guided kingdom’?
http://english.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13920916000693
TEHRAN (FNA)- Doha has adopted a series of decisions to change its strategy on Syria after it lost the main role in leading the war of insurgency against the government of President Bashar al-Assad to the Saudis and after its allied government in Egypt was overthrown in a military coup, a Qatari official said.
…
The relations between Riyadh and Doha further deteriorated after Saudi intelligence chief mocked Qatar over its small population.
It drew a stinging rebuke from Doha, underlining tensions between the two Persian Gulf Arab states over clashing foreign policies.
The Wall Street Journal reported in September that Prince Bandar bin Sultan, a veteran Saudi ambassador to Washington, had said at a meeting last summer that Qatar was “nothing more than 300 people … and a TV channel” and “not a country,” quoting a person familiar with the exchange. The “TV channel” is Doha-based pan-Arab satellite network Al Jazeera.
Qatari Foreign Minister Khaled al-Attiya shot back in a Twitter message that became an instant sensation in the tiny Persian Gulf Arab state.
“One Qatari citizen is worth an entire people and the Qatari people are equal to an entire nation,” he wrote. “This is what we tell our sons, with all respect to the others,” he added.
December 7th, 2013, 9:06 am
zoo said:
@Sandro
If this is true that’s an excellent and long waited news. That would be a logical and democratic step and it would worry the Turks out of their mind.
“Assad ready to offer syrian Kurdistan to minimize and debilitate Syrian Revolutionaries
Kurds in Syria will create an Autonomous Regional Government like that in Iraq.”
December 7th, 2013, 9:10 am
zoo said:
Hopeful
You said:
“Now that we are having our civil war, it is time for fresh blood and new leadership to try to rescue what is left of a torn country.”
By that, do you mean the Saudi Arabia’s clique of Jarba and his SNC or the Moslem Brotherhood clique of Qatar with the FSA, or even Al Qaeda, made up of very young fighters?
They may be fresh blood, but it is tainted blood and they will pollute what is left of Syria’s cohesion.
Hope for something else in a few years.
December 7th, 2013, 9:16 am
zoo said:
The hundred of thousands dollar weapons “gift” of Qatar and the USA to the FSA has been seized by Saudi Arabia’s funded Islamic Front
BEIRUT: The largest Islamist rebel force in Syria seized arms depots belonging to the mainstream Western-backed Free Syrian Army on Saturday, a watchdog said, highlighting tensions among rebel groups.
“After combat that lasted all night, fighters from the Islamic Front captured (FSA) general staff positions near the Bab el-Hawa border crossing (with Turkey) and seized their arms depots,” the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.
The Observatory said the arms had been brought across the border from Turkey.
The seizure comes four days after the Islamic Front announced that it rejected the authority of the FSA command.
Read more: http://www.dailystar.com.lb/News/Middle-East/2013/Dec-07/240266-islamists-seize-free-syrian-army-arms-depots-activists.ashx#ixzz2mnaXdx5I
(The Daily Star :: Lebanon News :: http://www.dailystar.com.lb)
December 7th, 2013, 9:23 am
zoo said:
When will the West finally budge and admit that its uncompromising and ill-inspired policy in Syria has been a disaster and made the whole region more unstable. Are they waiting for the
symbolic Geneva II to finally take corrective actions?
Iraqi FM warns of jihadi ’emirate’ in Syria
http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/M/ML_IRAQ_SYRIA?SECTION=HOME&SITE=AP&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT
MANAMA, Bahrain (AP) — Iraq’s top diplomat says the “toxic” proliferation of extremist groups among Syria’s rebels raises the prospect of a jihadist-ruled territory at the heart of the region.
December 7th, 2013, 9:30 am
Tara said:
Some are content with the whole northeast of Syria separating as Kurdstan and in previous posts with Israelis having an office in Damascus to cooperate with the regime for the sole purpose of weakening the revolution and keeping the people oppressed.
The goal is keep the majority oppressed no matter what the price is. Now if this is not a visceral hatred towards what is perceived by the author as Arab Sunnis , what is it then?
December 7th, 2013, 10:00 am
zoo said:
Even staunch anti-Bashar Rami Khoury admits that what the West has done to ‘topple’ Bashar Al Assad has only succeeded in attracting worldwide jihadists eager to create a Islamic emirate somewhere, even on the ruins of a country. Obsessed by saving their face about Bashar Al Assad’s resilience, they have irresponsibly encouraged the growth of that cancer in the region.
Now the West has to change radically its attitude unless they want Al Qaeda at the door step of they allies in the region and fighters coming back to spread violence on their own backyard
http://www.middle-east-online.com/english/?id=63068
by Rami Khoury
…
Well, whatever approaches the United States and its allies are using do not seem to be working very well, because these Salafist-takfiri groups continue to proliferate and also to develop operational links with one another. To stop the current expansion of Al-Qaeda-linked networks that threaten everyone in the region and the world, the Syrian war must be wound down and ended soon. This is why I suspect that we have started to see the early signs of concerted diplomatic rapprochements among the United States, Europeans, Russia, Iran, Turkey, and the Saudi-led Gulf states, who can easily resolve their differences in order to work together to confront the new and frightening Salafist-takfiri threat emanating from Syria.
December 7th, 2013, 10:02 am
SYRIAN HAMSTER said:
To the third persons
Stop wiping the mirror, the smudge you see is on your own faces.
December 7th, 2013, 10:36 am
Mina said:
I can’t believe it. What a scoop today on the BBC. They must have read the Vice’s article or the Telegraph’s
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-25274886
Syria conflict: Foreign jihadists ‘use Turkey safe houses’
December 7th, 2013, 11:32 am
Hopeful said:
#353 Zoo
No actually. Among the known opposition figures, there are only a few people who have impressed me, although I know nothing about their leadership abilities: Michele Kilo, Burhan Gallioun, haitham Manaa and Abdulaziz Khayyer. I am sure, however, that if there is a genuine free transition, new fresh faces will emerge over the next few months whom we know nothing about today. That will be a good thing. Many familiar faces in the opposition today are either too tainted or are too ideologically involved to be good candidates. In Geneva II, the regime and the opposition need to sit down and agree to both get out of the way to allow the new fresh blood to emerge.
Wishful thinking maybe? Judging from what I heard from the Syrian information minister, Assad is feeling good and he is not about to compromise or give up anything. If that is the case, Syria is looking at another decade of bloodshed.
December 7th, 2013, 12:20 pm
Uzair8 said:
From a poster on Iran Military Forum today:
http://www.iranmilitaryforum.net/military-conflicts/updates-on-military-action-in-syria/msg224952/#msg224952
December 7th, 2013, 12:57 pm
ghufran said:
Bandar left Russia with nothing to take back to his ailing King, that means the Saudi thugs are likely to continue their proxy war against Iran at the expense of Syrians. The only thing that can help those rich and dirty Bedouins change their mind is being forced to drink the same medicine they give to others.
People who are still supportive of KSA fall into 2 groups:
angry fools and advocates of Islamist terror.
Most of those who attacked the US in 2001 were from KSA, most radical imams are financed by KSA, most jihadi movements receive support from KSA, the bulk of sheikhs in KSA are clones of Ibn Taymiyya and can only inspire hate, resentment and mistreatment of women among their followers.
KSA royals and the Wahhabi mafia, my friends, is a disease that affects Muslims more than “kuffars” and “infidels”, toppling the Saudi regime and ending the rule of Wahabbism in KSA is more important to humanity and the future of Muslims than anything else.
December 7th, 2013, 1:27 pm
Majed97 said:
Hopeful,
I think you’re missing the bigger picture by still looking at what’s happening in Syria as a civil war… It is nothing short of a full-fledged regional war, involving all of Syria’s enemies who are determined to bring it down to its knees in order to prevent it from maintaining its independence, and destroy its regional alliance.
Some of the “fresh blood” names you sited as potential leaders for Syria, while secular, have long sold their soles to one or more of Syria’s enemies (KSA, Turkey, Qatar, France, England and even Israel). Their blood is highly infected with deadly viruses, making their agenda highly suspect. Don’t think determining what “fresh blood” should lead Syria should be left to Syrians through the ballots and under a secular constitution?!
I too share your vision of secular and progressive Syria, but not one sponsored by those vultures who only care about destroying it and looting its spoils. Considering who the Syrian government is fighting today, I find it hard to believe that any secular Syrian will even consider a compromise with those medieval butchers. They must be defeated in no uncertain terms, preferably through international cooperation, which appears to be building. Having said that, I do believe a compromise should be made with the local secular opposition parties.
December 7th, 2013, 1:33 pm
Uzair8 said:
I guess there’s a lot of angry fools out there.
I wonder what they could be angry about? What could possibly have got them so angry?
December 7th, 2013, 1:41 pm
zoo said:
#362 Ghufran
KSA, the “Guided Kingdom” is the leader of Arab Sunnis. How can you wish it collapses?
The Arab Sunnis, already confused about the endless list of “sub-sects” of Sunnism and horrified by the growth of the Shiism in the region will be left defenseless.
December 7th, 2013, 1:42 pm
zoo said:
Majed 97
The only trustworthy group in the opposition is the local opposition, who against all odds have remained in the country and were not lured by oil money, promises and pompous titles like the expat opposition did. The NC, SNC, FSA and company are doomed. Sooner of later they will be either destroyed or collapse under the weight of their treason toward the Syrian people on whom their miscalculation, bad management, greed and stupidity have inflicted an overwhelming misery.
I hope the local opposition will shape to deal with the Syrian government toward a reconciliation.
The die-hard who are expats will remain undesired expats for the rest of their lives.
If they haven’t left the country to KSA or Qatar, the die-hard in Syria have one address where they can live happily ever after: Al Raqqa
December 7th, 2013, 1:52 pm
Uzair8 said:
So Assad sees himself as Father of his nation*. Syria’s very own Mandela.
His supporters suggest he should lead and oversee any reform and transition.
That would make Asma his Winnie. Is she up to it?
* Past articles have mentioned this.
December 7th, 2013, 1:54 pm
zoo said:
Hopeful
You deserve well your handle…
The kind of ‘leaders’ we saw “emerging” in 3 years among the opposition crowd does not give much hopes for the future
“new fresh faces will emerge over the next few months whom we know nothing about today.”
December 7th, 2013, 1:59 pm
Uzair8 said:
Jad Bantha @JadBantha 13h
The #Assad regime detains 24000 Christians held as prisoners of conscience #Syria
December 7th, 2013, 2:07 pm
Uzair8 said:
This has now become a mixture of revolution, anti-colonial and anti-imperialism struggle (Iran). Syria must be liberated from being the 31st province of Iran. The regime is entirely to blame.
All Syrians must join and support this struggle even if they were previously supportive of the regime or fence sitters.
December 7th, 2013, 2:25 pm
zoo said:
Qatar reiterates its support to Idriss’s ‘Supreme Military Council through the moribund “Friends of Syria’
http://au.news.yahoo.com/thewest/world/a/20209083/
Turning to Syria, Attiyah also said Qatar would continue providing support to Syrian rebels fighting Assad.
“We work with our friends to support General Selim Idris (head of the rebel Supreme Military Council) and to facilitate whatever they want through the Friends of Syria,” Attiyah said.
“This is an international group … who are there to support the Syrian people with any means they need to protect themselves from the brutality of the Syrian regime,” he said.
Asked whether Qatar was worried about the rise of Islamist militants fighting in Syria, Attiyah said “any terrorist group worries us”, but blamed a lack of world action on Syria.
“If there have been some terrorist groups entering Syria recently that is only because the failure of the international community to work together to save the Syrian people at the right time, at the right moment,” Attiyah said.
Attiyah dismissed the idea of Qatari-Saudi difference over Syria, where the Gulf allies are believed to back rival rebel groups and to have competed for influence over the opposition.
“In Syria we have a coherent Friends of Syria group. We work closely together, we work even closer than ever with our brothers in the GCC on the Syrian file. Rest assured,” he said.
December 7th, 2013, 2:26 pm
Tara said:
I personally can’t wait until Jan date of Geneva II. We will reach the end of the rope then. The whole world doesn’t want to see Batta’s on the face of the earth and Batta insists to disgrace the world with his presence. Let Geneva II comes and goes. The world will then agree that Batta is not interested in a political solution and that he must be removed by force. Opposition should continue to say that they are coming to Geneva to form a transitional government that excludes Batta. In Geneva, it will be clear that the opposition can collaborate with the international will and Batta can’t . The FSA will then receive the military support necessary to kiss Batta’s goodbye to his final destination.
Political solution to Syrian war does not interest Assad, says Qatari minister
Bashar al-Assad has “no interest in a political solution to the conflict in Syria” while those “with blood on their hands” should be sent to face justice at the international criminal court, the Qatari foreign minister said on Wednesday.
In a rare public appearance, at the London thinktank Chatham House, Khalid al-Attiyah said Qatar backed the creation of a transitional government for Syria at next month’s Geneva II peace conference, which has broad international backing despite its slim chances of success.
….
Attiyah said Qatar had tried to persuade Assad to pay a condolence visit to the first victims of the unrest in the southern city of Deraa but had been ignored. Opposition to Assad’s rule was not for sectarian reasons, Attiyah insisted. (The Assad regime is based on the Shia-related Alawite minority while Qatar and its Gulf neighbours are Sunni Muslim.) “When Bashar al-Assad decided to kill his people we decided to stand by the people,” he said.
“After all the massacres it’s clear that the regime should go to The Hague [seat of the international criminal court] and other people should go to Geneva to discuss the transition. The issue is not grey. It’s black and white. Whoever has blood on his hands should go to The Hague.”
Attiyah said it was up to Syrians to decide whether Iran, a staunch backer of the Syrian government, should be invited to Geneva. “We do differ strongly from Iran over Syria,” he said. “But Qatar does not consider Iran as an enemy.”
If Iran is invited, it is expected that Saudi Arabia will also be.
Asked about the spread of extremist or jihadi groups in Syria – a source of mounting concern to western and Arab governments – Attiyah suggested that terrorism was a response to the brutality of the war. The Qatari government and individuals have spent an estimated $2bn supporting Syrian rebels, including Islamist units.
http://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/dec/04/political-solution-syrian-war-assad-qatari-minister
December 7th, 2013, 2:28 pm
zoo said:
Egypt returns $3 bn deposit to Qatar
http://english.ahram.org.eg/NewsContent/3/12/88248/Business/Economy/Egypt-returns–bn-deposit-to-Qatar.aspx
Central Bank of Egypt has returned a $3 billion deposit to Qatar, says governor Hisham Ramez; net international reserves dip slightly in November
Wednesday 4 Dec 2013
..
Egypt has returned a $3 billion deposit to Qatar, central bank governor Hisham Ramez said on Wednesday.
Qatar sent Egypt $3 billion in May, of which $1 billion was converted into three-year bonds.
Cairo’s relations with Qatar deteriorated after Islamist president Mohamed Morsi was deposed on 3 July. Qatar had been a firm backer of his Muslim Brotherhood and lent or gave Egypt $7.5 billion during the year he was in power.
Speaking at an Egypt-Gulf Cooperation Council forum, Ramez confirmed a Turkish deposit would not be returned until the end of its four-year maturity.
December 7th, 2013, 2:32 pm
zoo said:
Family jihad: father takes his five sons — one just 13 — to join the fight in Syria
http://news.nationalpost.com/2013/12/07/family-jihad-father-takes-his-five-sons-one-just-13-to-join-the-fight-in-syria/
A Moroccan father has taken all five of his children — the youngest of them aged 13 — to fight for an Islamist faction in Syria, according to reports.
Ahmed al-Sha’ara took his sons across Europe and through Turkey before joining up with forces challenging President Bashar al-Assad, the Egyptian al-Aram website has reported.
Among them was Osama, 13, who had earlier accompanied his father on demonstrations in Tangiers, northern Morocco, against the jailing of Salafists — radical Sunni Muslims.
December 7th, 2013, 2:44 pm
Uzair8 said:
Just seen the following update on Yalla Souriya. Didn’t play the video:
#Syria, JAN executes 50 syrian soldiers ???
[Video]
http://yallasouriya.wordpress.com/2013/12/07/syria-jan-executes-50-syrian-soldiers-http-www/
December 7th, 2013, 2:45 pm
zoo said:
The Bab al Hawa border now in the hands of the Saudi funded Islamic Front that the confused spokesman of the FSA still qualifies as ‘brothers’ after the FSA was kicked out from the bases.
Syrian Islamists seize Western-backed rebel bases – monitoring group
http://in.news.yahoo.com/syrian-islamists-seize-western-backed-rebel-bases-monitoring-172050855.html
BEIRUT/ISTANBUL (Reuters) – Syrian rebels from an Islamist alliance formed last month have occupied bases and warehouses belonging to a Western-backed rebel group on the Turkish border, rebels and activists said on Saturday.
Fighters from the Islamic Front, a union of six major rebel groups, took control of the Free Syrian Army (FSA) bases at the Bab al-Hawa crossing on the northwestern border with Turkey late on Friday night, the opposition sources said.
Louay Meqdad, an FSA spokesman, said the Islamic Front fighters had entered the bases after saying they wanted to help to secure them. They then asked officers and employees to leave and replaced an FSA flag with one of their own, he said.
“We believe that those brigades are our brothers, that they know that we are not the enemy,” Meqdad said.
December 7th, 2013, 2:55 pm
ALAN said:
Multi million dollar arms deal signed by germany and Israel ((for help Israel protect its gas pipelines))
Within the framework of the deal, Germany will reportedly supply Israel with two guided missile destroyers, each valued at one billion euros.
Dear Angela Merkel!
maybe you should think before you go without asking the opinion of own people? or asking the peoples of the Middle East? Really programming 2 milliard euros blind you!
December 7th, 2013, 3:34 pm
Uzair8 said:
Russia is gonna get battered.
Putin was warned.
December 7th, 2013, 3:43 pm
mjabali said:
Uzair:
Speaking of fools: are you threatening Putin now?
Are you going to attack Russia Uzair with your fleet?
December 7th, 2013, 3:46 pm
Uzair8 said:
Group H
Belgium
Algeria
Russia
South Korea
December 7th, 2013, 3:47 pm
Syrian said:
Hizboola’s women who were distributing sweets celebrating Syrians killed by their men in Qusier few months ago are now in agony over their dead…:: and more to come..
https://m.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=181606865369045&id=148809471982118&set=a.157140067815725.1073741829.148809471982118&source=46&__user=100003131418721
December 7th, 2013, 3:47 pm
ALAN said:
351. SANDRO LOEWE said: Is it just a nightmare ?
Give us what you have! What do you think about the Kurds? Where do you want to send them except the option of sending them to the heavens?
December 7th, 2013, 3:54 pm
Uzair8 said:
Iran will get no less a battering. The Supreme Leaders prayers won’t help.
Group F:
Argentina
Bosnia-Hercegovina
Iran
Nigeria
Messi will show his support for the revolution on the field.
December 7th, 2013, 3:55 pm
mjabali said:
Uzair the John Denver Fan:
We care less about football here.
Our country is soaking in blood and we are trying to talk about how to solve matters, whist you are concerned with the world cup.
On the ground the country is breaking up or about to break officially, and you are still in your tweeter land listening to John Denver dreaming about revolutions of people you have nothing to do with, all of this whilst your country of origin is in Deep trouble where blood is running like rivers….The only think my country Syria got from your country Pakistan during this war is Polio
December 7th, 2013, 4:04 pm
mjabali said:
Tara:
Question for you:
Now Kurdistan is about to be a state by itself, would your friend consider moving there and bring his sophistication with him?
December 7th, 2013, 4:08 pm
mjabali said:
Uzair:
Putin had put the Northern Fleet on High Alert knowing that you might be coming in a Ghazwa
I wrote this comment to you while I was listening to Ali al-Deek
December 7th, 2013, 4:09 pm
Heads-up said:
A very fitting and appropriate epitaph for the Hezboola terrorists eliminated recently from the Facebook link,
أطال الله حزنَكن ، وجعل بيوتَ العزاء لكلِّ جمعِكم ، وألبسَكم السّوادَ في دنياكم وأخراكم .
– صورة من زوجات قتلى حزب الشّيطان الغاشم الّذين أراح الله منهم البلاد والعباد.
December 7th, 2013, 4:11 pm
ALAN said:
Uzair loves Sterling, football and combing the beard down!
He does not want tourism through the Hatay! right?
December 7th, 2013, 4:15 pm
Uzair8 said:
I’m sure His Exellency the President of the Russian Federation, Mr Vladimir Putin has a sense of humour.
I’m sure Alan can confirm this.
December 7th, 2013, 4:19 pm
Uzair8 said:
Yes I’m a fan of Raheem Sterling. He played well today in my teams (Liverpool) win against West Ham. He’s only 18 too. Hopefully he makes the world cup squad for England.
Alan how did you know? Psychic? Maybe Magic/Jinn?
December 7th, 2013, 4:26 pm
Heads-up said:
The unprecedented successes of the fighters of the Syrian Revolution of the Islamic Front, in the South, the Center and the North must become a great cause for celebration by the Syrian people at large. For the first time in three years of upheavals the Syrians are beginning to see the light at the end of the tunnel. This light is undoubtedly lit by the Guided Fighters of the Front who succeeded in going through extensive periods of rehabilitation riding them of the destructive characteristics of corruption and incompetence imparted to the Syrian people at large during 50 years of serpentine rule making Syria and Syrians the most corrupt and most incompetent on the face of this planet.
Thanks to the Guidance provided by these heroic fighters Syria is now on the road towards sovereignty, indepedence and recovery from the hypnotic influence of corrupt serpentine regime which served as a tool for rejected, dejected and outcasted mullocracy and its agents of hezboola thugs. No sane person should ever be deceived to think that such terrorists as the hezboola organization of tertorists should ever be looked as some sort of so-called freedom fighters. Those Syrians who at one point in their lives entertained such corrt thoughts must now feel ashamed of themselves, repent and constantly ask themselves as to how they could easily be deceived into such kind of thinking. Truly Guided people NEVER fall into such deadly error of judgement.
Syrians urgently need rehabilitation in order to outgrow the evil indoctrinations they have been subjected to during the last fifty years. Corruption, incompetence and mercatilism have become the hallmarks of Syrianism as a result of the last fifty years of serpentine abduction of Syria.
Guidance is now available for all Syrians to shed away the skin of the serpent and once again become Guided with the characteristics of nobility, competence, good fighting skills and the unwavering will to live in dignity and honor. The only way to accomplish these objectives is for Syrians to join the Guided fighters of the Front for the ultimate objective of crushing the head of Serpent-head and the heads of all its cronies once and for all.
December 7th, 2013, 4:34 pm
ALAN said:
true :)But that’s not fun! You do not enjoy the language of humor
New Joke from Putin! … you else and do not see this!
http://youtu.be/Stpvlyg-TXs?t=1s
December 7th, 2013, 4:36 pm
ALAN said:
عزير
No, no, do not deny!
If you are experienced in the Sufi way you must enter a coma and then increase the coma to enter the world of ٍSOMATIC to become a valuable fund to humanity!
December 7th, 2013, 4:50 pm
ALAN said:
Bibi and Bandar Badger Obama: Better Six Billion than Six Trillion!
The Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) member states—Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates—along with certain Arab League countries, plus Turkey and Israel, have this past week reportedly committed themselves to raising nearly $6 billion to “beef up” the just-hatched Islamic Front (IF) in Syria. These “best friends of America” want the Obama administration to sign onto a scheme to oust the Syrian government by funding, arming, training, facilitating and generally choreographing the movement of fighters of this new front, a front formed out of an alliance of seven putatively “moderate” rebel factions.
http://www.intifada-palestine.com/2013/12/bibi-bandar-badger-obama-better-six-billion-six-trillion/
December 7th, 2013, 4:54 pm
Observer said:
Mjabali why should I go to Kurdistan? I am not Kurd. I do not think or feel or speak or having any Kurdish anything in me. I am not defined by my ancestry. Pox on my ancestry. I do not feel Sunni either since I am non believer.
I am from Damascustan. You are welcome to be part of Damascustan. You are the most important citizen in my eyes in Damascustan. Where it for our citizenship to be based on the history of Damascus and its great Damshka and it makes people Mudamshak then we can make a city state to your liking.
I am willing to renounce everything for the sake of Damascustan.
I can give up and move on my dear Tara. But Syrian Hamster is right, do not clean the mirror the smudge is on their faces.
December 7th, 2013, 5:08 pm
ghufran said:
I definitely support holding people who committed war crimes accountable but using Qatari chief Bedouin diplomat standards, most of the GCC royals should go to the Hague along with Erdugang, Syrians who sent money to terrorists, etc.
The list of guilty people in this war is too long, I personally think that nobody except the little guys will ever face justice.
At the end of the day, Syria is your victim, many of you supported Assad or the rebels, you destroyed your own country and made it a nation of refugees and allowed terrorists to control parts of Syria, and for that you do not deserve respect or sympathy, for the rest of Syrians who are just guilty of being at the wrong place or having the wrong name or accent I say you have God and some charitable hearts who will do their best to help you.
For those in denial, You can run away from the truth but you can not hide.
December 7th, 2013, 5:29 pm
ALAN said:
Uzair !
Surprised your silence! Until now you did not issue any comments about your country! Why? Are you afraid of the western security agencies?Or that football is more important than the blood of the children of Pakistan and Afghanistan?
Why you are silence about the US military, who is extrajucially assassinating innocent women and children in Pakistan and Afghanistan on a nearly daily basis?
There are a lot of questions about your priorities?
—- —– —–
Pakistan PM Plans Crackdown on Anti-Drone Protests
http://news.antiwar.com/2013/12/06/pakistan-pm-plans-crackdown-on-anti-drone-protests/
Prime Minister Nawas’ may be getting a reduction in the bribes he has been getting from the US government to turn the other way as his people get slaughtered by US drone attacks.
the world sees peaceful protestors getting bloodied and ultimately killed by Pakistani police.
December 7th, 2013, 5:44 pm
mjabali said:
Observer:
How come you are addressing me? Remember that I am a subhuman according to you who is suffering from many complexes. Really could you explain how come you are addressing me by my name?
All I did was asking if you share the Kurds’ statehood dreams?
Do not deny that you are of Kurdish ancestry, who got Arabized. So how come you do not share with the rest of the Kurds their desire of carving for themselves a piece from Syria. You know that Kurds can not have it both ways, which means many Kurds are going to be getting out of the hair of Syrians soon to join their state.
The Kurds came in waves and inhabited the Syrian cities and countryside. Now, you guys are going to have a state: so logic says you guys made this state to GATHER yourselves together. Right?
Soon you guys would say that Damascus is a Kurdish town.
The language you consider now as your primary one, Arabic that is, would not have been your language if Syria was not born after World War 1.
Up to World War 1, your family was speaking in Turkish (Waiting for you to deny this), so now if you move to Kurdistan you may be able to learn the language there fast. The next generation would speak it with ease.
Kurdistan has lots of potentials.
By the way: You keep repeating that you do not believe in the Syrian identity.
Sorry Boss we can not make a state called Damascustan for you and Tara.
December 7th, 2013, 10:22 pm
Hopeful said:
#363 Majed97
Every civil war is a regional war. The parties involved always seek help from the outside to defeat their internal enemies. Assad gets help from Iran, Russia and Hizbullah, FSA gets help from Saudi and Turkey, Alnusra gets help from Islamic charities! etc. Take the lebanese civil war, the Balkans, Iraq’s, etc. Every one reached outside the borders to get help. It is normal.
It is also normal that every party involved claims to be fighting the “enemies” of the country, not just his enemies. Each party believes he alone represents the country, and the others are all traitors. You say the Saudis are the enemies of Syria. The rebels all say the Iranians are the enemies of Syria. The truth is that the Saudis want Assad out, and the Iranians want the opposition defeated. Neither of them could have gotten involved if there was no civil war in the country.
The civil war was a result of problems in the society which brewed for over 50 years under a corrupt brutal sectarian inept regime where the minority ruled over the majority and caused humiliation, anger and poverty. Exactly as happened in Iraq. When the spark flashed, the regime mishandled and mismanaged it. No matter how much many of you would like to continue to blame the regional powers and the opposition for the mess we have today, the blame goes first to the man in charge of the country, who turned out to be not just as brutal as his father, but completely incompetent and delusional.
December 7th, 2013, 11:33 pm
zoo said:
Another round of applause to the opposition and the “brilliant” strategists in Arab and Western countries who thought it would be a simple picnic to “topple” Bashar al Assad. They have now opened the door to a danger in the region of a much larger magnitude than the need of ‘political reforms’ in Syria
Next door to Syria, an al-Qaeda-linked group is also gaining ground in Iraq
http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/middle_east/next-door-to-syria-an-al-qaeda-linked-group-is-also-gaining-ground-in-iraq/2013/12/07/ca9dfd4a-5e16-11e3-bc56-c6ca94801fac_story_1.html
IRBIL, Iraq – The Islamic State of Iraq and Syria, an al-Qaeda splinter group with a goal of creating a new country based on a radical interpretation of Islamic law, has launched a major campaign to establish control of territory in several provinces of Iraq.
For more than a year, the group, known as ISIS, has shown a rising determination to undermine the Iraqi state while building its military capacity through jailbreaks and recruiting drives. The organization began in Iraq, but fueled by the civil war in neighboring Syria, it has expanded its ambitions to encompass both countries.s)
he militant group has claimed responsibility for many, though not all, of the hundreds of attacks that have claimed more than 6,200 lives this year in Iraq, the worst violence since 2008.
Now the group appears to be entering a new phase of its evolution. In some parts of Syria, it already claims to be setting up the rudimentary elements of government — including courts, schools and civil bureaucracies — and it appears to be making a bid to do the same in Iraq.
December 7th, 2013, 11:39 pm
ziad said:
رسالة النقاط الست الأميركية: محاربة «الإرهاب التكفيري»
بعد الجولات المكوكية لوزير الخارجية الأميركي جون كيري والفريق المخضرم في وزارته على دول منطقة الشرق الأوسط، وعلى وجه الخصوص تلك التي أعقبت التراجع الأميركي الغربي عن شنّ حرب عسكرية ضد سوريا، انتقلت واشنطن من سياسة التداول والنصيحة الى مرحلة التحذير من الخطر المتعاظم من «الإرهاب التكفيري»، والذي ستكون ساحته الطبيعية وملعبه المقبل الدول الأوروبية ليعم لاحقاً العالم.
التحذيرات الأميركية تستند الى تقاطع كبير في المعلومات لدى أجهزة الاستخبارات لديها مع مجهود ضخم لأجهزة استخبارات دولية، كلها صبّت في خانة «أن الجنون قد بلغ من البعض في الشرق الأوسط بأن ظنّ نفسه أن باستطاعته تحريك العالم وفق رغباته، مستندا الى مال وفير وتكفيريين يتزايد عددهم، وبتحالف يعتبره تلقائياً وطبيعياً مع أصحاب الفكر المتطرف في الإدارة الاسرائيلية، والذين يقبضون أيضا بوسائل مختلفة على القرار الإسرائيلي».
ما هي الرسالة التي أبلغتها الولايات المتحدة الأميركية الى حلفائها؟
يكشف مصدر ديبلوماسي مخضرم لـ«السفير» أن «واشنطن، عبر ديبلوماسيتها، أبلغت الى حلفائها في المنطقة، من عرب وغير عرب وبمن فيهم الأوروبيون، كما أطلعت الجانبين الروسي والصيني، رسالة تتضمن ست نقاط، فحواها الآتي:
ويوضح المصدر «أن دولا أساسية في المنطقة والعالم، مثل بريطانيا أوروبياً وتركيا إقليمياً، غيّرت كلياً من بوصلة حركتها وتوجهاتها تجاه الأزمة السورية، وبدأت عملياً ترجمة أقوالها الى أفعال في ما خص خيار الحل السلمي، من خلال العمل على ضبط تسرب التكفيريين الى سوريا من كل أصقاع العالم، ما يعني إقفال الحدود التركية أمام هؤلاء بعدما تحولت لأكثر من سنتين الى ممر ومنطلق لكل المسلحين ومن كل الجنسيات الذين قدموا الى سوريا، كما أن هناك تنسيقا مع دول إسلامية أساسية، وتحديداً على الصعيد الأمني، لمواجهة الخطر التكفيري الإرهابي، تطبيقاً لقناعة أميركية مفادها أن مواجهة هذا الخطر تحتاج إلى جهد عالمي لا يستثني أحداً».
ويلفت المصدر الى أن «المواقف التي سارعت الى إدانة التفجير الإرهابي المزدوج الذي استهدف السفارة الإيرانية في بيروت، لا سيما الأوروبية منها، وتحديداً الموقف البريطاني المعبّر، جاءت في أعقاب هذه الرسالة. كما أن الاستنكار السعودي، ولو جاء متأخراً، يأتي أيضاً في أعقاب تبلغ الرسالة الأميركية».
ويشير المصدر الى أن «ما جرى تداوله عن قرار بالتغيير في السعودية بأمر أميركي هو مطابق للحقيقة كلياً، وأن هذا التغيير الذي حدده الأميركيون لا يعني توريث الأبناء من الجيل الثاني أو الثالث بل من الجيل الرابع وأكثر، أي الشباب ومن هم في مقتبل العمر، لكي تكون هناك قدرة على التفاهم معهم، وهذا ما دفع فريق الصقور في الحكم السعودي الى التصرف بانفعال لأنهم يرفضون التغيير المرتقب».
https://www.assafir.com/Article.aspx?ArticleId=813&EditionId=2640&ChannelId=63911#.UqOwfE2A1GM
December 7th, 2013, 11:55 pm
zoo said:
It seems that the next war will be ISIL against IF in Syria and Iraq.
One is supported by worldwide Jihadists and the second by Saudi Arabia. The irony is that they are both Sunnis and both Salafists.
The FSA has been neutralized and it is out of the equation.
Now, the USA is debating if it should join Saudi Arabia in funding and helping the IF and dump the weak FSA they and Qatar have supported for the last two years.
General Dempsey was recently sent to probe the IS intentions toward Israel, as this is the USA’s main worry.
The Saudis have taken the precaution of briefing the IF so they repeat that they are ‘moderate’ Moslems and do not want to harm Israel, quite the contrary.
Will the USA be fooled as they have been fooled by Qatar about the ‘moderation’ of the Moslem Brotherhood in Egypt?
Will Qatar allow Saudi Arabia to eliminate the FSA that it supports and that it has announced it will continue to support?
Are we seeing a looming proxy war of influence between Qatar and Saudi Arabia?
I guess Syria will suffer from these two arrogant evils, but one thing is clear: Most Syrians will soon be behind their heroic National army and their legitimate president asking for protection from the invaders.
December 8th, 2013, 12:00 am
ziad said:
Syrian Islamists seize Western-backed rebel bases
Syrian rebels from an Islamist alliance formed last month have occupied bases and warehouses belonging to a Western-backed rebel group on the Turkish border, rebels and activists said on Saturday.
Fighters from the Islamic Front, a union of six major rebel groups, took control of the Free Syrian Army (FSA) bases at the Bab al-Hawa crossing on the northwestern border with Turkey late on Friday night, the opposition sources said.
Louay Meqdad, an FSA spokesman, said the Islamic Front fighters had entered the bases after saying they wanted to help to secure them. They then asked officers and employees to leave and replaced an FSA flag with one of their own, he said.
“We believe that those brigades are our brothers, that they know that we are not the enemy,” Meqdad said.
Infighting among Syria’s rebel groups has undermined their fight against President Bashar al-Assad in the 2-1/2-year-old civil war and made Western governments hesitant to back them.
The rise of hardline Islamist groups among the rebels, including some linked to al Qaeda, has also unsettled powers such as the United States, who fear that if the militants came to power, they would eventually turn their weapons on Western targets.
On Tuesday the Islamic Front said it had withdrawn from the military command of the FSA, notionally charged with coordinating the war, and criticised its leadership.
http://www.trust.org/item/20131207144956-kvo2s/?source=shtw
December 8th, 2013, 12:03 am
ziad said:
بعد المجزرة اللي ارتكبوها الإرهابيين ببعض بباب الهوى بريف ادلب …. مصادر محلية بحسب الميادين تؤكد مقتل ما لا يقل عن 350 “عنصرا مسلحا” في محافظة الرقة في الأيام 3 الماضية .
بشار عباس
December 8th, 2013, 12:05 am
Hopeful said:
# 402 Zoo
Did you just admit in your post to believe that neither Saudi Arabia nor Qatar is supporting the jihadis, and that the US has not decided yet whom to support?
Isn’t that at odds with everything you’ve been writing over the past two years?
A welcome reversal in attitude!
December 8th, 2013, 12:05 am
ziad said:
Syria’s Gulf Brigades
In the months after protests first erupted in Syria in 2011, a soft-eyed native of Deir al-Zour province did two things — one he is proud of and another he deeply regrets. As an expatriate living in Kuwait, he was energized by the thought of change back home; he spent his money, devoted his time, and rearranged his life around sending food, medicine, and supplies into suffering Syrian communities.
“We were not heroes [before], but placed in such unusual circumstances, we are somehow heroes,” he said, recalling how he gathered bags of rice, pleaded with his friends for help, and negotiated with stingy drivers to lower the cost of driving the goods from Kuwait through Saudi Arabia, Jordan, and into Syria.
But not long after the charity work began, he and fellow expats joined up with Kuwaiti donors, and a decision was made to help mold military brigades from the opposition. He shook his head and lowered his voice remembering.
“The mistake was to create the armed groups,” he said, almost in a whisper. “We cannot fight a professional army.”
More than two years later, what was once a peaceful uprising in Syria is today a complicated civil war with not just two players but hundreds of armed groups and militias.
Central to that evolution was tiny Kuwait, where thousands of miles away, individuals and religious charities have raised money — possibly hundreds of millions of dollars — for Syria’s armed groups. Kuwaiti patrons helped create, shape, and support among the most extreme brigades fighting President Bashar al-Assad, including the Salafist Ahrar al-Sham and possibly al Qaeda affiliate Jabhat al-Nusra, which often collaborates with the former.
The effect in Syria has been devastating; the Kuwait-based expat felt like he has watched things fall apart in slow motion. A cacophony of private donors each built their own rebel brigade. Dependent on independent funding from abroad, the militias grew separately. Gulf states piled in, adding their donations to one faction or another. As he put it simply: “The different money contributed to divide the armed groups.”
Like the Syrian revolution itself, Kuwaiti involvement began out of hope. By the summer of 2011, three Arab regimes had been whisked out of office, and many expected Syria to be the same. Expats living in the Gulf heard stories of young men arrested, boys taken off the streets, protesters shot and wounded. They made lists of families in need and started to remit what charity they could. As the toll grew, businessmen who knew one another — often coming from the same part of Syria — connected and pooled their efforts.
They worked silently at first, for fear that Kuwaiti or Syrian authorities would target them or their beneficiaries. After living for years under dictatorship, even expats abroad mistrusted their colleagues’ allegiances. Would this man tell the Syrian Embassy what we’re doing — sending bread to the families of those in jail?
“Up until now, people fear each other — that they will go tell the embassy,” another expatriate explained. “For a long time, the Syrian regime made us feel this way. It made our minds very bad.”
http://mideastafrica.foreignpolicy.com/posts/2013/12/06/syria_s_gulf_brigades#.UqMYSJExl8s.twitter
December 8th, 2013, 12:10 am
SANDRO LOEWE said:
Bashar Al Assad – Dictator of Syria:
¨The life of Nelson Mandela is a lesson to all tyrans in the world¨
Do you know what ? FUCXXXX YOU ASSAD
December 8th, 2013, 2:24 am
Hopeful said:
#406 Ziad
A good and truthful article. To many people, including myself, The Assad regime and the Islamist radicals are two sides of the same coin representing corruption, suppression, brutality and a bankrupt ideology. I am confident that the majority of the Syrian people are in my camp.
December 8th, 2013, 2:30 am
Observer said:
That is the problem Mjabali you cannot think outside of your sect. I was not brought up a Kurd. So I have nothing in common with them. Where and what and who and when my ancestors did anything is immaterial. It is the future that I look at. You are so fixated on the past that you cannot read or understand or even think outside of this framework.
Long Live Damascustan.
December 8th, 2013, 8:24 am
heads-up said:
We pointed out on several occasions that Shiite and Alawi terrorism in Syria has one and only one end. The terrorists will be eliminated without mercy from the face of the earth ridding humanity of their evil.
This morning we witnessed yet another fulfilment of this prediction of ours in the Rif Dimashq in no other place than the so-called Zainab quarters.
Over 50 thugs of the so-called hezbolla and the Iraqi Abu al-basal terrorists were eliminated at close range within the compound by the heroes of the Syrian Revolution fighters. We are not sure as of yet if the victorious fighters have succeeded in leveling the compound to the ground in order to negate any so-called reasons for these terrorists to be in Syria. Nevertheless at one point this is a mission that needs to be fulfilled.
December 8th, 2013, 8:54 am
Observer said:
Explain to me why should the Kurds be part of Iraq or Syria or Turkey or Iran?
If they want to establish a state where their language is spoken, their communities are together, their identity based on their concept of who is a Kurd why is this not acceptable? Why is it that we are so set on keeping the borders of Sykes Picot when we have continuously suffered from the inherent instability of such divisions for more than 80 years? Why is it that we do not learn and continue to repeat the same mistakes?
The one discourse I hear is that some 1400 years ago a political fight on succession ended up with a politically incompetent but certainly a most virtuous leader loosing to another cunning power grabbing statesman and in this religion was introduced to justify the position of each protagonist and this exercise trapped the minds forever into an eternally aggrieved party that cannot think of its very identity or existence outside of this victimhood. I read this in these posts all the time.
The other party has used religion to legitimate its dictatorship and has trapped the religious establishment and the debate into sterile and uncompromising orthodoxy that is eating at the very soul of the people.
Here you have it my description of the Shia Sunni divide.
There are no nation states in the ME except in Iran, Egypt, and Turkey. Of the three the Egyptian is the most homogenous whereas the Iranian has but 50% of the population Persian and in Turkey one would argue that they have multiple ethnic and religious groups that can undermine the Turkish identity.
Libya has reverted to its tribal affiliation as expected after the collapse of the iron fist that kept it together. Iraq likewise is reverting to its original Ottoman provinces as the iron fist of Saddam is gone. Once the mullahs of Iran are ousted an Iranian federation will emerge and a true Republic. Turkey may have to accord autonomy to its provinces. Syria is worse than Lebanon for the later has many communities that balance each other whereas in Syria you have a minority in charge and with extreme brutality and hatred. It is a hate filled land run by a mafia regime.
I read also that the wishful thinking of the regime insider of the people coming around and supporting the regime. Well the regime troops have not only destroyed the country but every village that the enter is looted to just walls and roofs.
The destruction of the country is immense and irreversible. None of the regime allies are going to pay a penny to reconstruct. None of them are coming in to rebuild.
Now to go back on the sterile discourse: a subhuman is someone that denies the humanity of the other. Categorizing people who continue to tell you that they have no affiliation to a religion or sect or ethnic group and who keep repeating that they have an acceptance of the fact that there is no room of coexistence at this time as the common identity feeling is so weak in comparison to the sectarian thinking is the act of dehumanizing the other.
I state facts: today the Sunnis are disenfranchised and I say this not as as Sunni not as a Syrian not as an Arab not anything except as an observer of the reality on the ground. I state facts: Alawis were ill treated and oppressed and in their poisoned resentment have only meted out the same ill treatment on others because their world view in the majority has been set in pure sectarian terms. The entire government structure is an Alawi controlled security house of cards. The latest thuggeries of the Athad family in Latakia is but another example of the mafia regime based on the sect.
Dehumanizing me and pigeon holing me into a preconceived idea and attributing to me affiliations is acting as a subhuman.
But heck what can we expect from a mind locked into a 1400 year old political petty despicable power grab dispute between two awful leaders. Yes both Ali and Muwayyia were awful for each excluded the others that did not agree with them.
They have poisoned our lives for 1400 years and it is time to get rid of them and their sectarian legacies.
We keep adulating Omar and Abu Bakr and Ali and so on and so forth when the world has moved on and the age of Enlightenment has brought many new thinkers and many new ideas. But alas our response is to have the Sunni clerical establishment debate the beard length and the Mullahs reject all of of the West’s accomplishments. Both are inferiority complexed responses to defeat after defeat after defeat and resulting in iron fisted failed states.
Alexander Hamilton was abandoned by his father at age 10, orphaned at age 12, and his adoptive parent committed suicide at age 13 and yet at age 17 he was the founder of a maritime trading company and went on to write a majority of the federalist papers. It is time to forget about Nus Lira and read Hamilton.
I learned something yesterday: Mandela said: “resentment is the poison we drink hoping to inflict it on our past tormentors”. He was right. It is this eternal resentment in many forms that is eating the soul of a whole community to the point that it cannot fathom the idea of justice on this earth. The Mahdi will do so. In the meantime, we will continue to dehumanize each other so that we can kill and loot and rape and burn and destroy and cleanse.
December 8th, 2013, 9:25 am
Mina said:
If anymore proof was needed: sarin attack is probably the job of al Nusra
http://www.lrb.co.uk/2013/12/08/seymour-m-hersh/whose-sarin
Lovely crowd indeed.
December 8th, 2013, 10:03 am
zoo said:
@405 Hopeful
I don’t know what you mean. It is well known, and I have said it several times, that the Jihadists are funded by Saudi, Kuwaitis, Syrians, Yemenis, Pakistanis Sunni individuals and powerful private Sunni charities and NOT officially by the Saudi government.
The USA through the CIA may have infiltrated them and manipulating them when they were useful, but has never officially supported them. As we have seen in decades of war in Afghanistan, the Jihadists act as an “independent” entity therefore uncontrollable.
At start, Qatar and Turkey have supported what they saw as the ‘moderates Sunnis’, the Moslem Brotherhood. They build up the FSA and SNC on that basis. The USA and the FOS, convinced that the Moslem Brotherhood was “good” for the region, got along until first, the Moslem Brotherhood showed in Egypt that they were far from ‘moderates’ and second when the FSA started to weaken by its own divisions and the absence of coordination with the SNC.
In addition the Syria government and its army showed an unexpected cohesion and resilience.
As a result the MB fell from grace and the FSA and the SNC lost their appeal. The FOS decreased substantially its support while Qatar ( and the CIA) still claim they are helping them.
After Qatar’s debacle and the “toppling” of Hamad Ben Jassem, the machiavelian PM, Saudi Arabia stepped in to ‘fix’ the situation once for all under the command of Bandar Ben Sultan.
Saudi Arabia has always been fiercely opposed to the Moslem Brotherhood. They took over the SNC to put in it their men and started to build and fund the Islamic Front. The FSA remained dominated by the Moslem Brotherhood but weakening by the day, despite Qatar’s alleged support. Just listening to Idriss complaints, it is clear that the FSA is been left to die off.
So now we are have these forces at play on the military ground:
– The secular Syrian Army
– The Sunni Islamic Front ( officially funded by Saudi Arabia)
– The Sunni Jihadists ( Al Qaeda, Al NUsra, ISIL)( funded by Sunni Islamist private funds)
– The Sunni FSA (funded by Qatar and to to much lesser extent by the FOS)
– The secular Kurds ( funded by the KRG and the Syrian government)
As I mentioned it in my previous post, the USA wants to shift away from the useless FSA and they are probing the ‘viability’ of the Islamic Front and the prospect of them ruling Syria in the future.
It is yet unknown what the USA would decide to support. I doubt they will go along with the IF as not to repeat the mistake they did in supporting the Moslem Brotherhood. In addition the IF may become a serious threat to Israel if they take over Syria.
Therefore on the ground we are going to watch gradually all the territories held by the FSA taken over by the IF or the Syrian Army.
The IF will have to confront the Jihadists to control territories where the Syrian army is not present, such as the North East.
It is clear that the Syrian army have no interest in direct confrontation with the IF for now. They will allow them to fight and get rid of the FSA and the Jihadists, then they may act.
In the meantime the Syrian Army is confronting the Jihadists in the South, the North West and around Damascus.
Obviously it appears that if the Syrian army strategy works out, Syria will be divided in two parts. The North East will be fought between the IF and the Jihadists while the rest of the country will be cleaned and controlled by the Syrian Army and the Kurds.
Lots is impossible to predict about what will happen on the ground among these forces. What we know is that there will be more refugees and more civilians deaths.
On the political arena, the SNC is so desperate of having totally lost control of the situation on the ground that Geneva II has become their only chance to survive. This is why they dropped all their pre-conditions and will be in Geneva in the weakest state they have ever been.
It has become obvious to the West that the removal of Bashar al Assad and the probable consequence of the collapse of the Syrian Army is out of the question. It would be like offering Syria to become a war terrain between Jihadists, the Islamic Front and the Kurds: An Afghanistan in the making, just on Israel border.
If Geneva II happens, it will be full of surprises.
December 8th, 2013, 10:24 am
Hopeful said:
#413 Zoo
Other than a few minor reservations here and there, which I will not bring up for the sake of focusing in the big picture, I will accept your narrative.
I agree that both the opposition and the west have underestimated 1) Assad’s security forces strengths (I will not refer to them as the National Army though as the army has split into three groups: loyalists, deserters, and a large idle group), and his absolute willingness to accept any collateral damage to crush all and any dissent.
Regardless, the regime bears the main responsibility for destroying Syria, both before and during this mess. Syria cannot be fixed while this regime stays in power. Iraq’s suffering in 2003 till today was largely because Saddam was allowed to stay in power in 1990. If Geneva II does not result in a new regime and a new leadership, Syria is doomed for decades. If you love Syria more than you love Assad, you should understand this equation and hope for a change (even though I will not ask you to admit that publicly).
December 8th, 2013, 10:55 am
zoo said:
<i< Not a surprise at all! The Jihadists are clearly after the FSA and the Saudi funded Islamic Front
Syrian surprise: Al-Qaeda branch kills rebel leaders; invades oil field
December 8, 2013
http://www.examiner.com/article/syrian-surprise-al-qaeda-branch-kills-rebel-leaders-invades-oil-field
The Obama administration-backed Free Syrian Army (FSA) reported on Saturday that two of its top leader were abducted and then killed by al-Qaeda in Iraq terrorists who now call themselves the Islamist State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS).
The two commanders, Mohammad al-Qadi and Ahmad Jahar, were allegedly captured while leading a convoy from Turkey into Syria with supplies including food and medicine, according to Alarabiya News.
They were said to be last seen at an ISIS camp in the town of Azaz, but later their bodies were found by civilians in the outskirts of Azaz, Syria.
December 8th, 2013, 10:55 am
Observer said:
They are coming for you watch out what you wish for they are coming for you.
It does not matter what happens in Geneva. There is a 50 year war in the offing. It has started and will not stop until it completely destroys the whole region.
No problem let them fight there so that they do not have to focus on us here.
Israel has its threats where it wants them. The threat of the HA is in Syria fighting now. The threat of Syria is in destroying the country. The threat of jihadists is contained in Gaza and Egypt. The threat of Libya and Iraq is completely gone.
They can even think of an alliance with KSA and Iran is now in the process of abandoning Bahrain. Once that starts it cannot but do the same elsewhere. If it refuses the wherever it is will be its Afghanistan.
I would love to hear the bearded turbaned stooge in Dahie explain the Pretzel
December 8th, 2013, 12:04 pm
Syrialover said:
OBSERVER #418
I always read your posts because you can contribute useful insights and well-informed perspectives.
But it’s not enlightening to read:
“There is a 50 year war in the offing. It has started and will not stop until it completely destroys the whole region”
You may enjoy philosophizing and dramatizing, but your words are precisely what people who look down on Arabs love to see.
A bunch of primitives who love to murder each other, can’t survive without dictators and don’t deserve any better.
That’s what it reads like.
If Arab people are really like you suggest, and not like the rest of human civilization, what are they doing pushing for freedom and dignity and the right to live like others?
OBSERVER, you may be trying to make some ironic points or be sarcastic or something, but your message and intentions are lost in a post like the one above.
Please try again with real people in your mind, not obscure debating goals.
December 14th, 2013, 5:40 am
Syrialover said:
Dear OBSERVER,
I always read your posts because you can contribute useful insights and well-informed perspectives.
But it’s not enlightening to read:
“There is a 50 year war in the offing. It has started and will not stop until it completely destroys the whole region” (# 418)
You may enjoy philosophizing and dramatizing, but your words are precisely what people who look down on Arabs love to see.
A bunch of primitives who love to murder each other, can’t survive without dictators and don’t deserve any better.
That’s what it reads like.
If Arab people are really like you suggest, and not like the rest of human civilization, what are they doing pushing for freedom and dignity and the right to live like others?
OBSERVER, you may be trying to make some ironic points or be sarcastic or something, but your message and intentions are lost in a post like the one above.
Please try again with real people in your mind, not obscure debating goals.
December 14th, 2013, 5:45 am
Syrialover said:
TARA,
For a textbook, template script used by closet shabiha read ZOO’s side of the discussion with HOPEFUL.
It’s all pretend concern, all hollow agreement and earnest yap, yap etc but it’s a thin, torn curtain draped over the sole game of keeping Assad undisturbed and free to get on with burning the country.
You can search and search the thousands of ZOO posts here and you will not find one line suggesting Assad has done anything wrong or sincere concern for the welfare of Syrian people or what is being done to their country.
We are witnessing an act straight out of the scruffy “closet shabiha playbook” that lies next to ZOO’s computer.
December 14th, 2013, 6:06 am
Syrialover said:
On November 5, Samantha Power took to Twitter to denounce Bashar al-Assad, the Syrian president. “The US view of Assad is unchanged,” wrote the new US ambassador to the United Nations. “A man who gasses his people, Scuds his people & terrorises his people does not deserve to govern those people.”
The tweet revealed a great deal about Power, at 43 the youngest person to hold the post at the UN, which also comes with a seat in the US cabinet. Any remaining Twitter-sceptics would be impressed at the concise and punchy message the one-time Pulitzer Prize-winner managed to pack into 140 characters. (It helps when you have one of the world’s most imposing Twitter handles: @AmbassadorPower.)
– From Financial Times, December 12 2013 http://www.ft.com/cms/s/2/d4224dc8-612f-11e3-916e-00144feabdc0.html#ixzz2nRjvUej0
December 14th, 2013, 6:13 am
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