Syria

The „moderate“ FSAs cooperation with Al Qaeda in Syria

radioyaran Israel, Saudi Arabia, Syria , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Not only has the allegedly moderate, non-sectarian, pro-western and Israeli tolerated FSA been using the lethal combat efficiency of the Al Qaeda affiliated Nusra Front (JN), but they have also sold advanced anti-aircraft and anti-tank weapons to the even more radical Salafi Al Qaeda branch Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISUS/ISIL):

„He didn’t want to be filmed. But he told us: if we wanted to cut the supply lines it is easier for us to take the warehouses of the FSA. Anyhow we are buying weapons from the FSA. we bought 200 anti-aircraft missiles and Koncourse anti tank weapons. We have good relations with our brothers in the FSA. For us, the infidels are those who cooperate with the West to fight Islam. “
http://blogs.aljazeera.com/blog/middle-east/meeting-al-qaeda-syria

As usual Obama, Kerry and co. ignore or play down such embarrassing facts when they openly speak about funding and facilitating (through Saudi Arabia) the further arming of the FSA.

 

Bombings in Lebanon and the hypocrisy of western media

radioyaran Lebanon, Syria , , ,

Whenever a bomb detonates in a Shia area of Lebanon western press is quick to call the place an „Hezbollah stronghold“ and explain/justify the perpetartors malicious action by stating that this was a reaction to Hezbollah fighting alongside the Syrian army.

Thus an indiscriminate act of terror by entirely sectarian motivated perpetrators is almost whitewashed as just an exotic version of the war against (alleged) Iranian terror since Hezbollah is affiliated with the Iranian regime.

In the most recent case the bombers detonated their deadly cargo near to an orphanage and hurt Children:
http://english.al-akhbar.com/content/beirut-orphanage-latest-victim-suicide-bombings

…but maybe these victims are also Assads „Shabiha“ and targetting them just another chapter in the very creative art of „freedom fighting“

 

 

Is Homs under siege?

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Reading the media about Syria one more than once reads about the city of Homs, „the cradle of the revolution“ being under siege by the Syrian army.
Taking a closer look it turns out that not the entire city, but only a relatively small portion of it, the „old city“ is under regime siege:
BBC map of besieged areas in Homs

No question, such a siege is a horror for the ordinary population and certainly it is an unjust act of collective punishment, but one should also keep in mind that the siege is not the result of an evil government simply hating its citizens. Rather the siege is a direct consequence of armed rebels abusing the local population by effectively taking them hostage and turning their houses to firing grounds, hideouts, tunnels, weapons depots and bomb making fabrics.

Why all these anti-regime disclosures in the middle of the Geneva talks?

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„Syrian government ‚demolished thousands of homes'“
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-25947345

While noone should justify or play down the extensive damage inflicted on entire blocks and neighborhoods, one should wonder why the disclosure of these „war crimes“ (HRW) happens just as the Syrian government and opposition are negotiating in Geneva.
The satellite images are dated from mid 2012 to mid 2013. Did HRW and co. really need 6-18 months to „analyze“ these images or is the timing of the publication no coincidence?

Interestingly at exactly the same time there was first the publication of the Qatari financed torture photos and then (today) the expression of „concern“ by the US regarding the slow progress of Syrias chemical weapons disarmament.

Is all this meant to prepare the ground for either the declaration of new „red lines“ or an accelerated and intensified arming of the (definitely all but) „moderate“ rebels?

US continues hypocrisy and double standard regarding Syria

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„The US says only 4% of Syria’s declared chemical weapons has been surrendered and expresses concern at the lack of progress.“
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-25968616

But at the same time the US has announced to resume the supply of weapons to Syrian rebels.
The same rebels have either laid storage facilities under siege or they control roads leading to or from such weapons´ sites.
Both are considered „succcesses“ that the usually pro-rebel western press hails as „blows against the Assad regime“.

Egypt: Islamists shoot down army helicopter with MANPAD

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Islamic militants have shot down an Egyptian army helicopter with a heat seeking shoulder-fired missile:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-25915607
The BBC article seems to express „grief“ about this. Probably because the Egyptian regime (and army) is considered pro-western.

Interestingly western press reports of the Syrian rebels´ successes in shooting down Syrian army Migs and helicopters and killing hundreds of personell have been accompanied enthusiasm and joy.
Note: If you are a radical sectarian Islamist fighting a pro-Iranian or pro-Russian state you are good, you are probably a „freedom fighter“ and the US congress will somehow find a way to declare you „moderate“.
If you are however fighting a pro-western state you are a terrorist and one has to be worried if you have acquired and applied deadly weapons.

 

 

Syria: military news and BBC interview

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Excellent short interview by Bouthaina Shaaban, Assads advisor:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-24828294

Western and arab media is interested in exaggerating the role of Iranian ground forces in Syria, but what about this?
„The number of British Islamists who have gone to Syria to fight in the war there is in the „low hundreds“, a senior UK intelligence official says.“
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-24856553

„Syrian troops have retaken a key rebel-held town south of Damascus“
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-24849809

„Syria troops launch major offensive in Aleppo. Soldiers retake parts of strategic airbase near international airport in northern province.“
http://www.aljazeera.com/news/middleeast/2013/11/syria-troops-launch-major-offensive-aleppo-201311863542920283.html

„Insurgents Capture a Major Ammunition Depot“
http://eaworldview.com/2013/11/syria-forecast-insurgent-offensive-major-ammunition-depot/

Israels bombing of Latakia is for torpedoing Rouhani

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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-24767571

„Israeli aircraft have carried out a strike near the Syrian coastal city of Latakia, a US official says.“

There is close to zero logic and military necessity in attacking defensive weapons of a neighboring country that is already stuck in a vicious and devastating civil war. The unprovoked attack on a country with which Israel is (at least officially) not at war does not become any more meaningful or legitimate even if we accept Israels claim that the destroyed weapons were supposed to be transferred to the lebanese Hezbollah.
Why is Israel so much concerned about the possible boost of the defensive capabilities of a militia in another neighboring country which has not violated a ceasefire that began 7 years ago?

Needles to object to Israels apparently unlimited „carte blanche“ to attack souvereign countries with impunity. This was the fifth or sixth such attack on Syria which Israel itself did not officially admit and which did not subject Israel to any criticism by the international mainstream media or by more or less unconditionally supportive western states. This is a disgraceful manifestation of blatant double standard. Just imagine Iran would attack a military airbase in Croatia to destroy weapons that were (allegedly or really) about to be shipped to Syrian rebels. Or Syria would attack a military convoy on the Turkish side of the border claiming it were carrying weapons for rebel fighters in Northern Syria. Nato would have declared war on Syria and each and every media outlet would have torn Assad apart.

The real motivation and purpose for Israels renewed attack on Syria is two-fold:
a) Provoke Syria to make the „mistake“ to retaliate, thus giving Israel and probably also Obama the pretext to unleash massive air raids on Syrian army positions and weaponry in order to help the rebels win a fight that they would not win otherwise in the short and mid term.
b) and this is much more important and relevant: „bomb“ Rouhani, his charm offensive and any perspective of US-Iranian rapprochment. Humiliating Syria and Assad once again is meant to provoke Iranian hardliners to undermine and defame Rouhanis peace initiative. Rouhani would be portrayed as a traitor and weak if he and Iran would ignore continuous unjustified attacks on Irans most important arab ally by the US´ most important anti-Iranian ally Israel.

The attack and also it´s time of occurrence – on the day the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) said all Syria’s declared equipment for making chemical weapons had been destroyed – is no coincidence. Israel is the true and most active systematic „destabilizer“ of the Middle East and currently Israels number one priority is to achieve Rouhanis failure.

Syria: Again it´s the opposition that blocks peace talks

radioyaran Syria , ,

According to the polemic and widespread myth, it is the „Assad regime“ that has blocked and torpedoed peace talks and negotiations all the time, but the opposite is true. Since two years the rebels and their political leadership have refused any progress by making unacceptable demands or setting ridiculous preconditions.

This shows their true agenda and that of their backers and promoters in Saudi Arabia, Qatar and other gulf monarchies, as well as Turkey, Israel, France, UK and the US. Had they been even slightly interested in the well-being of Syrians and had they felt the remotest concern about the Syrian people they would not set any blocks for peace talks.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-24513538

Why BBC´s sensational report about a syrian defector is trash

radioyaran Syria , , , ,

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-24490334

The above report is either fabricated from the beginning or the „source“ (a certain kurdish security officer called Lukman) has lied to Lina Sinjab.

Excerpts (and my comments):

<<Lukman was performing his military duty when the uprising began in March 2011. He was surprised that he would be allocated to a security branch given his Kurdish background.

„I didn’t understand how I can be trusted and sent to such a place where only members of [President Bashar al-Assad’s] Alawite community would operate,“ he said.>>

Does „Lukman“ know all members of the security service and their ethnic/religious background? His claim along with his surprise about being chosen despite being a Kurd makes him already incredible.

<<He recalls one day in particular, when more than 100 men were arrested in a raid on the town of Muadhamiya, west of Damascus.

…“But on that day, we stopped on the Muadhamiya bridge, just off the neighbourhood that’s inhabited by Alawites loyal to Assad.

„…One protester was taken from one car to the other and that’s when the civilians of Alawite community arrived and started beating the protester.“>>
This is a blatant attempt to squarely demonize the Alawites, specifically alawite CIVILIANS. The idea that secretive security officers „hand over“ a detainee to random (alawite) CIVILIANS to lynch him in front of the security people AND the other civilians is too obviously sensational and propagandistic.

Later Lukman is quoted saying „I never participated in any of these atrocities“
This bears the question why he did not step in to stop the lynching of the protester mentioned above…

<<„All the union people were Alawites and supporters of Assad,“ Lukman said.>>

This statement, apart from being unproven and hardly provable at all, is way too generalizing and too openly intended to portrait even civil branches of the ruling system as sectarian. There is no reason why all union members in a Sunni majority, mostly pro-government city, should be entirely Alawites.

<<The hangars [of the Mezzeh military airport] were transformed into detention centres, with more than 1,500 detainees held in each, Lukman explained.>>

Why? Does Syria have not enough place for regular jails/detention centers? What happened to the Jets and helicopters? Did they remove them from the hangars to detain people there? Does not make much sense.

„…They [the government] are worse than al-Qaeda“

Sure… „Lukman“ has definitely had experience with al-Qaeda, surviving market place suicide bombers, prisoner beheading ceremonies and heart-eating workshops and STILL he figures out that his former employer is worse…It is puzzling that and why BBC brings such an article.

<<Sunni soldiers and others like him coming from the eastern side of the country were always sent to the frontlines and hot-spots where they got killed.

„The Alawite officers were always kept in safe places so they avoid any killing or retaliation, while Sunnis were sent to be killed while trying to kill other Syrians,“ he said.>>

This is ridiculous and a strong contradiction in itself:
If the regime uses the Sunnis as cannon fodder to kill other Sunnis and/or be killed by them while keeping the Alawites in safe places, how does it keep those Sunni soldiers from defecting? This wild and irrational claim has been an all-time propaganda to denounce and defame the syrian army. An army consisting at least to 60-70% from Sunnis can neither afford to systematically discriminate and abuse them nor to motivate them to defect in large scale.

 

<<„I didn’t want to switch sides as I fear informants,“ he added. „There are many informants in the FSA [Free Syrian Army]. All their movements are reported and many times these informants would act under orders from the regime, committing atrocities in the name of the revolution to defame it.“>>

Now, this is really hilarious and it becomes obvious that the entire article is both meant to polemize against Alawites and excuse rebel crimes by attributing their „atrocities“ to the regime. According to this „logic“ all horrendous crimes, massacres and acts of excessive violence are either carried out by the government or by government spies disguising as rebels to defame the „revolution“.
Naive, he who believes all this.