Protests in Syria - Discussion Thread

[Camera]

'Syrian army shells city near Iraq, kills 28'

By REUTER$
06/23/2012 15:02

According to opposition activists, Syrian forces battle rebels, shell neighborhoods in eastern city of Deir al-Zor.

AMMAN - Syria's army battled rebels and shelled neighborhoods in Deir al-Zor on Saturday, killing at least 28 people in the eastern city in an oil-producing region close to the border with Iraq, opposition activists said.The victims, who included three women and several children, were mostly civilians killed when shells hit their houses in the city's Old Airport and al-Hamidya districts, a source at a city hospital told Reuter$.

"The death toll is likely higher. There are more bodies at the morgue, but they have not been identified yet," the source said.

(...)

Loyalist forces have lost control of parts of the surrounding Deir al-Zor province, which borders Iraq's Sunni Muslim heartland as alliances between Assad's ruling elite and Sunni tribes have collapsed.

The artillery barrage on the Old Airport area on the edge of the city started late on Friday, following the defection of at least 30 members of the Hajjana, a border force that has a base in the area, opposition campaigners told ******* from the city.

The central Al-Hamidya district came under shelling after Free Syrian Army rebels fought off a tank incursion into the area, they added.

Rebels have been mounting attacks on roadblocks, tanks and fortifications belonging to loyalist troops in Deir al-Zor, the provincial capital on the Euphrates river, 420 km northeast of Damascus.

A main oil pipeline from Deir al-Zor province feeds Syria's two refineries, in the city of Homs and an export terminal on the Mediterranean.

http://www.jpost.com/MiddleEast/Article.aspx?id=274917

[Camera]

Poll: Arab majorities in Mideast want Assad ousted

By HILARY LEILA KRIEGER, JPOST CORRESPONDENT
06/23/2012 07:24

Pew data shows Lebanon sole Arab country in ME that does not strongly endorse Syrian president's departure.

WASHINGTON - Overwhelming majorities in the Arab countries surrounding Syria want to see Syrian PresidentBashar Assad step down, according to a new Pew Research Center poll.The only neighboring country surveyed that did not strongly endorse Assad's departure was Lebanon, where the publicwas split sharply along sectarian divides. Israel was not included in the report.

Eighty-nine percent of Jordanians and Egyptians, 88% of Tunisians and 67% of Turks want Assad to go, as do 53% of Lebanese. But while only small minorities every country except Lebanon want him to stay, 97% of Shi'ite Lebanese do. In contrast, only 20% of Sunnis and 28% of Sunnis do.

The numbers track closely with unfavorable views of Assad personally, which represents a dramatic shift. In a 2008 survey of Arab public opinion released by the Brookings Institution, Assad was the second most admired leader in the world after, trailing only Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah.

However, even in places with huge majorities in favor of Assad's relinquishing power, there is division about how that should be accomplished.

Only in Tunisia -- with 63% and 61% support respectively -- do the majority of those surveyed want to see more sanctions applied or Arab military force used against Syria.

And while there is some support in Jordan, Egypt and Turkey for Arab-led action -- 28%, 47% and 29% respectively -- backing for Western-led intervention is barely in the double digits (10% and 11% for the first two) and only somewhat higher (24%) in Turkey.

The survey was conducted between mid-March and mid-April, before the most devastating civilian massacres were reported. The margins of error ranged between +/-3.8% to +/-5.2% in the various countries.

http://www.jpost.com/MiddleEast/Article.aspx?id=274888

[Camera]

Assad forms new government amid chaos

Two months after controversial parliamentary elections, embattled Syrian president names new PM, reports state TV


By YOEL GOLDMAN

Two months after controversial parliamentary elections which were boycotted by the opposition, Syrian President Bashar Assad has issued a decree forming a new government.


Decree 210 named a new prime minister, Dr. Riad Hijab, a loyalist member of Assad’s Baath Party. According to Syrian state TV, Foreign Minister Walid Muallem will remain in his post, as will the defense and interior ministers.

http://www.timesofisrael.com/assad-f...nt-amid-chaos/

New gov for the same old policy.

[Camera]

Saudi Arabia plans to fund Syria rebel army


Exclusive: Command centre in Turkey organising weapon supply to opposition

• Martin Chulov in Beirut, Ewen MacAskill in Washington, John Densky in Idlib province
• guardian.co.uk, Friday 22 June 2012 18.03 BST

Saudi officials are preparing to pay the salaries of the Free Syria Army as a means of encouraging mass defections from the military and increasing pressure on the Assad regime, the Guardian has learned.
The move, which has been discussed between Riyadh and senior officials in the US and Arab world, is believed to be gaining momentum as a recent flush of weapons sent to rebel forces by Saudi Arabia and Qatar starts to make an impact on battlefields in Syria.

(...)

Turkey has also allowed the establishment of a command centre in Istanbul which is co-ordinating supply lines in consultation with FSA leaders inside Syria. The centre is believed to be staffed by up to 22 people, most of them Syrian nationals.
The Guardian witnessed the transfer of weapons in early June near the Turkish frontier. Five men dressed in the style of Gulf Arabs arrived in a police station in the border village of Altima in Syria and finalised a transfer from the Turkish town of Reyhanli of around 50 boxes of rifles and ammunition, as well as a large shipment of medicines.
The men were treated with deference by local FSA leaders and were carrying large bundles of cash. They also received two prisoners held by rebels, who were allegedly members of the pro-regime militia, the Shabiha.
The influx of weapons has reinvigorated the insurrection in northern Syria, which less than six weeks ago was on the verge of being crushed.

(...)

The move to pay the guerrilla forces' salaries is seen as a chance to capitalise on the sense of renewed confidence, as well as provide a strong incentive for soldiers and officers to defect. The value of the Syrian pound has fallen sharply in value since the anti-regime revolt started 16 months ago, leading to a dramatic fall in purchasing power.
The plan centres on paying the FSA in either US dollars or euros, meaning their salaries would be restored to their pre-revolution levels, or possibly increased.

(...)

Interviews with officials in three states reveal the influx of weapons – which includes kalashnikovs, rocket propelled grenades and anti-tank missiles – started in mid-May, when Saudi Arabia and Qatar finally moved on pledges they had made in February and March to arm rebel forces.
The officials, who insisted on anonymity, said the final agreement to move weapons from storage points inside Turkey into rebel hands was hard won, with Ankara first insisting on diplomatic cover from the Arab states and the US.


http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2012...ria-rebel-army

[themacedonian]

http://www.emirates247.com/news/worl...06-23-1.464148

Syria says at least 2,600 members of its military and security forces have been killed by what it calls foreign-backed "Islamist terrorists".

So at this moment we have a confirmation that they are in fact foreign backed.

[Hisroyalhighness]

France Urges Syrian Troops to Defect

France urges Syrian military personnel to follow the example of fighter pilot Hassan Hammadeh and defect, Foreign Ministry spokesman Bernard Valero said.
Hammadeh, a colonel in the Syrian air force, landed his MiG-21 fighter jet in Jordan on Thursday and requested political asylum, which has been granted.
Hammadeh is the first pilot to defect with his aircraft since anti-government protests in Syria began more than a year ago.
But he joins a growing list of defectors from the Syrian armed forces. Their actions “deserve our gratitude and the gratitude of the Syrian people,” Valero said.
According to UN estimates, about 12,000 people have been killed in Syria since the beginning of a popular uprising against President Assad in March 2011.

[Universals]

AP: Syrian Islamists use unwitting prisoners as suicide bombers.

SARJEH, Syria—Rebel commander Ahmed Eissa al-Sheikh keeps a paper on his desk bearing the names of the dead from his brigade. The first 16 are neatly typed below a Quranic verse extolling martyrdom. The next 14 are handwritten and crammed into the margin, because the paper is full.Al-Sheikh, an Islamist with a long black beard and gray fatigues, runs the Falcons of Damascus group from the mayor's office in his village, which his fighters have taken over. The list is a constant reminder of al-Sheikh's personal score with the Syrian regime: 20 of the dead are his relatives, including three brothers and his 16-year-old son, all killed fighting Syrian forces in the last year.
One of northern Syria's most powerful and best-armed commanders, Al-Sheikh boasts more than 1,000 fighters, and they don't shy away from rougher tactics themselves. They have released prisoners in bomb-laden cars and then detonated them at army checkpoints—turning the drivers into unwitting suicide bombers.

http://www.mercurynews.com/breaking-...-times-violent

[Laworkerbee]

Assad jnr was just not as ruthless as his father. (he's a doctor by profession) If he had straight up massacred 20 000 in one go instead of the trickle of deaths in the past year and a half, he might have stopped the insurgency in it's tracks. But he couldn't. If he had the disciplined troops he could have setup martial law, and if he had the intelligence network he could have rounded up the ringleaders and weapon/money sources.

Egypt military just mounted a bloodless soft coup, and sacrificed their 'leader' Mubarak. (who was really only ruling through U.S funded bribes, so they can't be blamed for dumping him) I think they have 'won' for the foreseeable future. The elections were just for show, they knew the brotherhood would win, making it easy for them to reclaim their power, since the protestors were mainly young secularists.

I don't think the sporadic shelling of neighborhoods will be enough. It's already been confirmed the army is resorting to that cause it doesn't have troops disciplined and skilled enough to go house to house. (losses are too high) The recruitment of militia also is a sign of desperation, as the incredibly destructive to public credibility massacres attest.

Assad forces grow weaker everyday while his opponents grow stronger.

Syrian forces should be mounting regular operations, similar to the battles waged in Fallujah Iraq. That will teach syrians to not harbor rebels.

Good post! Can't say I disagree with you.

[themacedonian]

Prisoners into suicide bombers! That is sick. Why the west supports these terrorist?

That on its self is a war crime.

[Ulytau]

Good post! Can't say I disagree with you.

I wish he did something to do for stopping his brother Maher Al Assad main reason of massacre in Syria i believe he thought he can stop them like his father did at Homs.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maher_al-Assad

[Herman the II]

Why does the western press report about that? I thought everything was so one sided and biased in the "western" news?

[my name again]

Why does the western press report about that? I thought everything was so one sided and biased in the "western" news?

Maybe even western news have some sort of standards.

[xmario]

whats up with this?

Syrian conflic threatens to degenerate into world war
http://www.voltairenet.org/Russian-Warning-Shots

[frenchy]

I wonder what western countries prefer. Islamists rebels and perhaps new Al-Qaeda stronghold or Assad ?

[Hisroyalhighness]

whats up with this?

Syrian conflic threatens to degenerate into world war
http://www.voltairenet.org/Russian-Warning-Shots

A bullsh/t claim.

Syria Forms New Government

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad unveiled his new government on Saturday, less than two month after a disputed parliamentary election boycotted by the opposition, the TV station al Arabiya reported.
"President Bashar Al Assad has issued Decree 210 forming a new government under prime minister Dr Riad Hijab," state television said.
Defense Minister Dawoud Rajiha retained his post, as did Foreign Minister Walid Al Muallem and Interior Minister Ibrahim Shaar.
Several new ministries were also established, including for internal trade and consumer protection.
Meanwhile, at least 15 people were killed across Syria on Saturday,while 116 people, including 69 civilians, were killed on Friday, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.
The joint UN-Arab League envoy on Syria Kofi Annan said on Friday it was "time for countries of influence to raise the level of pressure" on both the Syrian and opposition and Assad to end the spiraling violence there that the UN says has claimed more than 12,000 lives since March 2011.