West Asia News and Discussions

ramana · Post by **ramana** » 19 Jul 2013 02:48

Interesting that Assad got to roll back the spring and made it an autmn for the jihadis. But this does not mean there is no need for reforms. Lets see the aftermath and expected blowback.

Defeat always has its price unless you are Paki!

habal · Post by **habal** » 19 Jul 2013 06:56

the first Pakistanis fall in combat @ Syria in Idlib. Some rasool qiyazi who was killed fighting alongside Chechens and Somalis.
Abu-Ubayda al Pakistani @ Khaan Al-Jawz in Latakia.
Muhammad Afzali @ Idlib
Qari Sayeed @ damascus

Meanwhile Somalis arrested in Aqaba Jordan, attempting to bring the same quiet tranquil they experience daily in Somaliland to Syria.

Meanwhile in Derah in Southern Syria, Syrian Arab Army wipe off a battalion of FSA, mainly Jordanians.

some Jabhat Al-Nusra at Ras al-ain

a FSA commander in Damascus

Shabiha and paramilitary forces of SAA fight in Homs.

habal · Post by **habal** » 19 Jul 2013 07:32

to give an idea about the Syrian refugee situation .. the Zatari refugee camp 8 miles across Syria into Jordan
housing 1,60,000 refugees, mostly children
is now Jordan's fifth largest city

brihaspati · Post by **brihaspati** » 19 Jul 2013 07:45

I am still waiting for Assadfall and his Najibullaization. US arms, something very very big from Saudis within 24 hrs, Israelis wiping off hezb and Russian supplies - Assads days have been limited for days for 700+days. There must have been advanced reports of these from sources? Why are we being starved of news?

Santosh · Post by **Santosh** » 19 Jul 2013 10:15

Acharya wrote:THey are working on a mini spring action in Nai DIlli during the election in OCt. The same international force - internationalists, activists coordinated from Uncle is using the discontent educated Muslim youth age group 20-30 years to create protest.
This age group is a experimental group based on 20 years of global change on Islamic countries. Look for Indian groups to join the so called spring movement

And what is to say that idea of spring action is not being used to push through vested interests like increased FDI, increased share in defence deals and what not by Unkal. India's downward spiral seems to have gone in overdrive mode since NM was selected. The possibility of a dilli outsider taking over dilli is causing a lot of heart burn.

habal · Post by **habal** » 19 Jul 2013 10:48

this Israeli warmonger chick can't wait till tomorrow to get back at the gentiles, she wants them cleaned up .. Now !

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/rig ... ssad-lose/

bomb Assad now .. says the lady. Or else tomorrow may be too late.
We may end up killing just 500 instead of the 5000s that could die if we attack now, she fulminates.

Lalmohan · Post by **Lalmohan** » 19 Jul 2013 11:48

in the UAE case - emirati beating indian driver - the person who filmed and distributed the video has been arrested (apparently he shouldn't have put the video on youtube but sent it to the police...) the emirati who did the beating has been 'arrested' and the indian man has not filed any charges

right there is all you need to know about the UAE

devesh · Post by **devesh** » 19 Jul 2013 21:29

Habal ji, how do you know she is israeli?

Kati · Post by **Kati** » 19 Jul 2013 22:15

devesh wrote:Habal ji, how do you know she is israeli?

For sure Israeli minded...(also the last name is a give away of her root).

The entire Syrian "uprising" was externally funded to keep Iran in check, and now that plan is falling apart. Also,
once bitten twice shy (in Benghazi), the west is developing a cold feet about Syria since Lybia is still unstable, Iraq
is sliding into violence, Afghanistan is questionable,..... Boston bombing has brought the chechen issue up in front....
too much takleef for aunt and unkil.

ramana · Post by **ramana** » 19 Jul 2013 23:26

From the casualty reports of the Syrian rebels looks like it was repeat of Afghan jihad were jihadi dregs from all those countries were pushed into the Syrian cauldron to be killed or win.

vishvak · Post by **vishvak** » 19 Jul 2013 23:37

Looks like jehadi attack on Syria with few and far fewer 'rebels' thrown in. Pakis still not in picture though.

Manish_Sharma · Post by **Manish_Sharma** » 20 Jul 2013 01:40

ramana wrote:So Arab Spring is turning into Arab Summer and soon will become Arab Winter of discontent

Ramana ji, could it be that prediction of Bhartiya Guru is coming true now that poster 'Karna_A' had told:

http://forums.bharat-rakshak.com/viewto ... ru#p908424

Karna_A wrote: On another note, an Indian guru had predicted in 1983 that Communism would have a sudden death, Islamism would have a violent death and Capitalism would have a slow death in that order and then East will rise(China?, India?).
It was unbelievable that time. But it is now 1.5 correct, 1.5 more to go.

Shanmukh · Post by **Shanmukh** » 20 Jul 2013 03:26

habal wrote:this Israeli warmonger chick can't wait till tomorrow to get back at the gentiles, she wants them cleaned up .. Now !

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/rig ... ssad-lose/

bomb Assad now .. says the lady. Or else tomorrow may be too late.
We may end up killing just 500 instead of the 5000s that could die if we attack now, she fulminates.

Saar - the lady writing the article is Jennifer Rubin, a very prominent Tea Party supporter and neocon. She is American, not an Israeli.

RoyG · Post by **RoyG** » 20 Jul 2013 07:12

brihaspati wrote:I am still waiting for Assadfall and his Najibullaization. US arms, something very very big from Saudis within 24 hrs, Israelis wiping off hezb and Russian supplies - Assads days have been limited for days for 700+days. There must have been advanced reports of these from sources? Why are we being starved of news?

Shyamd, where art thou?

abhishek_sharma · Post by **abhishek_sharma** » 20 Jul 2013 07:23

Makers of War

habal · Post by **habal** » 20 Jul 2013 10:24

It is not a wise idea for Assad to wipe out Jabhat Al-Nusra types totally. Then what remains can be justified as pure Syrian movement and supported by Americans, & EU who are waiting at the Jordan side with supplies. Jabhat gives them takleef due to their presence on Israeli border and that should remain there. Assad should ask his MI to transport by proxy more Al-Nusra to Israeli border.

thus one can also see a lull in operations by SAA. They have to be careful now, in whom they wipe out and how they consolidate.

RoL vs RoP will eventually wipe out RoP. Inshallah !

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/magda-abu ... 24829.html

If the attack aimed to terrorize Christians, they will remain in Syria, whose every grain of soil is a witness to its Christianity, and will be martyrs of love, peace, and Christ's eternal presence in them, he said this week in the daily Annahar.

Earlier this year, Tarek Al Abed wrote in Assafir, another Lebanese newspaper, that Christians and Muslims had coexisted in the Qalamoun region, noted for its Christian villages.

But the ongoing conflict has definitely taken a toll on Christians, their sites, and the language of Christ.

The Bible may have been translated into every language, but the tongue in which Jesus Christ would have preached is almost extinct, spoken by a few thousand people in Syria, mostly in the village of Maaloula.

Nobody can read or write Aramaic since there's no alphabet and no visual record of it, I was told on a visit in 1991. Today it would be hard to quantify how many speakers remain, or how many have survived the fighting.

Linguistic scholars have disputed that contention, arguing that several hundred thousand people converse daily in Aramaic.

They agree that the "Western" dialect spoken in Syria, Lebanon and Palestine before the Muslim conquest, and thought to be the language Jesus used in spreading the gospel, is fast disappearing.

However, the "Eastern" dialect, the scholars argue, lives on - albeit in limited form - in Iraq, Iran, southeastern Turkey, and a sliver of some former Soviet republics.

One of the Semitic languages, spoken Aramaic of the "Western" variety is limited to the residents of Maaloula, a village 50 kilometers (31 miles) north of the Syrian capital Damascus.

It is also the popular language of people in the nearby villages of Jaba'deen and Najafa, although it has to compete with Arabic, the official language of Syria, as well as the closely linked Syriac and Hebrew.

more casualties for FSA around Damascus.
roadkill at Derah.

nageshks wrote:Saar - the lady writing the article is Jennifer Rubin, a very prominent Tea Party supporter and neocon. She is American, not an Israeli.

de facto dual citizen due to jewish origin. Refer Israeli nationality law, Law of Return etc.

habal · Post by **habal** » 20 Jul 2013 10:54

Syrian Army gains control over Aleppo’s al-Rashedin district

The Syrian Army has gained full control over al-Rashedin District in the northern city of Aleppo following fresh advances in the strategic city.

Syrian soldiers seized al-Rashedin on Friday after fierce fighting with foreign-backed Takfiri militants across Aleppo, where they destroyed a hideout used by militants for rigging vehicles with explosives.

Army units killed a large number of terrorists near al-Ashrafieh, al-Sheikh Maksoud and al-Khalidieh districts and destroyed large caches of weapons and ammunitions used by the militants.

Elsewhere, Syrian troops targeted several militant headquarters in the western city of Homs and the southwestern city of Dara’a, just north of the border with Jordan, killing and wounding a number of them.

Meanwhile, a commander of the notorious al-Nusra Front was killed during infighting between terrorist gangs in Barzeh, near the Syrian capital.

Fierce clashes continue between Kurdish fighters and Takfiri militants who accuse most Islamic sects of being infidels.

The fighting is mostly focused on towns and villages near the flashpoint town of Ras al-Ayn, which was recently seized by Kurdish fighters.

More than 40 people have been killed since the clashes erupted on Tuesday.

Syria has been experiencing deadly unrest since 2011. Many people including large numbers of security and army personnel have been killed in the violence, which has forced millions of others to flee their homes.

Damascus says the chaos is being orchestrated from outside the country, and there are reports that a very large number of the militants are foreign nationals.

The Syrian government says the West and its regional allies -- especially Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and Turkey -- are supporting the militants.

http://www.presstv.ir/detail/2013/07/19 ... -district/

Syrian pro-Assad Kurdish fighters clash with al-Qaida-linked rebels in northeast

The Kurdish forces, which back Syrian President Bashar Assad, have battled rebels from radical Islamic groups in the northeastern province of Hassakeh and the northern region of Aleppo for months now.
Fighting broke out again on Tuesday, according to the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.
The group, which has a network of activists on the ground, said the dead since Tuesday included 15 Kurdish fighters of the pro-government Kurdish Democratic Union Party, or PYD. It said 28 al-Qaida-linked fighters from the Jabhat al-Nusra or Nusra Front and the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant have also died.
The Kurdish militiamen captured the oil-rich area of Suweidiyeh and also the town of Ras al-Ayn near the border with Turkey, the Observatory said. It added that Friday's fighting focused mostly on towns and villages near Ras al-Ayn.

Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/world/2013/07/19 ... z2ZYuNDWnN

Philip · Post by **Philip** » 20 Jul 2013 12:45

Well known US strategic analysts Prof. Stephen Cohen was in a talk show,where he blamed "primarily" Washington for many of the situations today ,saying that it had not given Russia anything in return for Moscow adjustng its foreign policy in certain hotspots to suit US interests.

In Georgia for example,Prof. Cohen said that the US mil. was supporting the Georgian forces to the hilt,and also mentioned the Syrian conflict,where Russia had suspended sales of S-300s to Syria,Iran also because the US had asked it.The US wanted Russia to have only a "junior" relationship with it,not an equal one,and wanted Russia to compromise where it suited US interests only.Libya is one area where in the guise of protecting civilians,the West/US actually used this as a fig leaf to enforce regime change.

The US was now trying to do the same in Syria and regardless of the total chaos amongst the anti-Assad rebels,many of whom were hard core Al Q sympathisers,bitter enemies of the US,wanting to pour in arms and unseat Assad any which way.Until the US and Russia worked together as equals to defuse crises ,we would witness more chaos in hotspots warned Cohen.

Now the US is planning mil. intervention in Syria after the disasters and retreat in Iraq,Af-Pak and sponsoring chaos in the Middle east through the "Arab Spring".

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2013/ju ... in-dempsey

Obama considering military power in Syria, top general tells Senate
Chairman of joint chiefs Martin Dempsey tells armed services committee that he has provided Obama with options for use of force

The top US military officer told a Senate panel Thursday the Obama administration is deliberating whether to use military power in Syria, where a civil war entering its third year has killed almost 93,000 people.

Amid an increasing clamor among President Assad's opposition for active US involvement, General Martin Dempsey, chairman of the joint chiefs, said during congressional testimony that he has provided President Barack Obama with options for the use of force. But he declined to detail those choices, saying "it would be inappropriate for me to try to influence the decision with me rendering an opinion in public about what kind of force we should use."

Dempsey made his remarks after Senator John McCain, a leading Republican, asked him which approach in Syria would carry a greater risk: continued limited action on the part of Washington or more significant actions such as the establishment of a no-fly zone and arming the rebel forces with the weapons they need to stem the advance of President Assad's forces.

"Senator, I am in favor of building a moderate opposition and supporting it," Dempsey said. "The question whether to support it with direct kinetic strikes … is a decision for our elected officials, not for the senior military leader of the nation."

The use of kinetic strikes, a military term that typically refers to missiles and bombs, "is under deliberation inside of our agencies of government," Dempsey said.

Asked about Dempsey's comments, White House spokesman Jay Carney said Obama always asks his military commanders for options "and that is true in an arena like Syria." He said the president is constantly reviewing US options in Syria.

"There are a whole range of options that are out there," said navy admiral James Winnefeld, vice chairman of the joint chiefs, said of the planning for military action in Syria. "We are ready to act if we're called on to act."

McCain later told a group of reporters he plans to block Dempsey's confirmation, saying he was dissatisfied with the answers to the questions Dempsey was asked about Syria.

I want to see him answer the question," McCain said. "Hello!"

Seeking a compromise, Senator Carl Levin, a Democrat and the committee chairman, asked Dempsey to provide the panel by early next week with an unclassified list of options and the general's assessment of the pros and cons of each. Levin made clear he is not asking Dempsey to share his personal opinion on whether or not to use force in Syria. Dempsey agreed to provide the list.

Levin said he hoped the assessment from Dempsey would give McCain "greater reassurance".

"I don't know if it will, but that was the way in which I think a legitimate issue needs to be addressed," Levin told reporters.

Dempsey acknowledged in response to a question from Senator Lindsey Graham, a Republican, that Assad's forces have the upper hand in Syria.

"Currently the tide seems to have shifted in his favor," the general said.

The armed services committee is considering Dempsey's and Winnefeld's nominations for a second term. The Democratic-led committee is all but certain to approve the reappointments.

Leading senators including Levin and McCain, have been pressing Obama to take a more forceful approach to defeat Assad's forces. While the administration has authorized lethal aid to rebel forces battling Assad's troops, it isn't trying to enforce a no-fly zone in which Syria's combat aircraft would be barred from flying, or otherwise intervene militarily to halt the war.

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world ... 14699.html

Prominent Syrian commentator and leading Assad supporter assassinated in Lebanon

Austin · Post by **Austin** » 20 Jul 2013 17:00

How is Libya doing these days both Politically and Economically ? Is things back to good times on both front ?

devesh · Post by **devesh** » 20 Jul 2013 17:45

so now if someone happens to be Jewish and we don't like what they have to say, we will revert to Yellow Star tactics and call them "Israelis", eh? Hindus should be careful on this path. let's not forget, the majority of the world's people following Islam or Christianism have no love lost for the Hindus/Pagans/heathen. the practice of singling out the hated "other" could as easily be enforced on us in Islamic countries, as it was on the Jews since long ago. It's a disgrace for us to practice it on Jews, even if we believe in all the CT's.

Surya · Post by **Surya** » 21 Jul 2013 20:14

RoyG wrote:
brihaspati wrote:I am still waiting for Assadfall and his Najibullaization. US arms, something very very big from Saudis within 24 hrs, Israelis wiping off hezb and Russian supplies - Assads days have been limited for days for 700+days. There must have been advanced reports of these from sources? Why are we being starved of news?
Shyamd, where art thou?

[Edited potential flame bait. Don't repeat it again. Thanks, ramana]

Kati · Post by **Kati** » 22 Jul 2013 02:28

It's not that I'm terribly upset for "something biggg" hasn't happened
on the Syrian front as it was about to happen. I'm more interested in
knowing what prevented that "something biggg" from happening? Is it
the Snowden saga? is it unkil and auntie's cold feet to arm FSA? is it
stoppage of any more defection from SAA? Is it Russia's warning?.......or what?
Shyand-ji, plez plez......give us some hints......

Kati · Post by **Kati** » 22 Jul 2013 02:29

^^^^
I think it is the Egyptian apple cart that made all calculations go wrong.

Surya · Post by **Surya** » 22 Jul 2013 04:19

from the glorious enlightened city emirate of dubai -

what a wonderful world - women gets raped and then jailed

http://tinyurl.com/kjh8fxy

PS: of course the author in full genius mode lumps all Asians

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 22 Jul 2013 21:53

mass jailbreaks in Iraq
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-23403564

Hundreds of inmates have escaped from two Iraqi prisons after gunmen stormed two jails near Baghdad.

Fighting raged for several hours after the jails - Abu Ghraib to the west of the capital and Taji to the north - came under attack.

Mortar fire and suicide bombs were used to gain access to the jails, whose inmates include al-Qaeda prisoners.

At least 20 members of the security forces were killed as they struggled to regain control.

A senior Iraqi MP, Hakim Al-Zamili, said that about 500 prisoners had escaped from the notorious Abu Ghraib prison.

Most of them were senior members of al-Qaeda who had been sentenced to death, he told Reuters news agency.

"It's obviously a terrorist attack carried out by al-Qaeda to free convicted terrorists with al-Qaeda," the agency quoted an unnamed security official as saying.

Abu Ghraib was used to torture opponents of the regime during Saddam Hussein's rule, and its infamy increased in 2004 when photographs were published showing detainees being abused by US guards.

The prison attacks were launched at about 21:30 (18:30 GMT) on Sunday night.

Gunmen fired mortar rounds at the prisons, and then used car bombs at the entrances.

The situation was eventually brought back under control on Monday morning, with the use of military helicopters.

The Iraqi authorities initially said that the attackers had failed to free the prisoners in Taji and Abu Ghraib. They said security forces reacted quickly enough to seal the area and cut off any escape route.

But it quickly emerged that they were wrong, as reports came out that at least 500 prisoners had indeed managed to escape. The government had to admit that "some" prisoners had escaped, without saying how many.

In the past, several attacks on prisons have resulted in dozens of inmates being freed, as well as records and precious information about them being destroyed or stolen.

In Mosul, too, the army took a painful hit, another reminder that the northern city remains one of the most dangerous for security forces in Iraq.

It is not just Mosul, however, and not just the security forces that are suffering. Continuous waves of attacks across the country have exposed the government's chronic failure to secure the country.

Iraqi authorities initially denied any prisoners had escaped in the attacks, but now acknowledge "some" prisoners escaped.

The Interior Minister, Wissam al-Firaiji, said the attackers, who he called "terrorists," had been well-armed.

"The attack against Taji jail alone was carried out by nine suicide bombers and three car bombs driven by suicide bombers," he told reporters.

"The attackers also lobbed more than 100 mortar shells," he added. "The inmates are now under control,"

Northern flashpoint
Elsewhere in Iraq, two attacks on security forces in the northern city of Mosul killed 33 people, officials said.

A man drove a vehicle packed with explosives up to a military convoy.

"A suicide bomber was following the convoy and when it stopped in the middle of road he detonated his vehicle right behind it," a policeman told Reuters news agency.

A group of soldiers and at least two passers-by were among the dead, officials said.

A second attack was launched on a group of policemen, several of whom were killed when gunmen stormed their checkpoint.

Mosul, 360km (220 miles) north-west of Baghdad, is one of Iraq's major flashpoints.

Insurgent groups such as al-Qaeda have found the city a fertile recruiting ground.

It is the capital of the Sunni-dominated Nineveh province, and many Iraqi Sunnis resent the Shia-led government, correspondents say.

It is unclear who was behind the incidents, but there has been a recent escalation in violence across Iraq.

More than 200 people have been killed since the start of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, and 2,500 Iraqis have died in violent attacks since April, according to UN figures released this month

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 22 Jul 2013 21:54

100 mortar shells would mean a proper batallion level mortar battery setup 5-10 tubes and rained fire for a few mins.

Khorasan is boiling, but seems no alignment whether the Madhi would be shia or sunni

Kati · Post by **Kati** » 22 Jul 2013 23:30

Why Blacklisting Hezbollah is Pointless
http://www.theatlantic.com/internationa ... ss/277987/

devesh · Post by **devesh** » 23 Jul 2013 03:07

Kati wrote:Why Blacklisting Hezbollah is Pointless
http://www.theatlantic.com/internationa ... ss/277987/

Israel better watch out. this is usually how the chorus starts.

habal · Post by **habal** » 23 Jul 2013 10:48

Apparently the announced operation after the Quseir campaign, called the "Northern Storm", to take over Aleppo was a smokescreen, and the actual target of the Alawite regime was the central province of Homs. Huge campaign in Homs & south of Damascus has seen about 75 rebels dead on Sunday alone.

some rebels who were killed in airstrikes on the Turkish border near the eastern province of Deyr-al-Zor.
http://trutube.tv/video/4011/Syria-Spec ... r-YouTube-

The fighting in Homs, Syria's third-largest city 90 miles north of Damascus, is reported to be fierce. The Syrian army is reported to have made some advances in the battered city, the cradle of the uprising to topple Assad in March 2011, but rebel resistance is said to be intense.
However, the rebels are reported to be running low on ammunition, and resorting to suicide attacks on the advancing regime forces, which might suggest that another Assad victory is within reach amid a fierce artillery and air bombardment of rebel positions.
Some rebels have reportedly sneaked out of the city because they have no weapons to carry on the fight.
After Assad's troops took Qusair, the word was that the regime's next target was Aleppo in the north, where rebels hold much of the city. In June, regime officials even announced the start of "Operation Northern Storm" aimed at overrunning the city.
But no major offensive took place there. "The Aleppo operation may have been a feint all along," drawing rebel forces away from Homs, Badran cautioned.
"A major operation in northern Syria was never the logical move after Qusair. The real, strategically coherent next step always was in Homs and Damascus and their countryside along the border with Lebanon."
This is just where regime forces and Hezbollah, whose fighters have become Assad's shock troops have been concentrating, seizing small towns and villages, and where they're likely to continue doing so in the months ahead.
Consolidating the western region south to the outskirts of Damascus, where the rebels hold several districts, and the corridor all the way to the Alawite heartland in the northwest appears to be regime's primary objective.

http://www.bignewsnetwork.com/index.php ... not-Aleppo

As a reflection of the sectarian nature of conflict, the Syrian Army has retaliated to the rebel mortar attack on the Sayyida Zainab Mosque near Damascus by airstrikes against the Khalid Ibn Al-Walid mosque revered by Sunnis in Homs province.

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 23 Jul 2013 15:42

these mosques seem to have a more decorated and ornate european/turki/eastern orthodox xtian look than the pure-play bare bones 'wahabi warrior' churches of the gulf and TSP.

Lalmohan · Post by **Lalmohan** » 23 Jul 2013 19:27

singha - when the wahabbis stormed into egypt in the nineteenth century, they ransacked the mosques and burned the art work and the ornate korans - all for being too haraam

the egyptians got them back - slaughtered them like dogs; but when they executed the grandson of wahab, first they forced him to listen to violin music - as a means of haraam torture before 72's

the arab world should be thought of in three blocks culturally and in terms of relative sophistication - maghreb, levant and the wilderness zones of the peninsula only fit for the ibex, oryx and the bedu

shyamd · Post by **shyamd** » 24 Jul 2013 02:11

Kati wrote:It's not that I'm terribly upset for "something biggg" hasn't happened
on the Syrian front as it was about to happen. I'm more interested in
knowing what prevented that "something biggg" from happening? Is it
the Snowden saga? is it unkil and auntie's cold feet to arm FSA? is it
stoppage of any more defection from SAA? Is it Russia's warning?.......or what?
Shyand-ji, plez plez......give us some hints......

No idea, probably ramadan and chemical weapons. Any intervention will require western approval for weapons/a/c servicing and so on.

Part of it was the release of more Anti tank weapons and limited SAMs.

Egypt was planned in coordination with the gulf - refer to my post the sunday before the events.

Meanwhile, as I mentioned earlier this year -

U.S. military prepares for potential chemical weapons in Syria
http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-18563_162-5 ... -in-syria/

French had their exercise last month and told the US, UK etc they only have confidence to handle 1 out of the 12/13 sites in Syria. They are preparing for now. UK is calling more NBC vehicles that were retired due to spendng cuts.

habal · Post by **habal** » 24 Jul 2013 07:42

A fact hitherto unhighlighted in western media coverage of egypt.

Morsi’s Decision to Cut Ties with Syria instead of Zionist Regime Rages Egyptians
Head of Mission Interest Section of the Arab Republic of Egypt in Tehran pointed out the ousted President of Egypt, Morsi’s decision as to cut Cairo’s ties with Syria and to close down Damascus embassy in Cairo and said: “The decision erupted the fury and anger of the Egyptian nation.”
Khaled Emara, head of the Interest Section of the Arab Republic of Egypt in Tehran called the recent demonstrations in Cairo and other major cities of Egypt as “normal” and “a part of the political trend” as well as “essential” for peace in the country and emphasized that Egyptian law guarantees the right to stage peaceful demonstrations and freedom of speech for the people.
He rejected that a coup or a new revolution has occurred in Egypt saying “what has recently taken place in Egypt is one of the waves of the January 25th revolution and the army has stepped up to support peaceful movements by the nation, providing security for the people.”
...

Regarding Morsi’s, the ousted President’s decision to cut Cairo’s ties with Syria and to close Damascus embassy in Cairo he stated that: “The decision erupted the fury and anger of the Egyptian nation.”
Emara further added: “People are saying why ties with Syria should be cut while relations with Israel are maintained, and in fact they are right.”

http://www.islamicinvitationturkey.com/ ... egyptians/

http://sana.sy/eng/337/2013/07/23/493738.htm

Al-Qaeda-linked Jabhat al-Nusra terrorists confess to perpetrating terrorist acts

Finally a mischievous label actually helps in a mask falling off
revealing the real movers&shakers behind al-keeda

Hezbollah gets “terrorist” label for fighting al-Qaeda

On Monday, the European Union formally labeled Hezbollah a “terrorist” group.

Why?

Because Hezbollah has gone to war with al-Qaeda.

But wait a minute - wasn't al-Qaeda supposed to be the worst terrorist group in the world? Isn't the West leading a “global war on terror” whose main target is al-Qaeda? Shouldn't the West be thanking Hezbollah, and showering it with rewards, for turning against global terrorist enemy number one?

Apparently not.

Al-Qaeda is now the West's darling in Syria. So anybody who resists al-Qaeda - as Hezbollah recently decided to do - is a “terrorist.”

The irony doesn't get any thicker than that.

http://www.presstv.ir/detail/2013/07/23 ... g-alqaeda/

panduranghari · Post by **panduranghari** » 24 Jul 2013 17:54

link

Disillusioned by the Islamist twist that the "revolution" in Syria has taken, exhausted after more than two years of conflict and feeling that they are losing, growing numbers of rebels are signing up to a negotiated amnesty offered by the Assad regime.

-------

UK, USA are going to be very disappointed with this news. Perhaps they will try engineer something to ensure their investment is not wasted.

Perhaps ShyamD is on to something.

shyamd wrote: Meanwhile, as I mentioned earlier this year -

U.S. military prepares for potential chemical weapons in Syria
http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-18563_162-5 ... -in-syria/

French had their exercise last month and told the US, UK etc they only have confidence to handle 1 out of the 12/13 sites in Syria. They are preparing for now. UK is calling more NBC vehicles that were retired due to spendng cuts.

Virupaksha · Post by **Virupaksha** » 24 Jul 2013 19:07

http://www.jpost.com/Middle-East/Syria- ... ppo-320636

can I have a map of what areas Assad controls and rebels control??

Seems like Assad is losing Aleppo, his nerve centre. Did he trade that to take control over qusair?

Philip · Post by **Philip** » 24 Jul 2013 19:12

Habal,surely Morsi's decision would go against MB's policies? The development about the tunnels to Gaza being closed down by the Egyptians indicates that the Egyptian crisis has a pro and anti-Israel dimension.

member_27444 · Post by **member_27444** » 24 Jul 2013 22:37

Balanced and good background article on Syria before the instigation of "revolution"

http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2009/ ... /belt-text

Multatuli · Post by **Multatuli** » 24 Jul 2013 23:24

habal wrote (page 238):

Meanwhile Somalis arrested in Aqaba Jordan, attempting to bring the same quiet tranquil they experience daily in Somaliland to Syria.

I think the Syrian Army should summarily execute all foreign "fighters" (or rather terrorists), they have every right to do so. Of course, some could be imprisoned for propaganda purposes or to be used in prisoner exchanges (I am assuming that the FSA terrorists actually take prisoners), but the bulk of those foreign terrorists must be executed without delay. And I particularly detest those Somali terrorists.

vishvak · Post by **vishvak** » 24 Jul 2013 23:40

Also force no fly zone over countries that throw in rabid jihadis onto Syrians - Turkey , Jordan, KSA, and so on?

RoyG · Post by **RoyG** » 25 Jul 2013 01:20

Virupaksha wrote:http://www.jpost.com/Middle-East/Syria- ... ppo-320636

can I have a map of what areas Assad controls and rebels control??

Seems like Assad is losing Aleppo, his nerve centre. Did he trade that to take control over qusair?

Assad may lose a few battles here and there but he has the momentum. The Russians, Chinese, Iranians, and Hezbollah will make sure he doesn't fall anytime soon.