West Asia News and Discussions

[ramana]

Surya, Was that necessary? Suggest you edit. Nothing is served by throwing barbs at other posters.

[habal]

All weapon supplies are now rerouted from Turkey to Jordan and thus the port of Aqaba is now a rather busy site since Erdogan has ordered closure of all turkish corridors of weapons supply to Syria due to intense pressure from his own people. Domestic pressure on Erdogan has worked, and he has now buckled under that pressure. What is going underreported in international media is that the Turkish civic agitations were all about Erdogan becoming cat's paw in western plans and not so much about park closing down etc. And thus the focus has now shifted to Jordan.

Al Nusra is losing heavily in Aleppo due to unplanned assaults on regime positions. Some 34 rebels were killed yesterday in mistimed and ill-executed attacks in Aleppo & East Ghouta. 19 trucks supplying rebels with the latest 'anti-aircraft & anti-tank missiles' from Saudi Arabia were destroyed in Wadi Al-Arqoob and Al-Naassiriyaa/Al-Humayra road.

Saudi Intelligence increasingly looks an oxymoron.

[Lalmohan]

how many of these "rebels" are rich kids on summer camp from saudi, qatar and uae?

[habal]

many fit that profile, but then there are all kinds. Syrian sources also report that MI6 or British Intelligence has completed training of the biological son of Abu Musab Al Zarqawi and are preparing to finally launch him into action in Syria. His real name is Abdullah Ibn Ahmad Fadheel Al-Nazzaal Al-Khalaayila. He has been codenamed A-1. And there would be some stunningly gruesome act fit for Wahabbi tastes like beheading, limb chopping or head hoisting event to launch him with requisite fanfare into the warzone, and so that the enemy are frightened into submission at the very mention of such wahabbi names.

Saudi's might be sending more wahabbi hotheads into Syria without much planning also because they have to face that less hotheads back home in any crunch situation. Wah Wah .. heads I win, tails you lose.

[Agnimitra]

X-post from Islamism & Islamophobia thread:

300 Western Converts to Islam Captured Fighting in Syria

Damascus, 18 June (AKI) – Several hundred westerners including Italians have been captured fighting alongside rebels seeking to overthrow president Bashar al-Assad, government sources told Adnkronos on Tuesday.

“We are holding 300 westerners, of whom six or seven are Italian, according to the information I have. They are all converts to Islam,” the source said.

Converts to Islam are particularly dangerous because they are eager to prove their loyalty and have nothing but Islam in their life anymore.

One of the good things about the Syrian Civil War is that it is diverting the sort of people who would otherwise be killing Westerners.

[Austin]

Egypt mob attack kills four Shia Muslims near Cairo

Four Egyptian Shia Muslims have been killed in a mob attack in a village near the capital Cairo, officials say.

The attack on Sunday targeted a house where a group of Shia worshippers had gathered for a religious ceremony.

The attackers accused those gathered of trying to spread Shia beliefs, reports say.

Shia Muslims are a small minority in predominantly Sunni Muslim Egypt, but anti-Shia rhetoric has increased recently due to the conflict in Syria.

Eyewitnesses told the BBC that an anti-Shia crowd numbering at least several hundred formed around the house.

The mob then reportedly demanded the Shia leave the house before storming it and trying to set it alight.

Images from the incident show the victims being dragged through the streets.

One of those killed was a local Shia leader, Hassan Shehata, officials say.

Eight others were injured in the attack, according to security sources.

A health ministry spokesman told Egypt's Mena news agency that the bodies "showed numerous puncture wounds and severe bruising".

One eyewitness, Hazem Barakat, told the Ahram newspaper that police stood by and did nothing to stop the attack.

As in other countries in the region, anti-Shia rhetoric has been on the rise in Egypt due to the civil war in Syria, which has often been described in sectarian terms.

Earlier this month, an influential Egyptian cleric called on Sunni Muslims to go to Syria to join the battle against President Bashar al-Assad.

[Austin]

Russian Naval Intelligence in the Middle East

Russia has stationed one of its advanced intelligence vessels in the Middle East in order to follow Western readiness for a potential strike in Syria

Last week, Israel conducted an extensive military exercise that saw the participation of the IDF ground forces, the Israeli Navy and the IAF. The precise goals of the exercise were not made public and remained a secret. However, assessments are that it was aimed towards Israel's northern arena - towards the tension with Syria and Hezbollah.

What was not known was that at the same time, the Russian Navy vessel CCB-201 - one of the Russian Navy's largest intelligence vessels - was present in the waters of the Mediterranean Sea. The CCB-201 is no ordinary intelligence vessel, but rather a naval intelligence gathering unit which is similar in its characteristics to Israel's Unit 8200 - a SIGINT collection and decryption unit capable of intercepting and listening to military transmissions between naval vessels and aircraft in the Mediterranean Sea.

[shyamd]

The 4th sighting of the previously unseen HJ-8 anti-tank missile in the past 36 hours https://t.co/xppgD0eK2g

[Austin]

India’s Energy Ties with Iran Unsettle Washington

[Austin]

Qatar's emir to hand power to son

The emir of the small but economically strong Gulf state of Qatar, a major diplomatic broker that has played a key role in the Arab spring, is set to transfer power to his son in a first for the Arab world.

"The royal palace announces that Qatar's emir, Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani, will address the Qatari people at 8:00 am (0500 GMT) on Tuesday," said a statement carried by the official QNA news agency.

An official said the emir will "announce the transfer of his powers to his son", Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani.

The palace statement declared Tuesday an official holiday in the gas-rich nation which has punched above its weight in recent years.

Qatar-based satellite television channel Al-Jazeera said the emir met "with the royal family and prominent members of Qatari society. He has informed the meeting of his decision to hand power over to his crown prince."

Sheikh Hamad, who used Qatar's immense gas wealth to drive its modernisation and transform it into a major player on the world's diplomatic scene, came to power in a coup in which he overthrew his father Sheikh Khalifa in Al-Jazeera reported earlier that the emir's planned meeting with royals and prominent members of society "comes amid news about the intentions of the emir to transfer power to his heir apparent".

A diplomat said that by stepping down of his free accord the 61-year-old emir would "score a first in the Arab world," where autocratic rulers held power uncontested for decades until the Arab Spring revolutions that toppled regimes in Tunisia, Egypt and Libya.
Read more: http://english.ruvr.ru/news/2013_06_24/ ... -son-0180/

[shyamd]

Sort of relevant: #BreakingNews Interfax: #Cyprus ready to provide #Paphos base for the use of #Russia Air Force

[Kati]

^^^^
If the above is true then it makes sense with the latest developments.
Cyprus is very upset with EU countries for not coming to its financial rescue.
Also, Cypriot banks are heavily dependent on russians millionaire's deposits.
Hence Cyprus is trying to woo Putin.

[svinayak]

India’s Energy Ties with Iran Unsettle Washington

The author is trying to talk about India foreign policy instead of India oil contracts with Iran.

They are using India's oil energy needs to control India;s foreign policy. The author thinks that Indians are stupid and dont understand

[shyamd]

Asad will say this now but lets see what happens after Geneva II

Syrian regime: don’t expect Assad’s resignation at Geneva talk

The Syrian government will not go to the Geneva talks to hand over power and the opposition should not “bother” going if they expect President Bashar al-Assad to resign, Syria’s foreign minister said on Monday.
Walid al-Muallem said Assad will not step down. “If your condition is President Assad’s resignation, don’t bother coming,” he said at a Damascus press conference.
Muallem slammed the decision by “Friends of Syria” to arm the rebels, saying the move would only prolong the war.
“What was decided in Doha is serious because it aims to prolong the crisis, violence, and killing and encourage terrorism.”
He said rebel fighters had little prospect of matching the power of Assad’s army despite foreign support.

“If they expect or fantasize that they can create a balance of power, I think they will need to wait years for that to happen,” Muallem added.

Just now: UAE FM tweets to Lebanese PM, "When do you plan on imposing the state's sovereignty on Hezbollah?"

In other big news. Took em decades but they finally did it:
UAE Signs Expat Accommodation Law

http://t.co/XN89Qth0fl

-------
Qatar sheikh Hamad steps aside for son Emir Tamim bin Hamad
Only 33. BRF ahead of the curve as always

[Austin]

Cedric Maps are known to be biased and is he pro-FSA guy.

[Lalmohan]

northern cyprus is practically turkey - they will be on the other side of this conflict

[shyamd]

Cedric Maps are known to be biased and is he pro-FSA guy.

No idea... I think they run an organisation called Arab Chronicle... They update these maps every week. As far as I'm aware thats fairly accurate because Hezbollah & SAA did re-take Khan Al Asal last month. But sort of misleading - because you see the YPG flags - they are considered neutral and sometimes they favour SAA, sometimes FSA.

[brihaspati]

These are militants based in North West Yemen on the border with Saudi. They waged a big war in 2004 - 2009/10. They are a sect known as Zaidi - which is supposedly an offshoot of Shia islam.
They started off with fight against Yemeni military and then Saudis intervened.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shia_insurgency_in_Yemen

Saudis didn't fair well - the regular army was rescued by other units - I think SANG. TSPAF were helping the RSAF in air operations. Although majority of operations were led by the ground forces.

It was this failure that led the Saudis to ask India to help teach them Mountain warfare and set up a school there.

Didn't Yemen or a part of it have a communist government for a time? I don't remember seeing too much discussion of pure commie memes (as opposed to the Baathist nasserite memes) in the arab world. It would be instructive if some of the gurus could elucidate on this aspect, and maybe give some thoughts as to the possibility of using communism as a lever to undermine the salafi stranglehold.

Throughout Arab world, "leftist-Marxist" memes had appeared from the 30's. But they were systematically killed off beginning with the Iraqi military left, then the Iranian communists through Shah and Khomeini, and of course the Marxist leaning sections in Lebanon [tackled cleverly through the civil war], Egypt, Algeria, etc . The Yemeni Marxists were first drawn into a deceptive unification, and then taken out systematically once the unification was completed. Since USSR fell before, there was no intervention or backing up of the left and they were practically wiped off.

The strategy employed by the Saudi-West combine was exactly the same as followed in AFG or Caucasus - use insecurity and jealousy of tribal leaders and Islamic clergy to physically liquidate. It is thought that a lot of the committed left in Yemen now operate under Shia forces for survival reasons, and are regrouping also as part of the banned but still active Iranian communist movement - many holed up in neighbouring Kazakhstan.

The US has toyed with giving some help to the Iranian communists. But that is an entirely different ball-game better not discussed.

[shyamd]

Kerry met Saudi FM and Bandar.... Saudis were very pissed off at Kerry and the US over Syria. But to sum it all up - "Have fun in Geneva - we have a war to fight".

[RoyG]

SAA took Talkalakh. They can now push into adjacent towns used to smuggle in weapons.

[Austin]

Syrian al-Qaida branch claims suicide attacks

A Syrian branch of al-Qaida on Tuesday claimed responsibility for multiple suicide attacks on security compounds in Damascus that killed at least five people in a weekend assault on the center of the regime's power.

The claim by Jabhat al-Nusra — its first in months — came as the U.N.'s special representative trying to end Syria's civil war said hopes for convening a peace conference next month are fading.

Jabhat al-Nusra claimed responsibility for Sunday's attacks in a statement posted on a militant website, warning Assad that his "criminal regime" should know that its fighters "do not fear any confrontation with the enemies."

The group said it sent seven suicide bombers wearing Syrian military uniforms to break into a police station in northern Damascus and a security compound in a southern district of the capital.

It also posted pictures claiming to show the attackers. Their faces blurred, the men are seen wearing military uniforms and holding Kalashnikov rifles as they sit on the ground with black Jabhat al-Nusra banners hanging behind them.

The Nusra Front has emerged as the most effective rebel force fighting to oust President Bashar Assad.

[Austin]

Catholic Priest Executed as Foreign Arms Flood into Syria

On Sunday, June 23, Syrian Catholic priest François Murad was murdered in the locality of Gassanieh, northern Syria, according to a statement from the Custody of the Holy Land sent to the Fides Agency.

Murad was targeted by armed militants, while he was residing at the monastery, which was dedicated to Saint Simon Stylite

“The world must know that the support of gunmen by the west is helping extremists in killing Syrians”, Pizzaballa said, adding that, “with such stances, not a single Christian will remain in the East.”

According to local sources, the monastery was raided by gunmen, who proceeded to execute François Murad, loot and burn the building. Four-thousand people are reported to have since fled the area.

Christians in Syria are being increasing targeted by sectarian armed groups in Syria, of which there are between several hundred and over a thousand.

In May, a Christian village located in Homs countryside, was overrun by armed men and it’s entire population massacred.

Two Christian bishops who were kidnapped by Chechen gunmen in Aleppo earlier this year, are still missing.

Pictures tell the story

Syria Militants Massacre Christian Village Population ( Graphic Images )

[habal]

Vatican against arming of Islamist rebels.

After murder of a franciscan monsigneur at Al-Ghassanniyya Francois Muraad's vicious murder at hands of Jabhal Al-Nusra, the al-qaeda allied faction of rebels backed by Barak Obama. This has further galvanized the Vatican against any further arming of the Islamist rebels.

[Shanmukh]

Vatican against arming of Islamist rebels.

After murder of a franciscan monsigneur at Al-Ghassanniyya Francois Muraad's vicious murder at hands of Jabhal Al-Nusra, the al-qaeda allied faction of rebels backed by Barak Obama. This has further galvanized the Vatican against any further arming of the Islamist rebels.

I don't think Vatican has much clout with Obama administration. And what is more, there is a peck order among the Christians, when it comes to the US. The safety of (Orthodox) Christians of the middle east does not rank high in their list of priorities.

[habal]

well, whatever floats your boat

meanwhile at Idlib, 39 Chechens killed in major assault. 11 others are still not identified. With this the total number of Chechens in Idlib is down to zero.
In Al-Sha'aar, Aleppo, 100 Freak Syrian Army rebels were killed when the IED-laden truck exploded right in midst of their quarter.
Syrian Security Services foiled an attempt by a C-4 laden (200 lb explosives) Hyundai Verna from exploding near multistory living quarters in Damascus. Advanced explosive detectors were used in identifying the vehicle and stifling the igniting mechanism.

[Lalmohan]

the christian monasteries of the middle east are historical treasure troves of artefacts, icons and manuscripts - i guess we are going to lose them all

[Shanmukh]

the christian monasteries of the middle east are historical treasure troves of artefacts, icons and manuscripts - i guess we are going to lose them all

As far as the west is concerned, they are also (mostly) heretic Christians. Assyrians, Copts and Syrians are all Orthodox, Jacobites, or Monophysites. Their lives do not have much value for the West. And most Christian monasteries have been looted several times, Lalmohan-ji, by various conquerors. What remains is only a fraction of the original glory. I don't think the West puts all that much importance on them .....

[habal]

Vatican, though not seemingly an overt power. Is very much part of the deep state that controls US & EU. Heard of the Opus Dei ? Now this monsigneur Francois Muraad, is a Jesuit or Franciscan monk type, who is one of the remaining traces of Roman Catholic presence in the 'holy land'.
http://www.asianews.it/news-en/Custos-o ... 28294.html. These jesuit monks are the eyes and ears of the Vatican, a veritable network of informers and rest assured that this organisation has not come thus far without looking after & preserving it's own parts.

[habal]

muslim brother hood is part of very long term plan.

Khaled Meshal was recruited by the CIA sometime in 1971 and was instructed to join the Muslim Brotherhood. He was to organize Palestinian students and penetrate Islamist groups while he was in Kuwait and Jordan. He did exactly that. The CIA informed Jordanian and Israeli intelligence about Meshal with clearly inflated ideas about his potential. They were encouraged to build up his persona and there’s no better way to do that than to allow him to survive an assassination attempt. Now he was legitimate. He was targeted by the enemy for his (non-existent) role in military operations for Hamas (he had zero military experience). The people respected him. Unfortunately, so did Iran which saw in him and Hamas a pathway into Palestinian politics. The Iranians convinced the new Syrian president, Dr. Bashar Al-Assad, to go along and allow the Muslim Brotherhood into Damascus, just this one time. What a mistake that was.

http://www.mideastpress.org/untold-stor ... ed-meshal/

The US's Afghan Exit May Depend on a Syrian One

The single most critical reason for why Washington will not risk entering the Syrian military theater – almost entirely ignored by DC policy wonks – may be this: the 2014 US military withdrawal from Afghanistan.

“Help, we can’t get out”

There are around 750,000 major pieces of American military hardware costing approximately $36 billion sitting in Afghanistan right now. The cost of transporting this equipment out of the country is somewhere close to the $7 billion mark. It would be easier to destroy this stuff than removing it, but given tightening US budgets and lousy economic prospects, this hardware is unlikely to be replaced if lost.

Getting all this equipment into Afghanistan over the past decade was a lot easier than getting it out will be. For starters, much of it came via Pakistani corridors – before Americans began droning the hell out of that country and creating dangerous pockets of insurgents now blocking exit routes.

An alternative supply route through Afghan border states Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan and Tajikistan called the Northern Distribution Network was set up in 2009, but is costlier and longer than going via Pakistan. And human rights disputes, onerous conditions on transport and unpredictable domestic sentiment toward the Americans places far too much leverage over these routes in the hands of regional hegemon Russia.

Unlike Iraq, where the US could count on its control over the main ports and Arab allies along the Persian Gulf border, Afghanistan is landlocked, mountainous and surrounded by countries and entities now either hostile to US interests or open to striking deals with American foes.

In short, a smooth US exit from Afghanistan may be entirely dependent on one thing: the assistance of Russia, Iran, and to a lesser degree, China.

http://english.al-akhbar.com/blogs/sand ... syrian-one

[vinod]

I remember watching the "Lord of the war" movie and the Yuri, the arms dealer (Nicolas Cage) saying it is more expensive to get the equipment and weapons out than buy it outright new. So, they just leave it and go, which the arms dealer like him pick up and sell it to conflict areas.
So, I assume that it still applies. Now that US's exit options are very less and no time left, they would take only the critical and most expensive ones away leaving the small arms and others for jihadis to use. India is in for serious trouble, if those came our way!

[shyamd]

got some interesting stuff to detail on this Syrian saga. Stuff going on behind the scenes are just incredibly complex and tie into so many other issues - that its difficult for one person to keep track of everything going on.

[Manish_Sharma]

http://www.rediff.com/news/report/rambo ... id=fbshare

'Rambo' Modi's next mission: Save 'Indians' from Saudi crisis due to new job law, Nitaqat expected to hit by July 3...

Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi has started preparing the ground to rescue Indians who are expected to be deported from Saudi Arabia as it goes ahead with its new job law, Nitaqat. Sheela Bhatt reports

Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi has activated his officers to meet the crisis that is expected to be created by the new Saudi Arabian labour law Nitaqat, which is expected to come into effect from July 3

Sources told rediff.com that the Gujarat government has contacted Rajiv Mehrishi, secretary in the Overseas Indian Affairs ministry, and preparation are in full swing to meet the emergency.

The Modi administration thinks that once the new law is implemented, the Saudi government may start deporting Indian labour not fitting into the new conditions of their law.

The Nitaqat law makes it mandatory for local companies to hire one Saudi national for every 10 migrant workers.

The Saudi government has repeatedly stated that only "illegal blue-collar Indian workers" would be affected by the Nitaqat law, but India is likely to face unprecedented crisis if the government there implements the new law firmly.

Last month, Foreign Minister Salman Khurshid had met his counterpart Prince Saud Al Faisal in Jeddah to put forward the case of the Indian workers, who have been feeling insecure and fearing a likely crackdown by the Saudi authorities.

However, local companies can hire Indian workers who are either not having enough legal papers (living illegally in Saudi Arabia) or need the legal support to remain in the country beyond the July 3 deadline.

Out of Saudi Arabia’s 70 million expatriate workforce, around 20 per cent are Indians. Few local companies have come forward with job offers, but the deadline is too close to solve the issues.

Modi’s team has activated its machinery to face the eventuality of the Saudi government “forcing” Indian workers to return home.

[ramana]

got some interesting stuff to detail on this Syrian saga. Stuff going on behind the scenes are just incredibly complex and tie into so many other issues - that its difficult for one person to keep track of everything going on.

We all suffer a crisis of complexity. The need is to make it simple to comprehend.

The algorithm is:

- Have empathy for the audience
- Distill the complexity
- Clarify where needed


For starters you can bulletize the interesting stuff and let the mind speak.

[Austin]

All personnel withdrawn from Russian navy base in Syria - diplomat

Russia’s Deputy Foreign Minister says all personnel had been evacuated from the navy resupply base in Tartus, Syria, adding that not a single Russian military serviceman remained in the country.

Mikhail Bogdanov made the announcement in an interview with the Al-Hayat newspaper. “Presently, the Russian Defense Ministry has not a single person stationed in Syria. The base does not have any strategic military importance,” the newspaper quoted the Russian official as saying.

Russian media have verified the statement and the business daily Vedomosti quoted an unnamed source in the Defense Ministry as saying that this was true as all military and civilian personnel had been evacuated from the Tartus base and there were no Russian military instructors working with the Syrian military forces. The source added that the withdrawal was prompted not only by the increased risks caused by the ongoing military conflict, but also by the fact that in the current conditions any incident involving Russian servicemen would likely have some unfavorable reaction from the international community.

Russia currently has a 16-ship flotilla in the Mediterranean Sea but none of them has called at the port of Tartus in recent months and there were no reports of such plans.

Mikhail Bogdanov is also Russian President’s plenipotentiary for Middle East issues and he headed the Russian delegation at this week’s talks between Russia, US and UN on preparations of the major international conference on Syria, dubbed Geneva-2.

[shyamd]

^^ I am surprised - they were expanding the facility to have a base in IOR. Wonder if its disinfo for some reason.

----------------------
Thanks Ramana ji. Summarising the issues:
Chem Weapons - No intercepts of commanders ordering the use. No evidence of movement from the CW storage sites. French Evidence came from Damascus and Saraqeb. French have not conducted a proper ground verification yet on the evidence they collected. The lab that did the tests in France are providing assistance to docs in Syria - this lab is linked to the french military. British did their own tests from their own samples. So the conclusion now is that they used it for psychological effect rather than physiological effect (whatever this means).

West wants to arm a brigade of troops to fight the islamists. These guys refused to do so. The US are asking rebel commanders to fight the islamist battalions first. Again they are saying no because with absence of western support they need islamist support to fight Bashar forces (They say Bashar will grow stronger if they fight islamists and what happens if west says bye bye after islamists are destroyed?) and they'll take any help they get.

So things quite complicated at the moment. Bashar is using some of his takfiri networks that he built and incubated during Iraq insurgency days to do commit a few attrocities and blow it up in media.

For Saudi's - Syria performance is being used as a way to judge performance and who becomes the next CP. Also way to visit the capitals and influential people to get their support in the succession race. Miteb v mo bin nayef.

In the southern border - the US are actively stopping all the arms shipments with their influence. So at the moment KSA weapons deliveries are only coming thorugh from North. A lot of people are returning to their villages to defend them from camps in Jordan.

All the regional countries have their own issues with this conflict and deal with this for their own reasons, doing their own things, making their own moves and so on. Sometimes don't make sense (simply because we don't have all the info).

Hezbollah could intervene in the Lebanese camp of Ain al Hilweh - major base of recruitment for sunni jihadi's.

This is just a summarised version. But of course links with so many other regional issues in Jo, KSA, Qatar, Turkey, Iraq, Israel. So situation is very complex. Articles in the press only cover bits and pieces of this huge puzzle.

[ramana]

Sarin is nerve agent. To detect it after use one needs neuromuscular evaluation which is not easy with current gadgets in the field. Also looks like it was used as a warning and not on same scale as in Halabja by Saddam.

In your post even though its complex, looks like a stalemate with many things happening everywhere.

No major breakthrough yet.
- If Assad holds then all this is moot.
- If not its pandemonium.

[shyamd]

^^ Thanks. Theres more to it, I've either forgotten it or can't draw all the links yet. They are also organising alerts and community systems on how to deal with CW attack. French started providing sarin treatment medication
----------
But I think its a false stalemate in the sense the US - wants a political solution, hence is doing all that it can to ensure it stays a stalemate by preventing arms deliveries (even of russian maal not the Hi fi western eqpt). Reasons?

- Obama doesnt want to let either side militarily defeat the other as it just means more bloodshed.
- Rebels aren't representative of all communities. (although a christian member of FSA died today and people paid homage to him and reports inside appear to be largely a split in the community and same for alawis)
- Obama thinks breakdown or total replacement of state institutions (i.e a real revolution that replaces entire system) will make it a bigger mess and problem to get Syria back on its feet again (based on iraq experience). And this mess will create more problems in region.

Spoke to someone who fights in a Daraa based unit - he was saying they think they could liberate Daraa in 2 weeks if they wanted, province in 2 or 3 months, but are withdrawing because of lack of weapons or trying not to engage much. Jordanians thanks to the US are not allowing hardly any weapons in contrary to western press reports. Daraa military command (a number of units) issued a statement saying that reports are false of weapons being received from the US.

In some areas they had taken areas but were forced to withdraw with lack of weapons.

[habal]

So basically no weapons coming in from anywhere. Turkey was first shorted, next reports of Jordan also stopping supply. A huge pressure lobby has now built up on US to prevent arming of Al Nusra types and to wipe them off as vermin. Only after wiping off of this vermin will this campaign see any new direction, if at all. The best outcome the Al-Nusra types can hope for, is to be gathered in some town square and shot in the back of their skull.

Bashar al-Assad Not a Dictator, Says Former British Ambassador to Syria
Posted on June 25, 2013

Ex-diplomat Andrew Green defends Syrian ruler and accuses No 10 spin of failing to understand situation on the ground

Syrian president Bashar al-Assad is not a dictator – just a figurehead – according to a former British ambassador to Syria.

Sir Andrew Green’s remarks in the Spectator are likely to enrage critics of Assad’s regime at a time when David Cameron is discussing whether to follow the US decision to arm rebels in Syria.

In a blogpost entitled “If you think arming the rebels is the answer, then you don’t understand Syria”, Green, the former diplomat and founding chairman of the organisation MigrationWatch UK, criticised the “spin generated by Number 10 in recent days”.

“All this spin reflects a fundamental failure to understand the nature of the situation in Syria,” he argued. “Bashar al-Assad is a figurehead, not a dictator on the pattern of Saddam Hussein, or even his [Assad's] father.

“What some outside observers fail to realise is that the Alawites, having run a very tough police state for 40 years, simply cannot afford to lose power,” he said.

“If they were to do so, they believe that they and their families would be massacred. They may well be right.”

Not only Alawites, but Shiites, Christians, Druze, all will be massacred and these are 40% of population.

[abhishek_sharma]

The Driver: An exclusive look inside the mysterious death and life of the world's most dangerous terrorist not named Osama bin Laden.

[shyamd]

No, weapons are making it through turkey