Welcome
to the Syrian Civil War. It took 8 months to get us here, but we are finally
here, thanks to the diligent efforts and dedication of the cowardly few, the
silent middle and the impotent lot, who all collaborated to make the sacrifices
of the protesting majority meaningless. Let there be no doubt that the protesters,
the little germs according to Assad, will overcome at the end, but the human
and material cost will be much higher than it could have been had we all acted
earlier to support them.
51 people were killed including 20 civilians and 20 loyalists. 16 civilians were killed when loyalist troops fired at a convoy of protesters on the road connecting the towns of Khirbet Ghazaleh and Hraak. Later, clashes between loyalists and defectors left 20 loyalists and 5 defectors dead. 11 more civilians were killed in various locations in Homs Province. 6 more were killed in Idlib Province and 2 in Hama and Qamishly. Clashes between defectors and loyalists were also reported in Bayadah neighborhood in Homs City and in the town of Shaizar in Hama Province.
Monday 14, 2011
51 people were killed including 20 civilians and 20 loyalists. 16 civilians were killed when loyalist troops fired at a convoy of protesters on the road connecting the towns of Khirbet Ghazaleh and Hraak. Later, clashes between loyalists and defectors left 20 loyalists and 5 defectors dead. 11 more civilians were killed in various locations in Homs Province. 6 more were killed in Idlib Province and 2 in Hama and Qamishly. Clashes between defectors and loyalists were also reported in Bayadah neighborhood in Homs City and in the town of Shaizar in Hama Province.
The Arab League has
decided to send a 500-strong delegation made up of military experts and
officials as well as representatives of the media and of human rights
organizations to monitor the situation on the ground in Syria. The upcoming
meeting of the League on Wednesday which will take place in the Moroccan city
of Rabat will decide on the exact date of the visit.
Death toll for Thursday
November 10 is now put at 39 including 15 in Homs City, 9 in Idlib
Province, 5 in Hama Province, 3 in Deraa Province and 6 in the Damascene suburb
of Barzeh. The dead included 5 children and a baby. Also, 6 loyalists were
killed in M’arrat Al-Nouman in Idlib Province and Deir Ezzor City in ambushes
staged by the units affiliated with the Free Syrian Army.
On Friday November 11,
a day dedicated to demanding freezing of Syria’s membership in the Arab League,
33 people were killed by pro-Assad militias. Pro-democracy demonstrations took
place in close to 300 communities.
On Saturday November
12, 15 people were killed, mostly in Homs City. An ambush by members of the
Free Syrian Arm also left 9 loyalist militiamen dead on the road between
M’arrat Al-Nouman and Khan Shaikhoon in the Idlib Province.
On Sunday November 13,
and as Russia announced that it will continue arms sales to the Assads, Assad
loyalists killed 28 people, including 14 in Hama Province and 7 in Homs City.
The official death toll
for Friday November 4 is now pout at 165.
Links
While
the opposition celebrate pyrrhic victories, make grandiose claims and exchange
meaningless accusations, the Assads have managed to plunge the country into civil
war, just as they had threatened since the beginning of the protest movement.
Yes.
There is no denying it anymore, and no sugarcoating it. It’s here, it’s now,
it’s not going anywhere anytime soon – it’s Syria First Civil War of the modern
era, and it is taking place everywhere: in Homs, in Hama, in Deir Ezzor, in
Deraa and in Rural Damascus – and this is only the beginning. The only thing we
can do now is see to it that the tragedy is brought to a swift conclusion with the
protesters emerging as the true and indisputable victors. It will then be our task
to make sure that this is last such war to take place in our country.
A Military Council
The Free Syrian Army announced earlier today the formation
of a Military Council made up of
1. Colonel Riyad
Moussa Al-Ass’aad (leader)
2. Colonel Malik
Abdulhaleem Kurdi
3. Colonel Ahmad
Hijazi Hijazi
4. Colonel Arafat
Rasheed
5. Colonel Aref
Muhammad Nour Al-Hamoud http://youtu.be/cmJ6gDhErtA
6. Lieutenant
Abdurrazzaq Rashid Al-Rahmoun
7. Lieutenant
Abdulsattar Muhammad Jameel Younso
8. Lieutenant Ghassan
Ismail Hleihel
9. Major Maher Ismail
Al-Rahmoun
The
main goals of the council include: toppling the regime, protecting citizens,
protecting public and private property and preventing chaos and any acts of
vengeance once the regime has been toppled.
In
the meantime, the co0uncil will retain complete jurisdiction over military
operations and safeguarding security, but its members cannot take part in political
party or religious movement. The Council will constitute the highest military
authority in the land and will have the rights to contact foreign government
and organizations. It will also form a military police unit charged with pursuing
loyalists suspected of committing crimes and submitting them for trial by the revolutionary
court.
Once
the regime falls, all security apparatuses will be dissolved and all members
who were not involved in killings will be invited to become members of the FSA.
The same apply to all military personnel.
All
governmental and political institutions were called upon to cooperate with and
implement the directives of the FSA.
Meanwhile,
FSA leader admonished all members of his army to adhere strictly to
international law governing protection of civilians and civilian targets, and
asserted that the Military Council will dissolve itself once a democratically
elected government takes charge of the country.
On the political front…
Cairo
has become the current mecca of Syrian opposition groups, where all are heading
to the headquarters of the Arab League to argue their case for inclusion in the
ranks of the officially recognized opposition, when it gets officially
recognized.
And
no, this is not a race between the SNC (Syrian National Council) and NCC
(National Coordination Committee), or the SNC and the FSA (Free Syrian Army),
as some would
like to picture it. The scene is much more open than this: there is the
liberal-oriented Antalya Group, the Salafist-leaning council established by the
popular preacher Sheikh Adnan Arour, the Kurdish National Council, formed in
protest over the size and quality of Kurdish representation in the SNC, the
Secular Democratic Coalition, or at least some segments in it who continue to
protest against the overrepresentation and the great behind-the-scene influence
of Islamist elements on SNC decision-making process, among many others.
The
protesters, of course, cannot find themselves anywhere in this scene. Those of
them who are still betting on the SNC are doing it for pragmatic reasons and in
the hope that events will nudge SNC leaders into adopting their demands,
despite their ideological objections and predilections. But the erstwhile
enthusiasm is definitely gone.
Indeed,
and speaking of enthusiasm, the Kurdish streets have grown relatively quiet of
late, the assassination of Mishal Tammo, which could have ignited them, had no
such effect. The policies of the SNC and the statements of its leaders on the
Kurdish Question have served to alienate the Kurds, and played into the hands
of those who prefer keeping a low profile in hope of striking a deal with the
regime for greater autonomy.
Meanwhile,
the Turkmen, who number around 750,000 strong located in the northern and
central parts and in some areas along the coast, recently
issued a statement saying that the SNC does not represent them. But
then, in all fairness, no Syrian opposition group has so far bothered to reach out
to the Turkmen, who are only now beginning to organize themselves
politically.
Last
ditch attempts at clarifying the exact membership of the SNC and opening it to
more groups and figures are currently taking place in Cairo, but no one is
holding his breaths. The powers-that-be behind the SNC seem satisfied with
murkiness of the current situation, even if it stood as an obstacle in the way
of getting international acceptance and legitimacy. For while SNC propagandists
are quick to point out that the Turkish Foreign Minister, for instance, has recently
declared the Council as a legitimate representative of the Syrian people, they fail
to tell us why he didn’t declare them as the sole legitimate representative of
the Syrian people at this stage, which is the coveted position for any institution
hoping to lead the transitional phase.
But
the reason is known, and it’s the same reason given by the French and Americans,
among other: problems with representation, including overrepresentation of
certain currents and underrepresentation of others, as well as lack of transparency
in the selection and decision-making processes, not to mention lack of clear political
vision and transitional plans. If these “details” are not worked out in Cairo
over the next few days, a new council, if not several of them, might end up
emerging.
Nov 10: A general strike in most
protest communities
This leaked clip from Hama City dates
back to September but it still convey the reality of what is taking place in
many communities throughout Syria today (September 24): pro-Assad militias
trying to storm into the home of a local resident http://youtu.be/sdtW38VcR8Y
This more recent leaked clip from Baba Amr
Neighborhood in Homs City shows a tank and a couple of loyalist troops who were
hit by local members of Free Syrian Army during recent clashes http://youtu.be/QGWFLEFT_eY
Meanwhile, in the Damascene suburb of Harasta,
a protester was killed and his body snatched by pro-Assad militias http://youtu.be/XiJl9uC-WnQ Shortly
afterwards, defectors clash with pro-Assad militias and drive them out http://youtu.be/nf-aWBkzOws
Locals and defectors form a new anti-Assad
brigade in Deir Ezzor Province http://youtu.be/Qks1Z35w_OI
More defections took place in Idlib Province as well http://youtu.be/CDkV4mBx_VM In Deraa
Province, defectors dance openly in the streets to the tunes of Bashar is a
traitor to Syria” http://youtu.be/5iaRy3Wbb28
In this leaked video from Idlib Province, we see
pro-Assad militias treating their own wounds http://youtu.be/w_D-Rl7d7tU
Demonstrations: Hama (Taybat Al-Imam) http://youtu.be/jEWpVKYmBQ4 (Hilfaya) http://youtu.be/A9aEatVNVgY (Karnaz) http://youtu.be/FyuioBaPewg In the town
of Kafroumah in Idlib Province, the daughter of a local martyr leads his
funerary procession (in green) http://youtu.be/BTK32TKfpHI
Friday / Nov 11: Membership suspension
A young man from Bosra in the
Deraa/Hauran province is taking his last breaths after being shot in the chest http://youtu.be/27VQ2PZV2T0 Other people
were shot as well in Bosra http://youtu.be/w_j4php4YgQ
Protesters came under fire in Tafas as well http://youtu.be/OWwq_Ur8nbw
Abdelbassit Sarout, goalkeeper of the national
soccer team for under 21, recounts how his house in Bayadah Neighborhood
in Homs City was bombed http://youtu.be/ptBjoU6hyIw
The pounding of the neighborhood
resumes during the night http://youtu.be/ye9WpPPlz1E
, http://youtu.be/dGqcETaPAUs The
story unfolds in the nearby neighborhood of Khaldiyeh http://youtu.be/Hlio339I_pY
In Deir Baalba Neighborhood in Homs City,
3 people were killed when their car was shelled http://youtu.be/r5O0RILgFIo
Protesters retrieve the body of a fallen comrade
in Cairo Street in Homs City http://youtu.be/lbhvR7Gf1Eg
Protesters in Wa’er find themselves under fire http://youtu.be/EmvCQgG173A
Karm Al-Zeitun aftermath of shelling http://youtu.be/9M-sSCRYLyc A baby was
shot dead in his crib when a bullet came through the window http://youtu.be/EE9XTs4sw5E
Armored vehicles patrol the streets of Homs
City http://youtu.be/OCi3PXVLLBA
In the town of Mseifrah in Deraa/Hauran
Province, a teenager is killed when he stepped on a landmine http://youtu.be/ElozQm7qmSk
Ass’aad Ashiq Mustafa, a former minister and
governor of Hama announces his defection http://youtu.be/tUCQVGl2E3g
In Aleppo City, a protester is being
brutalized by Assad loyalists http://youtu.be/N2ArKV2ju7s
His colleagues get the same treatment http://youtu.be/75AMTCZgE3o
Another protester is brutalized in Deraa City http://youtu.be/oYzHWqSA07k
HOMS CITY: Bab Houd http://youtu.be/rk4J1OEE_-Y Deir
Baalbah http://youtu.be/h7a5J1NeUic
Karm Al-Shami http://youtu.be/ZhX_xXN9bA4
Qoussour http://youtu.be/RH1MRoSeOUQ
Jouret Al-Shayah http://youtu.be/MagWojseaeI
Wa’er http://youtu.be/7QH4Yaf6txQ
Bab Dreib http://youtu.be/STyfOGCX5WM
HOMS PROVINCE: Palmyra (Tadmor) http://youtu.be/V2CXowznnxQ Houleh
http://youtu.be/NmDKBskJ3w4 Rastan
http://youtu.be/ltXaTAtwVmQ
IDLIB PROVINCE: Kafroumah http://youtu.be/o7zgi_Vf8Eo Kafar
Nabbel http://youtu.be/3D05RZBT6lg
ALEPPO: Marei http://youtu.be/KArcH-oFqyw
DAMASCUS: Qarrah http://youtu.be/TPRAmEtGClU
DERAA/HAURAN: Basr Al-Harir http://youtu.be/fD-kpQ-5eb8
DEIR EZZOR: Albou Kamal protesters come
under heavy automatic fire http://youtu.be/9Lj16hjzv5Q
In this interview with a Dounia TV Cameraman
who left the country, he asserts what protesters have been saying all along,
that security officers were always present during interviews with people on the
streets to make sure that they said the “right” things, and that weapons shown
on TV belonged to pro-Assad militias and security forces http://youtu.be/YnDltKtr76E
Defections http://youtu.be/OMv5XKd2kyk
Also in Aleppo http://youtu.be/dn3IA-PyTV4
Nov 12, Saturday
More defections in Idlib http://youtu.be/eWm4scZiLgM More
destruction in the Bayadah Neighborhood in Homs City http://youtu.be/XOfAkBo02yk and
elsewhere http://youtu.be/ThzBUYVT0Os
DERAA/HAURAN: Sourah http://youtu.be/-4fyTts9O54 Deir
Al-Bakht http://youtu.be/Vdy_sX7PZDI
Nov 13 / Sunday
9 students were wounded in Homs City when
a tank shell hit a classroom in the local College of Architecture http://youtu.be/rTThLerUeKo Elsewhere,
students run for cover when gunfire is heard around the campus http://youtu.be/T7Ty991e0nQ And in Mahata,
Christian protesters chant for the glory of Mary and freedom http://youtu.be/vpjUBmnCPQQ , http://youtu.be/pAgz9mjegHo
Meanwhile, clashes between defectors and
loyalists continue to take place in Hama City. We can hear the gunfire I
this clip and see loyalist troops positioned on top of the local chapter of the
Baath Party http://youtu.be/45-8tHUDjKU Protesters come under fire near the Murabit
Mosque http://youtu.be/CgkQi92Htq8
A child is shot dead http://youtu.be/ejBW--U7w2c
Another martyr http://youtu.be/g4-bfVG6ywo
More defections: Damascus http://youtu.be/Kmx2AMJ8gSQ Rastan
(Homs) http://youtu.be/7lRzaO4XUIU Hbeit
(Idlib) http://youtu.be/KYTnblfMRJw
In Deraa, commander of Al-Omari Brigade
announces an operation against Assad loyalists that left 20-30 dead http://youtu.be/Dfze4W-TlXA
Idlib City: caravan of humanitarian aid meant for Homs
City from the inhabitants of a town that is also suffering from the effect of
blockade and collective punishment by pro-Assad militias http://youtu.be/xV1Yw04KZ3k
Nov 14 / Monday
In
Deir Baalbah Neighborhood in Homs City – locals stumble on 2 dead bodies
in the street short execution style http://youtu.be/1s09rNMSevg
In Bayadah, locals hold a mass funerals for 4 of their martyrs http://youtu.be/Qs2O3d2rhsY including
this one http://youtu.be/CuCs4RUp_8I and
renew their revolutionary vows http://youtu.be/PonjaIm3yQg
In Qoussour, people try to fill up their natural gas tanks http://youtu.be/t3qiSoZAcdI In Wa’er
locals try to fill up on Kerosene http://youtu.be/7TpaDQaEj0g
In Insha’aat Neighborhood, locals come under fire http://youtu.be/kA1UGkmklYs In Jib
Al-Jandali, tanks in the streets http://youtu.be/8MlZQ6bymaY
Finding people in burnt out apartments is now a commonplace occurrence http://youtu.be/4YDhlia5lhw In Bab
Al-Sibaa, clashes took place between loyalists and defectors http://youtu.be/ajr2PZnTWb8
In
defiant Baba Amr, smoke rise above the horizon following new rounds of
pounding http://youtu.be/AtQpogDBcFc
, http://youtu.be/TPvQyXLHgi8 But the
pounding continues http://youtu.be/nnMwNmUvLFo
, http://youtu.be/njSdqtq_12Q , http://youtu.be/VGgZxROlMKU , http://youtu.be/Pof6OGiPJF4 Another
house catches fire http://youtu.be/p2ynobSeuAE
More defections take place among the ranks of troops sent in to quell the
protests http://youtu.be/b8WJb3q-xo4 But
during the brief nighttime lull, locals took to the streets as usual http://youtu.be/EI5OjU-anGs
Pro-Assad
militias storm the town of Khirbet Ghazaleh in Derra/Hauran Province http://youtu.be/ST7Wfww3_QY Others storm
the Sabeel Neighborhood in Deraa City http://youtu.be/PQmFibChMjM But in the College
of Literature, students protest within the hall of their campus http://youtu.be/v54a929yKEc and in Kashef
Neighborhood the people rule the streets http://youtu.be/e5XLgnJHEwU In Ankhel,
locals hold a funeral for one of their fallen sons http://youtu.be/OjpUI2Tp-CA And soon
come under fire http://youtu.be/YJCfV4OTpJg
In Basr Al-Harir, there were many martyrs as well http://youtu.be/sYKMkBNnEVQ , http://youtu.be/d5Xko8ukBZg
Elsewhere
in the province, loyalists pound the village of Alma http://youtu.be/MB0g9EVCAek But
defectors affiliated with the Free Syrian Army fight back and blow up a tank http://youtu.be/3qzbJNpt1o4 and armored
vehicle http://youtu.be/HrvwNl3-VYE
All
these developments in Deraa/Hauran lead to more defections in the ranks http://youtu.be/Grt_Qdmu8xs
In
Idlib City, security forces separate loyalist and protest demonstrations
http://youtu.be/i2TlRpKwzNc But no
one can keep the protesters down http://youtu.be/MzphceTGPAE
In Sarmeen in the larger Idlib Province, a tank storm into the city
firing its way through http://youtu.be/PIt9IrgPi4M
In
Khneizeer village in Hama Province, local water tanks and mosque come
under fire http://youtu.be/9-s6_Y0yAd0
In Shaizar Village, pounding by loyalists leave many wounded http://youtu.be/id8pvE2lzyc , http://youtu.be/f7DDkpNFiv4
In
Kisweh Suburb in Damascus, the nights come alive with the sounds of
heavy gunfire http://youtu.be/qZHMMumtaCA
In Douma, pro-Assad militias go on a vandalism spree http://youtu.be/PqWLAAv_juk
HOMS CITY: Bab Houd http://youtu.be/by48qhnoUwE Deir
Baalbah http://youtu.be/Ie7-fvPiopE
Wadi Al-Arab http://youtu.be/-lW76FAXE2o
Ghoutah http://youtu.be/f7qy2ICaFTE
Baba Amr http://youtu.be/EI5OjU-anGs
Karm Al-Shami http://youtu.be/bzywGjE-zg0
Jouret Al-Shayah http://youtu.be/brmhUe_v7qs
Wa’er http://youtu.be/HEvdZ6M1Ezw
Khaldiyeh http://youtu.be/wXhXwko4fUY
Qoussour http://youtu.be/Tc0l57256xU
Bab Dreib http://youtu.be/WvsKXq23IjU
HOMS PROVINCE: Houleh http://youtu.be/_AAVa-LITxY Ghanto
http://youtu.be/rSSjzRX5fqE Tadmor
(Palmyra) http://youtu.be/-dbcVlu5bNY
HAMA: Kafar Nabboudeh http://youtu.be/lBdJAefb2cE Kafar
Zita funeral http://youtu.be/f-048k_OWNI
(night) http://youtu.be/1bRdxivIff8 Taybat
Al-Imam http://youtu.be/6d1mmUBFuIY
Sahel Al-Ghab http://youtu.be/9Ad9hjxeH7M
Hama City (Hamidiyeh) http://youtu.be/adBD7fHM3no
IDLIB: Student demonstrations Idlib City
http://youtu.be/M2kymc4GVJ8 Haass
http://youtu.be/k2wrNPQF3CQ Main
demonstrations Kafroumah http://youtu.be/gMwETLxnu8Y
Jarjanaz http://youtu.be/Knxz7e09PZ4
Binnish http://youtu.be/xbMAerI7zww
Idlib City http://youtu.be/AWf-KJ4svuI
Ariha http://youtu.be/zZCMeqNWskE
Sarmeen http://youtu.be/cFzgFX4XHSk
Kafar Takhareem http://youtu.be/GepvDz_-qBM
Saraqib http://youtu.be/ZDj1AXiLRSs
DAMASCUS: Student demonstrations Douma http://youtu.be/ATL5qEzWuHc , http://youtu.be/SWYFOohzffA Main
Demonstrations
Qarrah http://youtu.be/KEqfqDJrFYs
, http://youtu.be/9miErKNzaSg Yabroud
http://youtu.be/H1mIh8enV9g Rankous
http://youtu.be/StA-obM7Vcg Zabadani
http://youtu.be/NzwGex67QXY Damascus
City (Kafar Sousseh) http://youtu.be/yXL0tK3HsdI
Harasta http://youtu.be/2peULaLo6yg
Douma http://youtu.be/LAa93Rg9iJE , http://youtu.be/KgQFZCllNGA Daraya
http://youtu.be/49-4MKIQ0E4
DERAA/HAURAN: Student demonstrations Kafar
Shams http://youtu.be/xlFCXksPoPc
Major Demonstrations Nasseeb http://youtu.be/MfYBIxOixrc
Hraak http://youtu.be/VWdcJ5cH6iI
Sanamein http://youtu.be/AbrULhGqSVY
Um Walad http://youtu.be/pXrXtJY4uO4
Ataman http://youtu.be/kWrRZn7moxk
Tal Shihab http://youtu.be/l_U3_qXRbDk
Tseel http://youtu.be/RdumpUffk-Y
Namar http://youtu.be/wxAxdi02zgA
Bosra http://youtu.be/ORo3n9OmkH0
ALEPPO: Marei http://youtu.be/dZg6EK3Rs5k , http://youtu.be/YAH5SFKTsvk Tal
Rif’aat http://youtu.be/TFcxQHvn0nM
Dar Azzah http://youtu.be/ZvPShC8oG6s
DEIR EZZOR: Qrayah http://youtu.be/fP5VvAOK-Rs
Note:
I wanted to personally invite you to join me at
FDD’s annual policy summit, Washington Forum, taking place December 7-9 at the
Newseum in DC. This year’s conference focuses on “Ideology, Power, and
Alliances in a Changing Middle East.” I’ll be speaking on “The Syrian Factor:
The Middle East With and Without the Assad Dynasty” at 11:00am on December 8. I
invite you to attend this session and any other of the public sessions as my
guest. The full schedule can be found at www.FDDWashingtonForum.org. You
can register here: www.fddwashingtonforum.org/register.php.
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