According to some pundits, Obama’s approach to Syria is working.
Indeed, if the goal is to have more daily massacres, ensure the implosion of
the country into myriad warring enclaves, and encourage another generation of Middle
Eastern activists to grow hating the West and feeling betrayed by it, again, at
a time when they were so willing to believe that things can be different, then
Obama’s strategy is working perfectly. Hail to the Chief!
Wednesday
August 1, 2012
Today’s Death toll: 180.
The Breakdown:
104 in Damascus and Suburbs (massacres in Jdeidet Artouz, 58, Yelda, 27, Moadamia),
23 in Aleppo, 14 in Idlib, 13 in Homs, 13 in Deir Ezzor, 8 in Daraa, 3 in Hama
and 2 in Lattakia.
Cities & Towns Under Shelling: Harasta,
Arbeen, Moadamiah, Harran Al-Awameed, Ain Terma, Zabadani, Madaya, Eltal, Dmeir,
Hameh, Yelda, Rankous, Qarrah (Damascus Suburbs), Sit Zeinab, Al-Qadam, Midan, Al-Hajar Al-Aswad, Yarmouk, Kafar
Sousseh, Mazzeh, Qaboun, Barzeh (Damascus City), Daraa City, Khirbet Al-Ghazaleh, Tafas, Bostra Al-Sham, Na’eemah,
Mseifrah, Jimreen, Hraak (Daraa), Rastan, Talbisseh, Houla, Tal Kalakh, Al-Qusayr, Al-Hosn, Al-Ghanto,
Al-Bouaydah, Old Homs (Homs Province), Hreitan, Elbab, Eizaz, Marei, Bayanoun (Aleppo
Province), Haffeh, Jabal Al-Akrad (Lattakia), Deir Ezzor City, Mouhassan, Albou Kamal (Deir
Ezzor Province), Kafar Zeiteh, Hawash,
Shahshabo, Hama City (Hama Province), Jabal Al-Zawiyeh, Ma’rrat Al-Nouman, Saraqib, Maar Shoureen,
Ariha, Kafroumah, Al-Rami, Khan Shaikhoon (Idlib).
News
Video
from Aleppo, Syria, draws condemnation of rebels Video apparently
shows rebels executing loyalists of President Bashar Assad in the key northern
city of Aleppo, where fighting continues to rage.
Syria's
Jumah blocks out turmoil at home Syrian
swimmer Bayan Jumah on Wednesday said she did not let the conflict in her
country affect her training or performance at the London Olympics, even as
helicopter gunships attack rebel fighters in her besieged home city of Aleppo.
Op-Eds
& Special Reports
Turkey's
Syria Dilemma On the one hand Turkish government wants the Assad
regime to go, for ideological, humanitarian and security reasons. But on the
other hand it does not want Syria to break into pieces and become a
three-region state where one unit might become a safe haven for terrorist
activities. Turkey is still pushing the SNC to be the central power in a future
Syria. But this looks unlikely, because of the SNC's sharp internal divisions.
The 2003 Iraq war left a bad taste for Turkey, leaving behind a fragile
security zone. Syria might end up being worse.
Inside
the administration's 'new' approach on Syria There
are some signs that the administration is taking steps to aid the rebels
indirectly. The Wall Street Journal reported this week that the Treasury
Department's Office of Foreign Assets Control has issued a license for the
Syrian Support Group, a Washington-based opposition group, to send money to the
internal Syrian opposition
Bashar
al-Assad not seen in public for more than two weeks Syrian
president, who has sent written message to armed forces, likely to come under
pressure to demonstrate leadership.
The
Stakes in Aleppo: A potentially decisive moment in the battle for Syria. How
much of this Administration's foreign policy calculations are a matter of
strategy, and how much of election-year convenience, remains an open question.
How Mr. Obama acts over Aleppo will provide an answer.
'What
will happen to us?': Loyalists fear rebel attacks In
Aleppo, Kim Sengupta finds members of pro-Assad tribes hiding behind closed
doors in fear of revenge raids.
Can
flamboyant defector Tlass speak for Syria's silent elite? Flamboyant
Syrian defector Manaf Tlass has been widely dismissed as a tainted figure too
close to the Syrian regime. But experts claim that he appeals to Syria's middle
and upper classes, who have not yet voiced their opposition to the regime.
Is
Manaf Tlas the man for Syria? …despite his
potential shortcomings, Tlas is better placed than anyone who has broken ranks
with al-Assad to offer insights into the regime and the running of the
military. Unless the SNC can pull together and develop a realistic blueprint
for a unified Syria, the West and other outsiders might feel no choice but to
lend their support to Manaf Tlas. (My comment: why not
deign to reach out to the people making it all happen on the ground, they seem
to have a better idea on how to get things done?)
In
cooperation with Impunity Watch and the Summer Institute for Human Rights and
Genocide Studies in Buffalo, it's my pleasure to announce the launch of the
"I Am Syria" Campaign - an effort designed to raise awareness in the
U.S. and the world regarding the revolution in Syria and the massacres
perpetrated daily by pro-Assad militias and troops, highlighting the need for
immediate international action. You can follow our activities on YouTube,
Facebook, Twitter and our official website. Please,
"Like" us and spread the word…
Insider Information
While many expect
the General Assembly to pass a resolution calling on Assad to step down,
friends at the UN tell me that the paragraph calling on Assad to step down was
actually removed following pressures from India, South Africa and Brazil, among
others.
The recent decision
by the U.S. Treasury Department to allow for the Syrian Support Group to gather
funds on behalf of the Free Syrian Army falls strictly under the nonlethal
assistance policy, so no weapons can be purchased using any funds collected by
the Group.
The decision will not have much of an impact when it
comes to reality on the ground for two more reasons. First, many
Syrian-American are already sending funds to the FSA even without such
approval, and second, Syrian-American donations will remain a drop in the
bucket in comparison to what can be collected from Gulf supporters. Saudi
donors just collected $100 million meant to support the Syrian rebels,
following a five-day fundraising marathon.
It should be noted in this connection that reports claiming
that rebels got their hands on MANPADS from external sources, have been
vehemently refuted by rebel leaders on the ground.
The Obama Administration is still MIA in Syria, and although some
pundits applaud
that, but they seem to have a different endgame in sight where a protracted civil
war in Syria and its eventual implosion may not be such a terrible development,
the human cost notwithstanding.
Damascus
58 people were reportedly slaughtered in a raid by pro-Assad militias
in the Damascene Suburb of Jdeidet Artouz http://youtu.be/myOUBXYYHlQ , http://youtu.be/jWYNIeQWNLA , http://youtu.be/SP8s6Pda6YA , http://youtu.be/gB_X1m0CwIY A hasty
funeral takes place for some of the victims http://youtu.be/_S6mN4UmesY People chant
“By God, we will have our revenge, from Maher and Bashar” http://youtu.be/ltS5ZUOsYdk Burying the
dead http://youtu.be/eIr1aSghZTg
Earlier in the day, a tank led the assault on the suburb http://youtu.be/l24ynjD9KLg
A massacre in Yelda, Eastern Ghoutah Region, Damascus Suburbs,
due to continued shelling of the town by tanks and helicopter gunships,
followed by a raid by pro-Assad militias: The shelling http://youtu.be/qq4FpVV5_1E The injured http://youtu.be/dJVYMHDRyRE The dead http://youtu.be/kG1ffN0B2Tc , http://youtu.be/gLuDPmHXa6g , http://youtu.be/3FQCkww8uP4 , http://youtu.be/jO5B5tgG8MA , http://youtu.be/k7Y5yfL8rpk , http://youtu.be/bVaGFRBvmrg , http://youtu.be/55nK8ujEY_o , http://youtu.be/RbOFqGzeY0E The burial http://youtu.be/hfLIl-KSvKM
A similar massacre takes in Arbeen http://youtu.be/H3jfru2s4nM A similar
development in Moadamia, Damascus Suburbs http://youtu.be/sCK-hBXc0FU
The neighborhood of Tadamon in Damascus City is pounded
by heavy artillery during the day http://youtu.be/Lj-X75hG6sg
and at night http://youtu.be/re9f12FrNmY
A leaked video from Adra shows pro-Assad militias gloating over dead
bodies http://youtu.be/5CFVMQFHs7M
But rebels in Damascus keep forming more brigades in preparation for
another round http://youtu.be/nz3sXVebcLA
Idlib
A massacre takes pace in Ariha, Idlib on account of the
continuing indiscriminate pounding: The dead http://youtu.be/LRtvD35VDf8 , http://youtu.be/zzU1Kz8ND8o
, http://youtu.be/57tT6pX8ddk , http://youtu.be/uS2oWlpPQTQ , http://youtu.be/RFr46y88h4g , http://youtu.be/aV83MV6xzeY , http://youtu.be/NcTn2qgDCys , http://youtu.be/4KUygh1xUA8 The wounded http://youtu.be/zhVqTwV3Hq4 , http://youtu.be/1GDkdexSlx4 , http://youtu.be/iUYV66wg-NQ , http://youtu.be/74V9yVip_vg
Aleppo
Due to the shutting down of internet and communication services in
Aleppo City, fewer videos made it out of the city, but shelling was reported in
Salaheddine, Kallaseh, and Al-Sukkari neighborhoods.
Salaheddine, Aleppo City: The indiscriminate shelling continues http://youtu.be/1ylmmFnvhMs , http://youtu.be/GQH41BWLL2U , http://youtu.be/_xxo1xLkSxs
Rebels ransack the home of the Zeino Birri, the Shabbiha
commander killed yesterday http://youtu.be/HnvxjGyiTlA
A family of six, including three children, was killed when a house was
hit by mortar round in Ibbeen, Aleppo Province http://youtu.be/VrLTVOgyPVk , http://youtu.be/fcuIoFCHIyk
Daraa
A helicopter gunship drops heavy bombs on the town of Taybah http://youtu.be/cuzLwE9fibQ , http://youtu.be/nJsp7VrPij8
, http://youtu.be/cuzLwE9fibQ
Homs
The pounding of old neighborhoods in Homs City continues http://youtu.be/7l44LgIq-sY , http://youtu.be/RO5hXLbdbUU
Videos captured 2 weeks ago during a brief incursion into the Central
Prison in Homs City by few local activists, shortly after a prison riot http://youtu.be/rXrxxqk05NI , http://youtu.be/cYru_M8RADU , http://youtu.be/pvk8zRKieCw , http://youtu.be/lDbXZgIudW4
The pounding of Rastan continues http://youtu.be/mhal_ieCrh0
In Qusayr, destruction http://youtu.be/Yw_Jy2XcX60
martyrdom http://youtu.be/-Qi86p6ZU7Q
and hasty goodbyes http://youtu.be/1rPz3CEcx5Q
Deir Ezzor
The pounding of Deir Ezzor City continues http://youtu.be/nGeW1_uj1es
In Albou Kamal, the local FSA unit builds and tests an IED
device http://youtu.be/YBxpZSYxwxA and
takes control of a tank http://youtu.be/zZ3au4lc1XA
Raqqah
Local rebels take over the recently abandoned police checkpoint of Abteen,
Raqqah Province http://youtu.be/cotI0Qln1yQ
No comments:
Post a Comment