Beyond Political Death!

We don’t really need Turkish PM Erdogan to tell us that Assad is “politically dead.” What we need at this stage is the plan and the political will to get him and few of his generals physically dead as well, or at least behind bars. And to do so while the death toll in the conflict is still less than a hundred thousand, and the chances for saving the country are more than 1 in a thousand.

Thursday September 20, 2012

Today’s Death toll: 250. The Breakdown: 71 martyrs in Raqqah (including 55 martyrs due to warplane shelling at Ain Easa and the number is expected to rise, and 15 bodies were found in the Military Security Headquarter), 58 in Aleppo, 50 in Damascus and Suburbs, 37 in Homs, 15 in Hama, 7 in Deir Ezzor, 6 in Idlib, 5 in Daraa, and 1 in Hassakeh (LCC).

News

Syrian Planes Said to Strike Gas Station

Syria airstrike leaves at least 54 dead, say opposition activists

Special Reports

As Syrian conflict worsens, concerns soar in Turkey

For Christians in Syria, fear of future reigns

World refocuses on Syria as Assad's circle crumbles

Former head of Syria's weapons arsenal admits regime has plans for chemical attack on its own civilians as "last resort."

“Bashar Is Politically Dead”

An interview with Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

Op-Eds

Christian Science Monitor/Editorial Board: Protect the most innocent in Syria – children

The largely ignored civil war in Syria has taken a big toll on children. They are often targeted, even tortured. Russia and China must not again block an effective UN response to the Assad regime's war crimes.

The Washington Post Editorial Board: Iran shows no hesitation about intervening in Syria

Some administration officials dismiss the Iranian effort as futile support for a lost cause. But Iranian backing for the regime, matched against Western passivity, could keep Mr. Assad in power indefinitely… If it continues its present policy, the United States will go on watching from the sidelines as the future of the Levant is decided.

Ammar Abdulhamid & Khawla Yusuf: The Shredded Tapestry: The State of Syria Today

Video Highlights

In Ain Issa, Raqqah Province, Assad’s MIGs bomb a local gas station killing scores of people. This is the aftermath http://youtu.be/cKkSgdKwGmU , http://youtu.be/-SGYbJ_YBuM

Skies over Damascus City are covered with black smoke http://youtu.be/_g_95IfS2Dc , http://youtu.be/WdTLKG1OaHE , http://youtu.be/H9C0s66tppQ The pounding of restive neighborhoods with helicopter gunships continues http://youtu.be/g9n5ASeMkKI

In the town of Elbab, Aleppo Province, an entire family is wiped in a bombing attack http://youtu.be/jVkS9x54Ugg Searching for victims in the rubble http://youtu.be/4OJrQgQWy9Q , http://youtu.be/PB1SMsYSusk

The neighborhood of Qadi Askar, Aleppo City, is flooded after raids destroy a local water main. But a car is set on fire as well, the driver is killed http://youtu.be/Pl1Cze3PmZ4 , http://youtu.be/Llx4DlyOSsg , http://youtu.be/nLi4Y87u6a8