Through a combination of American indifference and Russian
connivance, the nightmare scenario in Syria we have been dreading for long has
now been created. Whether this was done intentionally, as the conspiracy-minded
among us will vehemently assert, or unintentionally, as a result of the
shortsightedness, indifference and the general lack of resolve that often
befalls American policy-making circles, does not really matter. This is what we
have to contend with now. It is not clear whether a change at the helm in the U.S.
will bring the change in attitude necessary to make an immediate difference in
this regard.
Monday November
05, 2012
Today’s
Death Toll: 162.
The Breakdown: Toll
includes 7 children and 8 women: 72 in Idlib (32 killed in the aerial raid on Kafrenbel),
47 in Damascus and Suburbs, 17 in Aleppo; 12 in Deir Ezzor; 5 in Daraa; 4 in
Lattakia; 3 in Homs; and 2 in Hama (LCC).
News
Special
Reports
Desperate for foreign intervention,
some rebels say they hope the party that brought on the Iraq war might also
bring America to Syria.
It's been more than three months since
rebels in Syria launched an offensive to take Aleppo. In the early days of the
offensive, the rebels were able to take about half the city. But since then,
neither the rebels nor government forces have managed to gain the upper hand,
leaving many to declare the battle for Aleppo — and the battle for Syria — a
stalemate.
The outsiders, who entered Aleppo in
July, have fought to a deadlock with government forces. Many residents of the
once-prosperous city resent the fighters' presence.
Even if they oppose Assad, many Kurds,
particularly those aligned with the PYD, see the rebels as Islamist thugs
acting on behalf neighboring Turkey to control a post-Assad Syria. Many
insurgents, meanwhile, resent the PYD and its armed supporters for staying out
of the war against Assad, accusing it of being a cat’s paw for the regime.
ALEPPO, Syria — Syrian rebels at the
front are turning against their commanders, accusing them of being cowards by
fleeing abroad and failing to unite a cause that has been increasingly hijacked
by Islamists.
Ammar Abdulhamid & Khawla
Yusuf: The
Shredded Tapestry: The State of Syria Today
What began as a diverse cross-communal protest movement in Syria soon
devolved into a civil war – a development facilitated by an overwhelming use of
force and deployment of sectarian tactics on part of the Assad regime coupled
with international indifference. But the devolution of the conflict into a
civil war pitting the majority Sunni community against a regime supported
mostly by loyalist Alawite militias and enjoying tacit support from Christians,
Druzes and some in the Sunni merchant elite, did not stop at this stage.
Presently, each community in Syria, including the Alawite community, is
having a minor civil war of its own pitting pro- and anti-Assad groups against
each other: infighting can now be seen in the ranks of the Palestinians, the
Kurds (albeit their battles are less intense at this stage), and even the
Alawites (albeit the situation in this case has not yet devolved into a regular
happening). Meanwhile, secular and Islamists rebel groups are clashing with
increasing frequency.
Border crossings with Turkey are controlled by Islamist groups, even
though some tend to succeed in covering up their identity giving an impression
of moderation, and even secularity. Aid going to the rebels across the Turkish
border, therefore, is being filtered through Jihadi elements. It’s no wonder
that most of it end up with more extremist groups.
Turkish and Kurdish gangs are involved in the process as well, with Turkish
authorities turning a blind eye for some reason.
In Kurdish-majority communities like Kobani, Hasheesh farming and
smuggling is now a flourishing trade, controlled mostly by criminal elements
affiliated with the PYD, the Syrian branch of the PKK, still ranked as a
terrorist organization by the State Department.
Anti-Americanism is rife in all quarters. But while some rebels are
pinning their hopes on a new more robust American policy of support following
the upcoming elections, a policy that does not go beyond supplying rebels with
arms, and that is not based on a serious understanding of the continually
changing dynamics on the ground is bound to bring much disenchantment, feeding
rather than alleviating anti-American tendencies.
Indeed, through a combination of American indifference and Russian
connivance, the nightmare scenario in Syria we have been dreading for long has
now been created. Whether this was done intentionally, as the conspiracy-minded
among us will vehemently assert, or unintentionally, as a result of the
short-sightedness, indifference and the general lack of resolve that often
befalls American policymaking circles, does not really matter. This is what we
have to contend with now. It is not clear whether a change at the helm in the
U.S. will bring the change in attitude that can actually make an immediate
difference in this regard.
Video Highlights
MiGs and Sukhoys continue their pounding of restive Damascene suburbs
of Eastern Ghoutah Region, as well as the southern neighborhoods in
Damascus City: Misraba http://youtu.be/IijeGVxkPQQ
, http://youtu.be/oAIoXBzUABc , http://youtu.be/otRYJilp1IY Kafar
Batna http://youtu.be/Oxwh6YatMpc
, http://youtu.be/7owr55CimHI Jisreen
http://youtu.be/J5r6ClqgZsc Al-Qadam
http://youtu.be/QIKHZbDYVkw Pulling
bodies of the dead from under the rubble in Ain Terma http://youtu.be/SsfxasXIINE
Huge sections of the Yarmouke Camp and Tadamon Neighborhood,
majority-Palestinian areas in Damascus City have been laid to rubble http://youtu.be/u8fBF5r8MA0
Pulling bodies from under the rubble following an aerial raid in Harem,
Idlib Province http://youtu.be/GTToFJr4OxA
Meanwhile, the nearby town of Kafrenbel comes under intense aerial
bombardment leaving dozens dead http://youtu.be/3xSy92Kjk7U
, http://youtu.be/tqXTd4M-Ics Pulloing
the dead from under the rubble and fire http://youtu.be/iXpAg__mMhQ
Rebels storm a loyalist positions in Lairamoon Neighborhood in
Aleppo City http://youtu.be/_ILJoBLeHm0
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