Reality is stranger than any fiction, and Syria 2013 promises
to be the strangest reality of all. There is something purely Dickensian, particularly
Kafkaesque and all Orwellian clearly at work here, as our Dystopia unfolds. How
Dikwellian!
Friday January
11, 2013
Today’s
Death Toll: 101, including
13 children and 8 women: 40 martyrs were reported in massacre of Nahiya Al-Houl
in Hassaka,17 martyrs were reported in Aleppo, 16 in Damascus and its Suburbs,
11 in Hama, 8 in Daraa, 4 in Idlib and 2 in Homs (LCCs).
Points
of Random Shelling: 341: 11 points were shelled by warplanes, 4 points by barrel bombs, 3
points by Cluster Bombs and 1 points by Phosphorus Bombs. The mortar shelling
was reported in 132 points, the artillery shelling in 126 points and the
missile shelling in 53 points in different parts of Syria (LCCs).
Clashes: The FSA clashed with the
regime forces in 141 locations. FSA rebels liberated the Taftanaz
Military Airport in Idlib and captured many military vehicles and ammunition. In
Aleppo, FSA shelled Manag Military Airport. In Basr Al-Harir, Daraa, they blew
up ammunition storage facility. In Hassaka, the FSA stormed Hoqoul Tishreen
checkpoint. In Hama, FSA destroyed several military vehicles and attempted to
secure a road in order to break the siege in Taibat Al-Imam. Clashes continue (LCCs).
News
Syria
rebels seize base as envoy holds talks The capture of Taftanaz air
base, after months of sporadic fighting, could help rebels solidify their hold
on northern Syria, according to Rami Abdelrahman, head of the pro-opposition
Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. But Yezid Sayigh, at the Carnegie Middle
East Centre in Beirut, said it was not a game-changer, noting that it had taken
months for the rebels to overrun a base whose usefulness to the military was
already compromised by the clashes around it. "This is a tactical rather
than a strategic gain," he said.
Failure
of Syria Talks Signal Conflict May Be Long Struggle "There's
little sign that we're any closer to any political solution to this
crisis," said Chris Doyle, director of the Council for Arab-British
Understanding. "Because there are divisions in the international community
between the United States and Russia, between key regional powers like Saudi
Arabia and Iran, there is not a core constituency who are pushing for one
single solution to the crisis in Syria."
Panetta:
US Troops Securing Syria’s Chemical Weapons Not an Option in ‘Hostile Atmosphere’
Panetta said Thursday that the U.S. is “not working on options that involve
boots on the ground.” But he added that ” you always have to keep the
possibility that, if there is a peaceful transition and international
organizations get involved, that they might ask for assistance in that
situation. But in a hostile situation,
we’re not planning for that.”
John
Kerry's words on Syria's Assad certain to draw scrutiny Sen. John Kerry
has held up Syria as a country that could bring peace and stability to the
Mideast and predicted that the now-disgraced government of President Bashar
Assad would pursue a legitimate relationship with the United States… Conservative
websites have mocked the relationship as a Kerry-Assad "bromance,"
seizing on comments the Senate Foreign Relations Committee chairman has made in
speeches and during his six visits to Syria.
Space
Station Astronaut Calls for Syria Peace "The perspective that we
are subject to, that we are privileged enough to see directly with our eyes, is
one I think would benefit everyone, to go around the world in just slightly
over 90 minutes... you see it as one place," Hadfield told a news
conference streamed from the International Space Station. "And so when we
do look down on a place that is currently in great turmoil or strife, it's hard
to reconcile the inherent patience and beauty of the world with the terrible
things that we can do to each other as people and can do to the Earth
itself," he said.
Syria
denounces peace envoy who hinted Assad must go "In
Syria...what people are saying is that a family ruling for 40 years is a little
bit too long," Brahimi told the BBC, referring to Assad, who inherited his
post from his father Hafez al-Assad, who seized power in 1970 and ruled for 30
years. "President Assad could take the lead in responding to the
aspiration of his people rather than resisting it," the veteran Algerian
diplomat said, hinting the Syrian leader should go.
NATO
reports another Scud launch in Syria, but what are the Scuds hitting?
While there is scant evidence of the Scuds landing anywhere in Syria, there
have been no indications that the missiles landed across any of Syria's
national borders. Turkey, to Syria's north, has reported no ballistic missiles
landing in its territory. Fear that Syria might fire missiles into Turkish
territory has, however, prompted NATO to move Patriot missile batteries into
southern Turkey, along the Syrian border.
Four
held in London over suspected Syria links Metropolitan police
counter-terrorism unit arrest one man at Gatwick airport and three in dawn
raids in east London
Special
Reports
The Rebellion
"We formally formed the unit in
November. It provides all kind of information to (opposition) politicians and
fighters. We are independent and just serve the revolution," said a rebel
intelligence officer who goes under the name Haji... the organization appears
to operate independently from the main opposition Syrian National Coalition and
the Free Syrian Army, effectively answering to itself.
By continuing to capture arms and
ammunition, the rebels have become more self-sustaining. This suggests that the
international community could best help them not so much by providing arms
(except for a few types of antiaircraft and antitank weapons), but by building
their capability to use heavy weapons and providing intelligence on regime
forces. Such capacity building would also help empower the relatively moderate
elements in the opposition. This is important both during the war and
afterward, when the most militarily capable rebel units will likely wield the
most political influence.
Mohammed Afar is 11 years old. The
modified AK-47 assault rifle he carries stretches to nearly two-thirds his
height… “He is a great shot,” says his father, Mohammed Saleh Afar. “He is my
little lion.”… He says he admires the fighters from Jabhat al-Nusra—composed of
hardline Islamists subscribing to Takfiri ideology—and recently designated a
foreign terrorist organization by the United States. Al-Nusra have proven
effective in battle, winning itself scores of supporters.
President Bashar Assad sounds another
death knell for diplomacy
The Country
“I’m a Christian. There’s a big
difference here between Christians and Alawites. Alawites are special cases,
they are always number one,” Abu Skandar says.
The Humanitarian Front
Widespread flooding has occurred,
swamping tents and overwhelming the drainage system in the Za’atari camp, with
deep mud making it harder to drain the water and for water-removal trucks to
access the camp, UNICEF noted in a news release.
In June, Doctors Without
Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières-France (MSF) opened a hospital in the Idlib
region in northern Syria, an area under rebel control. Located behind the front
lines, the hospital has 15 beds and a staff of approximately 50, including 10
international MSF workers. Designed to perform war surgery, the facility also
offers medical and surgical emergency care as the front moves further away.
MSF’s Belgian and Spanish sections managed two other hospitals in Syria.
Fabrice Weissman, MSF’s operations advisor, returned from a mission in Syria in
early December. He was particularly struck by the breadth of the needs and the
lack of international response.
Little Mohammad, who is no older than
seven years, every day roams the streets of his Aleppo neighborhood looking for
his parents who died in overnight shelling by Syrian regime forces.
The only medical facility still
functioning in the village is a secret clinic, run by local people and a few
Syrian health workers. Under intense shelling, the clinic’s volunteer staff are
struggling to treat large numbers of injured people and taking huge personal
risks to keep the clinic running and to evacuate the most seriously injured to
hospitals outside the village.
UN envoy Brahimi implied President
Assad might not have a role in a future government, while Russia says only
Syrians can make that call. Meanwhile, rebels said they took control of a key
military base.
Two Appeals for Serious Action
Editor’s note: Michael
Spindelegger, Karl Erjavec, Eamon Gilmore and Villy Søvndal are the foreign
ministers of Austria, Slovenia, Ireland and Denmark, respectively. The views
expressed are their own.
A referral to the ICC – which has
repeatedly been suggested by the U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights, Navi
Pillay – has several advantages. The Court is a neutral and impartial
institution that investigates and prosecutes the most serious crimes on all
sides. A referral would give the leaders of the Syrian opposition a strong
argument to call for discipline among its diverse forces. It would give the
members of the al-Assad regime a further reason to question their allegiance.
And it could assist the search for a political solution to the conflict. As we
saw in other crises, parallel political and judicial processes are mutually
supporting. There is no decision to be taken here between either peace or
justice – a sustainable, long-term solution requires both.
U.N.
agencies: Stop the suffering in Syria Three of the United Nations' most
senior executives have written a joint opinion piece exclusively for CNN.com.
They are Antonio Guterres, the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees; Ertharin
Cousin, the executive director of the World Food Program; and Anthony Lake,
executive director of the U.N. Children's Fund or UNICEF.
The World Outside Our Shoes
American human rights activist, Carl Wilkens (@CarlWilkens), director
of World Outside My Shoes, an educational non-profit "committed to
inspiring and equipping people to enter the world of 'The Other' - 'The Other' may be under our own roof or on
the other side of the globe," paid a visit to Al-Zaatari Refugee Camp in
Jordan last month and produced the videos below. Conditions have grown
increasingly worse in the last few days on account of snowfall and the freezing
rain.
http://youtu.be/x5Af7Jgm1-I ,
http://youtu.be/Qw7zvUF3oZQ , http://youtu.be/o4x6hnzQ2Xc , http://youtu.be/lJf4fmmv7sk
In 1994, Carl and his family were living in Rwanda when the genocide
broke out. Carl sent his wife and children to Burundi with an American convoy
but Carl felt he could not leave his friends behind, many whom were Tutsis.
Carl saved about 400 people from the Gisimba Orphanage. His presence at the
orphanage was enough for the militia not to slaughter everyone inside its
walls. Today, Carl travels the United States to speak with students, teachers,
and parents about his experience in Rwanda.
We need more American and international activists like him to be
involved and build pubic pressures on various western government to play a more
proactive part in alleviating the suffering at least.
Incomplete Swap
While rebels released their 48 Iranian hostages in one go, the regime
is yet to honor its commitment: hundreds have been released, but hundreds more
await, including all the big names, people like Tal Al-Mallouhi, Mazen Darweesh
and Lt. Col. Hussain Harmoush. Reasons for the delay are not clear.
Airbase Capture
Local activists report that the capture of the Taftanaz Military
Airport was delayed for many weeks because Jabhat Al-Nusra fighters insisted on
going it alone preventing other rebel groups from taking a too active part. Now,
JN has several helicopters in its possession, and reportedly several of their
members can pilot one.
Rebels from Jabhat Al-Nusra destroy a helicopter gunship at Taftanaz
Military Airport http://youtu.be/1TTsotBbBiI
Closer Look at the wreckage and the dead pilots http://youtu.be/OXLE-2Ku88w And pound
the airport http://youtu.be/kOaplsN_Qpg
MiGs pound rebel position around the airport http://youtu.be/3X8w3iS3eqM But, on
Friday, rebels manage to storm the entire airport and consolidate their hold.
Parading their gains http://youtu.be/tyq4K59Sso4
, http://youtu.be/-Then24i2gM , http://youtu.be/cNXY4OtmOKM Rebels now
have a number of helicopters under their control http://youtu.be/ublEzaKIv54 , http://youtu.be/X4XDbbY37o8 , http://youtu.be/r_e2nXPHvII
Video Highlights
The Little Match Boy of Damascus: no comment necessary http://youtu.be/-uEbc2NXB-A
Video clip found on the mobile of a captured loyalist militiaman is a
montage showing missile launchers in action against rebel position in the town
of Daraya, Damascus. The song in the background praises Assad and is
replete with cultural references particular to the Alawites http://youtu.be/N5g2Ry40dfs This video
from an activist a street littered with the dead bodies of pro-Assad militias after
rebels managed to repel their recent attack on the restive suburb http://youtu.be/trqYb__4hqU
A brief documentary about Syrian refugees in the town of Arsaal,
Lebanon (English subtitles) http://youtu.be/49USydscMCc
Clashes in Basr Al-Harir, Daraa continue http://youtu.be/66vDXiWUylM , http://youtu.be/RN7NAPiTu68 Rebels
destroy a tank http://youtu.be/u4txngFq6-U
Rebels rescue their wounded http://youtu.be/3Zxrv_HVh_4
, http://youtu.be/3Zxrv_HVh_4 In
nearby Nahteh, shelling claims many lives http://youtu.be/uPq8T1uGYHE
Fighter jets resume their raids on restive neighborhoods in Eastern
Ghoutah, Damascus: Saqba http://youtu.be/Tp8jFJ901E8
Hamouriyeh http://youtu.be/jinZnO3AmsA
But in nearby Jisreen, children find time to play in the snow http://youtu.be/Fvi-hY0Q584 While rebel
tanks roam the streets of nearby suburbs http://youtu.be/s_2fhFn2YOs
In the town of Zabadani along the border with Lebanon, snowfall
gives locals some relief from pounding, but increases their suffering due to
lack of power and heating fuel, as this local activist describes http://youtu.be/Fj1FtMhKYIM
Similar testimony from a different local http://youtu.be/p6fpup7mGE4
Snowfall continues http://youtu.be/b7PL05v7720
But on Friday, the shelling resumed http://youtu.be/SDpZz56OTDE
In Damascus City, clashes continue in Yarmouk Camp http://youtu.be/yE4R0-3VccI Meanwhile,
the military airport at Mazzeh continues to be sued as staging grounds
for missile attacks against restive suburbs around the city http://youtu.be/DbL-kwpXUi8
Clashes continue in Deir Ezzor City http://youtu.be/Bo0EbLX4gpY , http://youtu.be/7G5AZz2RxCw , http://youtu.be/aCd1EdmTEhs
In Aleppo, cold weather notwithstanding, rebels continued pounding the
military airport at Managh http://youtu.be/WXXT7ARLDMs
, http://youtu.be/iL8uGgWipa4 , http://youtu.be/6QIr8w1vfdk
Despite the severe cold, hundreds of small rallies took part in towns
and neighborhoods across Syria: Manbij, Aleppo http://youtu.be/WZDSbOfvS6U Jobar,
Damascus http://youtu.be/8DUVVenXNqA Hama
City http://youtu.be/4vzWg8QHP2I Al-Kashif,
Daraa http://youtu.be/OeNhYcPuujQ Boustan
Al-Qasr, Aleppo City http://youtu.be/utOtPFcsrOs
Salqeen, Idlib http://youtu.be/IwKQ5yKWA8Y
Arbeen, Damascus http://youtu.be/BeIkjjgKqy4
"hundreds more await,
ReplyDeleteincluding all the big names, people like
(...) Lt.
Col. Hussain Harmoush. "
Hadn't he been executed by Assads death squad or am I confusing the names?
And since I've been following your blog for quite a long time and never had an opportunity to comment I'd like to say that you are doing a truly great job for a great cause.
Best regards.
There were conflicting reports in this regard, and no confirmation from authorities as usual. So rebels asked either for his freedom or the delivery of his remains so he can get a proper burial. Thank you for your encouragement, Marek.
ReplyDeleteAmmar