Syria Disintegrating: Part 2

[citizen k]

Disturbing video of the "new normal" in Rastan, especially four minutes into it:

http://www.cnn.com/video/#/video/world/2012/07/26/magnay-syria-marcel-rastan-documentary.cnn?iref=videosearch

[CountDeMoney]

Disturbing video of the "new normal" in Rastan, especially four minutes into it:

Yeah, it's a war zone.

You know what's disturbing?  Watching those yahoos making IEDs from old shells.  Talk about a Pucker Factor of 10.

[citizen k]

Disturbing video of the "new normal" in Rastan, especially four minutes into it:

Yeah, it's a war zone.

And the next generation is being radicalized.

[jimmy olsen]

"The regime tried to send its army to Aleppo, but less than a third managed to reach it. Yesterday alone we destroyed more than 30 armored vehicles,"

Messed up the link, here's the right one

http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-18563_162-57481075/syrian-rebel-we-will-end-assads-enslavement

30 armored vehicles is a big claim. They had some great video, but I'd like to see more proof.

[CountDeMoney]

And the next generation is being radicalized.

Meh, they seemed to have been having fun.

[Sheilbh]

Interesting sidepoint tIdaho, an Iranian paper did a piece on the Assad family. The main picture was Hafez with the Shah. May be nothing, could be a straw in the wind.

[citizen k]

Looks like some rebels have an artillery battery:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O6aKN0z1-y0

[Razgovory]

Disturbing video of the "new normal" in Rastan, especially four minutes into it:

Yeah, it's a war zone.

And the next generation is being radicalized.

What radicalized this generation?  Or the one previous?  Or the one before that?

[Tamas]

Disturbing video of the "new normal" in Rastan, especially four minutes into it:

Yeah, it's a war zone.

And the next generation is being radicalized.

What radicalized this generation?  Or the one previous?  Or the one before that?

yeah lol, this reminds me of all the "omg this generation is detached and cold and bad and whatever omg" stuff being said (in general, not the arabs). I mean, hey, the previous few generations fought two world wars and happily engaged in various ethnic cleansing projects throughout the 20th century. Ain't exactly a proud pedigree to put on your flag.

[Syt]

I mean, hey, the previous few generations fought two world wars and happily engaged in various ethnic cleansing projects throughout the 20th century. Ain't exactly a proud pedigree to put on your flag.

That's because those generations still cared and believed in something.

[citizen k]

Video from Aleppo, Syria, draws condemnation of rebels
By Patrick J. McDonnell and Alexandra Sandels

August 1, 2012, 4:31 p.m.

BEIRUT (LA Times)— Syrian President Bashar Assad on Wednesday exhorted his military to maintain "continued preparedness," as human rights groups condemned an apparent rebel execution of Assad loyalists in the embattled northern city of Aleppo.

Assad lauded his troops' role in "confronting the criminal terrorist gangs," a reference to the rebels fighting across a wide swath of the country, in a statement marking the anniversary of the founding of the army, state media reported.

Meanwhile, video surfaced online appearing to show the execution of members of a loyalist clan in an Aleppo neighborhood.

In the video, apparent rebels lead a group of prisoners identified as pro-government paramilitary fighters known as shabiha into a courtyard. Several prisoners look bloodied and dazed. One is wearing only boxer shorts. The fighters shout "God is great!" as the prisoners are shoved against a wall. The fighters step back and open fire with their AK-47 rifles for more than 30 seconds, apparently squeezing off hundreds of rounds in a frenzy of shooting and shouting.

Afterward, the camera zooms in on what appears to be four bloodied bodies. Some reports identified the execution site as a school in Aleppo.

The opposition has said that those targeted were members of the Berri clan, a family with close ties to the government. Among those reportedly killed was the clan leader, Zeno Berri. Rebels accused him and others of committing atrocities against civilians. But the executions drew condemnation of the rebel forces. Several opposition groups also publicly denounced the killings.

"Such reprisals are never justified," Nadim Houry of Human Rights Watch said on Twitter.

Some reports indicated that the targeted clan has thousands of followers who could seek revenge, adding to the hostilities in Aleppo.

Rights monitors have documented extrajudicial killings and other abuses by both sides during the Syrian uprising.

Syria's military has suffered heavy losses and numerous defections that have strained its capabilities. A United Nations-commissioned report in June concluded that "regular forces are exhibiting a certain fatigue."

Still, the military retains a substantial edge in training and weaponry compared with the various rebel militias, which are mostly lightly armed, contain many untrained civilians and have no central command.

Government troops and rebels are fighting for control of Aleppo, Syria's most populous city, in what could be a decisive battle in the almost 17-month uprising against Assad's rule.

The U.N. confirmed Wednesday that the military had deployed jets firing rockets and machine guns at rebel positions in Aleppo. The opposition says the government has also used helicopter gunships and artillery to pound rebel-held districts. Rebel commanders say they hope that using guerrilla-style tactics in a dense urban landscape will help neutralize the army's advantage in firepower.

The fight for Aleppo has been brutal and bloody, featuring street fighting for control of neighborhoods and strategic installations such as police stations. Both sides appear to be preparing for a battle that could last weeks.

Tens of thousands of Aleppo residents have fled the city, but aid groups say many people remain trapped. Thousands are said to be living in schools, mosques and parks and at other sites. Aid groups worry that a humanitarian disaster will arise if the combat and shelling spread to other districts of the sprawling city, long Syria's commercial hub.

In Washington, U.S. officials disparaged Assad for keeping his whereabouts unknown since a bombing killed four of his top aides July 18.

"His recent remarks show him for the coward that he is," said Jay Carney, White House press secretary. "He hides out of sight, encouraging the heavily armed Syria military to continue slaughtering civilians in his name."

U.S. officials confirmed that they had increased their aid allocation to the rebels to $25 million, from $15 million. They said the money was for nonlethal aid, notably encrypted radios to help the insurgents remain in touch in the field. U.S. officials say they have set aside $64 million for humanitarian relief in Syria.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ARV5LrK9S-k&bpctr=1343879620

Obama authorized secret support for Syrian rebels
By Mark Hosenball

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama has signed a secret order authorizing U.S. support for rebels seeking to depose Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and his government, sources familiar with the matter said.

Obama's order, approved earlier this year and known as an intelligence "finding," broadly permits the CIA and other U.S. agencies to provide support that could help the rebels oust Assad.

This and other developments signal a shift toward growing, albeit still circumscribed, support for Assad's armed opponents - a shift that intensified following last month's failure of the U.N. Security Council to agree on tougher sanctions against the Damascus government.

The White House is for now apparently stopping short of giving the rebels lethal weapons, even as some U.S. allies do just that.

But U.S. and European officials have said that there have been noticeable improvements in the coherence and effectiveness of Syrian rebel groups in the past few weeks. That represents a significant change in assessments of the rebels by Western officials, who previously characterized Assad's opponents as a disorganized, almost chaotic, rabble.

Precisely when Obama signed the secret intelligence authorization, an action not previously reported, could not be determined.

The full extent of clandestine support that agencies like the CIA might be providing also is unclear.

White House spokesman Tommy Vietor declined comment.

'NERVE CENTER'

A U.S. government source acknowledged that under provisions of the presidential finding, the United States was collaborating with a secret command center operated by Turkey and its allies.

Last week, Reuters reported that, along with Saudi Arabia and Qatar, Turkey had established a secret base near the Syrian border to help direct vital military and communications support to Assad's opponents.

This "nerve center" is in Adana, a city in southern Turkey about 60 miles from the Syrian border, which is also home to Incirlik, a U.S. air base where U.S. military and intelligence agencies maintain a substantial presence.

Turkey's moderate Islamist government has been demanding Assad's departure with growing vehemence. Turkish authorities are said by current and former U.S. government officials to be increasingly involved in providing Syrian rebels with training and possibly equipment.

European government sources said wealthy families in Saudi Arabia and Qatar were providing significant financing to the rebels. Senior officials of the Saudi and Qatari governments have publicly called for Assad's departure.

On Tuesday, NBC News reported that the Free Syrian Army had obtained nearly two dozen surface-to-air missiles, weapons that could be used against Assad's helicopters and fixed-wing aircraft. Syrian government armed forces have employed such air power more extensively in recent days.

NBC said the shoulder-fired missiles, also known as MANPADs, had been delivered to the rebels via Turkey.

On Wednesday, however, Bassam al-Dada, a political adviser to the Free Syrian Army, denied the NBC report, telling the Arabic-language TV network Al-Arabiya that the group had "not obtained any such weapons at all." U.S. government sources said they could not confirm the MANPADs deliveries, but could not rule them out either.

Current and former U.S. and European officials previously said that weapons supplies, which were being organized and financed by Qatar and Saudi Arabia, were largely limited to guns and a limited number of anti-tank weapons, such as bazookas.

Indications are that U.S. agencies have not been involved in providing weapons to Assad's opponents. In order to do so, Obama would have to approve a supplement, known as a "memorandum of notification, to his initial broad intelligence finding.

Further such memoranda would have to be signed by Obama to authorize other specific clandestine operations to support Syrian rebels.

Reuters first reported last week that the White House had crafted a directive authorizing greater U.S. covert assistance to Syrian rebels. It was unclear at that time whether Obama had signed it.

OVERT SUPPORT

Separately from the president's secret order, the Obama administration has stated publicly that it is providing some backing for Assad's opponents.

The State Department said on Wednesday the U.S. government had set aside a total of $25 million for "non-lethal" assistance to the Syrian opposition. A U.S. official said that was mostly for communications equipment, including encrypted radios.

The State Department also says the United States has set aside $64 million in humanitarian assistance for the Syrian people, including contributions to the World Food Program, the International Committee of the Red Cross and other aid agencies.

Also on Wednesday, the U.S. Treasury confirmed it had granted authorization to the Syrian Support Group, Washington representative of one of the most active rebel factions, the Free Syrian Army, to conduct financial transactions on the rebel group's behalf. The authorization was first reported on Friday by Al-Monitor, a Middle East news and commentary website.

Last year, when rebels began organizing themselves to challenge the rule of Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi, Obama also signed an initial "finding" broadly authorizing secret U.S. backing for them. But the president moved cautiously in authorizing specific measures to support them.

Some U.S. lawmakers, such as Republican Senators John McCain and Lindsey Graham, have criticized Obama for moving too slowly to assist the rebels and have suggested the U.S. government become directly involved in arming Assad's opponents.

Other lawmakers have suggested caution, saying too little is known about the many rebel groups.

Recent news reports from the region have suggested that the influence and numbers of Islamist militants, some of them connected to al Qaeda or its affiliates, have been growing among Assad's opponents.

U.S. and European officials say that, so far, intelligence agencies do not believe the militants' role in the anti-Assad opposition is dominant.

While U.S. and allied government experts believe that the Syrian rebels have been making some progress against Assad's forces lately, most believe the conflict is nowhere near resolution, and could go on for years.

[mongers]

Video from Aleppo, Syria, draws condemnation of rebels
By Patrick J. McDonnell and Alexandra Sandels

August 1, 2012, 4:31 p.m.

BEIRUT (LA Times)— Syrian President Bashar Assad on Wednesday exhorted his military to maintain "continued preparedness," as human rights groups condemned an apparent rebel execution of Assad loyalists in the embattled northern city of Aleppo.

Assad lauded his troops' role in "confronting the criminal terrorist gangs," a reference to the rebels fighting across a wide swath of the country, in a statement marking the anniversary of the founding of the army, state media reported.

Meanwhile, video surfaced online appearing to show the execution of members of a loyalist clan in an Aleppo neighborhood.

In the video, apparent rebels lead a group of prisoners identified as pro-government paramilitary fighters known as shabiha into a courtyard. Several prisoners look bloodied and dazed. One is wearing only boxer shorts. The fighters shout "God is great!" as the prisoners are shoved against a wall. The fighters step back and open fire with their AK-47 rifles for more than 30 seconds, apparently squeezing off hundreds of rounds in a frenzy of shooting and shouting.

Afterward, the camera zooms in on what appears to be four bloodied bodies. Some reports identified the execution site as a school in Aleppo.

The opposition has said that those targeted were members of the Berri clan, a family with close ties to the government. Among those reportedly killed was the clan leader, Zeno Berri. Rebels accused him and others of committing atrocities against civilians. But the executions drew condemnation of the rebel forces. Several opposition groups also publicly denounced the killings.

"Such reprisals are never justified," Nadim Houry of Human Rights Watch said on Twitter.

Some reports indicated that the targeted clan has thousands of followers who could seek revenge, adding to the hostilities in Aleppo.

Rights monitors have documented extrajudicial killings and other abuses by both sides during the Syrian uprising.

Syria's military has suffered heavy losses and numerous defections that have strained its capabilities. A United Nations-commissioned report in June concluded that "regular forces are exhibiting a certain fatigue."

Still, the military retains a substantial edge in training and weaponry compared with the various rebel militias, which are mostly lightly armed, contain many untrained civilians and have no central command.

Government troops and rebels are fighting for control of Aleppo, Syria's most populous city, in what could be a decisive battle in the almost 17-month uprising against Assad's rule.

The U.N. confirmed Wednesday that the military had deployed jets firing rockets and machine guns at rebel positions in Aleppo. The opposition says the government has also used helicopter gunships and artillery to pound rebel-held districts. Rebel commanders say they hope that using guerrilla-style tactics in a dense urban landscape will help neutralize the army's advantage in firepower.

The fight for Aleppo has been brutal and bloody, featuring street fighting for control of neighborhoods and strategic installations such as police stations. Both sides appear to be preparing for a battle that could last weeks.

Tens of thousands of Aleppo residents have fled the city, but aid groups say many people remain trapped. Thousands are said to be living in schools, mosques and parks and at other sites. Aid groups worry that a humanitarian disaster will arise if the combat and shelling spread to other districts of the sprawling city, long Syria's commercial hub.

In Washington, U.S. officials disparaged Assad for keeping his whereabouts unknown since a bombing killed four of his top aides July 18.

"His recent remarks show him for the coward that he is," said Jay Carney, White House press secretary. "He hides out of sight, encouraging the heavily armed Syria military to continue slaughtering civilians in his name."

U.S. officials confirmed that they had increased their aid allocation to the rebels to $25 million, from $15 million. They said the money was for nonlethal aid, notably encrypted radios to help the insurgents remain in touch in the field. U.S. officials say they have set aside $64 million for humanitarian relief in Syria.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ARV5LrK9S-k&bpctr=1343879620

Astonishing, who would have thought that Islamists would be want to commit atrocities; it's as if they're taking a clue from someone else's play-book.   
Incidentally what are those black flags, some of them fly ?

[Admiral Yi]

I suppose that quoting only one of two ginormous articles means the glass is half full. 

[Sheilbh]

I've not watched the video, but a black flag is now the symbol of al-Qaeda. Syria's been attracting jihadists for a while so it's hardly a surprise if it is. It may not matter depending on their effectiveness and sentiment though, and particularly whether Syria collapses or not, for example there's also a lot of reports of rebel villages and towns kicking out foreign jihadists.

[CountDeMoney]

I've not watched the video, but a black flag is now the symbol of al-Qaeda.

Now?  It's been. Hasn't changed for years.

Anybody get a chance, watch this excellent Frontline episode from May on Al Qaeda in Yemen.  It's only 30 minutes long.

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/al-qaeda-in-yemen/