The Syria Analysis Thread

Bob Dylan Roof Saturday 9 Jun 2012

Infantile Guardian correspondent learns the hard way that Islamic insurgents are attempting to fabricate a humanitarian crisis in Syria

Alex Thomson says crew was led to 'free-fire zone' as deaths would discredit Bashar al-Assad's regime

Bronze Age Pervert Wednesday 13 Jun 2012

Thomas should comment on this

http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/syrias-ghost-killers-steroid-mad-thugs-872075

Bob Dylan Roof Wednesday 13 Jun 2012

lol mirin those aesthetics

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mix up a protein shake of the pulverized bodies of Opposition Activists (TM) to sustain those massive gains

Team Zissou Thursday 14 Jun 2012

Here's some more information from Notes On Arab Orthodoxy: http://araborthodoxy.blogspot.com/2012/06/things-get-worse-in-syria.html

A German newspaper reports that the most recent massacre was Sunni rebels killing Shia and Alawite converts.

Family members have confirmed the kidnappings and church bombings in the south.

Niccolo and Donkey Saturday 16 Jun 2012

Roland SteamshipTime President Camacho popfop Bronze Age Pervert SweetLeftFoot

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Bronze Age Pervert Sunday 17 Jun 2012

The Alawites and Christians control the exit to the sea :eek:
I didn't know that...

Angocachi Sunday 17 Jun 2012

As in Iraq and Lebanon, with the exception of Tripoli.

Niccolo and Donkey Saturday 23 Jun 2012

Angocachi President Camacho Roland

Saudi Arabia plans to fund Syria rebel army

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Saudi officials are preparing to pay the salaries of the Free Syria Army as a means of encouraging mass defections from the military and increasing pressure on the Assad regime, the Guardian has learned.

The move, which has been discussed between Riyadh and senior officials in the US and Arab world, is believed to be gaining momentum as a recent flush of weapons sent to rebel forces by Saudi Arabia and Qatar starts to make an impact on battlefields in Syria.

Officials in the Saudi capital embraced the idea when it was put to them by Arab officials in May, according to sources in three Arab states, around the same time that weapons started to flow across the southern Turkish border into the hands of Free Syria Army leaders.

Turkey has also allowed the establishment of a command centre in Istanbul which is co-ordinating supply lines in consultation with FSA leaders inside Syria. The centre is believed to be staffed by up to 22 people, most of them Syrian nationals.

The Guardian witnessed the transfer of weapons in early June near the Turkish frontier. Five men dressed in the style of Gulf Arabs arrived in a police station in the border village of Altima in Syria and finalised a transfer from the Turkish town of Reyhanli of around 50 boxes of rifles and ammunition, as well as a large shipment of medicines.

The men were treated with deference by local FSA leaders and were carrying large bundles of cash. They also received two prisoners held by rebels, who were allegedly members of the pro-regime militia, the Shabiha.

The influx of weapons has reinvigorated the insurrection in northern Syria, which less than six weeks ago was on the verge of being crushed.

The move to pay the guerrilla forces' salaries is seen as a chance to capitalise on the sense of renewed confidence, as well as provide a strong incentive for soldiers and officers to defect. The value of the Syrian pound has fallen sharply in value since the anti-regime revolt started 16 months ago, leading to a dramatic fall in purchasing power.

The plan centres on paying the FSA in either US dollars or euros, meaning their salaries would be restored to their pre-revolution levels, or possibly increased.

The US senator Joe Lieberman, who is actively supporting the Syrian opposition, discussed the issue of FSA salaries during a recent trip to Lebanon and Saudi Arabia.

His spokesman, Whitney Phillips, said: "Senator Lieberman has called for the US to provide robust and comprehensive support to the armed Syrian opposition, in co-ordination with our partners in the Middle East and Europe. He has specifically called for the US to work with our partners to provide the armed Syrian opposition with weapons, training, tactical intelligence, secure communications and other forms of support to change the military balance of power inside Syria.

"Senator Lieberman also supports the idea of ensuring that the armed opposition fighters receive regular and sufficient pay, although he does not believe it is necessary for the United States to provide this funding itself directly."

US defence secretary Leon Panetta said this week Washington was not playing a direct role in gun-running into northern Syria. "We made a decision not to provide lethal assistance at this point. I know others have made their own decisions."

Earlier this week the New York Times reported the CIA was operating in southern Turkey, helping allies decide which opposition fighters would get weapons.

Diplomatic sources have told the Guardian two US intelligence officers were in Syria's third city of Homs between December and early February, trying to establish command and control within rebel ranks.

Interviews with officials in three states reveal the influx of weapons – which includes kalashnikovs, rocket propelled grenades and anti-tank missiles – started in mid-May, when Saudi Arabia and Qatar finally moved on pledges they had made in February and March to arm rebel forces.

The officials, who insisted on anonymity, said the final agreement to move weapons from storage points inside Turkey into rebel hands was hard won, with Ankara first insisting on diplomatic cover from the Arab states and the US.

Turkey is understood to view the weapons supply lines as integral to the protection of its southern border, which is coming under increasing pressure as regime forces edge closer in an attempt to stop the gun-running and attack FSA units.

President Camacho Sunday 24 Jun 2012

... Presumably to be tortured to death? What does the "international community" think of this-- the Guardian apparently doesn't think enough of it to question the Saudis' jurisdiction over these individuals.

As for the backstabbing Turks, the Syrians should invade and re-annex Hatay for this treachery and rebuild Antioch into a marvelous second capital for Greater Syria! But then that very same international community would pounce on and crush Assad for this "illegal" gambit.

Niccolo and Donkey Sunday 24 Jun 2012

Byssus President Camacho Roland Angocachi

Turkey calls NATO meeting after Syria downs warplane in international airspace

Turkey on Sunday called for a NATO meeting after accusing Syria of shooting down one of its warplanes in international airspace.

Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu also warned Ankara’s southern neighbour not to challenge Turkey’s military. Britain, another member of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation, offered its support for “robust” international action.

“According to our conclusions, our plane was shot down in international airspace, 13 nautical miles from Syria,” Mr. Davutoglu told Turkey’s TRT television.

“The Syrians knew full well that it was a Turkish military plane and the nature of its mission,” he said. “Nobody should dare put Turkey’s (military) capabilities to the test.”

A spokeswoman said NATO's governing body will meet on Tuesday to discuss the issue.

The consultations will focus on article 4 of NATO's founding Washington Treaty.

The spokeswoman said Sunday that under the article, an ally can request consultations “whenever, in the opinion of any of them, their territorial integrity, political independence or security is threatened.”

British Foreign Secretary William Hague said: “The (President Bashar al-) Assad regime should not make the mistake of believing that it can act with impunity. It will be held to account for its behaviour.”

“The UK stands ready to pursue robust action at the United Nations Security Council,“ Mr. Hague added, also confirming support for the efforts of UN-Arab League peace envoy Kofi Annan.

The Syria Analysis Thread

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