EA WorldView

Syria, Bahrain (and Beyond) Live Coverage: Liberation Near Damascus?

This video was given to EA by a source two days ago, and Zilal, an activist associated with the Coalition of Free Damascenes For Peaceful Change, has provided the subtitles.

This is Zabadani, a city that has been shelled for 6 days, a city that has a heavy presence of Free Syrian Army soldiers, and a city that has fought back against the regime. When we went to bed last night, Zabadani had negotiated a cease-fire and was prepared to declare itself the 1st liberated city in Syria. At noon today, that cease-fire was broken, and shelling continued. However, this significance of this event should not be overshadowed. At the end of the day, a city only 20 miles from the capital, Damascus, is not only resisting, but successfully resisting, the Syrian army.

These soldiers interviewed are reportedly members of the Free Syrian Army. Though we cannot confirm the details of their account, this video offers a snapshot of the situation in a city that could offer a turning point to this crisis that is now more than 10 months old.

The transcript is below.

0:02 – 0:09

they came down in the city and began to shoot at people, the Free Army faced them

0:09 – 0:16

and Assad army remained blocked down, they tried to go up

0:16 – 0:22

but all the times they tried to go up the Free Army rejected them

0:22 – 0:28

we are the Free Syrian Army here in Zabadani to protect civilians, with God's permission,

0:28 – 0:37

and God is with us, from Bashar al-Assad and his gang. Each day we have a funeral, each day we have a funeral.

0:37 – 0:45

(the other soldier says "they are shelling us with tanks") They are shelling us with tanks. Yesterday I have seen, they hit about 6

0:45 – 0:51

houses in Madaya, they have knocked down the entire building in Madaya yesterday

0:51 – 0:58

Each day, each day they knock down houses, and they brought tanks and shell us from all sides.

0:58 – 1:04

With God's permission , with God's permission, they can not enter again this area.

1:04 – 1:07

With God's permission they can not enter as long as we breathe.

1:07 – 1:17

The free army is obviously a group of soldiers and officers who defected from the Assad forces that are killing civilians

1:17 – 1:22

and it protect civilians in several areas, one of them the Zabadani area

1:22 – 1:24

and there were clashes with the security forces

1:34 – 1:38

Thanks to God, this is a duty for me

1:40 – 1:47

all the army came down from the mountains and began randomly shooting in the city

1:47 – 1:53

everyday, everyday they shoot people, every day shoot people , injuries in the eyes, they target the head

1:53 – 1:57

they have snipers from Iran and Hezbollah, the party of devil,

1:57 – 2:01

they all come here to help them, they are one

2:12 – 2:20

We have not taken up arms until they have pushed us to take up arms

2:20 – 2:25

8 - 9 months and we continued to say "peaceful, peaceful, peaceful, peaceful"

2:25 – 2:28

our women had been kidnapped from the streets

2:28 – 2:31

we had been humiliated, we have been stepped on our heads, yet we are still silent

2:31 – 2:34

and we said "peaceful, peaceful"

2:42 – 2:45

be careful

3:37 – 3:39

Free Syria, Syria belongs to the people

3:54 – 4:21

on the wall: "God, Syria / Bashar Donkey"