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Entries in Free Syrian Army (124)

Wednesday
Aug222012

Syria (and Beyond) Live Coverage: 230 Dead Inside, More Fighting in Lebanon

The Free Syrian Army attacks the State Media Broadcast Headquarters in Aleppo for the 2nd day in a row on Tuesday (map).


See also Syria 1st-Hand Feature: Travelling with the Insurgent "Lions of Tawhid"
Tuesday's Syria, Bahrain (and Beyond) Live Coverage: A Dark Day for Journalism

0055 GMT: Syria. Back from a vacation break to find this account from a resident of al-Herak in Daraa Province, Muhammed Abu Houran, to Mona Mahmood of The Guardian this afternoon:

Yesterday morning the Syrian army began its campaign against al-Herak in Deraa. They launched a vicious raid against the people who were still in their houses, though most of the people had left the town earlier.

The Syrian army executed any men they found in these houses soon after arresting them. Most of the men who were executed were found in deserted houses. From yesterday until now, fires are still burning --- there is not enough water to put them out.

After three days of fierce battles here, the FSA had to leave its positions as it had run out of ammunition. As soon as the FSA pulled out, field executions were carried out and houses were burned and destroyed. The FSA was able to keep only the southern part of Deraa under its control after long battles that lasted from dawn to the evening – almost 16 hours.

After that, the FSA got more ammunition from neighbouring towns and was able to attack some of the armoured vehicles of the Syrian army. Battles continued till 12 midday today in which the FSA was able to recover some other parts of the town that had been taken by the Syrian army....

We have had 107 martyrs in the last three days, Most of them are civilians. Forty-five of the bodies were executed. There were 13 bodies which were charred completely and today we found another nine charred bodies. We could not identify them at all. They were in the districts which were under the control of the Syrian army yesterday. Most of the executed bodies were slain by knives, and luckiest ones executed by gunshot....

<=

Originally there were 40,000 people in al-Herak but now only 4,000 people are left here. They have been under a tough siege for three months so far --- they can't flee the town....

People now are eating a local sweet named Hallawa. Bread is missing completely. Al-Herak is an agricultural town but the Syrian army is blocking the way to get to the farms. The farmers themselves do not dare to come inside the town.

Click to read more ...

Tuesday
Aug212012

Syria 1st-Hand: Clashes and Foreign Fighters in Aleppo (Chulov)

Martin Chulov of The Guardian reached Aleppo soon after insurgents entered Syria's largest city last month, providing a series of vital reports. Five days ago, he "disappeared" because of a lack of Internet access. This morning, however, he returned with a series of Twitter messages pointing to the continued presence of insurgents in the city, despite sustained regime attacks on the ground and from the air, with foreign fighters among those challenging the Syrian military:

Click to read more ...

Tuesday
Aug212012

Syria, Bahrain (and Beyond) Live Coverage: A Dark Day for Journalism

Video reportedly showing Free Syrian Army fighters engaged in combat in the Arqoub district of Aleppo (map)

See also Syria 1st-Hand: Clashes and Foreign Fighters in Aleppo
Monday's Syria, Bahrain (and Beyond) Live Coverage: End of a Red Ramadan


0225 GMT: Lebanon. Seven people have been killed in a second night of fighting in the northern city of Tripoli.

Around 100 people have been wounded in the clashes, as gunmen in the Sunni district of Bab al-Tabbaneh and Alawite rivals in Jebel Mohsen continued to exchange gun and grenade fire, despite deployment by Lebanese troops.

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Monday
Aug202012

Syria, Bahrain (and Beyond) Live Coverage: End of a Red Ramadan

2340 GMT: Syria. Since this morning, a rumor, pushed initially by Russian media RT, spread that a high ranking Syrian general had died in a Russian hospital. Syrian State Media denied the story, and there have been debates and rumors all day as to the identity of the dead general.

Now, an activist who has a great rack record lately posts this report:

A German news agency is also carrying the report that Jamil Hassan has died.

We have to stress that this rumor is completely unconfirmed.

2320 GMT: Syria. A note on our last update - Bashar Fahmi, one of the missing journalists, apparently works for Alhurra, described as "a United States-based Arabic-language satellite TV channel funded by the U.S. Congress that broadcasts news and current affairs."

More information on what happened today (noted, this is still unconfirmed):

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Thursday
Aug162012

Syria 1st-Hand: From Student and Gap Salesman to Insurgent in Aleppo (Spencer)

Free Syrian fighters in Aleppo (Photo: Goran Tomasevic/Reuters)


An engaging and English-speaking young sophisticate in shades, Yaman Hamoud divided his time between studying at Aleppo University and earning money in Dubai. He worked as an assistant at the Gap store in Dubai Mall, the acme of the city’s bling culture, next to Burj Khalifa, the world’s tallest building.

But twice earlier this year, Aleppo University was raided by security forces in response to protests. Among those arrested was a friend who was hung up by his wrists from the ceiling of his cell for three days until the skin broke and rucked up over his hands. Girls were raped, he said.

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Tuesday
Aug142012

Syria Opinion: To Stop the Regime, Arm the Insurgents (Hassan)

As the bloodshed continues, the question remains of what could be done to end it. The situation is becoming increasingly more complex, yet has reached a point where the conclusion --- the end of the regime --- is clear: the Free Syrian Army is becoming stronger, the regime is weakening rapidly (with its military reduced to acting essentially as death squads), and the fighting will continue until the regime falls.

What is needed is to speed up that process by providing maximum assistance to the rebels.

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Saturday
Aug112012

Syria Opinion: "Nobody Is Above Criticism" (Maysaloon)

Yacine Benrabia of France 24 with insurgents in Aleppo in late July


The time to demand that those who fight for us, or claim to speak for us, adhere to human rights and respect the rights of all Syrians is now, and it's incumbent upon each and every one of us to speak up if somebody else is being bullied for voicing their doubts or asking questions. We need a cultural and social shift away from shouting each other down, and have to start realising that debate and questioning are not a threat but a strength. Syria does not need more politicians, soldiers or leaders. What we do need is more people who will stand up and point their finger at something that is wrong.

If the Free Syrian Army have stepped up to the burden of protecting the Syrian people, then that burden also includes doing the job the right way. The Syrian revolution has come this far, let's not have it fall at the first hurdle just because somebody is courageous enough to point out shortcomings.

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Friday
Aug102012

Syria Analysis: Recognising A War of Attrition 

CNN's report on the worsening humanitarian crisis in Aleppo.


The likely military outcome for the Assad regime is defeat. It cannot win in the countryside. It is still losing territory, as well as tanks and soldiers to the ambushes and defections. The captured arms and defecting soldiers are supplemented by fresh supplies and equipment to the insurgents, provided by supporters --- from individuals to states --- outside Syria.

But for all that growing strength, the FSA has yet to prove that it can defeat the Assad military in key cities. Hama remains in the regime's hands. So do Homs and Damascus. A stalemate in Aleppo could be a body blow to President Assad, but that is unlikely to push him from power.

What we have is a war for attrition. The regime cannot win, but it will persist, to the point of destroying much of the country while it tries. The Free Syrian Army will not stop fighting until Assad has fallen, but it is incapable of bringing about a decisive victory to halt the destruction.

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Friday
Aug102012

Syria (and Beyond) Live Coverage: The Battle for Aleppo Continues

See also Syria Analysis: Recognising A War of Attrition
Syria Audio Feature: Assessing the Latest in Aleppo and Beyond --- Scott Lucas with Monocle 24
Thursday's Syria (and Beyond) Live Coverage: The Insurgents Hold Out in Aleppo


2022 GMT: Syria. The Local Coordination Committees report that 150 people have been killed today by security forces. Seventy-five of the deaths were in Aleppo, with 45 "unidentified corpses" found in the Salah Ed Dine district.

2012 GMT: Syria. The demonstration in Kafromeh in Idlib Province today:

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Wednesday
Aug082012

Syria Analysis: The Local Coordination Committees Issue a "Code of Conduct" for Free Syrian Army

The Local Coordination Committees have been officially opposed to insurgency. Their members have not taken up arms, and the protests organized by the organisation remain committed to peaceful defiance. However, the LCC clearly supports the actions of the Free Syrian Army and recognise that the FSA's operations are likely to bring the eventual unravelling of the regime.

This document seeks to establish the idea of a clear separation between civilian leaders and military leaders, with the former in charge of the latter. And here's the most important thing to note --- some of the most powerful and influential members of the Free Syrian Army, including many influential local and regional brigade commanders, have signed.

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