Protests in Syria

[High_Gravity]

I'm not the one trying to take back land my ancestors allegedly possessed two thousand years ago.

If it works for Jews, why not for Cherokee?

What cosmic sense of entitlement makes the Jew think he's the "chosen one?"

Cherokees? what the fuck does this have to do with riots in Syria?

 

[georgephillip]

I'm not the one trying to take back land my ancestors allegedly possessed two thousand years ago.

If it works for Jews, why not for Cherokee?

What cosmic sense of entitlement makes the Jew think he's the "chosen one?"

Cherokees? what the fuck does this have to do with riots in Syria?

Human rights?

War crimes?

"Hama poses a potential dilemma for the Syrian regime because of its place as a symbol of opposition to the rule of the Assad family. In 1982, the late Hafez Assad ordered troops to crush a rebellion by Islamist forces, killing between 10,000 and 25,000 people, rights activists say."

Hafez Assad would have found a way to profit from the Trail of Tears.

Syria Accuses U.S. Of Inciting Unrest

 

[Ropey]

I'm not the one trying to take back land my ancestors allegedly possessed two thousand years ago.

If it works for Jews, why not for Cherokee?

What cosmic sense of entitlement makes the Jew think he's the "chosen one?"

Cherokees? what the fuck does this have to do with riots in Syria?

Human rights?

War crimes?

"Hama poses a potential dilemma for the Syrian regime because of its place as a symbol of opposition to the rule of the Assad family. In 1982, the late Hafez Assad ordered troops to crush a rebellion by Islamist forces, killing between 10,000 and 25,000 people, rights activists say."

Hafez Assad would have found a way to profit from the Trail of Tears.

Syria Accuses U.S. Of Inciting Unrest

Like you care. All you want to do is condemn people with the hate of your inner angst George.

That's why you get red marks all over this forum. It's not that you have a side.

Any side that will allow you to spew out the inner hate you have is usable for you.

 

[Ropey]

Syria Troops Enter Turkish Border Village: Activists

GUVECCI, Turkey -- Syrian activists said Thursday that troops backed by tanks and snipers have entered a village along the Turkish border as the regime expands its crackdown on a pro-democracy movement that has posed the gravest challenge to President Bashar Assad's rule.

Thousands of Syrian refugees have been flooding into Turkey as the government tries to crush the 3-month-old uprising. The regime blames foreign conspirators and thugs for the unrest, but the protesters deny any foreign influence in their pro-democracy movement.

The Local Coordinating Committees, which track the Syrian protest movement, said Thursday that tanks had entered Khirbet al-Jouz and snipers were spotted on rooftops. The group cited residents on the ground in the village.

Syria has banned foreign journalists and restricted local media, making it nearly impossible to independently confirm the accounts.

On Thursday, AP Television News journalists on the Turkish side of the border saw armed men near the village and an armored personnel carrier on its outskirts. It was not possible to see inside the village to confirm the activists' reports.

Nearly 100 Syrians who were living in makeshift tents on the Syrian side of the border fled into Turkey as the village was surrounded and Turkey deployed guards along the frontier.

The opposition estimates 1,400 people have been killed and 10,000 detained in the Syrian crackdown, drawing international condemnation and sanctions.

On Wednesday, the Syrian regime lashed out at European governments for threatening a new round of sanctions and accused the West of trying to sow chaos and conflict in the Arab nation.

But Foreign Minister Walid Moallem also reiterated the president's call for national dialogue and spoke of democracy over the horizon – a bold assertion after more than four decades of iron-fisted rule by the Assad family and months of bloody reprisals.

Syria Troops Enter Turkish Border Village: Activists

Wonder where all those muslim demonstrators are in the western countries? If some one said a quran was disrespected, they would be out by the thousands. When it is some muslim dictator murdering their own, the silence is deafening.???

Indeed.

 

[georgephillip]

Cherokees? what the fuck does this have to do with riots in Syria?

Human rights?

War crimes?

"Hama poses a potential dilemma for the Syrian regime because of its place as a symbol of opposition to the rule of the Assad family. In 1982, the late Hafez Assad ordered troops to crush a rebellion by Islamist forces, killing between 10,000 and 25,000 people, rights activists say."

Hafez Assad would have found a way to profit from the Trail of Tears.

Syria Accuses U.S. Of Inciting Unrest

Like you care. All you want to do is condemn people with the hate of your inner angst George.

That's why you get red marks all over this forum. It's not that you have a side.

Any side that will allow you to spew out the inner hate you have is usable for you.

"The Trail of Tears was the relocation and movement of Native American nations from southeastern parts of the present-day United States. It has been described as an act of genocide, by modern historians."

My side doesn't condone genocide.
Your side seems to believe your "god" gives license for genocide and worse.
That's inner hate.

Trail of Tears - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

 

[Ropey]

Your side is any side that will allow you to attack the other side with hate.

Your hate is exclusive of a platform George. That's why you get all the red marks all over the forum. You just need a platform to spew your inner hate out.

Death shall follow those who follow it. It shall take it's followers down a winding mundane path of mental dissolution.

That's why I never respond to your questions. No response is useful because you just want to vomit it out and take nothing in.

Sad that.

 

[Ropey]

What would you known of word and honor Canadian, but israeli firster

I have told you that if there ever was a war between Canada and Israel, I would be on the side of Canada and that I am a Canadian first who identifies as a Canadian Jew who is an Israeli citizen since I transferred from the Canadian Armed Forces to support Israel in 1973.

A war between Canada and Israel's not likely to happen, in my lifetime at any rate, so you defame me anyway.

That's your choice.

 

[georgephillip]

Your side is any side that will allow you to attack the other side with hate.

Your hate is exclusive of a platform George. That's why you get all the red marks all over the forum. You just need a platform to spew your inner hate out.

Death shall follow those who follow it. It shall take it's followers down a winding mundane path of mental dissolution.

That's why I never respond to your questions. No response is useful because you just want to vomit it out and take nothing in.

Sad that.

The sooner your side goes the way of Moses, Mohammed and Jesus the sooner the rest of humanity becomes free.

Your slave faith ensures any response you offer would be another lie.

Like the life you vomit across these threads.

 

[High_Gravity]

Syrian Troops Storm City Of Homs, Wounding 20

BEIRUT -- Syrian troops stormed into the country's third-largest city with armored personnel carriers and heavy machine guns, a rights activist said Monday, as dialogue over possible government reforms moved into a second day in Damascus. At least two people were killed and 20 wounded in the attacks in Homs, activists said.

The clashes in Homs in central Syria suggest the regime of President Bashar Assad will not ease its four-month-old crackdown on the opposition despite proposing some political changes.

Vice President Farouk al-Sharaa called Sunday for a transition to democracy in a country ruled for four decades by the authoritarian Assad family dynasty. But the talks, which wrap up Monday, are boycotted by the main anti-government factions and are unlikely to produce any breakthroughs to immediately end the bloodshed.

The two days of meetings, however, were seen as a major concession by Assad's regime after the most serious challenge to its rule. Some 1,600 civilians and 350 members of security forces have been killed since demonstrations began in March, activists say.

In Homs, an activist in the city told The Associated Press clashes occurred after security forces killed on Sunday the son of an anti-regime tribal leader. The unrest lasted until 5 a.m. (0200 GMT) Monday.

Street lights were turned off then troops started entering neighborhoods, shooting with heavy machine guns atop Russian-made armored personnel carriers, said the activist, who spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of government reprisals.

He said some people cowered in their bathrooms during the height of the assault. At least one person was killed and 20 wounded, the activist said.

Rami Abdul-Rahman, the London-based director of the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, also said forces pushed into parts of Homs.

Also Monday, the state-run news agency SANA reported that Assad named Anas Abdul-Razzaq Naem as a new governor of the central city of Hama, that has been out of government control since early June.

Naem replaced Ahmed Khaled Abdul-Aziz, who was fired earlier this month as apparent punishment for allowing protesters to stage a huge rally in the city earlier this month.

Syrian Troops Storm City Of Homs, Wounding 20

 

[High_Gravity]

Syria U.S. Embassy Attacked By Bashar Assad Regime Supporters

BEIRUT -- Witnesses say Syrian pro-government protesters have attacked the U.S. embassy compound in Damascus, causing damage.

The witnesses said the protesters smashed windows and raised a Syrian flag on the compound on Monday. They also wrote anti-US graffiti referring to the U.S. ambassador as a "dog," the witnesses said.

The protests were over visits by the U.S. and French ambassadors last week to the opposition stronghold of Hama in central Syria.

THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. Check back soon for further information. AP's earlier story is below.

BEIRUT (AP) – A witness in Syria's capital says security guards at the French Embassy have fired into the air to drive back protesters taking part in two-pronged demonstrations outside the French and American embassies in Damascus.

The protests Monday come days after the U.S. and French ambassadors visited the opposition stronghold of Hama in central Syria. The witness says crowds were not allowed to get near the U.S. Embassy.

The witness, Hiam al-Hassan, says about 300 people had gathered outside the French Embassy. Hundreds others were at the American diplomatic compound.

The protests coincide with government-organized talks in Damascus on possible political reforms after four months of unrest against the regime of President Bashar Assad.

Syria U.S. Embassy Attacked By Bashar Assad Regime Supporters

 

[High_Gravity]

U.S. Embassy In Syria Stormed By Protesters

WASHINGTON -- American diplomats at the U.S. Embassy in Damascus are shaken, but not wounded, after their heavily secured compound was stormed earlier today by a mob of angry protesters.

"A television station that is heavily influenced by Syrian authorities encouraged this violent demonstration," a State Department spokesperson said in a statement to Reuters.

The statement continued, "We strongly condemn the Syrian government's refusal to protect our embassy, and demand compensation for damages. We call on the Syrian government to fulfill its obligations to its own citizens as well."

"We consider it pretty fucking severe," said one person inside the compound at the time, via email to The Huffington Post. "It was a rough day. Still is."

No Americans were wounded in the assault, according to the source, who spoke on the condition of anonymity as individuals within the embassy were unauthorized to comment.

The Syrian attackers managed to penetrate several layers of embassy security by climbing a high fence that guards the fortress-like compound. Some managed to get onto the roof of a few of the embassy buildings and rip down embassy signs, replacing the American flag with a Syrian one.

"I watched a guy with a two-by-four try to break one of the windows of [the] Ambassador's office," the witness said.

The attack on the embassy comes amid growing diplomatic discord between the United States and Syria, and soon after American Ambassador Robert Ford paid a visit last week to the northern city of Hama, where anti-government protests have grown despite a heavy crackdown.

Over the weekend, the State Department issued a rebuke to the Syrian ambassador in the U.S. after reports emerged that he may have participated in efforts to suppress or monitor anti-government protests by Syrians within the United States.

The main defenders of the embassy compound are Syrian nationals who patrol the streets outside and control access to the building.

It is also guarded by a small contingent of Marines, which represent an internal layer of security and never leave the compound armed. The outer perimeter is heavily guarded by Syrian security forces, who have foiled past attempts to attack the compound, including an attempted car bomb in 2006. This has raised questions about how an unarmed crowd was able to penetrate such tight security, and led to early suspicions that the Syrian regime allowed the breach to occur.

According to the witness, the Marines managed to secure the compound without opening fire or directly confronting the individuals who had made their way onto the roof.

Eventually, the intruders left on their own, the insider told HuffPost.

The Associated Press reported that the embassy of France and the residence of the American Ambassador were also targeted in the assaults yesterday.

A State Department spokesman was not immediately available for comment.

U.S. Embassy In Syria Stormed By Protesters

 

[High_Gravity]

Syrian President Bashar Assad Has 'Lost Legitimacy,' Says Secretary Of State Hillary Clinton

WASHINGTON -- Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton said Monday that Syrian President Bashar Assad has "lost legitimacy" as a leader interested in reform as the United States formally protested an attack on the U.S. Embassy and the American ambassador's residence in Damascus.

Clinton's comments fell short of demanding that Assad leave power but were some of the strongest public criticism yet by a senior U.S. official and demonstrated Washington's anger not only at the embassy attack but the Assad regime's continuing crackdown on opponents.

"From our perspective, he has lost legitimacy," Clinton told reporters at the State Department in a joint news conference with European Union foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton. "He has failed to deliver on promises he has made, he has sought and accepted aid from the Iranians as to how to repress his own people."

Clinton said there was a "laundry list of actions" that the Assad regime should be held accountable for. And she condemned the attacks on the U.S. and French embassies while demanding that Syria uphold its international treaty obligations to protect foreign diplomatic missions.

Earlier, the department summoned a senior Syrian diplomat to register the U.S. complaints in person and said it would seek compensation for damage caused when a mob of what it described as about 300 "thugs" breached the wall of the embassy compound before being dispersed by U.S. Marine guards.

Clinton cautioned Assad and his supporters that there was no truth to suggestions by some that the U.S. wanted to see the current regime stay in power for stabilities' sake.

"President Assad is not indispensible and we have absolutely nothing invested in him remaining in power," she said.

State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland said it appeared a government-controlled television statement had instigated the violence, and Clinton warned Assad that he could not distract the international community from its brutal crackdown on protesters demanding reforms.

"By either allowing or inciting this kind of behavior by these mobs against American and French diplomats and their property, they are clearly trying to deflect attention from their crackdown internally and to move the world's view away from what they are doing," Clinton said. "It just doesn't work."

Nuland called the embassy attacks "absolutely outrageous." She said the mob had not breached the chancery building but had gotten onto its roof, spray painted graffiti and broken windows and some security cameras. In addition, she said protesters lobbed fruits and vegetables at the compound.

She said that Syrian security forces who are supposed to guard the mission were slow to respond to the attack. There were no injuries reported to embassy personnel, who are all accounted for, officials said.

After the crowd at the embassy was dispersed, the protesters moved to the residence of U.S. Ambassador Robert Ford and attacked it, causing unspecified damage, Nuland said.

Witnesses said the protesters smashed windows at the embassy and raised a Syrian flag on the compound. They also wrote anti-US graffiti referring to the U.S. ambassador as a "dog," the witnesses said. The protests were over visits by the U.S. and French ambassadors last week to the opposition stronghold of Hama in central Syria.

Syrian President Bashar Assad Has 'Lost Legitimacy,' Says Secretary Of State Hillary Clinton

 

[High_Gravity]

Obama Sharpens Rhetoric Against Syria’s Assad

U.S. President Barack Obama says Syrian President Bashar al-Assad is “losing legitimacy in the eyes of his people,” and has missed “opportunity after opportunity” to present genuine reforms.

Mr. Obama told CBS News Tuesday the Syrian government has perpetrated what he called an “unacceptable degree of brutality” on peaceful demonstrators protesting Mr. Assad's authoritarian rule.

Syria has sharply criticized similar remarks by U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, saying her comments were “further evidence” of “blatant U.S. interference” in Syria's internal affairs.

Clinton said Monday that Mr. Assad has “lost legitimacy” and is “not indispensable.” She also said the U.S. has “nothing invested in him remaining in power.”

Meanwhile, residents in eastern Syria say a bomb exploded late Tuesday in Tayanah near the Iraqi border, damaging a gas pipeline. State television said there were no casualties and only minor damage from the blast.

Also Tuesday, the United Nations Security Council condemned in the “strongest terms” this week's attacks against the U.S. and French embassies in Damascus.

In his CBS interview, Mr. Obama said the U.S. has sent “a clear message” that “nobody can be messing with our embassy.” He said Syria has been warned that Washington will take “whatever actions necessary” to protect its overseas missions.

On Monday, loyalists to Mr. Assad mobbed the embassy compound, broke windows and briefly raised a Syrian flag. The U.S. State Department said Tuesday the embassy is operational, and U.S. and Syrian officials are working to repair the damage.

Security guards at the French embassy fired shots into the air on Monday to keep demonstrators from entering the grounds. Officials said three embassy staffers were injured during the unrest.

The incidents took place after U.S. Ambassador Robert Ford and French Ambassador Eric Chevallier traveled to the flashpoint city of Hama last week to show solidarity with residents facing a military crackdown on dissent.

In another development, Syria wrapped up a three-day session of a government-organized “national dialogue” on Tuesday. The state news agency says the participants issued a statement in which they said stability and a greater commitment to reforms are high priorities.

Syria's main opposition groups did not participate in the talks.

Rights groups say Syrian security forces have killed at least 1,600 civilians during the crackdown, while the government blames the violence on terrorists and Islamists who it says have killed hundreds of security personnel.

Obama Sharpens Rhetoric Against Syria’s Assad « VOA Breaking News

 

[High_Gravity]

Syria Protests Leave 8 Dead: Activists

BEIRUT -- Syrian security forces opened fire from their cars Thursday on thousands of protesters demanding President Bashar Assad's ouster, killing at least two people, activists said.

The violence in Deir el-Zour, near the border with Iraq, brings the death toll to nine after two days of military operations across the country. Military sweeps began Wednesday in the capital, the northern Idlib province, the central city of Homs and near the Turkish border.

"All the shops have closed, we have announced a general strike, maybe even civil disobedience," said an activist in Deir el-Zour, who spoke to The Associated Press by telephone. He asked that his name not be published for fear of retribution.

The London-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, which has a network of sources on the ground across the country, said at least two people were killed and ten others wounded. The activist confirmed the figure to the AP.

At least one of the victims was a 45-year-old man, but there were no further details.

Activists also reported partial strikes in several towns and cities, including Homs and the Damascus suburb of Douma. The strikes increase economic pressure on the regime, which already is struggling to keep the business community and prosperous merchant classes afloat.

If business comes to a halt, private enterprises go bankrupt and government cannot pay state employees, there will be very little to prop up the regime.

Syria has banned most foreign media and placed tight restrictions on reporters, making it nearly impossible to independently confirm accounts out of Syria.

Assad is trying to crush a four-month-old uprising that refuses to back down, despite a deadly government crackdown that activists say has killed some 1,600 people since the middle of March. The government disputes the toll and blames the bloodshed on a foreign conspiracy and "armed gangs."

Syria's state-run news agency SANA, a mouthpiece for the regime, said masked gunmen tried to cut roads in Deir el-Zour Thursday and forced shop owners to close their stores. It added the gunmen terrorized people and vandalized some shops whose owners refused to close.

The regime accuses thugs and foreign conspirators – not true reform-seekers – of being behind the country's unrest. SANA's reports often contradict witness accounts.

Elsewhere in Syria, at least seven people were killed late Wednesday during army raids in the Jabal al-Zawiya region in the northern Idlib province, said Syria-based activist Mustafa Osso.

The province has been the scene of military operations for weeks, apparently aimed at preventing residents from fleeing into refugee camps in neighboring Turkey. The sight of thousands of Syrians seeking refuge in Turkey has been a source of deep embarrassment to the Assad regime.

Ammar Qurabi, head of the National Organization for Human Rights, said security forces broke up a peaceful anti-government protest in Damascus on Wednesday evening, beating some protesters and arresting Syrian intellectuals, actors and artists.

The protest coincided with a pro-regime demonstration in the same area, with some activists reporting scuffles between the two sides. But only the anti-regime protest was broken up.

Qurabi said the arrests were proof that the regime is escalating its crackdown against anyone who dares protest and that the promises of reform were merely "ink on paper."

The protests in Syria typically spike on Friday, which has become the day for demonstrations during the Arab Spring. But in recent weeks, Syrians have held large protests nearly every day, followed by nightly sit-ins, suggesting that the movement is gaining momentum.

Syria Protests Leave 8 Dead: Activists

 

[High_Gravity]

Iran-Syria Aid Could Be In The Billions: Tehran Think Tank

(Reuters) - Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei backs offering $5.8 billion in aid to Syria to bolster its economy, a French newspaper said Friday, citing a report by a Tehran think-tank linked to Iran's leadership.

Damascus has long been Tehran's main ally among otherwise mainly hostile Arab states. After four months of popular unrest, Syria's economy is reeling under the weight of strikes, reduced oil exports, scaled-back trade and international sanctions.

Its troubles have prompted Iran's leadership to consider offering $5.8 billion in financial help, including a three-month loan worth $1.5 billion to be made available immediately, French business daily Les Echos said.

It added that Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has backed the idea of the aid, which was outlined in a secret report by the Center for Strategic Research, a think tank linked to the Iranian leadership.

It was not possible to verify the report Friday.

Iran, Les Echos said, could also provide 290,000 barrels of oil to Syria each day over the next month while helping to boost border controls to stop Syrians from fleeing the country for Lebanon with cash.

After four months of civil uprising in Syria, human rights groups report that more than 1,400 civilian have been killed, drawing a chorus of condemnation from around the world.

International sanctions are only targeted at Syria's leaders, not its banks and companies. But France and the United States are pressing for tougher penalties and a U.N. Security Council resolution condemning the crackdown, after the embassies of both countries in Syria were attacked.

Iran-Syria Aid Could Be In The Billions: Tehran Think Tank

 

[High_Gravity]

Syria Protest Largest Yet: Hundreds Of Thousands Demonstrate, 17 Killed

BEIRUT -- Hundreds of thousands of Syrians mounted the largest protests Friday since the uprising began more than four months ago, pouring into areas where the government crackdown has been most intense in a sign that security forces cannot break the revolt.

Syrian authorities fired on the crowds, killing at least 17 people and wounding more than 100, activists said.

In a significant show of the uprising's strength, thousands turned out in the capital, Damascus, which had seen only scattered protests. Until now, much of the dissent against President Bashar Assad has been in impoverished, remote areas.

"This is the heart of the regime," said David Schenker, director of the Program on Arab Politics at The Washington Institute for Near East Policy. "So I think if these protests (in Damascus) continue and gain strength, it will be the beginning of the end of the regime."

Massive rallies also were reported in areas that have come under military siege since the uprising began in March, with tanks and snipers trying to crush dissent. But the protesters have returned to the streets unbowed, defying the crackdown in a remarkable show of resilience.

Friday's protests stretched from Damascus and its suburbs to Hasakeh and Idlib provinces in the north, Daraa in the south and Latakia on the coast. Thousands converged on the flashpoint cities of Homs and Hama in central Syria, among other areas across the nation of 22 million.

Crowds chanted "We don't love you Bashar!" and "Leave Bashar!" before security forces and pro-regime gunmen opened fire with bullets and tear gas. Young men threw stones at security forces and shouted for the regime's downfall as they ran for cover.

"All hell broke loose, the firing was intense," an activist in Daraa, where the uprising began in March, told The Associated Press. He asked that his name not be used, fearing reprisals.

Activists say the crackdown has killed some 1,600 people, most of them unarmed protesters. The government disputes the toll and blames a foreign conspiracy for the unrest, saying religious extremists – not true reform-seekers – are behind it.

Assad has acknowledged the need for reforms, but the opposition has been unwilling to negotiate while security forces fire on protesters.

Assad, 45, inherited power in 2000, and many believed the lanky, soft-spoken young leader might transform his late father's stagnant and brutal dictatorship into a modern state.

Over the past 11 years, however, hopes dimmed that Assad was a reformist at heart. As his regime escalates a brutal crackdown, it seems unlikely that he will regain political legitimacy.

"We have said that Syria can't go back to the way it was before, that Assad has lost his legitimacy in the eyes of his people because of the brutality of their crackdown, including today," U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton told reporters in Istanbul, Turkey.

One of the largest protests Friday took place in Hama, Syria's fourth-largest city and an opposition stronghold that has a history of dissent.

Assad's late father and predecessor, Hafez, crushed a Sunni uprising in 1982 by shelling the town in a massacre that has been seared into the minds of Syrians, contributing to the pervasive sense of fear that silenced nearly every rumbling of dissent for decades.

Syria Protest Largest Yet: Hundreds Of Thousands Demonstrate, 17 Killed

 

[logical4u]

Maybe those TSA pat downs are discouraging the radicals so much they are ratcheting up their activities in the ME? It doesn't look like these will be stopping any time soon. I am wondering when Iran will get their demonstrations to overthrow that gov?

 

[waltky]

Syria gettin' ready to go into Iraq?...

Syrian Troops Mass Near Border Town as Tensions Mount
July 17, 2011 - Syrian forces have surrounded a town on the Iraqi border as the country's opposition took a step closer to forming an alternative government that would challenge President Bashar al-Assad's grip on power.

About 1,000 troops flown in by helicopter and backed by tanks and armored vehicles massed Sunday around the troubled eastern town of al-Boukamal near Iraq's Sunni heartland. The pro-government al-Watan newspaper reported that the situation in the poor, border town is "explosive," and that a military operation is imminent. The extra security forces arrived after military intelligence agents in al-Boukamal killed five protesters, including a 14-year-old boy, on Saturday. The killings drove thousands into the streets, overwhelming Mr. Assad's forces.

Residents say about 100 Syrian troops in the border town, including dozens of Syrian Air Force personnel and the crew of at least four armored vehicles, defected to join the four-month-old anti-government uprising. Syria's state news agency (SANA) said "terrorist gangs" killed three security members in al-Boukamal on Saturday. Sunni tribes in the area wield great influence and have extended relations with their Iraqi brethren across the border. Sunni Muslims comprise the majority of Syria's population. But Mr. Assad's clan, part of the minority Shi'ite Alawite sect, has governed for four decades.

Elsewhere, about 2,000 soldiers in armored vehicles entered the western town of Zabadani, on the Lebanese border, detaining at least 70 people early Sunday. The moves came as Syria's fractured opposition made its first attempt to unite, forming a 25-member National Salvation Council composed of Islamists, liberals and independents at a meeting in Istanbul on Saturday. The Wall Street Journal reported that the group called on opposition activists inside Syria to elect another 50 board members, with plans to eventually form a transitional government.

In a separate development, authorities detained the leading opposition figure, Ali Abdullah, after a raid on his home Sunday in the Damascus suburb of Qatana. The 61-one-year old dissident was released in May as part of a government amnesty after spending four years in prison for supporting calls for democratic reforms. Also Sunday, the head of the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, Rami Abdul Rahman, said at least 30 people were killed in the past 24 hours in the central city of Homs when clashes broke out between pro- and anti-government supporters.

Source

See also:

Syria opposition unity bid thwarted by Assad regime's brutal crackdown
July 17, 2011 - But Syria's opposition in exile met in Istanbul anyway, electing what it called a National Salvation Council this weekend.

Members of Syria’s opposition in exile met this weekend and elected a council they say will challenge the rule of President Bashar al-Assad. But the group’s plan to hold a video conference with opposition leaders inside Syria, who have been leading an uprising that has now entered its fifth month, fell through after Syrian security forces attacked the neighborhood where the leaders were gathering in Damascus.

The meeting came after a bloody Friday in which Syrian security forces opened fire on large protests around the country. At least 28 people were killed on Friday, according to activists, who also say the regime has killed about 1,600 people since the protests against Mr. Assad and his authoritarian regime began in March.

The planned gathering of opposition activists Saturday was canceled after Syrian forces attacked protests in the neighborhood where it was to be held, killing at least 15 protesters, reports The Washington Post. That kept the conference of exiled opposition figures in Istanbul from achieving its goal of connecting with the internal opposition and coming up with a unified strategy to oust Assad.

Yet the group in Istanbul went ahead and elected what it called a National Salvation Council, reports Reuters. Though the 25-member council includes Islamists, liberals, and independents, it is unclear how much support it has from protesters on the ground in Syria. It is mostly made up of aging figures who left Syria years ago.

MORE

 

[High_Gravity]

Syrian Activists: Dozens Killed in 24 Hours

(BEIRUT) — The discovery of three mutilated corpses set off a wave of sectarian bloodshed that killed up to 30 people over the weekend in central Syria, a dangerous escalation in violence stemming from the country's four-month-old uprising, activists said Monday. >The killings were a troubling sign that the revolt against President Bashar Assad's regime is enflaming tensions among Syria's volatile mix of religions. Most Syrians are Sunni Muslim, but Assad and the ruling elite belong to the minority Alawite sect.

Rami Abdul-Rahman, the director of the London-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, said the violence began Saturday after the dismembered bodies of three Alawite government supporters were dumped in Homs, a city that has become a focal point of the uprising.


The next day, six bodies from various sects were found dumped in the city, apparently in revenge attacks, a Homs resident said. Pro-government thugs called shabiha then went on a rampage, the resident said, opening fire in predominantly Sunni neighborhoods in Homs. Up to 40 shops were vandalized or burned, he said. "It was a catastrophe, the situation could easily have slipped out of control," he said, adding the situation calmed down Monday but tensions were high.

Another activist said the dead included a 27-year-old mother of three, who was shot as she left her home, and a man in his 50s who was struck by a bullet on his balcony. "I was at the man's funeral yesterday, all he did was go out on his balcony," he said, adding that civilians have started setting up roadblocks to protect their neighborhoods.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights and a Syrian activist in Homs put the death toll at 30 and said they have the names of the victims. But another activist in Homs said he's not certain if the death toll was as high as 30. He suggested the real number may be about half. The activists in Homs spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of retribution.

Human rights group say more than 1,600 people, most of them unarmed civilians, have been killed in Assad's crackdown on protesters calling for regime change. The government disputes that toll and blames the unrest on gunmen and religious extremists looking to stir up sectarian strife. Some 350 soldiers and policemen also are believed to have died in the unrest.

In many ways, sectarian warfare is the worst-case scenario in Syria. The country is home to more than 1 million refugees from neighboring Iraq, who serve as a clear testament to the dangers of regime collapse and fracture in a religiously divided society. They also see the seemingly intractable sectarian tensions in Lebanon as a cautionary tale. But the opposition movement in Syria, still struggling to find a unified voice, has been careful to paint their movement as free of any sectarian overtones.

Several opposition members have expressed frustration that the regime is trying to play off of sectarian fears — all the while using the shabiha and elite Alawite military forces to terrify protesters into submission.

Read more: Syrian Activists Say Up to 30 Killed in 24 Hours - TIME

 

[High_Gravity]

Syria gettin' ready to go into Iraq?...

Syrian Troops Mass Near Border Town as Tensions Mount
July 17, 2011 - Syrian forces have surrounded a town on the Iraqi border as the country's opposition took a step closer to forming an alternative government that would challenge President Bashar al-Assad's grip on power.

About 1,000 troops flown in by helicopter and backed by tanks and armored vehicles massed Sunday around the troubled eastern town of al-Boukamal near Iraq's Sunni heartland. The pro-government al-Watan newspaper reported that the situation in the poor, border town is "explosive," and that a military operation is imminent. The extra security forces arrived after military intelligence agents in al-Boukamal killed five protesters, including a 14-year-old boy, on Saturday. The killings drove thousands into the streets, overwhelming Mr. Assad's forces.

Residents say about 100 Syrian troops in the border town, including dozens of Syrian Air Force personnel and the crew of at least four armored vehicles, defected to join the four-month-old anti-government uprising. Syria's state news agency (SANA) said "terrorist gangs" killed three security members in al-Boukamal on Saturday. Sunni tribes in the area wield great influence and have extended relations with their Iraqi brethren across the border. Sunni Muslims comprise the majority of Syria's population. But Mr. Assad's clan, part of the minority Shi'ite Alawite sect, has governed for four decades.

Elsewhere, about 2,000 soldiers in armored vehicles entered the western town of Zabadani, on the Lebanese border, detaining at least 70 people early Sunday. The moves came as Syria's fractured opposition made its first attempt to unite, forming a 25-member National Salvation Council composed of Islamists, liberals and independents at a meeting in Istanbul on Saturday. The Wall Street Journal reported that the group called on opposition activists inside Syria to elect another 50 board members, with plans to eventually form a transitional government.

In a separate development, authorities detained the leading opposition figure, Ali Abdullah, after a raid on his home Sunday in the Damascus suburb of Qatana. The 61-one-year old dissident was released in May as part of a government amnesty after spending four years in prison for supporting calls for democratic reforms. Also Sunday, the head of the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, Rami Abdul Rahman, said at least 30 people were killed in the past 24 hours in the central city of Homs when clashes broke out between pro- and anti-government supporters.

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Syria opposition unity bid thwarted by Assad regime's brutal crackdown
July 17, 2011 - But Syria's opposition in exile met in Istanbul anyway, electing what it called a National Salvation Council this weekend.

Members of Syria’s opposition in exile met this weekend and elected a council they say will challenge the rule of President Bashar al-Assad. But the group’s plan to hold a video conference with opposition leaders inside Syria, who have been leading an uprising that has now entered its fifth month, fell through after Syrian security forces attacked the neighborhood where the leaders were gathering in Damascus.

The meeting came after a bloody Friday in which Syrian security forces opened fire on large protests around the country. At least 28 people were killed on Friday, according to activists, who also say the regime has killed about 1,600 people since the protests against Mr. Assad and his authoritarian regime began in March.

The planned gathering of opposition activists Saturday was canceled after Syrian forces attacked protests in the neighborhood where it was to be held, killing at least 15 protesters, reports The Washington Post. That kept the conference of exiled opposition figures in Istanbul from achieving its goal of connecting with the internal opposition and coming up with a unified strategy to oust Assad.

Yet the group in Istanbul went ahead and elected what it called a National Salvation Council, reports Reuters. Though the 25-member council includes Islamists, liberals, and independents, it is unclear how much support it has from protesters on the ground in Syria. It is mostly made up of aging figures who left Syria years ago.

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Shit why not? Turkey goes into Iraq all the time to go after the Kurds and Iran just went in there the other day for the Kurds as well, the Syrians might as well come, the more the merrier.