Protests in Syria

[kiwiman127]

What is going on in Syria is terrible. Assad is no better than Saddam was, he's killing his own people and he has supported terrorism.

And everybody just sits on their hands, while displaying token outrage. Sad.

It seems that only CNN is really focused on what's going on in Syri from what I have seen.

 

[High_Gravity]

What is going on in Syria is terrible. Assad is no better than Saddam was, he's killing his own people and he has supported terrorism.

And everybody just sits on their hands, while displaying token outrage. Sad.

It seems that only CNN is really focused on what's going on in Syri from what I have seen.

Not everyone is sitting on their hands, China and Russia have not been shy about their support for the Assad regime, they are vetoeing everything at the UN and are fully backing the Syrian regime with money and weapons, Iran has also done the same thing, the only people sitting on their hands is us and the other Western countries.

 

[High_Gravity]

The U.S. and Other ‘Friends of Syria’ Still Search for a Strategy to Oust Assad

“It is time we gave them the wherewithal to fight back and stop the slaughter,” said Senator John McCain on Monday, referring to Syria’s opposition amid the carnage being wrought by the Assad regime’s efforts to quash a year-old rebellion. But McCain’s call is unlikely to be heeded by the Obama Administration or other Western governments as they prepare for Friday’s inaugural meeting in Tunis of a “Friends of Syria” forum established to coordinate an international response to the crisis. That’s because Western decision-makers are not quite sure just who the Syrian opposition would be — there is no single leadership that speaks on behalf of those fighting the regime on the ground in cities across Syria, and there are certainly signs that its ranks may include elements deemed hostile to the West. And also, because it’s far from clear just how arming rebel forces would, in fact, “stop the slaughter” and not intensify it.

The problem confronting international stakeholders as they grapple for a response to the slow-moving bloodbath is that there at least three different narratives playing out at the same time in Syria, each of them complicating the others. There’s the narrative of the brutal authoritarian regime confronted by a popular citizens’ rebellion that it has been unable to crush despite a year of slowly escalating repression — a crackdown that has wrecked the country’s economy and made it impossible for the regime to restore stability, much less regain its legitimacy. (Nobody’s expecting the constitutional referendum to be staged by the regime on Sunday to yield a credible popular mandate for Assad’s rule.)


Then there’s the narrative of sectarian warfare, in which Syria’s ethnic and confessional minorities — the ruling Alawites who dominate the regime and its security forces, but also the Christians, the Kurds, the Druze and smaller sects — shudder in the face of a predominantly Sunni rebellion in which they see a specter of sectarian retribution that prompts many of them to remain on the sidelines or support the regime for fear of the alternative.

And finally, there are the geopolitical stakes, as the Sunni monarchies of the Gulf see an opportunity to hobble their Iranian nemesis by helping their indigenous allies overthrow a Tehran-backed regime. Syria also becomes an arena for China and Russia to block the expansion of Western influence in the Middle East through toppling regimes.

On arming the Syrian opposition, then, it’s probably going to happen regardless of what Western powers decide — it’ll be undertaken largely by Gulf powers such as Saudi Arabia and Qatar, which played a major role in boosting the Libyan rebel forces on the ground in the battle to oust Muammar Gaddafi. And the Russians will continue to arm the Assad regime, unwilling for their own geopolitical reasons to countenance his ouster. Russia has declined an invitation to attend Friday’s discussion in Tunis, giving as its reason the fact that the Syrian government was not invited. China has yet to respond, but it, too, has supported seeking a political solution through dialogue with the regime, rather than forcing it out of power.

For Western and Arab powers — as well as the main exile-based opposition group that they appear to be moving towards recognizing as as an alternative, the Syrian National Council — the time for negotiating terms with Assad has passed. Obviously, Assad doesn’t agree, nor do his backers in Moscow and Tehran. And his forces’ sustained bombardment of rebel-held suburbs of the city of Homs despite a U.N. General Assembly resolution demanding a halt to repression is a sign that the regime is still trying to crush the rebellion through a massive concentration of force. Instead, however, the uprising appears to be spreading, with protests last weekend reaching into previously passive, well-heeled neighborhoods in Damascus. Still, despite the slow but steady decline of its control over all of Syria, the regime’s security forces remain dominant: they are unable to eliminate the rebellion, nor are they in any immediate danger of disintegrating.

Read more: The U.S. and Other ‘Friends of Syria’ Still Search for a Strategy to Oust Assad | Global Spin | TIME.com

 

[kiwiman127]

What is going on in Syria is terrible. Assad is no better than Saddam was, he's killing his own people and he has supported terrorism.

And everybody just sits on their hands, while displaying token outrage. Sad.

It seems that only CNN is really focused on what's going on in Syria from what I have seen.

Not everyone is sitting on their hands, China and Russia have not been shy about their support for the Assad regime, they are vetoeing everything at the UN and are fully backing the Syrian regime with money and weapons, Iran has also done the same thing, the only people sitting on their hands is us and the other Western countries.

Russia and China have alot invested in Iran and Syria and have a strong foothold within those two countries,,it's very similar to the old Cold War days, they want their presence in the ME and they'll do all they can to preserve their presence. The fact that Syrian citizens including children are dying isn't that important for either Russia or China.

 

[High_Gravity]

What is going on in Syria is terrible. Assad is no better than Saddam was, he's killing his own people and he has supported terrorism.

And everybody just sits on their hands, while displaying token outrage. Sad.

It seems that only CNN is really focused on what's going on in Syria from what I have seen.

Not everyone is sitting on their hands, China and Russia have not been shy about their support for the Assad regime, they are vetoeing everything at the UN and are fully backing the Syrian regime with money and weapons, Iran has also done the same thing, the only people sitting on their hands is us and the other Western countries.

Russia and China have alot invested in Iran and Syria and have a strong foothold within those two countries,,it's very similar to the old Cold War days, they want their presence in the ME and they'll do all they can to preserve their presence. The fact that Syrian citizens including children are dying isn't that important for either Russia or China.

Oh hell Russia and China wouldn't piss on those Syrian children if they were on fire, they don't care about anything but their own interests and have said so many times.

 

[High_Gravity]

Syria Hit List Targets Thousands

A 718-page digital document obtained by Mother Jones contains names, phone numbers, neighborhoods, and alleged activities of thousands of dissidents apparently targeted by the Syrian government. Three experts asked separately by Mother Jones to examine the document—essentially a massive spreadsheet, whose contents are in Arabic—say they believe that it is authentic. As Bashar Al-Assad's military continues a deadly crackdown on dissent inside the country, the list appears to confirm in explicit detail the scale of the regime's domestic surveillance and its methodical efforts to destroy widespread opposition.

The document does not contain any identifying government markings. But the experts consulted agree that its organization and content—which they say is striking in scope—are characteristic of lists used by intelligence services in the Middle East. A link to the document, which surfaced in mid January in discussions about Syria on Twitter, was provided to Mother Jones by a self-described hactivist who tweets frequently in Arabic and English, and whose identity is unclear. A redacted sample of the document is below; Mother Jones is not publishing the full document or revealing the names of individuals in it because we cannot definitively confirm its authenticy nor predict how the document might be used if more widely disseminated.

But the experts who examined the document say it shows what many observers have strongly suspected: In addition to relentless bombing of cities such as Homs and Hama, the Assad regime is tracking down thousands of its own people for interrogation, coercion, or far worse. Joshua Landis, a scholar on Syria who has consulted for the State Department and other US government agencies, said he thinks the document merges the records of several Syrian intelligence agencies in order to better coordinate the crackdown. "This is what a secret service does," he said. Actions allegedly taken by individuals in the document—such as setting up a roadblock near Homs, or issuing instructions about how to attack a Syrian military outpost—are "the kind of thing that people get whacked for all the time, or at least tortured for."

According to Ammar Abdulhamid, a Syria expert and fellow at the conservative Foundation for Defense of Democracies, the document contains the names of people wanted by the government's military and security services. It lists many of them with specific context—the year of their birth, names of their relatives, and descriptions such as, "he leads rallies in the Sakhaneh neighborhood." The list also includes military defectors, and their units and ranks, Abdulhamid said. "This kind of info on this scale cannot be available to the general public, or faked."

The hactivist who alerted Mother Jones to the online document said that it was posted by members of an activist organizing committee inside Syria, but declined to provide any details confirming that, citing security concerns. It's conceivable that the document involves deception by the Syrian regime or counterintelligence operations by its adversaries; the United States, Israel, and other Western powers are known to have run sophisticated covert operations against Syria and Iran for many years.

Andrew Tabler, a Syria expert and fellow at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, agrees that the list appears to be authentic, despite that there is no way to know for sure. "The way it's organized looks similar to other documents I've seen," he said, citing a hit list he saw when he was in Syria in 2006. (That list, he said, also did not contain identifying government markings.) "It organizes people in such a way that it would allow the security services to be able to track them down." Tabler also said the document is longer than any he's previously seen; it allows the Syrian government to "more effectively round up these folks and choke them off as part of the crackdown."

Syria Hit List Targets Thousands | Mother Jones

 

[High_Gravity]

Syria Violence: Homs Hit With Shells, Rockets Ahead Of 'Sham' Vote

AMMAN, Feb 27 (Reuters) - Syrian artillery pummelled rebel-held areas of Homs on Monday before an expected government announcement that a vote - decried as a sham by the opposition and the West - has approved a new constitution proposed by President Bashar al-Assad.

Shells and rockets crashed into Sunni Muslim districts of Homs that have already endured weeks of bombardment as Assad's forces, led by officers from his minority Alawite sect, try to stamp out an almost year-long revolt against his 11-year rule.

"Intense shelling started on Khalidiya, Ashira, Bayada, Baba Amro and the old city at dawn," opposition activist Mohammed al-Homsi told Reuters from the city on the Damascus-Aleppo highway.

"The army is firing from the main thoroughfares deep into alleyways and side streets. Initial reports indicate at least two people killed in the souk area," he said.

The London-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said later at least seven people had been killed by shellfire in Baba Amro. The accounts of opposition activists were echoed by those from other observers, including the Red Cross.

At least 59 civilians and soldiers were killed on Sunday in a violent backdrop to a referendum on a constitution that offers some reforms, but could enable Assad to keep power until 2028.

The International Committee of the Red Cross, which has said conditions in parts of Homs are worsening by the hour, has failed to secure a pause in the fighting to allow the wounded to be evacuated and desperately needed aid to be delivered.

"We are still in negotiations. Since the beginning, the objective has been to go in and evacuate people and bring in assistance. Every hour, every day makes a difference," ICRC spokesman Hicham Hassan said in Geneva.


QUEST FOR ACCESS

The relief agency has been pursuing talks with the Syrian authorities and opposition forces for days to secure access to besieged neighbourhoods such as Baba Amro, where local activists say hundreds of wounded need treatment and thousands of civilians are short of water, food and medical supplies.

Four Western journalists are trapped in Baba Amro, two of them wounded. American reporter Marie Colvin and French photographer Remi Ochlik were killed there on Feb. 22.

French President Nicolas Sarkozy said he hoped the journalists could be rescued soon. "It's very tense, but things are starting to move, it seems," he told RTL radio.

The ICRC evacuated 27 people, seven of whom were badly wounded, from Baba Amro on Friday.

The ICRC and Syrian Arab Red Crescent volunteers distributed aid supplies in Hama, another restive city under army attack, on Monday for the first time in six weeks, the ICRC spokesman said.

The outside world has proved powerless to halt the carnage in Syria, where repression of initially peaceful protests has spawned an armed insurrection by army deserters and others.

Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin again warned the West against military intervention in Syria, Moscow's long-time ally, but U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton made clear there was no enthusiasm in Washington for war. Russia and China have blocked action against Syria by the U.N. Security Council.


There were signs of rhetorical escalation in the international confrontation over Syria - Clinton's description last week of the Russian and Chinese veto as "despicable" earned her a reproach from Beijing's foreign ministry that such language was "totally unacceptable".

A Chinese newspaper, noting the chaos in Iraq after the U.S. occupation, accused Washington of "egotistical super arrogance".

Sarkozy said, however, that Western powers hoped diplomacy could change minds: "We are putting pressure on the Russians first and the Chinese afterwards so that they lift their veto.

"You can't continue to massacre a people. The next Syrian government is not up to us but things can't continue like this."

The European Union agreed a further round of economic sanctions on Monday, targeting the Syrian central bank and some ministers, curbing gold trading and banning cargo flights.

Assad's government, which is also backed by Iran, says it is fighting foreign-backed "armed terrorist groups".

Syria Violence: Homs Hit With Shells, Rockets Ahead Of 'Sham' Vote

 

[Ropey]

Syria Violence: Homs Hit With Shells, Rockets Ahead Of 'Sham' Vote

AMMAN, Feb 27 (Reuters) - Syrian artillery pummelled rebel-held areas of Homs on Monday before an expected government announcement that a vote - decried as a sham by the opposition and the West - has approved a new constitution proposed by President Bashar al-Assad.

Shells and rockets crashed into Sunni Muslim districts of Homs that have already endured weeks of bombardment as Assad's forces, led by officers from his minority Alawite sect, try to stamp out an almost year-long revolt against his 11-year rule.

"Intense shelling started on Khalidiya, Ashira, Bayada, Baba Amro and the old city at dawn," opposition activist Mohammed al-Homsi told Reuters from the city on the Damascus-Aleppo highway.

"The army is firing from the main thoroughfares deep into alleyways and side streets. Initial reports indicate at least two people killed in the souk area," he said.

The London-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said later at least seven people had been killed by shellfire in Baba Amro. The accounts of opposition activists were echoed by those from other observers, including the Red Cross.

At least 59 civilians and soldiers were killed on Sunday in a violent backdrop to a referendum on a constitution that offers some reforms, but could enable Assad to keep power until 2028.

The International Committee of the Red Cross, which has said conditions in parts of Homs are worsening by the hour, has failed to secure a pause in the fighting to allow the wounded to be evacuated and desperately needed aid to be delivered.

"We are still in negotiations. Since the beginning, the objective has been to go in and evacuate people and bring in assistance. Every hour, every day makes a difference," ICRC spokesman Hicham Hassan said in Geneva.


QUEST FOR ACCESS

The relief agency has been pursuing talks with the Syrian authorities and opposition forces for days to secure access to besieged neighbourhoods such as Baba Amro, where local activists say hundreds of wounded need treatment and thousands of civilians are short of water, food and medical supplies.

Four Western journalists are trapped in Baba Amro, two of them wounded. American reporter Marie Colvin and French photographer Remi Ochlik were killed there on Feb. 22.

French President Nicolas Sarkozy said he hoped the journalists could be rescued soon. "It's very tense, but things are starting to move, it seems," he told RTL radio.

The ICRC evacuated 27 people, seven of whom were badly wounded, from Baba Amro on Friday.

The ICRC and Syrian Arab Red Crescent volunteers distributed aid supplies in Hama, another restive city under army attack, on Monday for the first time in six weeks, the ICRC spokesman said.

The outside world has proved powerless to halt the carnage in Syria, where repression of initially peaceful protests has spawned an armed insurrection by army deserters and others.

Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin again warned the West against military intervention in Syria, Moscow's long-time ally, but U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton made clear there was no enthusiasm in Washington for war. Russia and China have blocked action against Syria by the U.N. Security Council.


There were signs of rhetorical escalation in the international confrontation over Syria - Clinton's description last week of the Russian and Chinese veto as "despicable" earned her a reproach from Beijing's foreign ministry that such language was "totally unacceptable".

A Chinese newspaper, noting the chaos in Iraq after the U.S. occupation, accused Washington of "egotistical super arrogance".

Sarkozy said, however, that Western powers hoped diplomacy could change minds: "We are putting pressure on the Russians first and the Chinese afterwards so that they lift their veto.

"You can't continue to massacre a people. The next Syrian government is not up to us but things can't continue like this."

The European Union agreed a further round of economic sanctions on Monday, targeting the Syrian central bank and some ministers, curbing gold trading and banning cargo flights.

Assad's government, which is also backed by Iran, says it is fighting foreign-backed "armed terrorist groups".

Syria Violence: Homs Hit With Shells, Rockets Ahead Of 'Sham' Vote

Arabs Democratically voting?
Chinese caring if the people who are not voting die?
Russians concerned with halting a war in the Middle East?

No to all three.

 

[theliq]

Syrian forces break up Damascus protest

DAMASCUS (Reuters) - Security forces wielding batons dispersed 150 demonstrators who had gathered in central of Damascus on Wednesday in the most serious protest against Syria's ruling hierarchy since revolts spread in the Arab world.

Scores of plainclothes security officers charged the demonstrators assembled outside the Interior Ministry to demand the release of political prisoners, a Reuters witness said.

One demonstrator suffered a gash on his head, others were beaten and at least 15 were detained, including leading political activist Suhair al-Attasi.

Attasi had said Syrian authorities would not be able to escape the tumult shaking the Arab world by refusing to open the country's political system and allowing free expression.

"They pulled Suhair by her hair and took her away," one demonstrator said.

Among those arrested were Tayyib Tizini, 69, a professor of philosophy at Damascus University, and the sister and son of Kamal Labwani, a doctor jailed for "weakening national morale" and "inciting a foreign country to invade Syria."

The gathering in Marjeh square, an Ottoman-era square in the centre of the capital, had been silent, with protesters raising pictures of imprisoned relatives and friends, before security forces started hitting them with their batons.

Syrian forces break up Damascus protest | World | Reuters

Thanks for the post Grav,steve

 

[theliq]

Syria Violence: Homs Hit With Shells, Rockets Ahead Of 'Sham' Vote

AMMAN, Feb 27 (Reuters) - Syrian artillery pummelled rebel-held areas of Homs on Monday before an expected government announcement that a vote - decried as a sham by the opposition and the West - has approved a new constitution proposed by President Bashar al-Assad.

Shells and rockets crashed into Sunni Muslim districts of Homs that have already endured weeks of bombardment as Assad's forces, led by officers from his minority Alawite sect, try to stamp out an almost year-long revolt against his 11-year rule.

"Intense shelling started on Khalidiya, Ashira, Bayada, Baba Amro and the old city at dawn," opposition activist Mohammed al-Homsi told Reuters from the city on the Damascus-Aleppo highway.

"The army is firing from the main thoroughfares deep into alleyways and side streets. Initial reports indicate at least two people killed in the souk area," he said.

The London-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said later at least seven people had been killed by shellfire in Baba Amro. The accounts of opposition activists were echoed by those from other observers, including the Red Cross.

At least 59 civilians and soldiers were killed on Sunday in a violent backdrop to a referendum on a constitution that offers some reforms, but could enable Assad to keep power until 2028.

The International Committee of the Red Cross, which has said conditions in parts of Homs are worsening by the hour, has failed to secure a pause in the fighting to allow the wounded to be evacuated and desperately needed aid to be delivered.

"We are still in negotiations. Since the beginning, the objective has been to go in and evacuate people and bring in assistance. Every hour, every day makes a difference," ICRC spokesman Hicham Hassan said in Geneva.


QUEST FOR ACCESS

The relief agency has been pursuing talks with the Syrian authorities and opposition forces for days to secure access to besieged neighbourhoods such as Baba Amro, where local activists say hundreds of wounded need treatment and thousands of civilians are short of water, food and medical supplies.

Four Western journalists are trapped in Baba Amro, two of them wounded. American reporter Marie Colvin and French photographer Remi Ochlik were killed there on Feb. 22.

French President Nicolas Sarkozy said he hoped the journalists could be rescued soon. "It's very tense, but things are starting to move, it seems," he told RTL radio.

The ICRC evacuated 27 people, seven of whom were badly wounded, from Baba Amro on Friday.

The ICRC and Syrian Arab Red Crescent volunteers distributed aid supplies in Hama, another restive city under army attack, on Monday for the first time in six weeks, the ICRC spokesman said.

The outside world has proved powerless to halt the carnage in Syria, where repression of initially peaceful protests has spawned an armed insurrection by army deserters and others.

Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin again warned the West against military intervention in Syria, Moscow's long-time ally, but U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton made clear there was no enthusiasm in Washington for war. Russia and China have blocked action against Syria by the U.N. Security Council.


There were signs of rhetorical escalation in the international confrontation over Syria - Clinton's description last week of the Russian and Chinese veto as "despicable" earned her a reproach from Beijing's foreign ministry that such language was "totally unacceptable".

A Chinese newspaper, noting the chaos in Iraq after the U.S. occupation, accused Washington of "egotistical super arrogance".

Sarkozy said, however, that Western powers hoped diplomacy could change minds: "We are putting pressure on the Russians first and the Chinese afterwards so that they lift their veto.

"You can't continue to massacre a people. The next Syrian government is not up to us but things can't continue like this."

The European Union agreed a further round of economic sanctions on Monday, targeting the Syrian central bank and some ministers, curbing gold trading and banning cargo flights.

Assad's government, which is also backed by Iran, says it is fighting foreign-backed "armed terrorist groups".

Syria Violence: Homs Hit With Shells, Rockets Ahead Of 'Sham' Vote

Arabs Democratically voting?
Chinese caring if the people who are not voting die?
Russians concerned with halting a war in the Middle East?

No to all three.

Thanks Ropie good post.steve

 

[High_Gravity]

Syrian forces break up Damascus protest

DAMASCUS (Reuters) - Security forces wielding batons dispersed 150 demonstrators who had gathered in central of Damascus on Wednesday in the most serious protest against Syria's ruling hierarchy since revolts spread in the Arab world.

Scores of plainclothes security officers charged the demonstrators assembled outside the Interior Ministry to demand the release of political prisoners, a Reuters witness said.

One demonstrator suffered a gash on his head, others were beaten and at least 15 were detained, including leading political activist Suhair al-Attasi.

Attasi had said Syrian authorities would not be able to escape the tumult shaking the Arab world by refusing to open the country's political system and allowing free expression.

"They pulled Suhair by her hair and took her away," one demonstrator said.

Among those arrested were Tayyib Tizini, 69, a professor of philosophy at Damascus University, and the sister and son of Kamal Labwani, a doctor jailed for "weakening national morale" and "inciting a foreign country to invade Syria."

The gathering in Marjeh square, an Ottoman-era square in the centre of the capital, had been silent, with protesters raising pictures of imprisoned relatives and friends, before security forces started hitting them with their batons.

Syrian forces break up Damascus protest | World | Reuters

Thanks for the post Grav,steve

You are slowly becoming a better poster.

 

[theliq]

Syrian forces break up Damascus protest

Syrian forces break up Damascus protest | World | Reuters

Thanks for the post Grav,steve

You are slowly becoming a better poster.

Thanks for that Grav,coming from you I know you mean it(anyway being a habitual dickhead does not suit me really) I will add though from Ropies post re Democratically elected,... that the Palestinians did have a democratic vote at the behest of the US and Israel but it was split between Hamas and the Palestinian Authority which has created yet more problems for Israel.steve just saying in finishing the Syrian Government are complete SHITS

 

[theliq]

What is going on in Syria is terrible. Assad is no better than Saddam was, he's killing his own people and he has supported terrorism.

And everybody just sits on their hands, while displaying token outrage. Sad.

It seems that only CNN is really focused on what's going on in Syri from what I have seen.

Hi Kiwiman,I would point out that although Saddam was a shit with minorities in Iraq,the average Iraqi was pretty well off,in particular women did not have to cover themselves up...and in general wore western dress,moreover they were allowed to work in society and were very well educated and worked as Engineers,Doctors,etc., now what for them????steven

 

[High_Gravity]

Thanks for the post Grav,steve

You are slowly becoming a better poster.

Thanks for that Grav,coming from you I know you mean it(anyway being a habitual dickhead does not suit me really) I will add though from Ropies post re Democratically elected,... that the Palestinians did have a democratic vote at the behest of the US and Israel but it was split between Hamas and the Palestinian Authority which has created yet more problems for Israel.steve just saying in finishing the Syrian Government are complete SHITS

You have come along way since you started posting here, keep it up homie.

 

[Ropey]

You are slowly becoming a better poster.

Thanks for that Grav,coming from you I know you mean it(anyway being a habitual dickhead does not suit me really) I will add though from Ropies post re Democratically elected,... that the Palestinians did have a democratic vote at the behest of the US and Israel but it was split between Hamas and the Palestinian Authority which has created yet more problems for Israel.steve just saying in finishing the Syrian Government are complete SHITS

You have come along way since you started posting here, keep it up homie.

^^ Slowly though.


Democracy doesn't work in the hands of fascists. To take a vote Democratically and then fight with the other parties (to the death) is NOT Democracy.

 

[High_Gravity]

Syria Crisis: Elite Troops Pound Homs

BEIRUT, March 1 (Reuters) - Elite Syrian forces trying to destroy rebels besieged in Homs pounded the shattered district of Baba Amro on Thursday, despite international alarm at the plight of civilians trapped there.

Snow blanketed the city, slowing down the military assault, but also worsening conditions for civilians, activists said.

"We have not seen such snow in Homs in years. The bombardment on Baba Amro and other parts of the city is continuing but the fighting has subsided after the army was repelled yesterday," activist Abu Imad said from Homs.

He said casualties on both sides had been heavy, but no tally was available because of the fighting and bad weather.

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad is increasingly isolated in his struggle to crush an armed insurrection that now spearheads an almost year-long uprising against his 11-year rule.

But Russia, China and Cuba voted against a resolution, adopted overwhelmingly by the 47-member U.N. Human Rights Council in Geneva, that condemned Syria for violations that may amount to crimes against humanity.

A senior official in the rebel Free Syrian Army told Reuters that outgunned fighters in Baba Amro were fending off more than 7,000 government troops. Opposition forces had promised to step up attacks elsewhere in Syria to try to relieve the pressure.

"Baba Amro will be the straw that will break the regime's back," Mohaimen al-Rumaid said from an area in Turkey near the Syrian border. "All of Syria is turning into Baba Amro."

Heavy shelling resumed overnight after several hours of sporadic bombardment, opposition sources in the city said.

The exile opposition Syrian National Council said on Thursday it had formed a military council to oversee and organise armed anti-Assad groups under a unified leadership.

"The creation of the military council was agreed upon by all armed forces in Syria," SNC leader Burhan Ghalioun told a news conference in Paris. "We will be like a defence ministry."

The SNC has been under pressure from within Syria for not overtly backing the armed struggle led by the Free Syrian Army, made up of army deserters and other insurgents.

With Assad's forces closing in rebels in Homs, the SNC appealed for help late on Wednesday, urging the U.N.-Arab League envoy on Syria, Kofi Annan, to go to Baba Amro "tonight".

Annan said in New York he expected to visit Syria soon and urged Assad to engage with efforts to end the turmoil.

Syria, which denied entry this week to U.N. humanitarian aid chief Valerie Amos, adopted a guarded approach to Annan's role.

Syria Crisis: Elite Troops Pound Homs

 

[High_Gravity]

Syrian Rebels Say They Are Withdrawing From Enclave

BEIRUT, Lebanon — After a bruising, 27-day siege under intensifying bombardment, rebels holed up in the shattered Baba Amr neighborhood of the central Syrian city of Homs announced a “tactical withdrawal” on Thursday, apparently handing victory to forces loyal to President Bashar al-Assad but raising concerns about the plight of civilians there.

A campaign of raids and arrests began almost immediately in the area, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, based in Britain, which said 17 people had died in Baba Amr on Thursday.

Later on Thursday, the International Committee of the Red Cross said in a statement that Syrian authorities had granted it a “green light” to enter the battered neighborhood and bring “much-needed assistance including food and medical aid and to carry out evacuation operations.”

Baba Amr had become an emblem of resistance with fighters maintaining their defiance despite daily reports of a pounding by artillery, sniper and tank fire as government forces encircled them. The announcement of a rebel pullout, a day after government forces seemed to crank up military pressure on the neighborhood, came as Western and Arab nations pressed to deepen the diplomatic isolation of the Damascus authorities.

A statement from the fighters within the neighborhood, the “Revolutionary Brigades of Baba Amr,” said they were making a tactical retreat because of the “drastic humanitarian situation for the residents” who are lacking food, medicine, water, electricity and any means of communication.

The government shelling, which began on Feb. 4, had practically leveled Baba Amr, the statement said, and the government forces enjoyed an overwhelming superiority in firepower from helicopters to tanks to mortars.

With about 4,000 residents left, the statement held the government soldiers responsible for the safety of those left and called for international humanitarian organizations like the Red Cross to be allowed to deploy in the quarter.

There are widespread concerns that the army units might exact revenge on the residents for holding out for a month — not least because the Syrian government has a history of murdering the residents of rebellious neighborhoods as it did in nearby Hama in 1982.

“We warn the regime against any acts of revenge that would target civilians,” the rebel statement said on Thursday. “They are responsible for the security and the safety of the people living there.”

Despite its overwhelming strength in arms, the Syrian military has been hard-pressed to deploy all the units it needs to put down the fires of the uprising that have erupted across the country. Instead they have had to address rebellious cities one at a time. Once Homs is considered under control, the military is expected to address the uprising in Hama and particularly Idlib, where villages spread over a wide area have declared themselves free of the government.

But, analysts said, the nagging question for the authorities is whether they will be able to hold on to cities captured at such a high cost once the military moves on. The fighting is also drawing increasingly strident condemnation from the West and some Arab countries.

In Geneva, the United Nations Human Rights Council voted on Thursday to condemn Mr. Assad’s government for widespread violations of human rights in the almost year-old crackdown on its opponents and to demand an end to violence that has become the bloodiest of the so-called Arab Spring.

The nonbinding measure, calling on the Syrian authorities to permit humanitarian access to opposition enclaves, was approved by 37 nations including the United States at a Human Rights Council meeting in Geneva, with China, Cuba and Russia voting against it. Ecuador, India and the Philippines abstained, and four members of the 47-nation council did not participate.

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/03/02/w...ght-in-syrian-city-activists-say.html?_r=1&hp

 

[theliq]

Thanks for that Grav,coming from you I know you mean it(anyway being a habitual dickhead does not suit me really) I will add though from Ropies post re Democratically elected,... that the Palestinians did have a democratic vote at the behest of the US and Israel but it was split between Hamas and the Palestinian Authority which has created yet more problems for Israel.steve just saying in finishing the Syrian Government are complete SHITS

You have come along way since you started posting here, keep it up homie.

^^ Slowly though. better than not at all Ropie,I'll take this opportunity(see below)


Democracy doesn't work in the hands of fascists. To take a vote Democratically and then fight with the other parties (to the death) is NOT Democracy.

TO THANK YOU PERSONALLY for all your help.steve

 

[High_Gravity]

Syria Crisis: Red Cross Headed For Homs Amid Rumors Of Execution Style Killings

BEIRUT -- The Red Cross dispatched an aid convoy to an embattled neighborhood in the Syrian city of Homs Friday, and the U.N. said it was alarmed by reports of execution-style killings after the Syrian army seized the area from rebel forces.

The seizure of Baba Amr by the Syrian army was a blow to the rebels seeking to overthrow the regime of authoritarian President Bashar Assad. The central city of Homs, Syria's third largest, has emerged as a key battleground in the 11-month-old anti-Assad uprisings.

Before government forces stormed the area Thursday, it had been under a tight siege and daily shelling for nearly four weeks. Activists said hundreds were killed and many lived for days with little food and no electricity or running water.

A spokesman for the U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights said Friday the agency had received unconfirmed reports of "a particularly grisly set of summary executions" involving 17 people in the area after government forces entered.

Rupert Colville did not provide details but said his office was seeking to confirm the reports and called on both government and rebel forces to refrain from all forms of reprisal.

The International Committee of the Red Cross said it sent a convoy of aid trucks to Baba Amr from the capital Damascus early Friday after getting permission from the government.

Khalid Arqsouseh, a spokesman for the Syrian Red Crescent in Homs, said the seven 15-ton trucks were carrying food, milk powder, medical supplies and blankets. They were expected to reach the area early afternoon, despite snow along the route.

Also Friday, a French journalist wounded last week in a rocket attack in Baba Amr last week that killed two other Western journalists is expected to fly home to France from Beirut, said a senior Lebanese security official, who spoke on condition of anonymity in line with regulations.

Activists smuggled Edith Bouvier across the Lebanese-Syrian border Thursday and she is being treated at Beirut's Hotel-Dieu de France hospital.

The attack that wounded Bouvier also injured British photographer Paul Conroy and killed American reporter Marie Colvin and French photographer Remi Ochlik. Conroy and Spanish reporter Javier Espinosa were smuggled out of Syria this week. Another French reporter, William Daniels, was traveling with Bouvier.

Activist videos posted online Thursday showed the burials of Colvin and Ochlik in Baba Amr early this week. The Syrian government said it dug up the bodies after taking Baba Arm so they could be repatriated.

Syria has faced mounting international criticism over its bloody crackdown on the uprising, which started with peaceful protests but has become increasingly militarized.

The U.S. has called for Assad to step down and Hillary Rodham Clinton said he could be considered a war criminal.

Syria Crisis: Red Cross Headed For Homs Amid Rumors Of Execution Style Killings

 

[Hugidwyn]

Syrian army regular forces captured more than a hundred French troops during an operation to suppress the rebellion in the city of Homs.
Were captured 18 officers and 100 troopers from France, and about 70 Lebanese fighters who fought in Homs, reports the Internet version of the Egyptian newspaper "Al Ahram"

With the capture by government troops quarter of Bab Amr in Homs Syrian military phase of the conflict is over.

We can say that the crisis is now behind us. After stripping Homs Idlib time.

Of course, all will be faced with several pockets of armed resistance, acting with the support of Qatar and Saudi Arabia, but it will take less than a month to deal with them.