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BEIRUT Syrian rebels fired at tanks in Damascus residential districts, armored vehicles blocked the main entrances to a neighborhood and protesters briefly barricaded a main highway into the city with bricks and burning tires, leaving hundreds of cars backed up in some of the worst clashes to hit the tightly controlled capital since the uprising began 16 months ago.
The scenes from the second straight day of fierce clashes in Damascus, unfolding in amateur videos posted online, were the latest evidence that Syria's conflict is fast devolving into a civil war that is moving ever closer to the seat of President Bashar Assad's power.
Plumes of black smoke drifted over the city skyline and gunfire could be heard throughout the capital, even in the upscale cafes in downtown frequented by members of Assad's regime. The fighting left many streets deserted in a string of neighborhoods on the city's southwest corner where the fighting was focused. Many families have fled, and fear grips many who remain behind.
"It is a war here, a war," said a woman reached by phone in the Midan neighborhood who said her 5-year-old son had not stopped screaming since the clashes started. She didn't give her name for fear of repercussions from Syrian security.
"It seems there is a new strategy to bring the fighting into the center of the capital," Mustafa Osso, an activist inside Syria, told The Associated Press, referring to the rebels who fight under the banner of the Free Syrian Army. "The capital used to be safe. This will trouble the regime."
The violence in Syria has grown increasingly bloody and chaotic in recent months as the uprising has morphed from a peaceful revolt into an armed insurgency aimed at toppling Assad's regime.
In Moscow, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov accused the West of using blackmail to secure a new U.N. Security Council resolution that could allow the use of force in Syria. A Chapter 7 resolution authorizes actions to enforce sanctions that can ultimately include the use of military force, which U.S. administration and European officials for now are playing down as a possibility.
U.N. special envoy Kofi Annan was expected in Moscow to discuss the Syria crisis with Russian leaders on Monday. The meeting the latest in Annan's efforts to save his faltering peace plan comes a day after the conflict crossed an important symbolic threshold, with the international Red Cross formally declaring it a civil war, a status with implications for potential war crimes prosecutions.
Annans efforts? what effort is that? dude is nothing but an empty suit.
Annans efforts? what effort is that? dude is nothing but an empty suit.
You are right about the "empty suit". But he lent his voice and his status to help advance anti-Syrian campaign.
Of course, maybe it's about time for mememe, to break down Syrian demographics, such as how many Shiites, Sunnis, Christians, and other factions live in Syria.
Just answer me one question: how many massacres happened in Syria BEFORE US led "civilised international community" got its hands on Syria?
And also listen to this from 1:10
http://www.google.co.uk/url?sa=t&rc...ztmoBw&usg=AFQjCNG_LKHGsAnQcUkCmbtIj0LeXHpvfg
None of these peace talks mean anything to Assad and his goons, he will say whatever we want to hear while he continues to butcher his people.
Of course, maybe it's about time for mememe, to break down Syrian demographics, such as how many Shiites, Sunnis, Christians, and other factions live in Syria.
Just answer me one question: how many massacres happened in Syria BEFORE US led "civilised international community" got its hands on Syria?
And also listen to this from 1:10
http://www.google.co.uk/url?sa=t&rc...ztmoBw&usg=AFQjCNG_LKHGsAnQcUkCmbtIj0LeXHpvfg
What you just did is called DEFLECTING, mememe.
You didn't answer my question, so maybe you are some kind of ball-suck Russian, since Russians don't like to admit, how they don't like Turkey, which is where Sunni Islam originated, and Russians had beef in Chechnya, Afghanistan, and other places, so Russia supports Shiites, where possible.
The US supports Sunnis, wherever possible, until guys like Saddam or UBL turn on the US government, which is bound to happen, since AIPAC and Israel own US politics.
You didn't admit the Assads are Alawites, a Shia sect. You ducked the rest of my prod, to name the breakdown of factions, according to religion or any other criteria, if you want to, but hey! You are probably a lousy, Russian schmuck, over here, trolling.
I didn't say you had to reveal everything about yourself, but you are giving up clues, so quit being a deflecting bitch, and reply to issues, raised, before you put up propaganda.
Does this scumbag actually think anyone gives a shit about its trolling post bullshit? .
You obviously do! Promised to put me on your ignore list, but can't keep yourself away from me!
None of these peace talks mean anything to Assad and his goons, he will say whatever we want to hear while he continues to butcher his people.
"Peace initiatives" were designed to stop annihilation of terrorist "opposition", they were voiced at the time when Syrian government was making a good progress in returning stability to Syria.
"Annan's peace initiatives" required BOTH sides to stop military actions. But it was clear to everyone that while a legitimate government is easy to monitor, a disjoint and without any centralised command "opposition" can not be monitored or forced to comply!
It was also clear from the US rhetoric of the time that only acceptance of the "initiatives" by Assad can stand between Syria and an open military intervention. Thus, Syrian government was forced to stop anti-terrorist operations; while terrorists continued with their actions; they were given time to rebuilt their strength and rearm.
Before calling Syrian government "goons", please, tell me what would be the actions of the US government if on its territory gangs of armed, financed and directed by .......(any nation).... will start conducting terrorist operations with a view of overthrowing the legitimate government?
Please, answer this question!
As for "butcher his people", -- this accusation comes only from those who are interested in destroying Syria, as they previously did to Yugoslavia, Serbia, USSR, Afghanistan, Iraq and Libya.
High_G, the only issue at this point is if the US fleet in the gulf/one of the nearby bases will also launch a strike against both iran and syria simultaneously.
At this point, russia has lost all of its credibility, it could have acted intelligently and with some responsibility, but now it is despised in the arab world, the EU has lost all faith in putin, and when ass-ad falls in the near future, will not even have a seat at the table to divvy up the spoils.
Most of syria despises russia and would want their naval base at tartus closed, so russia has, yet again, fucked itself and found itself on the wrong side of history. It will have even less of a say in the new syria than it has in libya - the definition of bad leadership. Had Medveded, who is a thoughtful, rational and intelligent leader stayed in power, Russia would have cut ass-ad lose, let him fail, and had a seat at the table up front. Now they won't even be allowed in the same house - putin is a small man, in both stature, intelligence, and judgement.
As fighting continued for a third day in the capital of Damascus, the highest-level politician to defect from the Syrian regime warned today that President Bashar al-Assad would not hesitate to use chemical weapons if cornered.
During an interview with the BBC in Qatar, former Syrian Ambassador to Iraq Nawaf Fares was asked about Mr. Assad's willingness to use chemical weapons against the Syrian people. "There is some information, unconfirmed information of course, that chemical weapons have been used partially in Homs," Mr. Fares said through a translator. "However, I have absolute conviction that if the circle of the people of Syria becomes tighter on the regime, the regime will not hesitate to use chemical weapons."
The BBC's Frank Gardner, who interviewed Fares, notes in a separate article that the ex-ambassador only offered his convictions as evidence of his chemical weapons claims. "I have built my opinion based on my knowledge of the regime's mentality and the government's mentality," Fares told Mr. Gardner.
Syria is thought to have the largest chemical arsenal in the Arab world, and the civil war has stoked international concern that the weapons could be seized by rebel or terrorist forces, or damaged and dispersed by the fighting, The Christian Science Monitor reports.
Hard data on Syria's chemical and biological warfare capabilities is scarce, but the country is believed to have one of the largest chemical agents stockpiles in the world, including VX and Sarin nerve agents. It also has an impressive number of surface-to-surface missiles, such as Scud-Ds which can be fitted with chemical warheads, and modern Russian anti-aircraft missile batteries, including portable shoulder-fired systems.
"This is unknown territory," says Charles Blair, senior fellow for State and Non-State Threats at theWashington-based Federation of American Scientists. "We have never been through the potential collapse via a very bloody ethnic civil war of a country that is likely armed with a very large stockpile of chemical weapons.
Assads government
Assads government
Oh, and please, STOP RE-POSTING MEDIA CR*P about "clashes in Damascus"! THIS MORNING people called their family members there and were told THERE ARE NO ANY CLASHES OR BATTLES!!!!!!!
And all Western "reports" about Assad and chemical weapons are as much of a lie as Western "reports" on WMD in Iraq.
God! What will it take for Westerners to wise up and stop swallowing any tripe thrown their way?! Have you all undergone a lobotomy with severe side effects in the past 20 years?!
I will post whatever I damn well please
faggot.::
I will post whatever I damn well please
faggot.::
I am glad you came out of the closet with your sexual orientation.
I do apologise, of course it was wrong of me to ask you to stop crayoning and mlarring. There, have your pretty red laboon and a nice scream
This morning from Damascus:
"... Everything that happens in Damascus: shooting and explosions, happens strictly locally and in no way affects the lives in other parts of city. We went to town yesterday and saw that everything is fine, but after 11 pm, even the heart of the city became deserted. Military initiated anti-terrorist operations in Damascus, now their informants are embedded in all structures of the bandits, so the guys are doing their work well with minimal losses to themselves and dozens of dead and the surrendered terrorists. A to to prevent bandits from getting re-enforcements from outside, ALL buses entering Damascus undergo a full search and verification of documents of the passengers.
Qatar offers ANY ambassador to Syria for deserting one million dollars plus a monthly pension of 25 thousand dollars plus a house in Qatar. Defected Syrian Ambassador in Iraq sold himself for ownership of the company located on the territory of Saud.
As for "Chemical General", everyone is silent, no one writes or says anything, even the rebels. And here it is well known that the bandits have chemical weapons; we even know where they got them from -- from Libya..."
