Most powerful factions in Syria (June 2013)

Freedom fighters? Cannibals? The truth about Syria’s rebels The US wants to send them arms, Vladimir Putin says they’re cannibals – but what do we really know about the opposition movement fighting to topple Assad? Syria expert Aron Lund profiles some of the most powerful factions ARON LUND, The Independent, 17 June 2013 Battlefield alliances: […]

»»

Al Qaeda’s Chechen, Caucasian fighters win N. Syrian air base

“Syria now, Russia next”. It’s hard to believe that real Chechens could make this poorly spelled inscription. But each war has myths of its own. (RT photo/Nadezhda Kevorkova). To read more about Chechen militants in Syria:  «Chechen Emir Abu Abdurrahman martyred in Syria», «Chechen commander leads Muhajireen Brigade in Syria», «Circassian, Ossetian, Chechen Minorities Solicit Russian Help […]

»»

Should the Use of Chemical Weapons Prompt a US Attack in Syria?

DaDan Barkley Obama and Kerry and the War in Syria, by Dag Barkley, April 9, 2013 If it is Determined that the Assad Regime Used Chemical Weapons Against Civilians, Should the United States and its Allies Attack Syria? Posted by Matthew Barber on Monday, August 26th, 2013 In answer to this question, Joshua Landis and […]

»»

Syria: disillusioned rebels drift back to take Assad amnesty

Syrian Minister Ali Haidar during an interview with Al-Akhbar:«Both Sides Have Extremists» –– (Photo: Haitham Moussawi). Syrian National Reconciliation Minister Ali Haidar who is also the President of the Syrian Social Nationalist Party (SSNP), maintains that he “joined a project and not a ministry” (July 2012) Syria: disillusioned rebels drift back to take Assad amnesty Hundreds of men […]

»»

Israel stirs the pot in Syria

Israel stirs the pot in Syria by Jonathan Cook, Mondoweiss, June 17, 2013 For much of the past two years Israel stood sphinx-like on the sidelines of Syria’s civil war. Did it want Bashar al-Assad’s regime toppled? Did it favour military intervention to help opposition forces? And what did it think of the increasing visibility of Islamist […]

»»

Hezbollah in Syria: data and assumptions

France says 3,000-4,000 Hezbollah are fighting in Syria Reuters, May 29, 2013 – France said on Wednesday its intelligence services believed 3-4,000 guerillas from Lebanon’s Hezbollah militia fighting alongside President Bashar al-Assad’s army in Syria’s civil war. «As far as Hezbollah militants present in the battlefield, the figures range from 3,000 to 10,000, our estimates are between […]

»»

Assad is winning war in Syria

Assad is winning war in Syria Mahir Zeynalov, SundaysZaman, May 11, 2013 Twenty-six months into the bloody uprising and there is no clear victor in the war in Syria that has left tens of thousands of people dead. To the delight of Assad and his cronies, the Syrian army has made significant progress through military […]

»»

Free Syrian Army rebels defect to Islamist group Jabhat al-Nusra

Jabhat al-Nusra fighters in training. Photo credit: wikicommons Free Syrian Army rebels defect to Islamist group Jabhat al-Nusra The well-resourced organisation, which is linked to al-Qaida, is luring many anti-Assad fighters away, say brigade commanders Mona Mahmood and Ian Black, The Guardian, Wednesday 8 May 2013 Syria‘s main armed opposition group, the Free Syrian Army (FSA), is losing fighters […]

»»

Russia, U.S. Back Syria Diplomatic Solution

Russia’s President Vladimir Putin (left) and U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry arrive for their meeting in Moscow on May 7 – Reuters – RFE/RL Read also: «Statement by EU High Representative, Catherine Ashton, on the joint agreement by the US Secretary of State J. Kerry and Russian Foreign Minister S. Lavrov to work towards […]

»»

U.N. has testimony that Syrian rebels used sarin gas

Syrian rebels homedade weapons. Aleppo province on October 17, 2012 (AFP) U.N. has testimony that Syrian rebels used sarin gas: investigator Geneva, May 5, 2013 (Reuters) – U.N. human rights investigators have gathered testimony from casualties of Syria’s civil war and medical staff indicating that rebel forces have used the nerve agent sarin, one of the […]

»»

Syria Forces Push Back at Rebels

A T-72 decorated with the colors of the Syrian regime Syria Forces Push Back at Rebels By HANIA MOURTADA, April 7, 2013 BEIRUT, Lebanon — The embattled Syrian government mounted attacks on rebel positions across the country on Sunday, according to opposition activists. Fighting intensified in and around Aleppo, the country’s largest city, after government […]

»»

Croatian weapons in Syrian civil war

Syria Live Coverage: A Snapshot of the Cost of War in Aleppo James Miller, EA Live, EA Middle East and Turkey, Middle East and Iran April 3, 2013 More Numbers Analysis. In recent days several Twitter accounts have suggested that the efforts to arm the rebels have greatly increased the amount of deaths in the conflict. This most recent effort […]

»»

Circassia: Struggling To Return Home

Circassians venerate Day of Commemoration, june 2011. Below is an article published by OnIslam Circassia: Struggling To Return Home The conflict in Syria has shown to have a large impact on Circassians and their renewed claims to return to their homeland The increasing flow of Syrian refugees once again sharpened the Russia so-called “Circassian problem.” This issue […]

»»

The drone mania

When the Whole World Has Drones The precedents the U.S. has set for robotic warfare may have fearsome consequences as other countries catch up This article appeared in print as Standard Deviation Kristin Roberts, National Journal, 22 March, 2013 [An interview with the author] A slim aircraft glided through Israeli airspace, maintaining low altitude and taking a […]

»»