Middle East Thread of Despair: More Broken Than Syria

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Brown Moses: Feb 22, 2002

Few new videos
Child shot dead by a sniper in Rastan March 5th :nws:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QRGfb2XrWtg

School hit by artillery shells in Rastan March 5th
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HxZJSYHfeY8

This video possibly shows a civilian transport aircraft landing at a military airbase, not sure if that's actually dodgy:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m5AtbeMA0Ck

Tracked vehicle being destroyed in Baba Amr, unknown date
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ufdHzNniTxM

# ? Mar 5, 2012 14:27

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# ? Apr 18, 2024 11:15

Xandu: Feb 19, 2006; It's hard to be humble when you're as great as I am.

Crazy fighting in Yemen

http://www.washingtonpost.com/world...9CsR_story.html

quote:

SANAA, Yemen � Sneaking across the desert behind army lines, al-Qaida militants launched a surprise attack against military bases in south Yemen, killing 107 soldiers and capturing heavy weapons they later used to kill more troops, officials said on Monday.

The military officials said at least 32 of the militants were killed in Sunday�s fighting in Abyan province and scores were wounded from both sides. Medical officials in the area confirmed the death toll figures. They said the poor services in local hospitals accounted for the death of many soldiers who suffered serious wounds but could have survived had they been given better medical care.

The high death toll among the troops is believed to be the highest on record in battles fought by the army against al-Qaida militants, who have been emboldened by the political turmoil roiling the impoverished Arab nation for more than a year.

The militants� attack appeared to be al-Qaida�s response to a pledge by Yemen�s newly inaugurated President Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi to fight the Yemeni branch of the terror network.

The military officials said the militants� surprise attack outside Abyan�s provincial capital Zinjibar also led to the capture of 55 soldiers. The captives were paraded on the streets of Jaar, a nearby town that, like Zinjibar, has been under al-Qaida�s control for about a year.

The officials spoke on Monday on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to reporters.

Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

# ? Mar 5, 2012 16:28

Svartvit: Jun 18, 2005; al-Qabila samaa Bahth

I've been keeping an eye on Yemen just a short while now and it is really messed up. Just this Saturday, militants destroyed several buildings in a southern city, and yesterday al-Qaida showed up at the outskirts of a southern province they control with more than 40 "military vehicles" and fought off the Yemeni army which apparently ran out of ammunition before al-Qaida did. Another militia was reported to have "surrounded" an entire mechanised division of the Yemeni army in the same province. It's all hosed up. A new southern commander has been appointed and I think that the Yemeni army is planning to invade said province (Abyan) soon which could lead to anything.

# ? Mar 5, 2012 18:45

J33uk: Oct 24, 2005

McCain just called for airstrikes in Syria. Which is to say, strap in for a diplomatic shitstorm either way.

# ? Mar 5, 2012 19:23

Brown Moses: Feb 22, 2002

J33uk posted:

McCain just called for airstrikes in Syria. Which is to say, strap in for a diplomatic shitstorm either way.

Look at this stupid poo poo[

quote:

"To be clear: This will require the United States to suppress enemy air defenses in at least part of the country," McCain will say. "The ultimate goal of airstrikes should be to establish and defend safe havens in Syria, especially in the north, in which opposition forces can organize and plan their political and military activities against Assad. These safe havens could serve as platforms for the delivery of humanitarian and military assistance -- including weapons and ammunition, body armor and other personal protective equipment, tactical intelligence, secure communications equipment, food and water, and medical supplies. These safe havens could also help the Free Syrian Army and other armed groups in Syria to train and organize themselves into more cohesive and effective military forces, likely with the assistance of foreign partners."

It's basically what happened in Libya without an understanding of any of the differences!

# ? Mar 5, 2012 19:41

Sivias: Dec 12, 2006; I think we can just sit around and just talk about our feelings.

I'm disappointed in McCain's shortsightedness. He's a military man, he should know better. I really wonder if he's shilling for the military industrial complex, or if he's dipping into a realm of senility. Maybe it's both.

# ? Mar 5, 2012 19:51

Oracle: Oct 9, 2004

McCain tends to have a blind spot when it comes to torture. Or see red, I guess. Either way his judgment is not the best where its involved.

# ? Mar 5, 2012 20:02

Goatse James Bond: Mar 28, 2010; If you see me posting please remind me that I have Charlie Work in the reports forum to do instead

Lascivious Sloth posted:

For lying about being assaulted, most likely. Also, they are conservative Salafists. Mayhap there is something about changing/modifying the body in their interpretation of the Qur'an?

Cosmetic alterations in general (tattoos/piercings/surgery) are verboten in a number of conservative sects, yep, with exceptions for severe deformation or injury.

(I seem to recall a particularly conservative scholar specifically calling out dental braces as uncool at one point, but it's been loving ages since I talked jurisprudence with any Muslim friends and I am not particularly educated on the topic other than that, so that might just be me misremembering.)

Also, I can't recall how severe a violation they represent, but they sure ain't something encouraged in official representatives of the community.

Goatse James Bond fucked around with this message at 20:22 on Mar 5, 2012

# ? Mar 5, 2012 20:19

Paco de Suave: Sep 13, 2004; photographs of the best time you had
window smudged by the speed

Xandu posted:

Based on all the reporting surrounding the Khost incident, I get the impression that they tell them and that it's not a secret to close family members.

That's how it goes as far as I know. My girlfriend's grandfather was killed in the line of duty and they know what happened to him, but his star on the Memorial Wall does not have a name in the "Book of Honor".

# ? Mar 5, 2012 20:27

magiccarpet: Jan 3, 2005

Brown Moses posted:

Look at this stupid poo poo[

It's basically what happened in Libya without an understanding of any of the differences!

Look at how the increased Iran tensions have caused us to go look for a base to defend Israel from.

# ? Mar 5, 2012 20:52

Xandu: Feb 19, 2006; It's hard to be humble when you're as great as I am.

magiccarpet posted:

Look at how the increased Iran tensions have caused us to go look for a base to defend Israel from.

# ? Mar 5, 2012 20:54

Golbez: Oct 9, 2002; 1 2 3!
If you want to take a shot at me get in line, line
1 2 3!
Baby, I've had all my shots and I'm fine

magiccarpet posted:

Look at how the increased Iran tensions have caused us to go look for a base to defend Israel from.

Absolutely. Why bother with Turkey, where we already have a large military infrastructure, and instead bomb Syria to obtain a platform possibly tens, nay, dozens of miles closer?

# ? Mar 5, 2012 21:01

pantslesswithwolves: Oct 28, 2008; Ba-dam ba-DUMMMMMM

Golbez posted:

Absolutely. Why bother with Turkey, where we already have a large military infrastructure, and instead bomb Syria to obtain a platform possibly tens, nay, dozens of miles closer?

Guys, guys, you're neglecting the most important fact here: the US war machine is lubricated by the blood of Muslims.

# ? Mar 5, 2012 21:08

Tacos Al Pastor: Jun 20, 2003

Brown Moses posted:

Few new videos
Child shot dead by a sniper in Rastan March 5th
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QRGfb2XrWtg

Yeah, I dont think I want to watch that

Heartbreaking whats going on there.

# ? Mar 5, 2012 22:44

mr. nobody: Sep 25, 2004; Net contents 12 fluid oz.

spiralbrain posted:

Yeah, I dont think I want to watch that

Heartbreaking whats going on there.

You don't want to watch that. It isn't the action of a child being shot by a sniper, it's a dead child, that was killed by a sniper.

I should not have watched that, but what's going on there is terrible and ugh no words.

# ? Mar 6, 2012 02:11

Sil: Jan 4, 2007

Oracle posted:

McCain tends to have a blind spot when it comes to torture. Or see red, I guess. Either way his judgment is not the best where its involved.

His idea is wrong but he's moving in the right direction. More serious pressure needs to be put on Syria and if the consensus in the West shifts towards military force it might shove Russia into stepping in themselves and getting Assad to accept an out.

# ? Mar 6, 2012 04:40

Charliegrs: Aug 10, 2009

Sil posted:

His idea is wrong but he's moving in the right direction. More serious pressure needs to be put on Syria and if the consensus in the West shifts towards military force it might shove Russia into stepping in themselves and getting Assad to accept an out.

Part of the problem is that when theres anything going on in the world, Mccain wants us to start bombing. Remember, this is the "bomb bomb bomb Iran" guy. Theres not a war this guy (one of my senators ugh) doesnt want. So his credibility internationally is probably a little diminished, since he ALWAYS wants to go to war.

# ? Mar 6, 2012 04:54

etalian: Mar 20, 2006

Sil posted:

His idea is wrong but he's moving in the right direction. More serious pressure needs to be put on Syria and if the consensus in the West shifts towards military force it might shove Russia into stepping in themselves and getting Assad to accept an out.

Why should Assad step down especially when the military side of things is really moving in his favor?

# ? Mar 6, 2012 04:57

Fangz: Jul 5, 2007; Oh I see! This must be the Bad Opinion Zone!

Sil posted:

His idea is wrong but he's moving in the right direction. More serious pressure needs to be put on Syria and if the consensus in the West shifts towards military force it might shove Russia into stepping in themselves and getting Assad to accept an out.

Russia will 100% call the west's bluff on that. They need to keep up the appearance of support for Assad but if the US goes against the UN and sinks into another Middle East quagmire that's still a win for them. Assad backing down under western military threats via a Russian backstab would kill their credibility for their allies.

Fangz fucked around with this message at 11:40 on Mar 6, 2012

# ? Mar 6, 2012 11:36

Lascivious Sloth: Apr 26, 2008; by sebmojo

Ahh crap. This isn't good.

Eastern Libya declares semi- autonomy

quote:

Tribal leaders and militia commanders in oil-rich eastern Libya have declared a semi-autonomous region, raising fears that the country might disintegrate following the fall of Muammar Gaddafi.

Libya's National Transitional Council (NTC), the interim central government based in the capital Tripoli, has repeatedly voiced its opposition to the creation of a partly autonomous eastern region, warning it could eventually lead to the breakup of the North African nation.

Thousands of representatives of major tribal leaders, militia commanders and politicians made the declaration on Tuesday in a ceremony held in the eastern city of Benghazi.

They vowed to end decades of marginalisation under Gaddafi and named a council to run the affairs of the newly created region, extending from the central coastal city of Sirte to the Egyptian border in the east.

The gathering appointed Ahmed al-Zubair, Libya's longest serving political prisoner under Gaddafi, as leader of its governing council.

Al-Zubair, who is also a member of the NTC, pledged to protect the rights of the region but also said his council recognises NTC to run Libya's international affairs.

The gathering also rejected an election law which allocated 60 seats forthe eastern region out of 200-member assembly set to be elected in June.

# ? Mar 6, 2012 14:04

Golbez: Oct 9, 2002; 1 2 3!
If you want to take a shot at me get in line, line
1 2 3!
Baby, I've had all my shots and I'm fine

Lascivious Sloth posted:

Ahh crap. This isn't good.

Eastern Libya declares semi- autonomy

Why is the automatic response to say "this isn't good?" Why shouldn't there be an independent (I know that's not what they're saying but I'm asking as an exercise) Cyrenaica? Then they could have their king and be separate from Tripolitania who marginalized them for so many decades.

Who gets Fezzan in the divorce?

Golbez fucked around with this message at 15:30 on Mar 6, 2012

# ? Mar 6, 2012 14:35

Brown Moses: Feb 22, 2002

This points towards another of the NTC's failings in the post-Gaddafi Libya, and it's interesting with in the context of other cities in Libya holding or planning to hold their own local elections. It seems they are rejecting the NTC's attempts to organise the country from a national level to a local level by first choosing to establish their own local government. The question is what happens once the national elections come around?

# ? Mar 6, 2012 14:51

pantslesswithwolves: Oct 28, 2008; Ba-dam ba-DUMMMMMM

Also, aren't most of Libya's oil fields in the eastern part of the country? If Cyranecia only uses the profits to benefit the East and impoverish the western areas of the country, it would be a reverse of how things were under Qadhafi.

# ? Mar 6, 2012 16:40

Golbez: Oct 9, 2002; 1 2 3!
If you want to take a shot at me get in line, line
1 2 3!
Baby, I've had all my shots and I'm fine

suboptimal posted:

Also, aren't most of Libya's oil fields in the eastern part of the country? If Cyranecia only uses the profits to benefit the East and impoverish the western areas of the country, it would be a reverse of how things were under Qadhafi.

Which I'm sure is a major reason for them wanting to be autonomous.

Though, if Cyrenaica were to secede totally, it could no longer be said that they are impoverishing Tripolitania. Tripoli would be on its own.

# ? Mar 6, 2012 16:46

Brown Moses: Feb 22, 2002

Syrians asking for help from the people of Mars after the people of Earth fail to help
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8k86zOlYYBk

Damaged buildings in Rastan dated 06/03/12
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Qu15_Bdf6U

FSA sniper shooting an Assad soldier, Idlib dated 06/03/12
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GjDDOOcXt2E

Brigadier General Adnan al-Qasim Farzat defecting to the FSA dated 06/03/12
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nPG44s3oLMY

quote:

I declare my defection from the Syrian army to the Free Syrian Army, because of the artillery bombing against Rastan which is continuing violently.

Houses have been damaged and children and women were killed. This is not the right behaviour of the Syrian army, and that's why I declare my defection to the Free Syrian Army. Long live free Syria.

Damage done to a mosque by Assad regime shelling dated 06/03/12
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=39L-Wq76Yws

Damage done to buildings in Homs dated 06/03/12
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mpEAo7nfzb

Homes looted and trashed in Homs dated 06/03/12
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U-dJnPY7Xxc

# ? Mar 6, 2012 17:00

J33uk: Oct 24, 2005

Al Jazeera got a look at the draft for the US drawn up UN resolution on Syria. It's pretty much the same old "Everyone stop killing everyone. Withdraw troops. Allow access." stuff. And once again it doesn't really matter if it passes or not because the hour is far too late.

# ? Mar 6, 2012 18:39

Xandu: Feb 19, 2006; It's hard to be humble when you're as great as I am.

Lots of misleading reporting today on Eastern Libya "breaking off" into a separate state. It seems more accurate to me to describe it as a push for decentralization of power and federalism than anything else.

http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/03/05/libya-east-federalism-idUSL5E8E5A2O20120305 posted:

"We would like in Cyrenaica to take care of housing, education and other things and would delegate national security, defence ... to the central government," said Mohammed Buisier, a Libyan-American who is helping organise the congress.

This can't be seen as terribly surprising or even necessarily a preclude to violence given Libyan history.

http://gulfanalysis.wordpress.com/2011/04/06/iraq-and-libya-parallels-and-non-parallels/ posted:

When it comes to Libya, unlike Iraq, the country actually does have a history of twentieth-century federalism as well as complete territorial fragmentation. During the first years after independence, from 1951 to 1963, Libya had a federal state structure which among other things featured extensive taxation powers for the three federal regions (Benghazi in the east, Tripoli in the centre-north and Fezzan in the south). That tripartite federal structure, in turn, was based on complete administrative separation in the 1940s, when developments in the Second World War and the ouster of the Italians in 1942 had led to the creation of three separate zones of occupation with their own administrations. Although the ethno-sectarian geography of these lands did not correlate perfectly with the tripartite administrative configuration, Benghazi stood somewhat out thanks to a strongly influential puritan Sufi movement (the Sanusiyya), whereas non-Arab (particularly Berber) influences were said to be somewhat stronger in the west and the south. In contrast to the situation in Libya, Iraq remained a centralised state from the formal inception of the monarchy in 1921 until the beginnings of experiments with Kurdish autonomy in the 1970s.

And we shouldn't paint Eastern Libyans with such a broad brush, not all are in favor of more autonomy.

Mary Fitzgerald talking about this on twitter

https://twitter.com/#!/MaryFitzgerldIT posted:

Headlines re eastern #Libya declaring semi-autonomy are misleading. Today's 4000-strong conf step in that direction but many in east opposed

Some here in Benghazi say people are banging the federalist drum just to draw attention of Tripoli-based govt accused of neglecting the east

Interesting map as well, dividing it into Fezzan/Tripolitania/Cyrenaica

# ? Mar 6, 2012 22:33

Brown Moses: Feb 22, 2002

My understanding is this group is little more than a political party or movement, not anything that actually wields any power, so it's not like Libya is breaking up into a federation or anything (yet).

# ? Mar 6, 2012 23:38

etalian: Mar 20, 2006

Golbez posted:

Why is the automatic response to say "this isn't good?" Why shouldn't there be an independent (I know that's not what they're saying but I'm asking as an exercise) Cyrenaica? Then they could have their king and be separate from Tripolitania who marginalized them for so many decades.

Who gets Fezzan in the divorce?

I guess Iraq sort of showed the futility of trying to jam people who really don't like each other into a single nation state.

# ? Mar 6, 2012 23:57

Charliegrs: Aug 10, 2009

I dont have a problem with Libya splitting up into semi autonomous entities, but I just have a really bad feeling its not going to happen without a lot of violence. Yes, Ive read what others have said here that its not guaranteed to devolve into a civil war but I have a really cynical view of that part of the world. I just think, theres so many weapons and everyones armed, political power is up for grabs now that Ghaddafi is gone, most of the oil is concentrated in one area, and people arent exactly used to the country being separated. Its been quite a while since it was like that. It kind of reminds me of Sudan, and how it took a civil war for the south to split off and now theres still fighting going on and most of the oil is in the southern half. I hope Im wrong about all of this, I hope for the best in Libya but I wont be too surprised if it gets really ugly over there again in the near future.

# ? Mar 7, 2012 01:00

etalian: Mar 20, 2006

Charliegrs posted:

I dont have a problem with Libya splitting up into semi autonomous entities, but I just have a really bad feeling its not going to happen without a lot of violence. Yes, Ive read what others have said here that its not guaranteed to devolve into a civil war but I have a really cynical view of that part of the world. I just think, theres so many weapons and everyones armed, political power is up for grabs now that Ghaddafi is gone, most of the oil is concentrated in one area, and people arent exactly used to the country being separated. Its been quite a while since it was like that. It kind of reminds me of Sudan, and how it took a civil war for the south to split off and now theres still fighting going on and most of the oil is in the southern half. I hope Im wrong about all of this, I hope for the best in Libya but I wont be too surprised if it gets really ugly over there again in the near future.

It's sort of false hope thinking people can put aside their difference and build a functional nation state after such a tough experience.

Especially after being manipulated for many years by the regimes divide and conquer strategy.

It's just really hard for a people to overcome the inertia created by past history.

# ? Mar 7, 2012 01:02

Xandu: Feb 19, 2006; It's hard to be humble when you're as great as I am.

etalian posted:

I guess Iraq sort of showed the futility of trying to jam people who really don't like each other into a single nation state.

On the other hand, Iraq is still together, though it has adopted a somewhat federalist model.

# ? Mar 7, 2012 01:05

Section 31: Mar 4, 2012

These are why, despite all the rhetoric coming from Arab states, Turkey, and the West, there won't be any action aside from low-level moral support to Syria:

quote:

Gulf Arabs Deny Arms to Syria Rebels

Gulf Arab rulers have sent little to Syria's opposition in the way of weapons, money or fighters despite their own international calls to do so, say people close to the Saudi government, Syrian rebel commanders and Syrian exiles involved in the aid effort.

The Gulf leaders say the Syrian rebels need to be able to better defend themselves, but they also share some of the same concerns as the West about any extremists among forces opposing Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, these people say. The U.S. and others haven't advocated arming the rebels, in part out of fear it would create an even more bloody and prolonged conflict.

For now, commanders of the Syrian opposition, outgunned and outmanned by Mr. Assad's forces, are having to turn away the Saudi young men who are beginning to call to volunteer, one Syrian rebel officer said at a military camp of the rebel Free Syrian Army inside Turkey.

"I tell them, 'God bless you, sons, but we don't have enough weapons for ourselves. If you want to help, send money,' " the Syrian rebel officer said.

Inside Syria on Sunday, government tanks shelled districts across the city of Homs, as the International Committee of the Red Cross tried to enter the besieged Baba Amr neighborhood for a third day. Activists described a city nearly crushed by a monthlong bomb campaign.

quote:

Ties With Russia, China Constrain Turkey's Options on Syria

The veto by Russia and China in February of a U.N. Security Council resolution calling for Syrian President Bashar al-Assad to step down has stalled efforts by the U.S., its European allies and the Arab League to halt the bloody crackdown in Syria through U.N. action. Though the U.S. is currently drafting a new U.N. resolution, calls by some observers to arm the Syrian resistance have now been echoed by Saudi Arabia, Qatar and other Gulf Cooperation Council states eager to see the pro-Iranian Assad regime replaced by a Sunni-dominated government. Meanwhile, French President Nicolas Sarkozy joined the ranks of those advocating for the creation of �humanitarian corridors� within or along Syria�s borders. However, to have any chance of success, any vigorous military intervention in Syria would require the backing of key local actors, particularly Turkey, Syria�s powerful democratic neighbor. While Turkey has been openly critical of Assad�s regime since the beginning of the uprising and has allowed Syrian opposition leaders to take refuge in Turkey, Ankara has important reasons to be reluctant to provide active material and military support to anything other than a broad-based, U.N.-sanctioned anti-Assad coalition.

Under the helm of the Justice and Development Party (AKP), especially its visionary foreign minister, Ahmed Davutoglu, Turkish foreign policy has undergone a significant transformation in the past 10 years. As international trade and foreign investment have become more important to the rapidly growing Turkish economy in recent years, the AKP government has given top priority to economic and trade interests in its conduct of foreign policy. And it is fear of jeopardizing these substantial economic interests that make Turkey reluctant to play a leading role in a military initiative against the Syrian government backed only by NATO and the Arab League.

The reason is simple enough: The Assad regime�s three key international backers, Russia, China and Iran, are among Turkey�s largest trade and investment partners. Any active Turkish involvement in a military intervention targeting Assad would pose a substantial risk to Turkey�s relations with these three countries, at potentially great cost for the Turkish economy. Russia and Iran are Turkey�s top providers of natural gas: In 2009, Russia accounted for 54 percent of Turkey�s natural gas imports, while Iran was second with 14 percent. Furthermore, Iranian gas exports to Turkey increased by 50 percent in 2010, making Turkey even more dependent on Iran for gas.

Turkey is equally dependent on Russia and Iran for crude oil imports. In the first quarter of 2011, Iran was the leading exporter of crude oil to Turkey with a 30 percent share, followed by Iraq with 12 percent and Russia with 11 percent. Turkey�s broader bilateral trade with Russia and Iran has increased substantially in recent years as well, reaching $26.2 billion with Russia and $10 billion with Iran in 2010. Turkey�s trade with China also rose 12-fold from 2000 to 2010 to reach $19.5 billion. Finally, Turkey benefits from a substantial flow of Russian and Iranian tourists, with approximately 2 million Russians and 2 million Iranians visiting Turkey in 2010, compared to slightly fewer than 2 million visitors from all Arab countries combined.

How these important economic partners would react to active Turkish participation in military action against the Syrian regime must weigh heavily in the calculations of Turkish policymakers in the coming weeks. For the Islamic government of Iran, itself under the threat of massive sanctions and military attack, the survival of the Syrian regime has escalated into an existential issue. The fall of Assad would not only mean the loss of Syria and Hezbollah as valuable allies, but it would also embolden the West and increase the risk of regime collapse in Iran. All this makes a strong response from Iran likely should Turkey opt to actively participate in a military coalition against Syria.

Both China and Russia also have announced their strong opposition to military intervention in Syria and view Western attempts to topple Assad as part of a larger strategy to weaken and topple the Iranian regime. Russia and China are both extremely worried that such regime changes would enhance U.S. hegemony in the region at their expense. Hence, if Turkish participation in a coalition against Assad proves crucial for the Syrian government�s defeat, Moscow and Beijing are likely to react, potentially by putting coordinated economic pressure on Turkey.

Turkish participation in any eventual military intervention in Syria would certainly improve Ankara�s relations with the U.S. and the GCC states. Were the consequences of such participation limited to the risk of upsetting relations with Iran, Turkey might be more willing to go along. However, simultaneously defying Russia and China as well on an issue of such strategic importance could invite a strong reaction that would pose a severe burden on Turkey�s economy, which is already faced with several challenges in 2012. As a result, Turkey is likely to move cautiously on Syria. While low-level support for the Syrian opposition is likely to continue, Ankara will likely remain reluctant to play an instrumental role in a large-scale military intervention.

# ? Mar 7, 2012 03:33

Sivias: Dec 12, 2006; I think we can just sit around and just talk about our feelings.

A little sad this thread is losing flow of information.

Combining the fall of Homs, and the lack of international assistance has left a bitter disappointment and feeling of defeat.

Is there any indication on how the FSA is reacting? Are people still protesting? Are rockets still falling on Rastan and Idlib?

The only news I'm reading are news bites of the Red Crescent struggling to distribute humanitarian aid while 'violence continues'.

# ? Mar 7, 2012 20:25

Xandu: Feb 19, 2006; It's hard to be humble when you're as great as I am.

A UN person and the red cross got into Baba Amr today and described it as deserted.

http://www.aljazeera.com/news/middleeast/2012/03/201237102653391566.html

People are still protesting and fighting, the opposition is continuing to fall apart.

Syrian state TV leaked some behind the scenes footage on activist videos from Baba Amr that show that they can be misleading, it's all in arabic unfortunately. Pro-Assad people have been using this as evidence to claim that the Syrian opposition is totally discredited and a joke, but that's really the wrong takeaway.

http://qifanabki.com/2012/03/06/the-youtube-revolution-truth-lies-in-syria/

# ? Mar 7, 2012 20:32

Brown Moses: Feb 22, 2002

Apparently most,if not all, the supposedly leaked footage was livestreamed over the last few months by activists, and Syrian State TV claimed it was found in Baba Amr when they rolled in. For example, watch this clip from the original stream from about 10 minutes onwards
http://bambuser.com/v/2339510

This version of the clip was on State TV, which claims the man in the video pointed to tell people to play a clip of gunfire in the background
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p8xzoFwOQIE&t=14s

As you can see the State TV clip has mysteriously gained the sound of gunfire which didn't exist in the original broadcast, but this is still the one that's floating around being debated.

# ? Mar 7, 2012 21:32

az jan jananam: Sep 6, 2011; HI, I'M HARDCORE SAX HERE TO DROP A NICE JUICY TURD OF A POST FROM UP ON HIGH

Lots of Libyans I know tossing this around on Facebook. "I am Libyan and the so-called 'Barga Conference' does not represent me"

# ? Mar 7, 2012 23:12

Xandu: Feb 19, 2006; It's hard to be humble when you're as great as I am.

This is good news, sort of.

http://saudijeans.org/2012/03/07/free-hamza-kashgari/

quote:

Hamza Kashgari, the detained Saudi writer accused of blasphemy, will be freed in the next few weeks after a court in Riyadh accepted his repentance, multiple sources said.

Human rights activist Souad al-Shammary tweeted that a Sharia court in the capital has ratified his repentance in the presence of his family, and that he showed his regret over what he has written about the Prophet.

الحمدلله تم التصديق شرعا ع إعلان توبة كاشغري ف محكمةالرياض بحضورأقاربه وأبدى ندمه ع ماكتبه لا عزاء لمصاصي الدماء من طالبوا برقبته يحيا العدل

�
Souad_ALshammary (@SouadALshammary) March 07, 2012
I have confirmed this through a friend-of-a-friend of Kashgari�s. Local news site Sabq cited sources that also confirmed the news.

# ? Mar 8, 2012 01:54

SexyBlindfold: Apr 24, 2008; i dont care how much probation i get capital letters are for squares hehe im so laid back an nice please read my low effort shitposts about the arab spring

thanxs!!!

Xandu posted:

This is good news, sort of.

http://saudijeans.org/2012/03/07/free-hamza-kashgari/

please post the video of the crybaby imam again

e: nevermind here it is:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s9kAVlnGMTU

e2: AUGH

SexyBlindfold fucked around with this message at 03:06 on Mar 8, 2012

# ? Mar 8, 2012 03:03

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# ? Apr 18, 2024 11:15

Xandu: Feb 19, 2006; It's hard to be humble when you're as great as I am.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MRV_ku8dqlQ

Syrian deputy oil minister, Abdo Hussam al-Deen, defects. Looks to be him based on other images I've found of him.

quote:

please post the video of the crybaby imam again

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s9kAVlnGMTU

# ? Mar 8, 2012 03:05

The Something Awful Forums > Discussion > Debate & Discussion > Middle East Thread of Despair: More Broken Than Syria

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