"And I have found both freedom and safety in my madness, the freedom of loneliness and the safety from being understood, for those who understand us enslave something in us. But let me not be too proud of my safety. Even a Thief in a jail is safe from another thief. "

Khalil Gibran (How I Became a Madman)

Lübnan Marunîleri / Yasin Atlıoğlu

Lübnan Marunîleri / Yasin Atlıoğlu
NEWS AND ARTICLES / HABERLER VE MAKALELER

Wednesday, November 26, 2014

End of November Battle Map Update for Aleppo- Al-Masdar News


The battle for Aleppo is reaching its critical stages as the Syrian Arab Army (SAA) continues its offensive to recapture parts of the provincial capital that are under the Islamic State of Iraq and Al-Sham (ISIS), Islamic Front (Jabhat Al-Islamiyya) and Al-Nusra Front (Jabhat Al-Nusra). A year and a half ago, many thought the SAA would not be able to hold the city long enough to see Winter 2013 after their withdrawal from the Mennagh Airbase last August; however, following the SAA’s success in the Homs Governorate, much needed reinforcements would pour into the province to begin “Operation Northern Storm”.
Recent Rebel Gains and Attacks:
- Nubl and Al-Zahra: Jabhat Al-Nusra is attacking the Syrian Arab Army, National Defense Forces, and Hezbollah at the villages of Nubl and Al-Zahra. They have withdrawn from the southern front of these villages, but they are still attacking the eastern sector of Nubl.
- Ashrafiyyeh: The Islamic Front launched an attack on the Ashrafiyyeh Quarter, bombarding SAA positions near the fuel depository. They continue to attack, but have yet to breach the SAA’s frontline defenses.
- Marjah: The Islamic Front was able to retake approximately 3 building blocks the SAA controlled last week; as a result, they are now in control of the whole quarter.
Gönderen

Amid war, Damascenes promote cycling with mass bike ride- Al-Monitor


DAMASCUS, Syria — Defying the war around it, locals in Damascus took part in a city bicycle convoy Nov. 21 to promote the use of bikes to bypass traffic woes exacerbated by dozens of military and security checkpoints. The “Yalla Let’s Bike” initiative organized the ride under the slogan “A bicycle on the road keeps the traffic away,” with 900 Syrians of different ages and social classes taking part.
Gönderen

Berri: Lebanon strong in hostage negotiations- Daily Star

BEIRUT: Lebanon is not without leverage in the negotiations to release the captive soldiers and policemen that jihadis are holding in Arsal’s outskirts, Speaker Nabih Berri said Wednesday.
“We possess many elements of power to release the servicemen kept by ISIS and the Nusra [Front],” Berri reportedly told MPs in his weekly meeting in Ain al-Tineh.
Discussing both the hostage crisis and the swap deal that Hezbollah accomplished earlier this week with militants who had captured one of its militants, the speaker stressed on the necessity to keep the negotiations secret to ensure their success.
Gönderen

Christians hold out in Syria second city despite Daesh threat- Middle East Online

Tens of thousands of Christians have fled Syria's war-wracked second city Aleppo but many others are determined to hold out despite their dread of Islamic State jihadists.

Christians of various denominations make up around 10 percent of Syria's population and Aleppo alone was home to some 250,000 before the civil war reached the city in 2012.

In the Orthodox church of Mar Elias, the golden-robed deacon blesses his dwindling congregation of around 100 with incense as the choir muffles out nearby bombardment.

Gönderen

Tuesday, November 25, 2014

Syrian airstrikes kill scores in ISIL-stronghold Raqqa- Al-Jazeera America

Syrian government warplanes on Tuesday bombed the country’s northeastern city of Raqqa, the de facto capital of the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) insurgency, killing nearly 100 people.
Britain-based advocacy group the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights on Wednesday raised the death toll in the bombing to 95, making it one of the deadliest attacks on the city of Raqqa in the past three years.
The raids struck a popular market near the city's museum, residential areas, an industrial area and reportedly destroyed the historic Al-Hinni mosque. 
Gönderen

Syria’s southern rebels draw up new game plan- The National

AMMAN // As Western-backed rebels in northern Syria were suffering a crushing defeat by Jabhat Al Nusra earlier this month, an angry commander on the country's southern front shouted at military advisers from the US, UK and Gulf states, telling them their tactics were badly failing.
The rebel leader, Abu Osama Al Jolani, was “furious” and “yelling”, according to opposition accounts of the incident, which unfolded at the Military Operations Command (MOC) in Amman, a centre staffed by international advisers aiding rebels in southern Syria.
Mr Al Jolani, the 37-year-old head of the Syrian Revolutionaries' Front's (SRF) southern command, told personnel at MOC that limited and poorly coordinated supplies — including munitions and other essential equipment — to rebels in the north had allowed the Al Qaeda affiliate, Al Nusra, and the even more extreme ISIL group, to defeat moderates.
He warned that a similar scenario would play out in the south unless urgent steps were taken to bolster the standing of moderate factions in the face of rising extremism.
Gönderen

Turkish FM says 600 Turkish nationals joined jihadists, more than 100 killed- Hurriyet Daily News


More than 100 of the 600 Turkish citizens that have gone to fight for jihadist groups such as the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) have perished in battle, according to intelligence estimates, Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu said late Nov. 24.

Some 7,000 foreigners have been banned from entering Turkey and 1,100 people were deported on suspicions that they may join jihadist groups, the minister said in reply to questions by lawmakers in Parliament during budget discussions.

The foreign minister said it was unfair to expect Turkey, which has a 1,000-kilometer-long border with Syria and Iraq, to tackle alone the problem of foreign fighters crossing through Turkish territory. He asked Western countries to share more intelligence with Turkey on suspected militants so that Turkish authorities can stop them from entering the country.


Gönderen

Syrian airstrikes on ISIS 'capital' kill 63 civilians- Daily Star

BEIRUT: A wave of Syrian government airstrikes on ISIS' self-proclaimed capital of Raqqa, in the country's east, killed at least 63 civilians Tuesday, activists said.
The latest toll from the raids came after warnings that earlier tolls were likely to rise.
The Syrian Observatory of Human Rights had released a statement earlier Tuesday updating their initial toll of 23 to 36.
The statement added that, "Dozens more were wounded, some of them critically. We fear the death toll may rise further," Observatory director Rami Abdel Rahman told AFP.
Gönderen

Monday, November 24, 2014

The Syrian Army Captures a Strategic Road in Al-Hasakah- Al-Masdar News

The Syrian Arab Army (SAA) and the National Defense Forces (NDF) have captured the mills located on the junction between the Hasakah-Tal Abyad Road in the village of Makhroum. Following the capture of the mills, the SAA and NDF took complete control of the Hasakah-Tal Abyad Road during the violent clashes with the Islamic State of Iraq and Al-Sham (ISIS) in the village of Makhroum; this resulted in the latter’s withdrawal to Jabal ‘Abdel-Aziz. According to a military source, 33 confirmed members of ISIS were killed during the battle with the SAA and NDF at Makhroum.
Gönderen

Saturday, November 22, 2014

Syrian Christians: 'Help us to stay - stop arming terrorists'- The Telegraph

Outgoing artillery shook St Elias church as the priest reached the end of the Lord's Prayer.
The small congregation kept their eyes on the pulpit, kneeling when required and trying to ignore the regular thuds that rattled the stained glass windows above them.
Home to one of the oldest Christian communities in the world, the hard to reach Syrian agricultural town of Izraa has stood the comings and goings of many empires over the centuries.
But as the country's civil war creeps closer, it is threatening to force the town's Christians into permanent exile: never to return, they fear.
Gönderen

Jumblatt: We're to blame for lack of president- Daily Star

BEIRUT: MP Walid Jumblatt said the blame falls flat on politicians including himself for the country's failure to elect a new president.
"In summary, we are all responsible for the failure to elect a president until now and it is us to blame," Jumblatt, head of the Progressive Socialist Party, told An-Nahar.
Lebanon has been unable to elect a new president since former President Michel Sleiman ended his six-year term on May 25. While the rival March 8 and March 14 coalitions trade blame over the current paralysis, the primary reason for the continued vacuum is the lack of a consensus candidate.
Gönderen

Two Britons 'killed in Islamic State fighting' in Syria- BBC News

Two British men have reportedly been killed while fighting alongside Islamic State militants in Syria.
The men - known as Abu Abdullah al-Habashi, 21, and Abu Dharda, 20 - were from London.
IS sources and social media accounts associated with the group suggest they died in recent days in US air strikes in the border town of Kobane.
About 27 Britons are understood to have lost their lives after joining the jihadists.
The reports of the men's deaths could not be independently verified and the BBC was unable to contact their families.
Al-Habashi grew up in north London in a British-Eritrean family and converted to Islam when he was 16.
Gönderen

Shaker Residing in Ain el-Hilweh, Says Relations with Asir Cut- Naharnet

Singer turned fugitive Islamist Fadel Shaker stressed on Saturday that his ties with Salafist cleric Sheikh Ahmed Asir has ended after the 2013 Abra clashes.
“I will not hand my self over to the judiciary,” Shaker said in comments to al-Fajr radio station, denying that he assaulted the military during the clashes with the army in the southern town of Abra, near the city of Sidon.
Shaker had fled justice more than a year ago following bloody incidents that erupted in June 2013 in Abra, between the army and supporters of al-Asir.
Sidon’s clashes were the most intense bouts of violence in Lebanon linked to the conflict in Syria, and have resulted in the death of at least 16 troops.
Al-Asir, is still on the run.
http://www.naharnet.com/stories/en/156380
Gönderen

Friday, November 21, 2014

Syrian rebels, increasingly desperate, turn to tunnel warfare- Los Angeles Times

Gönderen

Thursday, November 20, 2014

Gemayel Expresses Grave Concern over 'Dangerous' Situation- Naharnet

Kataeb Party leader Amin Gemayel expressed concern on Thursday over the “dangerous situation” imposed by the vacuum at the Baabda Palace, calling on the Lebanese arch-foes, in particular those behind the obstruction of the presidential elections, to assume their responsibilities.
“Lebanese factions shouldn't under any circumstances obstruct a national, legal, constitutional and political path,” Gemayel said in a lengthy interview with the Kuwaiti al-Rai newspaper. “It is an unforgivable sin.”
He pointed out that “the risks, burden and crises are accumulating in a time we desperately need a full-functioning Lebanese authority.”
The Christian leader lashed out at the sides that are “on purpose impeding the elections and prolonging the vacuum.”
http://www.naharnet.com/stories/en/156027-gemayel-expresses-grave-concern-over-dangerous-situation
Gönderen

Amnesty report: Turkey strained by Syrian refugees- Daily Star

ISTANBUL: With Turkey's government-run refugee camps operating at full capacity, more than 1 million Syrian refugees who have flocked to Turkey to escape fighting at home are struggling to survive on their own, according to an Amnesty International report released Thursday.
Turkey, which hosts half of the 3.2 million refugees who have fled Syria, is shouldering the heaviest burden of what the report calls the world's worst refugee crisis in a generation.
"In three days in September 2014, Turkey received some 130,000 refugees from Syria - more than the entire European Union had in the past three years," the report said.
It also detailed cases where Turkish border guards have abused - even killed - refugees trying to enter the country.
An estimated 1.6 million Syrian refugees have entered Turkey since the Syrian war began in March 2011. About 220,000 are living in 22 government-run camps that offer food and essential services, the report said. The remaining 1.38 million - more than 85 percent - are living outside the camps, mostly in communities along the Turkey-Syrian border. An estimated 330,000 live in Istanbul, the Turkish capital.
Gönderen

Syria willing to help with Lebanon hostage crisis: report- Daily Star

BEIRUT: Syria has reportedly expressed willingness to help Lebanon carry out the swap deal with Islamist militants holding at least 27 soldiers and policemen captive, Al-Mustaqbal said Thursday.
The newspaper, citing sources close to the crisis cell that met Wednesday with Prime Minister Tammam Salam, said the Syrian goodwill was made during a meeting with General Security head Maj. Gen. Abbas Ibrahim.
The sources said Ibrahim briefed members of the ministerial crisis cell of the outcome of his recent Damascus visit.
Gönderen

Aleppo's oldest hotel, where Agatha Christie wrote Murder on the Orient Express, falls into ruin on Syria's front line- Dail Mail



It was once the most stylish hotel in Aleppo, hosting the likes of former French leader Charles de Gaulle and novelist Agatha Christie.

But the feted Baron Hotel has been forced to close its doors as the Syrian civil war grips the city, with the front line separating government and rebel forces just metres away from the building.

Haunting photos of owner Armen Mazloumian sitting on the abandoned terrace and empty rooms in the once-grand hotel have emerged painting a bleak picture of life on the front line. 


Gönderen

Wednesday, November 19, 2014

Syrian Army Captures Well 107 in Jabal Al-Sha’ar; Desert Hawks Officer Killed in Battle- Al-Masdar News

The Syrian Arab Army’s 18th Brigade of the 3rd Infantry Division has captured Well 107 in Jabal Al-Sha’ar, asserting their control over the remaining ISIS positions near the gas fields. Last week, the Islamic State of Iraq and Al-Sham (ISIS) were able to breach the 18th Brigade’s defenses and retake Well 107; this came days after the latter captured Wells 105 and 108 during a brief operation at Al-Sha’ar Gas Fields. However, the 18th Brigade launched a counter-attack on Wednesday morning and reestablished control over the gas well.

Gönderen

Aleppo is on Fire: Firefights Reported all over the Province- Al-Masdar News

The city of Aleppo erupted in violence yesterday when the Harakat ‘Ahrar Al-Sham (Movement for the Liberation of the Levant) militants bombarded the Ashrafiyya Quarter with an array of mortar shells and rockets. Following the attack, firefights broke out between the Syrian Arab Army (SAA) and members of ‘Ahrar Al-Sham on the outskirts of the Ashrafiyya, leading to heavy casualties for both forces. The SAA thwarted another militant infiltration attempt early this afternoon, killing 16 confirmed members of ‘Ahrar Al-Sham.
Perhaps the most violent clashes took place in southern Aleppo, where the SAA continues its offensive against the militants of the Islamic Front (Jabhat Al-Islamiyya) in the Al-‘Amariyya District. Yesterday, the SAA killed Khaled Al-‘Amouri, the leader of “Bayaaraq Al-Islam” – an ‘Ahrar Al-Sham militia – and 24 of his fighters in an ambush near the Sheikh Sa’eed District. Al-‘Amouri was a prominent member of ‘Ahrar Al-Sham and a veteran fighter for the rebels in Syria.
In the Kafr Hamra and Hareetan Districts, the Syrian Air Force launched 14 airstrikes today, targeting militant movements and positions in these areas. The majority of these airstrikes were conducted before sunrise and they ended shortly before 8 A.M.
Gönderen
Subscribe to: Posts (Atom)