Syria: Breaking News

[Khaled]

Alhamdulillaah considering the circumstances, he is doing well. The village's bread supply was poisoned a few days ago by Alawi/Shia bakers from Talkalakh, where dozens have fallen ill and some have died, so now they are dealing with that

[Khaled]

There was a massacre yesterday in Qal'it al-Hisn where dozens were murdered, including 6 people from the one family.

This is a video of the bodies of Dr Emad and 5 members of his family slaughtered in cold blood by the Shabiha. In he second video, my cousin speaks to Al-Jazeera and says how their necks were slit with a knife. SubhaanAllaah th village has been bombarded for weeks but yesterday was the worst hit yet. My cousin also lost some friends from the FSA there



لا حول ولا قوة الى بالله

My mum told me last week that this is the grandparents and cousins of my uncles wife. Inna lillaahi wa inna ilayhi raaji'oon. I can't imagine her reaction after watching this video online

[Lizzy]

I am saddened to see this footage above inaa lillaahi WA inaa illayhi raji'oon. Brother Khaled, alhamdulilah your cousin is recovering but I also heard the news about people having bread poisoned and this is terrible.

[Khaled]

My cousin interviewing one of his friends about the poisonous bread in al-Hisn

[fatima_43]

Allah yeshfi mardaana ou yedammir a'daa'ana wa yansurna nasran qareeban

so the bakers are Shia/Nsayri and the people knew that before buying the bread? or did the Nsayriyah break in and poison the bread secretly?

[fatima_43]

my mum told me there was a little farm village and a massacre recently took place there even though there's no FSA there but they just morally support FSA.. is that Qal'at el-Hisn?

[Khaled]

Talkalakh (despite being mainly Alawi) has a lot of Sunnis and the villages relationship with Qal'it al-Hisn has been good and there have been many marriages between the 2 villages, even in my own family. So there is trust, well there was.

The Battalion al-Hisn has between 150-200 fighters alhamdulillaah

[Khaled]

Today has seen the highest number of defectors since the beginning of the revolution, alhamdulillah. It has also been the most intense fighting between the FSA and the government stooges in Damascus, with the FSA not holding anything back. May Allaah subhaanahu wa ta'aala give them victory!

[falah]

Fierce fighting erupts in Damascus

Fierce fighting has erupted in Damascus, inching closer to the heart of the Syrian capital as troops backed by armoured vehicles clash with rebel fighters.

Activists claim the army is losing control of some areas of the city as the fighting intensifies, with protesters reportedly lighting fires to block a key road into the city.

The clashes are the most violent yet seen in the Syrian capital, the seat of Bashar al-Assad's regime, but the pro-government newspaper, Al-Watan, has carried a front page headline apparently addressed to activists which read: "You will never take Damascus"..

"Al-Midan and Tadamon are out of the army's control," Ahmed al-Khatib, spokesman for the Free Syrian Army's military council in Damascus, said.

"The army has no presence inside either of these neighbourhoods any more, though they are shelling from the outside, and clashes on the edges of the neighbourhoods continue."

Mr Khatib's statements were backed by an activist with the Local Coordination Committees who identified himself as Jacob Hussein.

"This is the beginning of the end," Tadamon-based Mr Hussein said.

"The regime tried to put out the revolt in Damascus by attacking Tadamon. Instead, clashes have spread into several areas of the capital."

Tanks deployed

There are reports that the Syrian army is deploying tanks and other armoured vehicles in the battle for control of the capital, with one activist uploading what he says is two T-72 tanks and a BMP-1 infantry fighting vehicle rolling through the streets of the suburb of Jisreen.

Mr Hussein said that electricity, water and communications in Tadamon was now cut off, and added that rebel fighters had poured into Damascus from southern areas of the country.

"A whole police battalion defected yesterday in Tadamon, with their weapons," Mr Hussein said.

"But fighters are also coming into the city from rebel areas of the countryside in Damascus province."

The regime, Mr Khatib said, is "now on the defensive".

"There were many FSA fighters who came in from neighbouring areas of Damascus province," he said.

'Turning point'

Following clashes on Sunday, which activists called the most violent in Damascus since the revolt broke out in March 2011, regime forces resumed their assault on parts of the city.

The unprecedented escalation was described as a "turning point" in Syria's 16-month uprising by an activist who identified himself as Abu Musab from the central neighbourhood of Al-Midan.

He said the battles were the first of their kind.

"You can say there is a before and after in the Syrian revolution, and the turning point was July 15," Mr Abu Musab said.

In Tadamon, "mortar shelling resumed in the early morning," said the LCC, adding troops and rebels also clashed in the western district of Kfar Sousa.

Anti-government activists say fierce clashes in Damascus in recent days could be a turning point in the 16-month conflict.

The Syrian army has deployed armoured vehicles in areas of the capital in an apparent campaign to dislodge rebel fighters from the area.

Some witnesses say it's the biggest military deployment in Damascus since the uprising began.

As the clashes raged across the capital, angry protesters blocked one of the main highways into the city.

Traffic came to a complete halt as they set tyres on fire to block the road. The protesters chanted "the people want to declare a jihad".

Since Sunday fighting has spread from the south of Damascus to a second area, where rebel forces appear to have had a stronghold.

One activist has told local journalists that the army was trying to storm the area [Al-Midan] - from two sides, and says: "There are many injured and some killed. We need blood donations."

Middle East correspondent Anne Barker

Activists said many residents fleeing Tadamon were seeking shelter in the nearby Palestinian refugee camp of Yarmuk, as well as other areas.

The military deployed armoured vehicles in Al-Midan for the first time since the anti-regime uprising broke out, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

"This is the first time that armoured and military transport vehicles have been deployed in Al-Midan," Rami Abdel Rahman, the head of the Observatory said.

"Before, the security forces were deployed to suppress protests. Now, we have armed troops engaged in combat," he said.

Mr Abu Musab said Free Syrian Army rebels were fighting the troops, but "they are only lightly armed, and cannot stop the armoured vehicles".

The Observatory said clashes also erupted in the Damascus district of Assali.

According to the Al-Watan newspaper, armed forces were battling "terrorist groups who are trying to take root in the suburban districts" including Tadamon, Al-Hajar Al-Aswad, Daff al-Shok, Nahr Ayshe, Qadam and Kfar Sousa.

Civil war

Violence also raged in several other areas of Syria, notably the central cities of Hama and Homs, activists said.

On Monday, 10 people including four civilians and six rebels were killed across the strife-torn country, the Observatory said, adding that violence killed 105 people on Sunday.

According to the watchdog more than 17,000 people have been killed since the uprising erupted against the regime of president Bashar al-Assad in mid-March 2011.

Despite continued violence, Russia stood by its ally Syria, likening Western efforts to get Moscow to change its policy as blackmail...

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2012-07-1...mascus/4134996

[Khaled]

Assalaamu Alaikum,

I call upon everyone to intensify their dua for the mujahideen in Syria who are fighting the evil tyrant Bashar Al Assaad from the killing, rape, massacre and humiliation of our brothers and sisters in Syria. Victory is near. Please read the following, just in -



Very important - The capital Damascus - Summary of the most important and recent military events in the capital 17/07/2012.

- Heavy clashes in most districts of Damascus (Al Midan, Kafrsooseh, Barzeh, Al Qaboon, Jobar, Al Qadam, Al 'Asalee and Rakn Al Deen)

- The Free Syrian Army still dominates Al Midan district and have destroyed several armoured vehicles and tanks and several supporting convoys that were coming were hit.

- A break-in into each of Al Sbeineh and Al Buweyda police stations and the police station in Daria, rural Damascus was also hit.

- The Free Syrian Army in the capital and its suburbs has carried out several strikes and gained a lot of weapons, including armoured vehicles belonging to security forces.

- Withdrawal of a convoy of around 35 tanks from Deraa that were spreading on the way to Damascus International Airport, in fear of rebels gaining control of the airport.

- Withdrawal of many checkpoints from Damascus suburbs to Damascus.

- Withdrawal of many tanks and forces from Damascus suburbs to the capital.

- Historical and unprecedented indiscriminate and heavy shelling on many areas of Damascus and its suburbs.

- 14 martyrs from Al Qaboon district as a result of the shelling.

- Heavy presence of military helicopters in general Damascus that is bombing several places, and the Free Syria Army have shot down a helicopter.

- Many security branches targeted by the Free Syria Army, such as the 211 spy branch in Barzeh, the criminal security branch in Bab Mosala, the police station in Al Midan and the department of the Ba'ath party in Al Mazra'ah.

- The killing of Deputy Police Chief of Damascus Eissa Douba by the heroes of the Free Syrian Army.

- The spread of tanks around the Presidential Palace.

- A pro-regime march that was due to come out today to thank Russia was cancelled, and clashes took place near to where the march was supposed to have taken place.

- Civilians flee from many districts that are experiencing bombings.

- Militant Abu Ali Al-Doumanee, who used to appear in Douma next to the tanks that he destroyed, appeared yesterday in Al Daqaq mosque in Al Midan and affirmed the closeness of Zero Hour.

- Blocking off the entrances to Damascus and preventing entry to it from the suburbs.

- A general strike of all the markets in Damascus and the great absence in the government departments, and staff was dispersed before the end of official working hours.

- The withdrawal of staff and shabeeha [regime thugs] from coastal villages to the capital, and yesterday a convoy of them was hit under Al Nabek bridge.

- A heavy spread of the army and shabeeha [regime thugs] in the capital, who look very fear-stricken. They are graffiting slogans such as "We will burn Damascus before we leave it."

- Iraq has drawn a plan to withdraw its citizens from Damascus and Morocco withdrew their ambassador.

- News of the arrival of troops from the Iranian Revolutionary Guard to Damascus airport, accompanied by intelligence services [mukhabarat] without stamping their passports.

- Battalions in Damascus suburbs clash with the regime and prepare to catch up with their predecessors who are now in the capital.

- God willing, the formation of the military council will soon be announced to lead the liberation of Damascus, composed of many defected officers currently serving in Damascus and its suburbs.

- Great tidings of victory and optimism among the people who are protected by the Free Syrian Army and provide them with the required support.

[*saRah*]

Allahu Akbar!!!!

[Khaled]

FSA #Urgent# Damascus: FSA Battalion of Sayf Al Islam is striking at the Barracks of the Presidential Palace with mortars!! Allahu Akbar!!

[*saRah*]

Allahu Akbar!!

[Khaled]

I just spoke to my mum and she said the people are saying Bashar has fled or is getting reay to flee Damascus for Tartous, which is where Russia has its warships conveniently parked

[Khaled]

http://blogs.aljazeera.com/topic/syr...d-bomb-attack/

Syria's defence minister General Daoud Rajha was killed in bomb attack

Syria's defence minister General Daoud Rajha was killed in Wednesday's bomb attack on the National Security headquarters in Damascus, state TV said.

The Interior Minister and Assad's brother-in-law Assef Shawkat was seriously wounded in the blast, Al Manar TV reported.

Security officials told AFP that several other participants in a top-level meeting were wounded in the blast and taken to Al-Shami hospital in the capital for treatment.

The attack took place during a meeting of ministers and security officials - it wounded several people, some of them critically, state television said.

Al-Mayadeen, a Lebanon-based news channel, said several senior security officials had been killed in the blast, without giving details. Activists in Damascus said by telephone that Republican Guards sealed of the Shami hospital in the capital after ambulances had brought casualties from the site of the explosion.

TAKBIRR!!! ALLAAHUUUUU AKBARRRR!!!!!!!!!!

[Khaled]

Confirmed: Asef Shawkat, Al-Assad's brother-in-law and deputy chief-of-staff, is also critically wounded

[Khaled]

Confirmed: Asef Shawkat is DEAD

[Khaled]

Syria's defence minister General Daoud Rajha was killed in Wednesday's bomb attack on the National Security headquarters in Damascus, state TV said.

The Interior Minister and Assad's brother-in-law Assef Shawkat was seriously wounded in the blast, Al Manar TV reported.

Security officials told AFP that several other participants in a top-level meeting were wounded in the blast and taken to Al-Shami hospital in the capital for treatment.

The attack took place during a meeting of ministers and security officials - it wounded several people, some of them critically, state television said.

Al-Mayadeen, a Lebanon-based news channel, said several senior security officials had been killed in the blast, without giving details. Activists in Damascus said by telephone that Republican Guards sealed of the Shami hospital in the capital after ambulances had brought casualties from the site of the explosion.

[Khaled]

Confirmed: Hisham Bakhtyar, head of the national security council was also killed in the attack

[Khaled]

Confimed: Syrian Interior Minister Mohammad Ibrahim al-Shaar has been reported by Al-Manar TV as DEAD!

Alhamdulillaah!!!