Qusayr Syria Falls To Syrian Troops.

Scrat · Post by **Scrat** » Thu Jun 06, 2013 9:01 pm

Occupied for a long time by the FSA the strategic city of Qusayr has been retaken. The people are celebrating. Qusayr was a key city in the FSAs supply route from Lebanon and Jordan.

People in Syria celebrate the victory of the army in Al Qusayr | Syria War 2013 - YouTube!

I suspect the peoples good spirits will not last as the western powers have no desire for peace. This war will drag on for some time.

Scrat · Post by **Scrat** » Sun Jul 07, 2013 9:52 am

Not good news for the rebels. Seems they're fighting amongst themselves as resources grow scarcer. The fall of Qusayr has virtually cut off their sw supply route. Not a lot can be gotten in through Turkey due to the SAA having a will and the ability to intervene in most cases with mobile raids. Also Syria used to be a food exporter in the region. There are now reports of starvation amongst civilian population in the rebel held territories as the rebel groups confiscate food for themselves from the local people. The SAA seems to have snookered the rebels into reinforcing Aleppo and weakening their defense of Homs which the SAA is attacking heavily and apparently winning.

Not good.

Rebels clash with al Qaeda-linked opposition group in Syria : Asia, News - India Today

Scrat · Post by **Scrat** » Sun Jul 07, 2013 10:02 am

The SAA is using white phospherus bombs in Homs to dig the rebels out of buildings.

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Scrat · Post by **Scrat** » Sat Jul 13, 2013 10:06 pm

The FSA appears to have a new threat besides the SAA. The radical Muslims, Al Qaida and Jamat Al Nusra.

New front opens in Syria as rebels say al Qaeda attack means war | Reuters

Scrat · Post by **Scrat** » Sun Jul 14, 2013 11:19 am

SAA found what appears to be a place the rebels were manufacturing chemical munitions. This is not the first time these have shown up. The Iraqis found a lab, the Turks found some "rebels" smuggling homemade Sarin not far from the border with Syria. Come to your own conclusions. Anyway Damascus is all but free of the rebel presence, which is why the SAA found this place.

Toxic Catch: Syria rebels' chemical lab uncovered near Damascus - YouTube

Scrat · Post by **Scrat** » Tue Jul 16, 2013 7:14 pm

Fighting in the suburbs of Damascus. The rebels were driven out of this area but have apparently returned and were ambushing trucks on the highway. This battle is going on while traffic is going by. At 9:20 one guy decides he should turn around. Amazing no one was killed.

LiveLeak.com - Raw Footage of SAA Tanks & BMPs Near Damascus - English Subtitles

Post by **Bryn Mawr** » Wed Jul 17, 2013 3:07 pm

Scrat;1431771 wrote: Fighting in the suburbs of Damascus. The rebels were driven out of this area but have apparently returned and were ambushing trucks on the highway. This battle is going on while traffic is going by. At 9:20 one guy decides he should turn around. Amazing no one was killed.

LiveLeak.com - Raw Footage of SAA Tanks & BMPs Near Damascus - English Subtitles

A display of force to be sure but who or what they were attacking was totally unclear.

Scrat · Post by **Scrat** » Wed Jul 17, 2013 8:18 pm

I dug a little more up on this little tiff. They were fighters from Jabat Al Nusra. They had been evicted from this area a few days before but during the night before this they came back and threw out the people who lived there. They fortified the houses and started shooting at trucks going by. They were heavily armed, RPGs and even a mortar. This vid is only one part of the battle as the SAA surrounded the whole neighborhood. The took 34 wounded and 8 killed, the rebels lost over 80 and were killed almost to a man.

Scrat · Post by **Scrat** » Sun Jul 28, 2013 9:38 pm

Homs has all but fallen, just mopping up now and cleaning out the suburbs. Some rebels are said to be taking advantage of an offer of a cease fire and amnesty with the government and the rebels families are moving back to their old homes. Some rebels massacred some POWs and civilians in a small town near Aleppo. Rebel occupied Aleppo is under heavy pressure, it is said that the rebels are taking all food ect from the civilian population, if you don't fight, you don't eat. Reports of starvation from civilians who manage to get out alive.

Syrian troops capture historic mosque in Homs

Syrian rebels accused of massacre near Aleppo - latimes.com

Post by **LarsMac** » Mon Sep 09, 2013 7:28 am

this link from the Washington post on What is going on in Syria tries to explain some of it, but I wonder, given the Post's record of right-wing opinions over the last few decades.

And another perspective from Bill Moyers.