Freies Politikforum für Demokraten und Anarchisten

palestina libera · Beiträge: 1665

Nearly six years into Syria's civil war, lines between allies and enemies have become so blurred that in northern Syria Arabs are now fighting Arabs at the behest of Kurds.

In recent weeks, under the cover of both US and Russian jets, Syrian Kurds fighting with the YPG have managed to expand their control over much of the region.

As they have advanced into Marea and towards Azaz, the YPG has been joined by its allies in the 40,000-strong Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), a US-backed militia that includes Christians, Druze, Turkmen, Assyrians as well as Sunni Arabs like Jaysh al-Thuwwar (JaT) and the al-Sanadid Forces.

Last May, JaT was founded as an amalgamation of Aleppo-based opposition groups fighting under the Free Syrian Army banner against President Bashar al-Assad's government and the Islamic State (IS).

Less than a year later – and to the confusion of observers who long for clear divisions in the conflict - JaT finds itself aligned with the YPG, a move the group says it was forced to make with the rise of militant groups like al-Nusra Front.
http://www.middleeasteye.net/news/who-are-arab-allies-syrian-kurdish-militias-987640517

palestina libera · Beiträge: 1665

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

Homs destroyed: Russian drone footage shows devastation in Syria
http://www.middleeasteye.net/news/fresh-drone-footage-gives-glimpse-devastation-syrias-homs-116177962

palestina libera · Beiträge: 1665

The leader of al Qaeda's Syrian wing tried unsuccessfully at a recent meeting to convince rival Islamist factions to merge into one unit, several insurgency sources have told Reuters.

Abu Mohamad al-Golani, head of the Nusra Front, even suggested he was willing to change the name of his group if the others, including the powerful Ahrar al-Sham organization, agreed to the deal, the sources said.

But he made clear that Nusra would not cut its ties with al Qaeda, and its allegiance would remain to Ayman al-Zawahri, who took over as leader after U.S. Navy SEALS killed Osama bin Laden in 2011.
http://www.reuters.com/article/us-mideast-crisis-syria-nusra-insight-idUSKCN0V729B

palestina libera · Beiträge: 1665

A recently formed secular Kurdish-Arab alliance demanded on Sunday that the United Nations give it a seat at the table in upcoming Syria peace talks in Geneva.

"For us, it is very important that all components of the Syrian opposition have equal rights to participate in the future negotiations," said Haytham Mannaa, the co-head of the Syrian Democratic Council (SDC).

"We are ready to participate in any negotiation under the umbrella of [UN special envoy for Syria] Staffan De Mistura," he told AFP, as the organisation ended a two-day meeting in Geneva.

His comments came amid speculation over whether the new alliance would receive a seat at the table in the new round of UN-hosted Syria peace talks in Geneva set to start on 25 January.
http://www.middleeasteye.net/news/secular-syrian-alliance-demands-seat-peace-talks-table-960148387

palestina libera · Beiträge: 1665

Bassel Khartabil’s loved ones have been kept in the dark about his fate. Although the Palestinian software developer is believed to have been sentenced to death in Syria, this has not been officially confirmed. Some rumors suggest that the execution has already been carried out.

The lack of reliable information is proving extremely stressful for his wife, Noura Ghazi.

“I’m losing weight and my hair is falling out,” Ghazi said. “I don’t even know whether he’s alive or dead.”
https://electronicintifada.net/content/death-sentence-battling-syrias-censors/15040

Asad’s Officer Ghetto: Why the Syrian Army Remains Loyal

The Syrian army’s officer corps has remained intact despite the immense pressure of nearly four years of civil and military conflict, a fact that has prevented the fall of Syrian President Bashar al-Asad’s regime. The military housing system is a crucial aspect of this cohesion: it reveals the world Syrian officers inhabit, their relations with the regime and wider Syrian society, and the reasons why so few have defected so far.
http://www.jadaliyya.com/pages/index/23129/asad%E2%80%99s-officer-ghetto_why-the-syrian-army-remains-

palestina libera · Beiträge: 1665

This could just as well be the motto of the United States as one of the cardinal verses in the Torah. It should be stamped on Bibi Netanyahu’s forehead since he violates this precept virtually every day that he maintains prison camps for African refugees, who he refuses to grant asylum or even an application process. For those who take the passage to heart, it means be humble, remember the refugee, show kindness and hospitality to the less fortunate. The Republican presidential candidates apparently don’t read their Bibles. Or if they do, they’re reading the wrong passages.

The GOP is now making hay out of the Paris terror attacks. Each candidate falls all over himself to be more punitive, more intolerant than the next. 23 governors, including one Democrat, have said they will refuse to accept Syrian refugees within their states. This, despite the fact that governors have no say in immigration matters and may not expel legal refugees. That’s the job of the federal government. But don’t tell the governors that. It might educate them about the separate powers delegated to the states and federal government. A little something called the Constitution.

http://www.richardsilverstein.com/2015/11/18/remember-the-stranger-for-you-yourself-were-strangers/

palestina libera · Beiträge: 1665

French journalist Nicolas Henin, once an ISIL captive, says the armed rebel group wanted "nothing more than to provoke an escalation" by carrying out a series of deadly attacks in Paris last Friday that killed at least 129 people.

In an interview with Al Jazeera on Tuesday, the reporter - who was held for 10 months and released in 2014 - added that France's recent air strikes following the attacks "are actually helping" the group's propaganda.

http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2015/11/isil-hostage-nicolasenin-151117172352361.html

Syrians in Raqqa tell of 'insane nights' of air strikes

http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2015/11/syrians-insane-nights-french-bombing-151117052945111.html

palestina libera · Beiträge: 1665

Throughout the long and lazy month of August, two sites of daily news in particular were competing for the headlines: The ISIL atrocities in Syria and Iraq, and Donald Trump in the United States. They looked like two testosterone-infested obnoxious teenagers waking up in the morning and wondering which one could one-up the other in their vulgar exhibitionism of violence and power.

http://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/opinion/2015/08/pornotopia-isil-donald-trump-150830125017487.html

palestina libera · Beiträge: 1665

The view that 2015 has not been a particularly good year for Syrian President Bashar Assad and may get considerably worse has much to recommend it. Within Syria, the government has lost control over most of the province of Idlib in the country’s northwest, including its key towns and military bases. More recently it was almost effortlessly dislodged from Palmyra by the Islamic State (IS) movement. The key cities of Aleppo in the north and Dar’a in the south remain under threat. Increased coordination among Syria’s notoriously fractious armed rebel groups is an important factor in this regard, and reflects improved relations among their sponsors in Qatar, Saudi Arabia and Turkey. Damascus now openly admits it is confronting manpower issues, partly because desertions from its conscript army appear to be a growing problem.

http://www.jadaliyya.com/pages/index/22333/no-decisive-outcome-on-syrian-horizon

palestina libera · Beiträge: 1665

.................Water “played a significant role in the instigation of the civil war in Syria,” Famiglietti said. “Is it still playing a role in the continued unrest? Intuitively I think yes.”

http://www.dailystar.com.lb/News/Middle-East/2015/Jul-06/305304-iraq-isis-angered-as-turkey-hoards-euphrates-waters.ashx