‘slaughtered Like Sheep’: Eyewitnesses Recount Massacre In Adra, Syria - Foreign Affairs - Nairaland
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| ‘slaughtered Like Sheep’: Eyewitnesses Recount Massacre In Adra, Syria by Underground: 12:50am On Dec 18, 2013 |
These are the cold blooded killers- animals- that the West is now openly and shamelessly working with...... Not only do thESE foreign jihadists pose a threat to peace in the middle east but to Europe and other western countries as well whenever they return to their countries of origin... The earlier people realize that the West doesn't carry out so many of it's acts for altruistic reasons but for it's own selfish, callous interests, the better for us all... THE WAR ON TERROR IS A FRAUD. IT IS FRAUD EXECUTED TO PERPETUATE PROFITABLE WARS, DESTABILIZE COUNTRIES FOR CONTROL AND ECONOMIC GAINS AND LASTLY ENFORCE THE POLICE, BIG BROTHER STATE... ‘Slaughtered like sheep’: Eyewitnesses recount massacre in Adra, Syria Published time: December 17, 2013 11:28 Edited time: December 17, 2013 20:13 [img]http://www.dailystar.com.lb/dailystar/Pictures/2013/11/06/220444_mainimg.jpg[/img] Members of jihadist group Al-Nusra Front take part in a parade calling for the establishment of an Islamic state in Syria, at the Bustan al-Qasr neighbourhood of Aleppo (AFP Photo) New details of atrocities carried out by Islamist rebel fighters in the town of Adra, 20 kilometers north of Damascus, continue to pour in from survivors of the massacre there, in which reportedly at least 80 people lost their lives. "The decapitators" is how the Adra residents, who managed to flee the violence there, now call the people who currently have the town under their control. Adra, a town with a population of 20,000, was captured by Islamist rebels from the Al-Nusra front and the Army of Islam last week, following fierce fighting with the government forces. The town’s seizure was accompanied by mass executions of civilians. Following alarming reports of the massacre, RT contacted international rights groups including the Human Rights Watch (HRW), Amnesty International, as well as the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC). However, none of them were able to provide any information. While the HRW told RT that it “cannot comment at this stage as our research is still ongoing and it has been very difficult to get accurate information about what is happening in Adra and who is responsible for the abuses,” the ICRC said they “don’t have access to this area and can neither confirm nor deny any information circulating.” RT Arabic has managed to speak to some of the eyewitnesses of the atrocities. Most of them have fled the town, leaving their relatives and friends behind, so they asked not to be identified in the report for security reasons. An Adra resident said he escaped from the town “under a storm of bullets.” He later contacted his colleagues, who described how the executions of civilians were carried out by the militants. “They had lists of government employees on them,” the man told RT. “This means they had planned for it beforehand and knew who works in the governmental agencies. They went to the addresses they had on their list, forced the people out and subjected them to the so-called “Sharia trials.” I think that’s what they call it. They sentenced them to death by beheading.” A woman, hiding her face from the camera, told RT of the beheadings she had seen. “There was slaughter everywhere,” she said. “The eldest was only 20 years old; he was slaughtered. They were all children. I saw them with my own eyes. They killed fourteen people with a machete. I don’t know if these people were Alawites. I don’t know why they were slaughtered. They grabbed them by their heads and slaughtered them like sheep.”  One of the witnesses of the Adra massacre, who spoke to RT on condition of anonymity. Still from RT video It’s been reported that 80 civilians were killed in the massacre. The death toll could still grow, as currently the information coming from Adra is scarce. The town has been surrounded and isolated by the Syrian army, who have been trying to force the extremists out. “Civilians told us that the workers of an Adra bakery were all executed and burned during the first hours of the attack. Whole families were massacred. We do not have an exact estimation of the number because we are unable to get into the town, but the number is high,” Kinda Shimat, Syria’s Social Affairs Minister, told RT. Details of the executions are trickling out of the town as eyewitnesses tell their stories. “They killed everyone at the Adra Ummalia police station,” another fugitive from the town told RT. “And they killed everyone at the Adra Ummalia hospital where my sister works. She stayed alive only because she didn’t show up for work that day. There are about 200 people at the police station. They are civilians. The militants are hiding among them, using them as a shield to prevent the Army from bombing the police.” The events in Adra are a further example of the shift that has taken place within the Syrian rebel forces which has lately been dominated by Islamist extremists, according to Michel Chossudovsky, director of the Centre for Research on Globalization.  The Syrian army on a mission to force rebels out of the town of Adra. Still from RT video “The so-called moderate opposition forces are virtually non-existent from the military standpoint,” Chossudovsky told RT. “The only force which has funding and weapons are the Islamists, particularly Al-Nusra. And their rebel brigades are the ones committing atrocities. The divisions are occurring precisely because segments of the opposition realize that these terrorist brigades do not belong to the so-called opposition movement.” Both the Adra massacre and the latest Aleppo bombing have signaled the escalation of violence in the war-torn country ahead of the UN-mediated continuously postponed peace talks on Syria, now set to take place in Geneva on January 22. On Monday, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon called for a ceasefire ahead of the talks. "We must have a cessation of hostilities before we begin political dialogue on Syria in Geneva," he said. More than 100,000 people have died during the three-year-old civilian war in Syria, according to UN estimates. |
| Re: ‘slaughtered Like Sheep’: Eyewitnesses Recount Massacre In Adra, Syria by thoth: 2:08am On Dec 18, 2013 |
Well....the Major Televisions says the opposite , they also got thier own witnesses who described how the Government massacared citizens , Guess who 90% of Nigerians will believe ? Besides you should have known that if your post is longer than 8 lines nobody is going to read it...cus it is "JUST TOO LONG" by nairaland standards. 2 Likes |
| Re: ‘slaughtered Like Sheep’: Eyewitnesses Recount Massacre In Adra, Syria by Underground: 2:15am On Dec 18, 2013 |
thoth:. It's sad really. People don't want to read or ask questions or have a deeper insight into matters. They are just content following the life fashioned for them by their masters. I know exactly what you mean but I believe that little by little people are awakening. Every single person that the message reaches makes a difference |
| Re: ‘slaughtered Like Sheep’: Eyewitnesses Recount Massacre In Adra, Syria by Nobody: 2:53am On Dec 18, 2013 |
The wicked Al Assad will kill all his citizens before the world will act. Russia has supported the tyrant therefore indirectly supporting the killings. This is a very sad thing to hear about. Staying in the top position forever is not right because it isn't his family property.That is a complete fact! |
| Re: ‘slaughtered Like Sheep’: Eyewitnesses Recount Massacre In Adra, Syria by Underground: 12:14pm On Dec 18, 2013 |
If i am to choose between a "tyrant" that oversees a secular, relatively peaceful Syria and a bunch of marauding, cold blooded child killing and beheading Jihadists, its no brainer to know whose side I'll be on. After these jihadists are done with Libya, Iraq and Syria courtesy of their western sponsors, Europe will be their next destination 2 Likes |
| Re: ‘slaughtered Like Sheep’: Eyewitnesses Recount Massacre In Adra, Syria by Nobody: 3:39pm On Dec 18, 2013 |
Underground: If i am to choose between a "tyrant" that oversees a secular, relatively peaceful Syria and a bunch of marauding, cold blooded child killing and beheading Jihadists, its no brainer to know whose side I'll be on. I agree with your comment to some extent! But, Al Assad should have made the reforms earlier and allow the path for election and enthrone a government of the people, by now there wouldn't have been such thing as the beheading of innocent children. It is a very gruesome and sad story though. Thank you. |
| Re: ‘slaughtered Like Sheep’: Eyewitnesses Recount Massacre In Adra, Syria by Nobody: 3:40pm On Dec 18, 2013 |
Underground: If i am to choose between a "tyrant" that oversees a secular, relatively peaceful Syria and a bunch of marauding, cold blooded child killing and beheading Jihadists, its no brainer to know whose side I'll be on. I agree with your comment to some extent! But, Al Assad should have made the reforms earlier and allowed the path for election and enthrone a government of the people, by now there wouldn't have been such thing as the beheading of innocent children. It is a very gruesome and sad story though. Thank you. |
| Re: ‘slaughtered Like Sheep’: Eyewitnesses Recount Massacre In Adra, Syria by Nobody: 3:40pm On Dec 18, 2013 |
Underground: If i am to choose between a "tyrant" that oversees a secular, relatively peaceful Syria and a bunch of marauding, cold blooded child killing and beheading Jihadists, its no brainer to know whose side I'll be on. I agree with your comment to some extent! But, Al Assad should have made the reforms earlier and allowed the path for election and enthroned a government of the people, by now there wouldn't have been such thing as the beheading of innocent children. It is a very gruesome and sad story though. Thank you. |
| Re: ‘slaughtered Like Sheep’: Eyewitnesses Recount Massacre In Adra, Syria by LTSHANGY: 8:50pm On Dec 19, 2013 |
all4naija: The wicked Al Assad will kill all his citizens before the world will act. Russia has supported the tyrant therefore indirectly supporting the killings. This is a very sad thing to hear about. Staying in the top position forever is not right because it isn't his family property.That is a complete fact!I doubt you ever read the story. "wanna hide a treasure from a 'NIGERIAN? Put it down in writing"... 1 Like |
| Re: ‘slaughtered Like Sheep’: Eyewitnesses Recount Massacre In Adra, Syria by Nobody: 10:31pm On Dec 19, 2013 |
LT SHANGY: What treasure? There is nothing wrong in pointing me to the right direction than hiding your comment in conjecture. Oh,please! |
| Re: ‘slaughtered Like Sheep’: Eyewitnesses Recount Massacre In Adra, Syria by NairaMinted: 1:07am On Dec 20, 2013 |
The West's monsters that they aid and supplying weapons to. So much for establishing democracy, rule of law and human rights that they harp about all the time! The endgame here is for the Shiite crescent that stretches all the way from Iran through parts of Iran to Syria be broken. The ultimate goal is to use whatever means that's at the disposal of the Western powers to destabilize Syria, topple the government and weaken Iran. Just today, sensing inaction from the Obama led US government, Saudi Arabia (in cahoots with Israel) has announced that they will go it alone in bringing about regime change in Syria. They both see Iran as an existential threat and a challenger to their interests in that region. [size=18pt]Al Qaeda establishing Islamic law amidst the fighting in Syria, with children whipped in secret prisons and adults executed on the order of 'sharia court' judges[/size] Islamist organisations have established sharia law in north Syria In control is the armed group Islamic State in Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS) ISIS detain children as young as eight and torture young teenagers Adults are executed in public places in al-Raqqa and Aleppo By Sara Malm PUBLISHED: 09:12 GMT, 19 December 2013 | UPDATED: 11:09 GMT, 19 December 2013 361 shares 35 View comments An armed Islamist organisation fighting on the rebel side has established sharia law in northern Syria, which has seen children whipped and adults executed in public, Amnesty International reports today. The Islamic State in Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS) control a large part of northern Syria, including the country's biggest city, Aleppo. ISIS are in charge of at least seven 'detention centres' in the area where children as young as eight have been detained, young teens have been flogged, and adults executed after 'trials' lasting just minutes.  Al Qaeda group: A man holding the flag of Islamic State in Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS) walks across a hill in a propaganda video for the organisation ISIS, previously known as Al Qaeda in Iraq (AIQ), practice several forms of torture, including electric shocks and stress positions, and regular floggings with rubber generator belts or cables, in secret prisons in al-Raqqa and Aleppo Several children were among detainees who received severe floggings, according to testimonies obtained by Amnesty International. On one occasion, a father had to endure the screams of pain from his 13-year-old son who was being tormented by his captors in a nearby room. Two other detainees related how they witnessed a child of about 14 receive a flogging of around 100 lashes during an interrogation at Sadd al-Ba’ath, an ISIS prison in al-Raqqa governorate. Meanwhile, another child of who ISIS had accused of stealing a motorbike was flogged 30 or 40 times a day for several days.  Striking back: Residents carry an injured man that survived shelling from what activists say were government forces, in Takeek Al-Bab area of Aleppo, one controlled by ISIS Some of those held by ISIS have been suspected of theft or other crimes, while others have been accused of 'crimes against Islam', which can include everything from smoking to sex outside marriage. Others were seized for challenging ISIS’s rule or because they belonged to other armed groups fighting on the rebel side. ISIS is also suspected of abducting and detaining foreign nationals, including journalists covering the fighting in Syria. The news of ISIS's practices comes just days after a British man died in a Syrian prison, allegedly by his own hand. Syrian officials claim Dr Abbas Khan, a 32-year-old surgeon from South London who had travelled to Aleppo to volunteer at a hospital, hanged himself just days before he was due to be freed on the order of President Bashar al-Assad. The family of Dr Khan, a married father-of-two refute the claim that he would kill himself, and said he had been looking forward to coming home for Christmas. Dr Khan was jailed by Syrian government forces in November last year, accused of entering the country without a visa, and spoke of months of torture at the hands of his captors.  The true victims: A Syrian woman carries children following airstrikes on a rebel area of the war-torn northern city of Aleppo ‘After years in which they were prey to the brutality of the al-Assad regime, the people of al-Raqqa and Aleppo are now suffering under a new form of tyranny imposed on them by ISIS, in which arbitrary detention, torture and executions have become the order of the day,’ Amnesty International Middle East and North Africa Director Philip Luther said. ‘Those abducted and detained by ISIS include children as young as eight who are held together with adults in the same cruel and inhuman conditions. ‘Flogging anyone, let alone children, is cruel and inhuman, and a gross abuse of human rights. ISIS should cease its use of flogging and other cruel punishments.' ISIS also practice public executions following sharia ‘trials’ at the organisations seven identified detention centres, five in al-Raqqa and two in Aleppo. A witness told Amnesty International workers how four men accused of fighting against ISIS were sentenced to death after trials that lasted barely a minute. Executions are held in public places in towns in al-Raqqa governorate or near Aleppo. At the Sadd al-Ba’ath prison, located near al-Mansura, he local sharia court judge has instituted a reign of terror, presiding over trials wearing an explosive belt. Former detainees accuse him of presiding over grotesquely unfair ‘trials’, lasting no more than a few minutes, where he frequently hands down death sentences. At his direction, detainees have been mercilessly flogged; on at least one occasion, he is said to have personally joined in the torture. Mr Luther added: ‘Gulf states that have voiced support for the armed groups fighting against the Syrian government should take action to prevent arms flows, equipment or other support reaching ISIS in view of its appalling human rights record. ‘The Turkish government, in particular, should prevent its territory being used by ISIS to bring in arms and recruits to Syria.’ |
| Re: ‘slaughtered Like Sheep’: Eyewitnesses Recount Massacre In Adra, Syria by thoth: 2:14pm On Dec 20, 2013 |
all4naija: The wicked Al Assad will kill all his citizens before the world will act. Russia has supported the tyrant therefore indirectly supporting the killings. This is a very sad thing to hear about. Staying in the top position forever is not right because it isn't his family property.That is a complete fact!As usual the terrorist are not to blame and somehow following the chronological order of events someone here has between the cracks of then and now; spun out "reforms" as the ultimate cause of this conflict. Judging from the length of the post i am not surprised that you did not read it. |
| Re: ‘slaughtered Like Sheep’: Eyewitnesses Recount Massacre In Adra, Syria by Underground: 11:05pm On Dec 20, 2013 |
thoth: My thoughts exactly! I wondered what brought about his statement when the article was clearly about the acts committed by the terrorists..sorry...freedom fighters. I just didnt want to join issues |
| Re: ‘slaughtered Like Sheep’: Eyewitnesses Recount Massacre In Adra, Syria by Nobody: 2:35am On Dec 22, 2013 |
Underground: My statement is clear enough that the root-cause of the problem is Al Assad refusal to make reforms at initial stage. You are trying hard to blind yourself to the cause of the whole problem. |
| Re: ‘slaughtered Like Sheep’: Eyewitnesses Recount Massacre In Adra, Syria by Nobody: 2:43am On Dec 22, 2013 |
thoth: I blame the terrorists killings in that village as well as Al Assad! You must be reasonably wrong to think I don't see the killings as unacceptable and bad. Looking at the whole issue which is more complicated than what we are seeing it to be from a particular perspective, there is every necessary step to stop this war at the initial time before it get started but he refused and started calling them cockroaches and rats. That goes a long to prove my point that the root-cause is the president and he is to blame. Another thing, he has been using Hezbollah terrorist group to support the government fighters all along. That equally shows that he is supporting terrorism as well as crime against humanity, by repeatedly bombarding innocent citizens. Syria war is a complex one! |
| Re: ‘slaughtered Like Sheep’: Eyewitnesses Recount Massacre In Adra, Syria by thoth: 8:16am On Dec 22, 2013 |
all4naija: What I did not see is where you extend you form of reasoning to Nigeria and suggest that Goodluck Jonathan who is the democratically elected president of Nigeria should give in to the requests of Boko Haram, step down, have sharia imposed on Nigeria and execute all Nigerian citizens whom are Christians, Traditional religion practitioners and Shia Muslims. As you have not done so, I will take your post as a spill over of your overflowing ignorance and therefore irrelevant. 3 Likes |
| Re: ‘slaughtered Like Sheep’: Eyewitnesses Recount Massacre In Adra, Syria by vedaxcool(m): 9:02am On Dec 22, 2013 |
It is a pity that Assad bootlickers seem to have little understanding of what is really happening, Assad continues to slaughter his people by indiscriminate shelling and bombing whether u acknowledge the truth, Assad spark a civil war by simply sending soldiers to quell peaceful demonstrations this led to members of his own armed forces to break rank and turn against him, so one wonder how any sane human being would engaged in charitable excercise of PR for a vicious criminal? Syria’s uprising turned increasingly bloody in 2012 as the government’s crackdown on anti-government protests developed into an entrenched armed conflict. Government forces and pro-government militia known as shabeeha continue to torture detainees and commit extrajudicial killings in areas under their control. Some opposition forces have also carried out serious abuses like kidnapping, torture, and extrajudicial executions. According to opposition sources, 34,346 civilians had been killed in the conflict at this writing. The spread and intensification of fighting have led to a dire humanitarian situation with hundreds Violations during Large-Scale Military Operations |
| Re: ‘slaughtered Like Sheep’: Eyewitnesses Recount Massacre In Adra, Syria by Nobody: 7:36pm On Dec 22, 2013 |
thoth: The Nigeria situation is clearly different from what you are trying to input into this argument. The case of Syria has been long been put to Al Assad to make reforms before the insurgent attacks. Jonathan came to meet Boko Haram activities and they never said he should step down. Another thing, he's not using terrorist group to fight Boko Haram. The case of Nigerian insurgents is to have their own country to enthrone Sharia laws which huge number of Northerners are against. You are misled to think the Nigerian case can be compared to Syria. That only makes your argument irrelevant looking at the angle your are viewing your comparison from. The same Al Assad is being supported by terrorist group and you haven't been able to explain why he is making use of Hezbollah to fight for the wrong course to remain in power for life. Indeed, I am beginning to understand less why you are attaching sentiment to this whole debate. Thank you. |
| Re: ‘slaughtered Like Sheep’: Eyewitnesses Recount Massacre In Adra, Syria by Underground: 9:41pm On Dec 22, 2013 |
Pharaoh9: stop lying! Saudi Arabia is sponsoring them while the West sells weapon and get paid like Russia Do you understand your own statement at all? Please read it again |
| Re: ‘slaughtered Like Sheep’: Eyewitnesses Recount Massacre In Adra, Syria by Nobody: 1:04am On Dec 23, 2013 |
all4naija: You are spewing Rubbish. A group of sponsored terrorists, the FSA wants to dethrone a sitting government and you are saying thrash. So if Boko haram demands Jonathan to step down, you will compel him to do so? Even if Assad is to go, Let it be decided by the Real Syrians, not by a igroup of terrorists, hired mercenaries and some desperados. Everyone knows Britain, USA, Isreal and the Saudis want Assad out and replace him with their own puppet and believe me, it will never work. Designating Hezbollah as a terrorist organization is laughable. It shows how deep you've bought into the western system of labelling freedom fighters as Terrorists, Just like they did to Nelson Mandela and ANC. 3 Likes |
| Re: ‘slaughtered Like Sheep’: Eyewitnesses Recount Massacre In Adra, Syria by thoth: 11:23am On Dec 23, 2013 |
all4naija: When someone has the face to repeat a certain silly utterance we usually call the person a m0ron, The Security situation of Nigeria is no different from Syria, the only measure which it can be differentiated is in INTENSITY, both are terrorists, both are fighting a democratically elected government, Both has been killing innocent citizens using terror to pursue their goals, both wants to impose sharia, both wants to bypass the procedures provided by the law of the nation to achieve their aims so therefore both are Illegal. Since the regime of Margaret Thatcher , people have been crying for reforms in Britain and there has been numerous riots and deaths has resulted from police actions, has they took to arms ? No! they went to the polls. Since 1964 Americans has demonstrated against their nations involvement in many wars and policies, have they taken arms and killed their fellow Americans that belongs to the opposition ? No! they went to the polls. You are a Nigerian and don't tell me you have not witness all the destructive policies that has been dumped on our good hardworking citizens , what is holding you back from taking up arms ? If a minority asks for reforms which by the way are totally unreasonable in nature they should get it at the polls. I am really surprised that a sane human being will try to cast the Liver eating terrorists in Syria in such light. you should be ashamed of yourself. You should explain to us how Hezbollah became a terrorist organization. 1 Like |
| Re: ‘slaughtered Like Sheep’: Eyewitnesses Recount Massacre In Adra, Syria by Nobody: 6:46pm On Dec 23, 2013 |
thoth: Is Al Assad a democratically elected person and want to remain in power forever? Dude,I think you are the M-o-r-o here. If you cannot distinguish between Nigerian situation and Syria that is in war you must be the most senseless human being I have ever seen. The situation is so complicated that there are different phases to the war. These include government fighters bombarding the innocents while trying to fend off the terrorists. The government brought in terrorist group like Hezbollah and some Iranian supporters who are killing innocent people like the Al Qaeda in question. The Free Syrian Army(FSA), the main opposition group that is fighting to make sure a democratic government is enthroned has be sidetracked and religious extremists have joined hand with them along the line to beef up defense against Al Assad army . I don't really know where you are headed with this your gibberish just to make points which aren't relevant in comparing Nigerian situation to Syrian. It is clear you are joking. Thank you. |
| Re: ‘slaughtered Like Sheep’: Eyewitnesses Recount Massacre In Adra, Syria by Nobody: 6:58pm On Dec 23, 2013 |
Harbioollah: This your very comment is laughable. Hasn't Al Assad been told to make reforms and create avenue for election to take place? You think the situation just started today. This is a man whose father had ruled that country for years before his death and the power single-highhandedly given to the son who is now causing problems in the country by brutally killing his own people. Can you point out how much innocent people Syrians government army has killed in comparison to the FSA? Dude, you are very funny.You have no single idea of what is happening in Syria. It is one of the Arab spring demands by the people for Al Assad to step down at this point in time that turns into full scale war,although, there have be skirmishes and dissatisfaction with the regime. It is a regime not elected government. While the West is busy asking for him to make reforms he stands his grand to remain in power like a dictator, even when he knows of Qaddafi's death. You are showing your failure to see the wider views on the Syrian war here. The incumbent is largely to blame for failing to make changes and for being very ornery. Arabs aren't afraid to fight for their rights as you would expect of Nigerians. Please, get this your shallow opinion of the war in Syria to the villagers not somebody like me. Thank you. |
| Re: ‘slaughtered Like Sheep’: Eyewitnesses Recount Massacre In Adra, Syria by NairaMinted: 11:58pm On Dec 23, 2013 |
Continuity of Agenda: Syria Catastrophe Engineered Under Bush, Executed Verbatim Under Obama https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ha1rEhovONU [size=18pt]Wesley Clark ( US 4 Star General ): US will attack 7 countries in 5 years[/size] 1 Like |
| Re: ‘slaughtered Like Sheep’: Eyewitnesses Recount Massacre In Adra, Syria by NairaMinted: 12:04am On Dec 24, 2013 |
NATO Using Al Qaeda Rat Lines to Flood Syria With Foreign Terrorists 2007-2008 US West Point reports reveal Al Qaeda network behind NATO's so-called "freedom fighters." Extremists in Syria were behind Iraq War foreign terrorist influx, not Syrian government. by Tony Cartalucci October 25, 2012 - The discredited and now obscure, defected Syrian ambassador Nawaf Fares, had claimed mid-summer of 2012 that the Syrian government had been behind the influx of foreign terrorists that entered Iraq during the later phases of the US-British occupation of Iraq. These terrorists took part in campaigns of sectarian-driven violence that divided and destroyed an already devastated Iraq. Fares spectacularly claimed that he himself was involved in organizing terrorist death squads in a hamhanded attempt to implicate the government of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. What Fares actually revealed however, was an invisible state within Syria, one composed of Saudi-aligned, sectarian extremism, operating not only independently of the government of President Assad, but in violent opposition to it. This "state-within-a-state" also so happens to be directly affiliated with Al Qaeda and the Muslim Brotherhood, the leading forces now fighting in Syria with significant Western-backing against the Syrian government. The documented details of this invisible terror state were exposed in the extensive academic efforts of the US Army's own West Point Combating Terrorism Center (CTC). Two reports were published between 2007 and 2008 revealing a global network of Al Qaeda affiliated terror organizations, and how they mobilized to send a large influx of foreign fighters into Iraq.  Image: Cover of the US Army's West Point Combating Terrorism Center report, "Al-Qa'ida's Foreign Fighters in Iraq" The report definitively exposed a regional network used by Al Qaeda to send fighters into Iraq to sow sectarian violence during the US occupation. This exact network can now be seen demonstrably at work with NATO support, overrunning Libya and now Syria. The terrorists in the eastern Libyan city of Benghazi that US Ambassador Stevens was arming, is described by the 2007 West Point report as one of the most prolific and notorious Al Qaeda subsidiaries in the world. .... The first report, "Al-Qa'ida's Foreign Fighters in Iraq" was extensively cited by historian and geopolitical analyst [url=http://tarpley.net/2011/03/24/the-cia%E2%80%99s-libya-rebels-the-same-terrorists-who-killed-us-nato-troops-in-iraq/]Dr. Webster Tarpley in March of 2011[/url], exposing that NATO-backed "pro-democracy" rebels in Libya were in fact Al Qaeda's Libyan Islamic Fighting Group (LIFG), listed by the US State Department, United Nations, and the UK Home Office (page 5,) as an international terrorist organization. The West Point report exposed Libya as a global epicenter for Al Qaeda training and recruitment, producing more fighters per capita than even Saudi Arabia, and producing more foreign fighters than any other nation that sent militants to Iraq, except Saudi Arabia itself.  Image: Libya, despite its relatively small population, came in second overall, producing foreign fighters to wage sectarian war in Iraq. Libya exceeded all other nations per capita in producing foreign fighters, including Al Qaeda's primary patrons, Saudi Arabia. These diagrams were produced by West Point's Combating Terrorism Center, on pages 8 and 9 of its "Al-Qa'ida's Foreign Fighters in Iraq" report. .... But Libya's foreign fighters weren't drawn equally from across the nation. They predominately emanated from the east (Cyrenaica), precisely where the so-called 2011 "pro-democracy revolution" also began, and where most of Libyan leader Muammar Qaddafi's attention had been focused over the course of at least three decades, fighting militant extremists. The cities of Darnah, Tobruk, and Benghazi in particular fielded the vast majority of foreign fighters sent to Iraq and also served as the very epicenter for the 2011 violent, NATO-backed uprising.  Image: (Left) West Point's Combating Terrorism Center's 2007 report,"Al-Qa'ida's Foreign Fighters in Iraq" indicates that the vast majority of Al Qaeda terrorists arriving in Iraq from Libya, originated from the country's eastern region, and from the cities of Darnah and Benghazi in particular. (Right) A map indicating rebel held territory (red) during Libya's 2011 conflict. The entire region near Benghazi, Darnah, and Tobruk served as the cradle for the so-called revolution. The US government is just now revealing the heavy Al Qaeda presence in the region, but clearly knew about it since at least as early as 2007, and as other reports indicate, decades before even that. .... Clearly, the US military and the US government were both well aware of the heavy Al Qaeda presence in Cyrenaica since as early as 2007. When violence flared up in 2011, it was clear to many geopolitical analysts that it was the result of Al Qaeda, not "pro-democracy protesters." The US government, its allies, and a complicit Western press, willfully lied to the public, misrepresented its case to the United Nations and intervened in Libya on behalf of international terrorists, overthrowing a sovereign government, and granting an entire nation as a base of operations for the Libyan Islamic Fighting Group (LIFG). A similar scenario is now playing out in Syria, where the West, despite acknowledging the existence of Al Qaeda in Benghazi, Libya, is using these militants, and the exact same networks used to send fighters to Iraq, to flood into and overrun Syria. This, after these very same Libyan militants were implicated in an attack that left a US ambassador dead on September 11, 2012.  Image: Libyan Mahdi al-Harati of the US State Department, United Nations, and the UK Home Office (page 5, .pdf)-listed terrorist organization, the Libyan Islamic Fighting Group (LIFG), addressing fellow terrorists in Syria. Harati is now commanding a Libyan brigade operating inside of Syria attempting to destroy the Syrian government and subjugate the Syrian population. Traditionally, this is known as "foreign invasion." .... LIFG terrorists are veritably flooding into Syria from Libya. In November 2011, the Telegraph in their article, "Leading Libyan Islamist met Free Syrian Army opposition group," would report: Abdulhakim Belhadj, head of the Tripoli Military Council and the former leader of the Libyan Islamic Fighting Group, "met with Free Syrian Army leaders in Istanbul and on the border with Turkey," said a military official working with Mr Belhadj. "Mustafa Abdul Jalil (the interim Libyan president) sent him there." Another Telegraph article, "Libya’s new rulers offer weapons to Syrian rebels," would admit Syrian rebels held secret talks with Libya's new authorities on Friday, aiming to secure weapons and money for their insurgency against President Bashar al-Assad's regime, The Daily Telegraph has learned. At the meeting, which was held in Istanbul and included Turkish officials, the Syrians requested "assistance" from the Libyan representatives and were offered arms, and potentially volunteers. "There is something being planned to send weapons and even Libyan fighters to Syria," said a Libyan source, speaking on condition of anonymity. "There is a military intervention on the way. Within a few weeks you will see." Later that month, some 600 Libyan terrorists would be reported to have entered Syria to begin combat operations and have been flooding into the country ever since.  Image: (Left) West Point's Combating Terrorism Center's 2007 report, "Al-Qa'ida's Foreign Fighters in Iraq" also indicated which areas in Syria Al Qaeda fighters filtering into Iraq came from. The overwhelming majority of them came from Dayr Al-Zawr in Syria's southeast, Idlib in the north near the Turkish-Syrian border, and Dar'a in the south near the Jordanian-Syrian border. (Right) A map indicating the epicenters of violence in Syria indicate that the exact same hotbeds for Al Qaeda in 2007, now serve as the epicenters of so-called "pro-democracy fighters." .... In Syria, the southeastern region near Dayr Al-Zawr on the Iraqi-Syrian border, the northwestern region of Idlib near the Turkish-Syrian border, and Dar'a in the south near the Jordanian-Syrian border, produced the majority of fighters found crossing over into Iraq, according to the 2007 West Point study. These regions now serve as the epicenter for a similar Libyan-style uprising, with fighters disingenuously portrayed as "pro-democracy" "freedom fighters." These are also the locations receiving the majority of foreign fighters flowing in from other areas described in the 2007 report, mainly from Saudi Arabia via Jordan, and from Libya, either directly, through Turkey, or through Egypt and/or Jordan. [img]http://1.bp..com/-tu4Ju5QcChI/UIhlNcg8SKI/AAAAAAAAEpM/09DJnubA2rY/s1600/MiddleEast_SyriaIraqAlQaeda_Diagram.jpg[/img] Image: The most prominent routes into Syria for foreign fighters is depicted, with the inset graph describing the most widely used routes by foreign fighters on their way to Iraq, as determined by West Point's 2007 Combating Terrorism Center report "Al-Qa'ida's Foreign Fighters in Iraq" (page 20). These same networks are now being used, with the addition of a more prominent role for Turkey, to target Syria directly. (Click to enlarge) .... 1 Like |
| Re: ‘slaughtered Like Sheep’: Eyewitnesses Recount Massacre In Adra, Syria by NairaMinted: 12:05am On Dec 24, 2013 |
The 2007 West Point report also describes the routes taken by the fighters entering Iraq. The most prominent routes by far were from Syria itself, the Libya-Egypt-Syria route, the Saudi Arabia-Syria route, and the Saudi Arabia-Jordan-Syria route. These routes are clearly being used yet again, only this time, instead of sowing sectarian violence and destabilization in Iraq, these foreign fighters, with NATO backing, are targeting Syria directly. Subversion of Syria was Planned by the US, Israel, and Saudi Arabia in 2007. While many Western think-tank documents, including the joint US-Israeli 'Clean Break: A New Strategy for Securing the Realm," recognized Syria as a threat to corporate-financier hegemony throughout the Middle East and beyond, it wasn't until at least 2007 that a fully articulated plan was developed for actually rolling back or eliminating Syria as a viable, independent nation-state. The specific use of Al Qaeda-affiliated militant organizations, not just inside Syria, but from across the region was a key component of the plan, revealed by Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Seymour Hersh in his 2007 New Yorker report titled, 'The Redirection: Is the Administration's new policy benefiting our enemies in the war on terrorism?' In the report it specifically stated: "To undermine Iran, which is predominantly Shiite, the Bush Administration has decided, in effect, to reconfigure its priorities in the Middle East. In Lebanon, the Administration has coöperated with Saudi Arabia’s government, which is Sunni, in clandestine operations that are intended to weaken Hezbollah, the Shiite organization that is backed by Iran. The U.S. has also taken part in clandestine operations aimed at Iran and its ally Syria. A by-product of these activities has been the bolstering of Sunni extremist groups that espouse a militant vision of Islam and are hostile to America and sympathetic to Al Qaeda." -The Redirection, Seymour Hersh (2007) Hersh's report would continue by stating: "the Saudi government, with Washington’s approval, would provide funds and logistical aid to weaken the government of President Bashir Assad, of Syria. The Israelis believe that putting such pressure on the Assad government will make it more conciliatory and open to negotiations." -The Redirection, Seymour Hersh (2007) The link between extremist groups and Saudi funding was also mentioned in the report, and reflects evidence presented by the West Point CTC indicating that the majority of fighters and funding behind the sectarian violence in Iraq, came from Saudi Arabia. Hersh's report specifically states: "...[Saudi Arabia's] Bandar and other Saudis have assured the White House that “they will keep a very close eye on the religious fundamentalists. Their message to us was ‘We’ve created this movement, and we can control it.’ It’s not that we don’t want the Salafis to throw bombs; it’s who they throw them at—Hezbollah, Moqtada al-Sadr, Iran, and at the Syrians, if they continue to work with Hezbollah and Iran.” -The Redirection, Seymour Hersh (2007) Despite the narrative repeated by the Western press, it would appear that the US, Israel, and Saudi Arabia above all others, constitute the greatest purveyors of state-sponsored terrorism. Furthermore, it would appear that the most feared and notorious international terrorist organization, Al Qaeda, and its various affiliates including the Muslim Brotherhood political front, was in fact not only created by the US and Saudi Arabia in the mountains of Afghanistan in the 1980's, but has since then been perpetuated by the US and Saudi Arabia. Nations accused of coddling Al Qaeda and sponsoring terrorism, including Iraq, Iran, Syria, and Qaddafi's Libya, have in fact fought the hardest against these extremist forces but have been consistently sabotaged by Western efforts portraying targeted militants as "pro-democracy protesters" as was done in Libya when Qaddafi's forces were at the gates of Benghazi. Similarly, this is being done in Syria today as the government of President Bashar al-Assad fights fiercely against these verified, documented terrorist networks, habitually referred to by the Western press as "freedom fighters" and "pro-democracy rebels." The Syrian Government's Role in Supporting Al Qaeda in Iraq. The Western press insists that the Syrian government constitutes a threat to international security. It has been implied on many occasions that the Syrian government has been, or still is supporting Al Qaeda. However, what does the West Point Combating Terrorism Center say about the Syrian government's role regarding the influx of foreign fighters into neighboring Iraq during the West's occupation? Or the history of the Syrian government in relation to militant extremist groups such as the Muslim Brotherhood, the precursor of Al Qaeda itself?  Image: West Point's second report on Al Qaeda's networks used to funnel foreign fighters into Iraq titled, 'Bombers, Bank Accounts and Bleedout: al-Qa'ida's Road In and Out of Iraq', goes deeper in depth into who was really behind the influx of terrorists, how it was accomplished, and a range of options that might be applied to prevent it from happening. The report gives great insight into just how NATO and the Persian Gulf states are using Al Qaeda to now destabilize Syria. .... In a second report, published in 2008 titled, "Bombers, Bank Accounts and Bleedout: al-Qa'ida's Road In and Out of Iraq," a rare and candid history is given regarding the genesis of Al Qaeda and the history it has had in Syria. It includes a revelation that contradicts the talking-points often repeated across Western media in regards to Syrian President Hafez Assad and his crackdown in the 1980's. The media attempts to imply that President Hafez Assad was merely an autocrat and had brutalized civilians for simply rising up against him. The 2008 CTC report however, states (emphasis added): During the first half of the 1980s the role of foreign fighters in Afghanistan was negligible and was largely un‐noticed by outside observers. The flow of volunteers from the Arab heartland countries was just a trickle in the early 1980s, though there were more significant links between the mujahidin and Central Asian Muslims—especially Tajiks, Uzbeks, and Kazakhs. Individuals like the above‐mentioned Abu’l‐Walid were recruited in the early years via ad hoc outreach campaigns initiated from within Afghanistan, but by 1984, the resources being poured into the conflict by other countries—especially Saudi Arabia and the United States—had become much greater, as had the effectiveness and sophistication of the recruitment efforts. Only then did foreign observers begin to remark on the presence of outside volunteers. The repression of Islamist movements in the Middle East contributed to the acceleration of Arab fighters leaving for Afghanistan. One important process was the Syrian regime of Hafez Assad’s brutal campaign against the Jihadi movement in Syria, led by the “Fighting Vanguard” (al‐Tali’a al‐Muqatila) of the Syrian Muslim Brotherhood. The crackdown initiated an exodus of Vanguard militants to neighboring Arab states. By 1984, large numbers of these men began making their way from exile in Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, and Jordan toward southeastern Afghanistan to fight the Soviets. (page 24, "Bombers, Bank Accounts and Bleedout: al-Qa'ida's Road In and Out of Iraq," (2008) It appears then that Hafez Assad's "brutality" was aimed at sectarian extremists - fanatics that would later form the foundation of Al Qaeda and serve as a force of violence and destabilization throughout the world, with, as mentioned by the West Point CTC itself, resources poured into them, especially from "Saudi Arabia and the United States." The 2008 report reiterates the importance of Libya's LIFG in regards to the large numbers of fighters it sent to Iraq and its official merging with Al Qaeda, stating: Today, the LIFG is an important partner in al‐Qa`ida’s global coalition of Jihadi groups. The late Abu Layth al‐Libi, LIFG’s Emir, reinforced Benghazi and Darnah’s importance to Libyan Jihadis in his November 2007 announcement that LIFG had joined al‐Qa`ida, saying: "It is with the grace of God that we were hoisting the banner of Jihad against this apostate regime under the leadership of the Libyan Islamic Fighting Group, which sacrificed the elite of its sons and commanders in combating this regime whose blood was spilled on the mountains of Darnah, the streets of Benghazi, the outskirts of Tripoli, the desert of Sabha, and the sands of the beach." (page 38-39, "Bombers, Bank Accounts and Bleedout: al-Qa'ida's Road In and Out of Iraq," (2008) The report goes on to describe the manner in which these fighters eventually made it into Iraq, all traveling through Syria. The report reveals that it was "coordinators" working with extremist groups in Syria, opposed to the government, not the government itself that was recruiting and arranging transportation for fighters into Iraq. Throughout the report, measures put in place by the Syrian government in fact attempted to stop the flow of fighters through Syrian territory, but were simply ineffective due to the complicated demographics and economic conditions along border regions. The report states: Syria can almost certainly do more to disrupt the traffic across the border. However, it is unrealistic to expect the regime to expend more energy, given the economic and internal political importance of the underground cross border trade to Syrian social and political leaders, and the inherent limits of the regime’s ability to enforce a crackdown indefinitely. (page 98, "Bombers, Bank Accounts and Bleedout: al-Qa'ida's Road In and Out of Iraq," (2008) Nowhere in the document is any evidence provided that the Syrian government actively facilitated Al Qaeda and the movement of extremist fighters through Syrian territory. Any help that might have been lent from the government would have come from characters like Nawaf Fares acting independently, whose loyalty was always questionable at best, and who eventually defected to these very extremist groups when fighters finally shifted their attention from Iraq to Syria in 2011. It is clear that the Syrian government, for decades, has been fighting against sectarian extremism, militant terrorism, and more specifically the Muslim Brotherhood and Al Qaeda itself. What the Western press has attempted to portray as an autocratic regime brutalizing a civilian population simply aspiring for "democracy" and "freedom," is in reality a government desperately trying to protect its sovereignty and the vast majority of its population from the ravaging effects of sectarian extremism, previewed during the Iraq "civil war," and now fully realized within the borders of Syria itself. It was perhaps the compromises made by Syria to placate a perceived "international consensus" in regards to "freedom" and "democracy" that gave militants the foothold they needed to trigger the violence now unfolding across Syria and beyond its borders. It is hoped that by documenting the evidence provided by West Point's Combating Terrorism Center, that this wave of terrorism can be better understood and therefore defeated. It is hoped that people both in the United States and in Syria can see what forces among themselves have contributed to the perpetuation of Al Qaeda and its use as a militant proxy, and purge these organizations and their ideology permanently from the body politic.  Image: From West Point's CTC report, "Bombers, Bank Accounts and Bleedout: al-Qa'ida's Road In and Out of Iraq," a map indicates the number of total fighters that served as the statistical basis for the center's analysis. It would appear that there are many other potential nations that may yet suffer the fate of Libya and Syria within this network alone. A success in Syria for the West would validate this model for regime change, and surely be tried elsewhere. .... By reading the tremendous body of work provided by the US Army's West Point Combating Terrorism Center's reports, "Al-Qa'ida's Foreign Fighters in Iraq" and "Bombers, Bank Accounts and Bleedout: al-Qa'ida's Road In and Out of Iraq," other nations at risk of potentially falling prey to a similar use of Al Qaeda as a proxy serving Western foreign policy, can begin making preparations and raising awareness regarding the truth behind this geopolitical tool. |
| Re: ‘slaughtered Like Sheep’: Eyewitnesses Recount Massacre In Adra, Syria by NairaMinted: 12:17am On Dec 24, 2013 |
The war of aggression in Syria is an issue that I am passionate about and I am out to enlighten people on what's really going on there. There are so many other articles that I would love to post but the SPAMBOT is always cutting me off!! |
| Re: ‘slaughtered Like Sheep’: Eyewitnesses Recount Massacre In Adra, Syria by thoth: 1:28am On Dec 24, 2013 |
NairaMinted: The war of aggression in Syria is an issue that I am passionate about and I am out to enlighten people on what's really going on there.All4naija is a paid troll if you don't know,a handpicked brainwashed bastard whose sole duty is to misinform people. Can't you that he simply repeats the senseless clichés verbatim as cnn and bbc so called analysts do. Making it a waste to argue with him. You posted all those information for an idi0t who can't read more than 8 lines of news. You will see his next post then wonder if he actually read you at or as usual he will bypass it altogether to pick a fight with someone. 1 Like |
| Re: ‘slaughtered Like Sheep’: Eyewitnesses Recount Massacre In Adra, Syria by Nobody: 5:19am On Dec 24, 2013 |
NairaMinted: NATO Using Al Qaeda Rat Lines to Flood Syria With Foreign TerroristsThis is gibberish! It is clear you have nothing of your own to write about concerning this matter than quoting the whole source here, thinking that it will distract people from reality on ground. The truth remains Al Assad must go for killing his own people! |
| Re: ‘slaughtered Like Sheep’: Eyewitnesses Recount Massacre In Adra, Syria by Nobody: 5:22am On Dec 24, 2013 |
thoth: All4naija is a paid troll if you don't know,a handpicked brainwashed bastard whose sole duty is to misinform people. Can't you that he simply repeats the senseless clichés verbatim as cnn and bbc so called analysts do. Making it a waste to argue with him. You posted all those information for an idi0t who can't read more than 8 lines of news. You will see his next post then wonder if he actually read you at or as usual he will bypass it altogether to pick a fight with someone.You are the bastard without brain here indeed! How in the hell you have to insult me for another country's war is beyond me. Are you out of your mind?! Look at this croaking toad insulting me because he couldn't express his views and expect me to share his sentiments based on hearsay! Dude, you must be joking |
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