Syrian Revolution Digest – Saturday, 15 December 2012

The Ring of Fire!

Syrian Revolution Digest – December 15, 2012 

As the ring of fire grows tighter and tighter around Damascus, there are still those who think the fire is containable. This revolution might have shattered some illusions for some people, but others seem to cherish their illusions more than life and reason. For them, catastrophe is not an option they are willing to consider, which is why catastrophe becomes inevitable. The aftermath is dawning upon us, and if we think things are messy now, we don’t have long to wait before we discover how wrong we are. Still, it was all worth it, no matter the price.  

Today’s Death Toll:131 (including 5 women and 6 children)

36 in Damascus and suburbs, 26 in Aleppo, 18 in Homs (mostly in Rastan), 17 in Idlib, 12 in Daraa, 6 in Deir Ezzor, 8 in Hama and 3 in Raqqa.

Points of Random Shelling: 256

Clashes:103

Rebels brought down a helicopter in Hassakeh and captured loyalist soldiers in Deir Ezzor as well as a major arms depot in Aleppo (LCC).

In Jordan, officials who defected from the Syrian government announced that they had formed a new opposition group led by Mr. Assad’s former prime minister, Riyad Farid Hijab, one of the highest-ranking officials to desert during the conflict. The group, called the National Free Coalition of the Workers of Syrian Government Institutions, aims to keep state structures intact if Mr. Assad’s government falls, Reuters reported.

 

News

Foreign Minister Blames Sanctions for Syria’s Troubles

Iran warns against Patriot deployment on Syria frontier

Syrian rebels gaining ground in Aleppo, opposition says

Palestinian faction leader Jibril leaves Damascus: rebels

Key rebel commander killed in Aleppo

UN contingency plan to deploy up to 10,000 peacekeepers in Syria – reports

Push Begins in EU to Arm Syria Rebels

UN, EU urge more Syria aid as conflict enters ‘new phase’

NATO says Syrian Scuds hit ‘near’ Turkey

Zarqawi’s brother-in-law reported killed while leading Al Nusrah Front unit

 

Special Reports

A Bread Shortage Is the First Big Test of a Transitional Council in Aleppo
In August, the prominent doctors, engineers, pharmacists and businessmen sheltering here established the Aleppo Transitional Revolutionary Council, a kind of city government in exile for the liberated portions of the city. Mr. Khanji, 67, a civil engineer with a long history of opposing the Syrian government, serves as its president.

Syrian refugees on run: ‘I want people to feel our pain’
“I feel so much ashamed of myself, being in a warm place and having my violin with me and playing music while people have to stand in long queues in order to have something to eat,” he says.

Syrians sounding alarm over growing food shortages
The Sahel al Ghab plain, in Hama province, used to be one of Syria’s richest agricultural regions, producing grain, olives, rice, cotton and sugar. But this year has been disastrous because of the war. Several people from the area said their land wasn’t being farmed because of shellfire from regime-loyal villages.

 

Syria Deeply

Jabhat al Nusra Shows Its Bloody Mark on Aleppo
Jabhat Al Nusra, now a U.S.-designated terrorist group believed to have links with Al Qaeda, still wins fans in Syria for its disciplined, ferocious fighters. It is considered the most effective fighting force against the Assad regime, and its latest film highlighting attacks in and around Aleppo seeks to bolster that reputation. In an hour-long video… Jabhat al Nusra takes us behind the scenes of its suicide bombings and attacks on military bases, demonstrating its craft and explaining the reasons behind what it describes as jihad against the Assad regime.

 

Video Highlights

Rebel leader Abu Furat hours before his martyrdom http://youtu.be/x9hhQ2NDxco Before his death, Abu Furat sent a message to the Alawite community in Syria, telling them that in spite of Assad, Sunnis and Alawites will always live in peace and harmony http://youtu.be/1qeUf_7MJhQ Abu Furat made his address while greeting an Alawite defector.

Rebels in Khan Touman, Aleppo, take control of a major arms storage depothttp://youtu.be/POIvEO48hLo , http://youtu.be/BxVoIbmmskY , http://youtu.be/5UCSmGeRw9w

Rebels in Deir Ezzor capture soldiers from the units protecting the Mayadin Military Airporthttp://youtu.be/pKOwvZR-cvo Sounds of clashes in Deir Ezzor Cityhttp://youtu.be/7-ahVqA_3RM The pounding of the city continues as well http://youtu.be/icROGHY6-EQ

Kurdish opposition launch a new political union in Qamislo, Hassakeh Provincehttp://youtu.be/ed3iuEj5rMU

Locals in Beit Sahem, Damascus, pull bodies from under the rubble after an aerial raid on their townhttp://youtu.be/OBmP-RcZ7uM

To the south, rebels and loyalists clash in Moadamia, Damascus http://youtu.be/qGbFwB2hW2U In Al-Hajar Al-Aswad, shelling leaves several buildings on fire http://youtu.be/ZWnpN1f4L7c To the east, aerial raids against the towns and villages of Eastern Ghoutah continues http://youtu.be/MnyrWZr28-U ,http://youtu.be/yrQAzej76wE To the north of Damascus City, MiGs pound the town of Yabroudhttp://youtu.be/r8ExVRY9UaY To the West, the pounding of the town of Zabadani along the border with Lebanon continues http://youtu.be/M1iFZHu_2VI

63 Arrested In Hunt for the Kidnappers of Minister’s Mother

By Ryan Aliman
Impunity Watch Reporter, Africa

ABUJA, Nigeria – Nigeria’s army had arrested 63 people in raids as they searched for Mrs. Kamene Okonjo, Nigerian Finance Minister Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala’s 82-year-old mother who was kidnapped on Sunday. Although Mrs. Okonjo was released by her abductors five days after she was taken, the dozens of people arrested by the army remain in custody.

The Inspector General of Police ordered the police to spare no efforts in ensuring that Mrs. Okonjo’s abductors must be arrested to face justice. (Photo courtesy of Radioxyzonline/Vanguard)

Since Mrs. Okonjo’s kidnapping, both the military and police department had been on a wild hunt to find the kidnappers, conducting raids in various parts of Southern Nigeria and arresting all potential suspects.

“Already, the Inspector General of Police (IGP) has deployed his men and they are working round the clock on the issue. The IGP is on top of the situation. However, I have instructed the IGP to deploy specialist officers from Abuja if need be, to help in fishing out the culprits,” the Finance Minister told the press as he described the action taken by the police.

The IGP, meanwhile, promised the public that not only will the police rescue the Finance Minister’s mother, but they shall “fish out” her abductors and their accomplices as well. The IGP said, “operatives shall ensure that no stone is left unturned in unravelling the mystery behind the abduction of Mrs. Okonjo and bringing the evil perpetrators to book.”

In a place where kidnapping is considered “a lucrative criminal enterprise”, Nigerian forces have been taking such matters more seriously over the past years. Reports show that they have grown increasingly intolerant of suspected kidnappers, often shooting them on sight – as they did in November to 13 people suspected of abducting a Turkish man.

They would even go so far as to arrest their own. On Tuesday, the Delta State Police ordered the arrest and detention of two police officers who were supposed to be on duty at the palace of Mrs. Okonjo on the day she was kidnapped. It remains unclear whether or not they were involved in the abduction itself.

The man who dropped off Mrs. Okonjo on a main road near her home in southern Nigeria on Friday was also arrested.

Delta state governor Emmanuel Uduaghan believes that because of the stringent security measures and intensified manhunt carried out by the law enforcement agencies, Mrs. Okonjo’s kidnappers decided to let her go. “The army and police have been on their trail and a lot of raids have been done. I think because of the heat they dropped her off on the highway,” he told BBC.

When asked what was being done with those in custody now that Mrs. Okonjo has been freed, army spokeswoman Roseline Managbe simply answered, “those arrested are being questioned.”

 

For further information, please see:

Reuters – Kidnappers free Nigeria minister’s mother, official says – 14 December 2012

BBC News Africa – Nigeria’s Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala’s mother freed by kidnappers – 14 December 2012

Reuters – UPDATE 1-Nigeria arrests 63 in hunt for minister’s kidnapped mother – 13 December 2012

Information Nigeria – Okonjo-Iweala’s Mother’s Kidnap: Delta CP Says 2 Policemen Have Been Arrested – 12 December 2012

Reuters – Policemen held over kidnap of Nigeria minister’s mother – 12 December 2012

This Day Live – IG Orders Arrest of Abductors of Okonjo-Iweala’s Mother – 11 December 2012

Information Nigeria – Okonjo-Iweala’s Mum’s Kidnap: Suspect Arrested – 10 December 2012

Syrian Revolution Digest – Friday, 14 December 2012

Failure to Launch!

Syrian Revolution Digest – December 14, 2012 

This Friday’s rallies in Syria were held under the slogan “the only terrorism in Syria is practiced by Assad.” This comes in response to U.S. decision to designate Jabhat Al-Nusra as a terrorist organization. The U.S. ignored the fact that most members fighting under the emblem of al-Nusra care little for its ideology and has little connection to its leadership abroad, but joined because they need its resources, something the U.S. was asked to provide months ago and failed to do. The U.S. is failing to connect with the Syrian people even as it finally seeks to help. Delayed, reluctant and ineffectual support begets disdain and rejection, not appreciation. Yet, contrary to popular sentiments, reason dictates that we still need American support, political and material, and if America is listening to reason, then, she would know she has much to lose than reputation and goodwill if she failed to provide it this time around.

Today’s Death Toll:106 (including 5 women and 8 children)

49 in Damascus and suburbs (including 4 in shelling of Hajar Aswad and 4 were shot in a funeral in Barza in addition to unidentified martyrs in Qaboun), 21 in Idlib, 11 in Aleppo, 8 in Daraa, 5 in Homs, 5 in Deir Ezzor, 4 in Hama, 2 in Qunaitra and 1 in Hassaka.

Points of Random Shelling: 262

Clashes:109

Heavy clashes took place in Damascus and suburbs, with rebels downing a MiG near the Damascus International Airport. Rebels also shelled the military airport in Deir Ezzor and downed a MiG there as well. In Aleppo, more than 100 soldiers and officers defected from the Defense factories following a rebel attack (LCC).

 

News

U.S. Officials: Syria Has Prepared Several Dozen Chemical Bombs

Russia Steps Back From Envoy’s Comments on Syria

Patriot missiles a warning to Syria’s al-Assad

 

Special Reports

Assad’s chemical card
There are plausible scenarios in which Assad would use CW in a tactical manner against his domestic enemies—and it’s not at all clear that he wouldn’t get away with it. Assad will fight tooth and nail to maintain control over Damascus, while also securing the route from Homs to the coast (an area that witnessed regime ethnic cleansing attacks)… Obama has now offered Assad another loophole with the designation of the Jabhat al-Nusra group as a terrorist organization. As soon as news came out that the designation was forthcoming, the regime rushed to claim that rebels had seized control of a toxic chlorine factory in east Aleppo, and may now use these chemicals in an attack. Such bogus stories set the stage for a possible attack in the future and provide Assad, and his backers in Moscow, with enough to muddy the waters.

In Syria, hunger spreads as war intensifies
Conditions are especially dire in the northern city of Aleppo, where civilians enduring incessant clashes and air raids in rebel-held districts say hunger is a new threat to survival in the 20-month-old revolt against President Bashar al-Assad.

Syria’s Kurds face uncertain future if Assad falls
The regime’s exit from Kurdish areas has sparked mistrust between the rebels and Syria’s third biggest ethnic group

Syria: a scathingly beautiful photograph of the edge of starvation
Artfulness only adds to this picture’s stark reality. Here is a sinister new chapter in the war between Assad and his people

Under Siege, Damascus Gets Desperate for Food and Fuel
As rebel fighters advance on the Syrian capital, those caught in the middle suffer from food, gas, and power shortages. Mikel Ayestaran on how Damascus residents are struggling to ride out the storm.

The Syria-North Korea Scud Missile Link
One day apart, North Korea launched a long-range missile to much fanfare, and the Assad regime fired Scud missiles on the rebels. Eli Lake on how the Hermit Kingdom helped Syria with the technology—and why chemical weapons might be next.

Russia and Its Syrian Debacle: When the Enemy of My Friend Becomes My Friend
For Russia, there are no good options left. The NCC is made up mostly of academics and dissidents with no military wing, and it has little hope of turning the situation in Russia’s favor if Assad is overthrown. “They have zero influence in Syria,” says Hassan Al-Huri, a Syrian businessman in Moscow who owns the Picasso restaurant and hosted his countrymen there. “If anything, the Syrian people now hate them for associating with the Russians,” he told me after the dinner was over. That means Moscow has no choice but to accept the loss of its last real foothold in the Middle East, says Fyodor Lukyanov, the editor of the journal Russia in Global Affairs. Says he: “Maybe they have no more illusions.”

Syrian opposition forces say they are on brink of major victory in Aleppo
If Syrian rebels succeed in breaching an infantry school in Aleppo, they will gain some strategically critical pieces of territory, a windfall of supplies, and possibly a slew of regime defectors.

As Syrian Rebels Close In, Assad Has Cards To Play
He still has thousands of loyal troops and a monopoly on air power. A moribund diplomatic process has given him room to maneuver despite withering international condemnation. And the power of Islamic extremists among the rebels is dashing hopes that the West will help turn the tide of the civil war by sending heavy weapons to the opposition.

Syrian Rebel Seeks Prisoner Exchange to Free Hostages
The commander, Amar al-Dadikhi of the North Storm brigade, which has been holding the prisoners at an undisclosed location in Syria’s northern countryside, said in interviews that he would free the hostages if the Syrian government released two prominent opposition figures and if Lebanon freed all Syrian activists in government custody.

 

Op-Eds

George H. Wittman: Syria Backstory
If Assad is to be replaced, who will replace the Alawites?

Michael Young: For Obama, it’s not too late on Syria
… the U.S. must rebuild its relationship with Syrians. This will be important for many reasons: to isolate the jihadists; to have a say in likely future talks between a post-Assad Syria and Israel over the Golan Heights; and to block Iran out of the country, and in that way contain it regionally. With some attention, this is achievable.

 

Syria Deeply

Interview with Robert Ford: The Terror Stamp on Jabhat al Nusra

The High Military Command

Over 550 defector and revolutionary gathered recently in Antalya and elected a body made up of 261 representatives, which in turn elected a High Military Command made up of 30 individuals (11 officers and 19 civilians). The country was divided into 5 “fronts,” and each was represented by 6 members in the HMC. The 30 members then elected a joint-chief-of-staff, Brig. Gen. Salim Idriss. Brig. Gen. Idriss will be advised by 5 officers and 5 civilians representing the five fronts.

The HMC will be considered the highest military authority in the land. The head of the HMC will be the future Minister of Defense to be named by the Coalition when the transitional government is announced. The HMC will nominate 5 people, and the Coalition will have to choose one of them for the post. The HMC will do the same for the post of Minster of Interior. The specific linkages between the two ministerial posts have not been specified at this stage. Any rebel suspected of violations will be tried by a Syrian court, not an international one.

Eastern Front Northern Front Homs Central/Western Southern
1 Col. Ziad hajj Obaied (Pilot) Ahmad Issa Al-Shaikh Lt. Col. Qassim Saadeddine (Pilot) Brig. Gen. Abdulmajeed Dbeis Zahran Alloush
2 Major Adnan Muhammad Al-Kawkab Mustafa Abdulkareem Rami Al-Dalati Lt. Mazen Qneifdi Khalid Hussein Al-Arnous
3 Raghib Basheer Tomeh Jamal Khalid Maarouf Lieutenant Abdulhaleem Ghannoum Kamal Hammami Col. Khalid Muhannad al-Hourani
4 Yelmaz Sa’eed Col. Abdul-Jabbar Al-Oqaidi Iyyad Jom’ah Houthaifah Mustafa Al-Shoughri Fadi Saad Al-Assimi
5 Faraj Hammoud Al-Faraj Muhanna Jaffaleh Munthir Ahmad Sarras Youssef Muhammad Al-Hassan Lt. Col. Abdallah Al-Rifai
6 Dr. Omar Dada Ahmad Obeid Col. Abdurrahman Souais Saddeddine Al-Hashimi Ibrahim Al-Toushi


The Advisory Council (working under the chief-of-staff)

1) Col. Fateh Hassoun (Homs Front)
2) Oussama Sayih Al-Juneidi (Homs)
3) Major Muhammad Al-Abboud (Eastern)
4) Saddam Al-Jamal (Eastern)
5) Col. Mustafa Hashim (Central)
6) Abdul-Fattah Aroub (Central)
7) Lt. Col. Abdulbassit Al-Taweel (Northern)
8) Abdul-Qader Al-Saleh (Northern)
9) Brig. Gen. Ziad Fahd (Southern)
10) Bashar Awad Al-Zoubi (Southern)

The HMC also created 5 specialized offices to manage the military operations in each front:

Eastern Front Northern Front Homs Central/Western Southern
Operations Col. Raghib Al-Hamad Gen. Hussain Al-Oqaidi Lt. Abdllah Bahbouh Capt. Bassil Sillo Major Majeed Al-Sayyid Ahmad
Intelligence Lt. Omar Tarrad Major Ali Zain Lt. Omar Shamsi + Zakariya Taha Col. Muhammad Awad Capt.  Jawad Sa’eed
Provisions Lt. Oussama Al-Jassem Muhammad Mustafa Al-Bakkour Lt. Ikrimah Bakkour Manar Al-Shami Capt. Ahmad Nayif
Finance Major Mustafa Ibrahim Lt. Col. Fadel Al-Hajji Ahmad Abdurrahman Al-Hamwi Col. Maher Al-Nabhan Capt. Mazid Dahhan
Transitional Justice Lt. Col. Ahmad Ayid Al-Khalaf Brig. Gen. Abdurrahman Al-Hassan Khaid Bakkar + Ghanim Saadeddine (Esq.) Abdurrazzaq Freijeh Muhammad Al-Wazir

A number of specialized committees have also been set up.

 

Video Highlights

Rallies like this one in Kafrenbel, Idlib Province http://youtu.be/vVrThFBzXl8 and Elbab, Aleppo,http://youtu.be/pxYkZjZz9KU took place all over the country today, as per custom.

Clashes near a security headquarters in Aleppo http://youtu.be/Q_eIzwufEp8 ,http://youtu.be/XmcyJe35nzM , http://youtu.be/XmcyJe35nzM

Jordan’s King Abdullah II Releases Prisoners

By Justin Dorman
Impunity Watch Reporter, Middle East

AMMAN, Jordan – On Monday, King Abdullah II instructed the government to work with the state prosecutor to release detained protestors. One hundred and sixteen detainees are said to be released. Only thirteen detainees who had committed crimes previously will remain incarcerated on other charges.

King Abdullah II ordered the release of 116 detainees earlier this week. (Photo Courtesy of Petra)

The detainees all took part in protests over the past couple of months which criticized King Abdullah II. Some of the most recent protests occurred when gas prices rose by fifty-four percent and oil derivatives rose by twenty-eight percent.

The oil and gas protests led to violence in which three people were killed and seventy-five more were injured. Of these seventy-five individuals who were hurt, fifty-eight of which were police officers.

The Minister of State for Media Affairs and Communications announced that, “the government reaffirms that freedom of expression and assembly is guaranteed by the constitution as a natural right of the human and considers these freedoms as one of the pillars of reform in general and political reform in particular.”

The minister went on to distinguish freedom of expression from violently attacking policemen and destroying property.

King Abdullah discussed his stance on protestors in late October when he stated that, “constructive opposition is a legitimate and required ambition. The negative movements, hollow slogans and attempts to foment sedition and chaos are unacceptable.”

He continued to say that “we must remember that catchy slogans are not the answer, and that extremist reactionary mentalities cannot be entrusted with the future of our children.”

Instead of protests, King Abdullah II advocated for citizens to come out and vote in the next parliamentary elections if they wanted to make changes.

These statements came shortly after he pardoned detainees in October after twenty individuals were incarcerated for what Amnesty International described as a peaceful demonstration calling for anti-corruption reforms.

In response to the king’s most recent pardon announcement, Amnesty International said that it was “too little, too late.” The human rights group was happy that the one hundred and sixteen detainees would be set free, and hoped that it would happen quickly so that those who desperately need medical treatment could receive it.

While Amnesty International was happy that all those prisoners would be set free, they worried that the King’s maneuver was a hallow gesture. “There’s a danger King Abdullah’s announcement will be seen as nothing more than a PR exercise because the reality is that dozens of people in 2012 have been detained solely for peacefully calling for economic and political reforms,” stated Deputy Director for the Middle East and North Africa, Ann Harrison.

Amnesty International will further investigate the charges of the thirteen individuals who continue to be detained.

For further information, please see:

Amnesty International – Jordan: Release of Detainees ‘too Little, too Late’ – 11 December 2012

Time – Jordan King Orders Release of Jailed Protesters – 11 December 2012

Petra – King Orders Government to Take Legal Measures to Release Detainees – 10 December 2012

Al Monito – Jordan King Releases Detainees who Protested, Urges all to Vote – 24 October 2012

Harsh CIA Interrogation Methods Ineffective, Report Finds

By Mark O’Brien
Impunity Watch Reporter, North America

WASHINGTON, United States — A Senate committee released the findings of a three-year investigation this week, and officials said the report had “startling details” on the Central Intelligence Agency’s use of counterterrorism efforts.

A Senate committee report finds that harsh interrogation techniques, such as waterboarding (above), are largely ineffective in counterterrorism efforts. (Photo Courtesy of Press TV)

The 6,000-page report is the most detailed, independent examination of the agency’s methods to “break” dozens of detainees through physical and psychological duress.  But declassifying the report to prepare for its release to the public could take months, if not longer.

“The report . . . raises critical questions about intelligence operations and oversight,” said Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) in a statement.  She chairs the Senate Intelligence Committee, which voted 9-6 on Thursday to approve the report.

“I strongly believe that the creation of long-term, clandestine ‘black sites’ and the use of so-called ‘enhanced-interrogation techniques’ were terrible mistakes,” she added.  “The majority of the committee agrees.”

Those familiar with the report’s findings said it makes a detailed case that the interrogation techniques never produced any counter-terrorism breakthroughs.  In some cases, such as the campaign against al-Qaeda, subjecting prisoners to the techniques were counterproductive.

Republicans had largely boycotted the investigation because of inaccuracies, and they faulted Democrats for calling too few witnesses.  Sen. Olympia Snowe (R-Maine) was the lone Republican who supported approving the report, joining the committee’s eight Democrats.

The report includes information on every detainee in CIA custody, the conditions under which they were held, the interrogation techniques used on them, the intelligence they provided, and the accuracy of CIA descriptions of the program to the White House.  More than 6 million pages of documents were reviewed, containing data on post-9/11 interrogation techniques such as waterboarding.

Sen. Saxby Chambliss (R-Ga.), the committee’s ranking Republican, said in a statement that the report “contains a number of significant errors and omissions about the history and utility of the CIA’s detention program,” noting that the investigation did not interview “any of the people involved.”

High-ranking officials from the George W. Bush administration, including former Vice President Dick Cheney and former CIA Director Michael Hayden, have defended the use of waterboarding, sleep deprivation, and other measures.  They argued that the techniques provided critical clues to help find Osama bin Laden, who was killed in a U.S. raid in May 2011.  But Sen. Feinstein and Sen. Carl Levin (D-Mich.) dismissed that suggestion earlier this year.

Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.), who has long opposed the United States’ use of torture based on his experience as a prisoner of war in Vietnam, issued a statement that the committee’s work shows that “cruel” treatment of prisoners “is not only wrong in principle and a stain on our country’s conscience, but also an ineffective and unreliable means of gathering intelligence.”

The report now goes to President Barack Obama and other officials for review.  Feinstein said the committee would receive their comments until February 15, at which time it would make the decision on whether to declassify the report for public release.

For further information, please see:

Press TV — Report Finds Harsh CIA Interrogations Ineffective — 15 December 2012

Chicago Tribune — Senate Committee Approves Report on CIA Interrogations, Revives Torture Debate — 13 December 2012

The Huffington Post — CIA Torture Report Approved by Senate Intelligence Committee — 13 December 2012

The Washington Post — Report Finds Harsh CIA Interrogations Ineffective — 13 December 2012