Syria's Assad Says Savage Paris Attacks Similar To What His Country Is Facing

[ucrdem]

Source: Reuters

AMMAN (Reuters) - Syrian President Bashar al Assad condemned Friday's attacks in Paris and said that such acts of terror were similar to what his people had faced in years of violent civil war.

"What France suffered from savage terror is what the Syrian people have been enduring for over five years," the Syrian President was quoted as saying on state media and Lebanese TV station al Mayadeen.

Read more: http://www.ibtimes.com/syrias-assad-says-savage-paris-attacks-similar-what-his-country-facing-2184564

[joshcryer]

1. You started it Assad.

Those protests were peaceful for many months. I have the timeline somewhere...

[polly7]

2. Wink, wink. nt.

[CJCRANE]

3. Yes, just look at Libya and the secular freedoms and stability they enjoy now.

And the secular and women and minority friendly rule of the Muslim Brotherhood that happened in Egypt. All is well.

[joshcryer]

4. Libya would look like Syria right now.

[polly7]

5. How is that?

Peaceful protests were co-opted there too to begin a horror that's got tens of thousands so desperate to escape they're dying at sea. Probably not all those migrants previously working in Libya though .......... they were pretty much wiped out or chased out. What exactly do you think Libya is like now???

[Jesus Malverde]

29. Libya isn't even a country anymore

It's a hodgepodge of warring militias.

[jamzrockz]

6. We all know peaceful protestors

kill police and burn down govt buildings, the same peaceful protesters lie that was used as a justification to condemn Gaddafi in the Libyan is being on Assad and Syria. France has been knee deep in arming of the jihadists terrorizing Syria now. I wonder if these attacks would cause the citizens to rethink their govts support for Syrian Jihadists.

I hope so but I am afraid this would only cause em to double down.

[joshcryer]

7. There wasn't any major violence for many months.

Assad finally cracked down and killed thousands, when that happened two things happened. One, people fled the country, and two, people took up arms, and became radicalized. It didn't help that in the meantime ISIS was forming from Saddam's former military leaders and that they share a border with Syria. They then went into Syria and other areas with impunity.

This is why Russia initially attacked the rebels and left ISIS alone. For those players ISIS is not a big deal. Well, now they're realizing with the downed passenger jet that ISIS is a bigger player.

All thanks to Bush.

[ensemble]

8. Agree it was due to Bush...

We have been pouring resources into Syria to destabilize Assad for almost 10 years.
But then blaming him for the monster created seems dubious at best.

http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2007/03/05/the-redirection

http://content.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,1571751,00.html

[bemildred]

10. Yeah, it gets tedious, the obsession with Assad.

I think it is wrongheaded at best to destroy the Syrian nation because you don't like Assad. If you don't have a better answer, and we clearly don't, then we should butt the fuck out, or try to do something constructive.

[Laughing Mirror]

14. Assad might like to butt the fuck out too

and get back to his ophthamology practice in London. But being the only one left to carry on the family business of power and politics, he can't.

Whenever I see an interview of him, I get the feeling that he seems almost like a reluctant autocrat. He wasn't groomed for the role that his brother who was killed in car accident was.

[bemildred]

16. Used to know the son of a former (Hafez) Assad minion.

A very smart guy. So I have no illusions about the Assad government, but yeah, I don't really have the feeling that Bashir wants to be there, so I don't think negotiating him out will be that hard as long as you guarantee the security of his people.

[LovingA2andMI]

39. Yes....

Because destroying nations worked out so well for us in Iraq.....

[jamzrockz]

21. Don't believe your telling of the events

I just think we just disagree on foreign policy. There is this idea that Russia helping Syria has to only focus on fighting ISIS while ignoring the rebels aligned with Jabat Al Nusra fighting that are killing university students. I don't agree with that line of thinking, I think Russia and the Syrian Arab Army should clear the country of all foreign backed opposition fighters in order to start healing.

Also, I cannot believe that Assad after seeing how easily NATO took down the Libyan govt would take the exact same actions the west accused Gaddafi committing. You read comments of this site all day that goes something like this "we all know Assad is a very bad guy" but nobody ever says why. So my question to the people that use that line is this, why is Assad a bad guy? and King of Jordan is not?

I think this whole regime change operation was planned way before the so called peaceful uprising and it was not Bush's fault that Libya happened and the weapons from that country were transferred to Syria to start another war. The people obsessed with Iran and Russia are doing their best to knock out leaders that ally with those countries and Syria just happened to be on the list.

[Jesus Malverde]

30. Lulz

You have the narrative down perfectly.

[Comrade Grumpy]

38. Your timeline is messed up.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timeline_of_the_Syrian_Civil_War_(January%E2%80%93April_2011)

This blew up in mid-March 2011 after the day of rage called for March 15. The Syrian state responded with a heavy hand, killing a small number of people.

By March 20, protesters were killing Syrian cops and burning down government buildings.

By March 25, Syrian soldiers were fighting "armed gangs."

If you review the history, the regime was simultaneously trying to tamp down the protests, while also engaging in efforts at rapprochement.

[leveymg]

24. There were few lethal casualties in Syria for the first 6 weeks of the "Arab Spring" phase of the

uprising. The opposition coalesced after violence started in Dara'ah. The bloodshed there occurred when armed crowds attacked police stations and government buildings. The majority of casualties in the first two days of fighting were police killed by unknown snipers who opened fire on police and demonstrators.
http://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1002&pid=3723275

The uprising had its start in Dara'ah, a Sunni opposition stronghold on the Lebanese border. It was not spontaneous but followed weeks of incitement by exile group media and Sunni mosques.
http://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1014&pid=410037

[jamzrockz]

26. Thanks for the reminder

Also like to post the video of the peaceful protests in Libya to show people what the media considers peaceful in hated countries. Its weird how these "peaceful" protests always start out in border towns, makes me wonder if outside agitators were brought in to stir things up.

Enough talking, watch and enjoy the Libyan peaceful protesters protesting evil dictator Gaddafi

[leveymg]

28. The uprisings in Libya and Syria were virtually identical and simultaneous. Same regime change

model, same order and timing in the unfolding of events. The role of propaganda and provocations in both the Syrian and Libyan rebellions has been documented: http://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1251&pid=322883

[Jesus Malverde]

31. Nailed it...nt

[Cayenne]

41. McCain and Clinton made sure rebels got arms

Assad had kept a peace, that included Christians, for twenty years. The Sunnis want Hezbollah out of there and the neocons wants a pipeline that will end Gazproms monopoly. Assad is fighting a war instigated by the CIA.

[bemildred]

9. Hard to argue with that. nt

[Laughing Mirror]

11. "France will not be able to battle terrorism,

as long as it is an ally of Qatar and Saudi Arabia."

Assad also said that.

http://www.valeursactuelles.com/monde/exclusif-bachar-el-assad-la-france-ne-pourra-pas-lutter-contre-le-terrorisme-tant-quelle-sera

[polly7]

13. Rich donors in both Qatar and SA funded IS in Syria from the beginning, as

they expected Assad to be taken down quickly.

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-29004253

[Laughing Mirror]

15. Yes, and we know who is manufacturing the weapons

those rich donors are paying for, and making a lot of dough off this.

[riderinthestorm]

12. I see these attacks as strengthening Assad's position

He's always said he's been fighting Islamic terrorists, not rebels.

That's demonstrably false to whatever degree one believes the ratio of rebels to ISIS might be but this attack will surely sway some to Assad's side.

[jamzrockz]

19. What a lot of people do not understand

is that the Syrian Army cannot fight ISIS without fighting the rebels at the same time. In most cases, the rebels are between the Syrian Army and ISIS and in other cases, the rebels are attacking and killing civilians in govt controlled areas. You heard of the killing of 24 university students in Latakia? who do you think set off the artillery that killed all those people? the so called rebels

And who was it in Europe that started sending artillery and heavy equipment to the rebels? France. So like I said, hope this is going to be a turning point for France to refrain from sponsoring terror groups in Syria. Maybe a fresh set of elections to vote these leaders out of office is in order.

[Jesus Malverde]

32. ISIS is in the run due to devestaing Russian attacks

Do you really only get your info from cnn?

[jamzrockz]

33. God no

I get my news about Syria from liveleaks, you know the place that has ISIS/rebel supporters and Syrian Arab Army(SAA)/Russian supporters going back and forth with video posts. And yes I know ISIS is being devastated by Russian and Syrian 1-2 combo attack, the point I was trying to make is the useless rebels getting in the way of SAA attacking ISIS had to be attacked first before going after ISIS.

The SAA are now trying to cut off ISIS supply route coming in from Turkey after taking the Kuweires Airbase. Just imagine that, ISIS supply route originates in Turkey and the west are mum about it.

This channel gives daily summary of the war, it seems like the situation are looking up since the Russians stepped in

[Jesus Malverde]

34. If you watch live leaks like I do

You would know the exuberant snakbars have been turned into mournful wails.

The terrorists in Syria are on the run, back to Saudi Arabia, evacuated to Yemen, and sadly embedded within the migrants. Russia fucked them up good.

Btw is was glorious to see the jihadist propagandist get his due in the middle of his broadcast. Watched it five or six times.

[NNadir]

17. My heart goes out to my beloved French friends and associates. As for Assad...

...his exploitation of this tragedy, this crime against the human race, says everything we need to know about him.

[7962]

18. This is another example of why sometimes the dictator is better than the alternative

Saddam usually kept the more violent groups under control. Yes, he gave cash to families of dead palestinian bombers, but he didnt have organized terror groups in Iraq. Assad kept the lid on his groups too. Israel warned about what was happening in Syria long ago because they understand
We all think everyone is the same and they're not. Some populations are just not ready to be totally "free". Its sad, but true.

[karynnj]

25. you ignore that Israel or at least Netanyahu was for attacking Iraq

He said removing Saddam would help.

[7962]

35. Well WE all knew that it would open a huge can of nasty worms

Even Assad had several different religions in the country who were protected. Saddam allowed Christians to live in Iraq.
ISIS wants to kill everyone; Saddam would have likely killed THEM

[LovingA2andMI]

40. Moving Saddam...

Caused the un-stabilization of the Middle East. We have George W. Bush and Netanyahu to blame for that.

[jamzrockz]

27. Don know about Israel

but this is what Netanyahu said about the Iraq war in 2002

He was also in favor of the Libyan war and has been attacking Syrian and Hezbollah troops fighting ISIS. If you ask me, I think he enjoys watching his enemies in turmoil.

[hollowdweller]

36. We thought maybe we could cross one off Israel's bucket list by helping topple Assad.

However all the stupid people who were for that apparently weren't looking around to see what was happening.

Pretty much ever since Iran Islamic whackos are the ones that try to follow the strong man and the people are happy to oblige.

[Fred Sanders]

20. Terrorism is not any worse because it is white people being attacked and not just not-white people.

Terrorism is terrorism and should be wiped out everywhere and the sympathy for everyone.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/10027343325

Where is the sympathy, and there should of course be much for Paris, when Syrians and Iraqis and Yemeni's and Nigerians and Kurds etc. are killed by terrorists of ISIS or the State terrorists hiding behind government walls supplied with American munitions and aid?

Do not forget who the Syrian refugees are running from....these murderers and demons who attacked Paris!

That The West considers itself immune to the terrorism forces it helped create and then arm is part of global white privileges.

[jamzrockz]

22. This should be said a million times

Just a few weeks ago, ISIS attacked a Russia passenger plane killing 200+ innocent civilians and there was very little sympathy from the media for the dead Russians. I even remember reading articles that immediately started blaming it on Putin for his intervention in Syria. But now because it is the French not Russians or Syrians or Lebanese or Kurds or Iraqis or Nigerians we should all grieve extra for them.

[Fred Sanders]

23. The hypocrisy of the massive Western military powers and their controlled media is legendary.

[7962]

37. "blaming"? No, it wasnt "blame". ISIS claimed it for that reason

I never saw any US news saying it was Russia's fault. The airliner was top news for days; as recently as yesterday.
We just sent more troops to Africa to help them as well. They havent been on the front pages because BOKO has suddenly had to face actual forces with training and they're getting hammered every time there is a battle. Cameroon has been beating them regularly. So there hasnt been as many high profile attacks like a few months back. They make the news as well