Syrian rebels plan raids to exploit Western strikes - commander
Source: Reuters
Opposition fighters across Syria are preparing to launch attacks that exploit anticipated U.S.-led military strikes, but there are no plans to coordinate with Western forces, a Syrian rebel commander said on Saturday.
...
Qassim Saadeddine, a former Syrian army colonel and spokesman for the rebels' Supreme Military Council, said the council had sent a selection of rebel groups a military plan of action to use if strikes took place.
"The hope is to take advantage when some areas are weakened by any strikes. We ordered some groups to prepare in each province, to ready their fighters for when the strike happens," he told Reuters, speaking by Skype.
"They were sent a military plan that includes preparations to attack some of the targets we expect to be hit in foreign strikes, and some others that we hope to attack at the same time."
Read more: http://uk.reuters.com/article/2013/08/31/uk-syria-crisis-rebels-strike-idUKBRE97U06520130831
dipsydoodle
(42,239 posts)Just another reason not to do it.
MyNameGoesHere
(7,638 posts)We must punish someone when they act bad, and obviously reward the "oppressed". It has worked lovely in the past and I for one am glad we are too stupid to devise another doctrine.
If you're our friend we give you nice toys to blow up your opponents. If you are bad we strangle your citizens and blow your country to smithereens.
Of course the role players can go from bad guy to good guy at the stroke of a pen, but who cares?
another_liberal
(8,821 posts)We will be called upon to make further strikes in support of their gains. To not do so, we will be told, would be to waste the efforts and expense already invested. Before you know it we will simply have to send our Marines and Seal teams to the front, since to not do so would be to let down the rebels after we have gotten them into such a dangerous, exposed position.
Don't even get started involving ourselves is my advice.
Sunlei
(22,651 posts)That sucks.
pisses me off our mighty Intelligence teams (that are probably for profit contractors)- cost billions. They watch the trucks take days to move into place & stand by and let those rockets fire.
They could have struck those trucks and saved thousands of innocent lives. And disrupted Assad & killed the rocket crews. Even a LOUD warning to the targets would have disrupted Assad plans!
KittyWampus
(55,894 posts)Bosonic
(3,746 posts)Most of the Islamist rebel brigades are pretty despicable, case in point:
Mass slaughter of civilian Kurds in Syria ignites heavy clashes and mass exodus
The al-Qaeda linked Jabhat al-Nusra (al-Nusra Front) in Syria, has been held responsible for having instigated a sectarian racist war against civilian Kurds in Syrias northern Kurdish region, the outcomes of which recently led to the massacre of hundreds of Kurdish women and children, some of whom were raped and beheaded by jihadists, says Syrian opposition officials, witnesses and victims.
Human rights activists in Syrias Kurdish region have confirmed that 450 Kurdish civilians, mostly women and children, were slaughtered indiscriminately inside their homes at the hands of jihadists of the al-Nusra Front in Tal Abyad, Tal Hassil and Tal Aran areas of Syrian Kurdistan from July 28 August 2, 2013.
They say the attacks are continuous against civilian Kurds, adding that several Kurdish women have also requested urgent help claiming al-Qaeda linked jihadists had gang-raped them soon after their husband and brothers were shot dead in cold blood in front of them.
Naze Alyama, a Syrian-Armenian human rights activist working for the Heyva Sor a Kurdistane(Kurdistan Red Moon) charity in Syrias Kurdish region, whose mission is now stationed on the Syrian-Iraqi Kurdish border, says, We have helped several women to cross the border into Iraqi Kurdistan who were victims, raped by jihadists of the al-Nusra Front, some of whom had witnessed their husbands shot dead in front of them before they were gang raped by jihadist gunmen.
http://www.opendemocracy.net/rozh-ahmad/mass-slaughter-of-civilian-kurds-in-syria-ignites-heavy-clashes-and-mass-exodus
L0oniX
(31,493 posts)I'm sure Al Qaeda associates will welcome our help.
iamthebandfanman
(8,127 posts)the a majority of the FSA aren't religious extremists and just want their freedom from an oppressive government..
they cant help it if other nations have flooded their country with foreigners in an attempt to blur the lines as best they can..
I have a friend in Syria, whom ive known since around 2002 , and he told me about 4 months ago that hes never seen so many Iranians there in his entire life... you literally cant go out onto the street without running into a non-Syrian fighting.
they don't want them there. they don't want this to be about religion. they just want a sovereign nation that doesn't beat and torture its own people for saying the wrong thing.
people seem to hear the phrase 'Allahu Akbar' in videos and assume they must be extreme in their views.. but I can think of a lot of people whod be calling out to God or saying the name of jesus if they were witnessing the horror these folks are going through
L0oniX
(31,493 posts)iamthebandfanman
(8,127 posts)that when they were demanding weapons , we gave them communications devices instead right?
and that weve been listening to their chatter now for months on end to find out who exactly we are dealing with ?
sure, there are extremists there.. that have hijacked their cause.
does that mean the rest of the people with genuine want of a new regime should be punished and treated like extremists? id imagine youre only making more that way.
L0oniX
(31,493 posts)David__77
(23,215 posts)Let's see how that turned out. These people are good at putting on a liberal face in Western capitals. In insurgent-held territories, the sharia court mete out harsh justice, unheard of in Syria in modern times.
iamthebandfanman
(8,127 posts)Junkdrawer
(27,993 posts)About the time Putin slapped down Bandar Bush....
Starts here:
Putin thanked King Abdullah for his greetings and Bandar for his exposition, but then he said to Bandar, We know that you have supported the Chechen terrorist groups for a decade. And that support, which you have frankly talked about just now, is completely incompatible with the common objectives of fighting global terrorism that you mentioned. We are interested in developing friendly relations according to clear and strong principles.
Bandar said that the matter is not limited to the kingdom and that some countries have overstepped the roles drawn for them, such as Qatar and Turkey. He added, We said so directly to the Qataris and to the Turks. We rejected their unlimited support to the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt and elsewhere. The Turks role today has become similar to Pakistans role in the Afghan war. We do not favor extremist religious regimes, and we wish to establish moderate regimes in the region. It is worthwhile to pay attention to and to follow up on Egypts experience. We will continue to support the army, and we will support Defense Minister Gen. Abdel Fattah al-Sisi because he is keen on having good relations with us and with you. And we suggest to you to be in contact with him, to support him and to give all the conditions for the success of this experiment. We are ready to hold arms deals with you in exchange for supporting these regimes, especially Egypt.
...
Putin: Our stance on Assad will not change
Regarding the Syrian issue, the Russian president responded to Bandar, saying, Our stance on Assad will never change. We believe that the Syrian regime is the best speaker on behalf of the Syrian people, and not those liver eaters. During the Geneva I Conference, we agreed with the Americans on a package of understandings, and they agreed that the Syrian regime will be part of any settlement. Later on, they decided to renege on Geneva I. In all meetings of Russian and American experts, we reiterated our position.
....
Read more: http://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/politics/2013/08/saudi-russia-putin-bandar-meeting-syria-egypt.html
Pepe Escobar's reports:
The evidence points to rockets launched from a Syrian army post near Damascus which Finnish researcher Petri Krohn, currently conducting a meticulous investigation, conclusively placed as occupied by the rebels since June. (scroll down to Qaboun rocket launches)
Add to it the Defense Ministry in Baghdad, one month ago, dismantling an Al-Qaeda cell in Iraq that was planning to launch attacks in Iraq and abroad, as in Syria, using chemical weapons.
....
So here we have all the elements of a sophisticated false flag operation. Jabhat al-Nusra jihadis, mostly mercenaries, connected to al-Qaeda in Iraq, but with no connection with Syrian civilians, including women and children, use an area formerly occupied by the Syrian army to launch a chemical attack perhaps using chlorine under the cover of a Syrian offensive (admitted by the government). The offensive was codenamed Operation City Shield. Damascus had solid intel about scores of rebels trained by the CIA and the Saudis in Jordan converging to the area and planning a massive attack on the capital.
Then there is Saudi intel tsar Bandar bin Sultan, aka Bandar Bushs threat to President Putin in their notorious four-hour meeting earlier this month: The military solution is the only one left for Syria. Bandar, a master of the dark arts, is in charge of winning Syria to the House of Saud by all means available, chemical or otherwise.
....
http://rt.com/op-edge/war-chemical-weapons-obama-syria-120/
arewenotdemo
(2,364 posts)How does Bandar Bush possess the sequins to meet with Putin in Moscow and basically admit to supporting Chechen terrorism against Russia?
And how exactly is it that Saudi Arabia possesses its own brand of Islamic terrorist, but opposes the Brotherhood in Egypt?
arewenotdemo
(2,364 posts)having the CIA train them and proxies funnel weapons to them.
It shouldn't be a problem to coordinate with them regarding the missile strikes.
Opens up the gates for the rebels to acquire more CW....that's a win/win situation.
Obama should be the first foreign head of state that Al Qaeda invites when it raises its flag over Damascus.
arewenotdemo
(2,364 posts)instead of venting here.
I apologize, but I didn't vote for Obama twice to realize the dreams of Paul Wolfowitz and Elliot Abrams.
daleo
(21,317 posts)Yeah, right.