Daily Newsletter – 05/10/2013

The Military Council Calls for the Institutionalization of Military Brigades and Batallions and Considers the Coalition an Umbrella for the Military Organization, Requests Arab and Islamic County Guarantees, Emphasizes the Fundamentals of Negotiating Bashar al Assad’s Departure, Transfer of Power, and Holding Criminals Accountable

In a statement issued by the members of the Supreme Military Council of the Free Syrian Army which called for the acceleration of the unification of all  military bodies of the Syrian revolution through the institutionalization of the battalions and brigades of the Free Syrian Army.  The statement pointed out that “no one has the right to do this job except the Supreme Military Council of the Free Syrian Army”. This comes after lengthy talks conducted by the battalion and brigade commanders with the head of the Syrian National Coalition and the Chief of Staff of the Free Syrian Army, Salim Idris. The Military Council considers the Syrian National Coalition the core umbrella organization of the revolutionary and military leadership, stressing the need for the formation of the interim government as soon as possible in order to secure the community and public service needs of the Syrian people, as well as to protect public property and national wealth. The statement pointed out that “this will comes after securing what is required for the government ‘s success in terms of materials and logistics and a selection of qualified people to secure the requirements and the needs of citizens and refugees to in surrounding countries and within the country.”  The Supreme Military Council rejected any dialogue with what it described as the regime of terror in Syria, stressing that “the minimum acceptable requirement to sit at the negotiating table” is to “engage in a negotiation process with Arab and Muslim guarantees preceded by international oversight.” The statement pointed the necessity of conducting negotiations in terms of the Syrian National Coalition position on Bashar al – Assad’s departure, the transfer of power and to hold the perpetrators of crimes against the Syrian people responsible, whether from inside or from groups imported by the regime such as Iran and the terrorist Hezbollah militia. The military leaders who met the President of the Coalition are some of the most important leaders of brigades and battalions fighting against Bashar al Assad’s forces, which have liberated many cities since the beginning of the outbreak of the Syrian revolution. Jarba considered the military phase of the revolution, “something forced by the regime and not what the Syrian people wanted,” adding that “its goal is defending civilians, protecting public property and national wealth, striving to build a democratic society with a civilian political leadership.” The head of a Coalition also discussed with military commanders their future military plans for the liberation of the rest of the Syrian cities, in addition to the financial support necessary to arm the Free Syrian Army to make it a force capable of tighter control and able to eliminate the Assad forces and the terrorist Hizbullah militia and who are seeking, under Iranian leadership, to kill the Syrians. At the meeting, the combat battalion leaders reiterated their full commitment to the principles of the Syrian revolution which aimed to achieve freedom and justice. In the end it was noted that “the military phase that the revolution is currently in is a short phase that will end with the fall of Assad and the handing over power to a civilian political leadership that is able to meet the aspirations of the Syrian people.”

(Source: Coalition)

20 Martyrs in Syria Until This Evening and 81 Martyrs Yesterday

Local Coordination Committees in Syria documented 81 martyrs yesterday, 20 martyrs died as of 6 PM this evening, among them one child, five martyrs in each of Tartous, Damascus and its suburbs and four martyrs in each of Daraa, Aleppo, and one in each of Hama and Deir el Zour.

(Source: Local Coordination Committees)

Regime Forces Shell Many Districts of Damascus and its Suburbs

Regime forces renewed their shelling with mortars and rockets on the Damascus Districts of Barzah, al Yarmouk Camp, and al Tadamun. The regime also shelled with mortars tanks the towns of Daryaa and al Thiabiya in the Damascus suburbs as well as the city of Rankous, Jayroud, Talfina, and the outskirts of the village of southern Baja as well as the north eastern city of al Nabak in al Qalamoun in the Damascus countryside. Activists reported four mortar shells falling in the Hospitality Institute in Dahyat Qudsaya as well as two shells that fell behind the telephone service center. Fierce clashes with medium and heavy weapons occurred between the Free Syrian Army and regime forces near the 81st Wave in al Maleih in the Damascus countryside while the regime shelled the town’s southern orchards.

(Source: Local Coordination Committees)

 Regime Forces Renew Shelling of Daraa Countryside

Regime forces shelled with rockets the city of Dael in Daraa, while fierce clashes occurred near the Concourse and Radar Brigade for the fourth day in the city of Nawa in the Daraa countryside. Regime forces also renewed their shelling al Naeema in the eastern Daraa countryside. The military campaign conducted by the regime forces on Daraa and its countryside resulted in four being martyred today and 20 yesterday.

(Source: Local Coordination Committ( 

Regime Thugs Slaughter an Entire Family in al Qabu in Homs

Regime thugs committed a horrific massacre of an entire family in the area of al Qabu in the Homs countryside. The family was slaughtered with knives as they were stopped in their way of travel between al Salamiya and al Qadmous. In the context of the horrific campaign conducted by the regime forces on besieged Homs, a surface to surface missile landed on al Qusoor in Homs, resulting in direct hits on civilians’ homes and severe damage to the infrastructure. This  comes as regime forces renewed their shelling with heavy mortars on the cities of al Rastan and Qalat al Hosn in the Homs countryside, and are also in one of the most important and strategic areas outside Assad’s control.

(Source: Coalition + Shaam News Network)

Free Syrian Army Forces Destroy a Tank and a BMP in the Hama Countryside…Regime Shells the Village of Jabal Shahshabo

The FSA destroyed a T72 tank and a BMP and killed a number of Assad soldiers at the al Kafar checkpoint between the cities of Halfaya and Tibat al Imam in the Hama countryside. Regime thugs raided the town of Jrayjes in the Hama countryside and burned homes of martyrs and prisoners. An arrest campaign was conducted along with home invasions where regime thugs and destroyed homes. Regime forces shelled with rockets the villages of Jabal Shahshabo in the Hama countryside as the FSA shelled strongholds of the Assad regime forces in the “afflicted” village of Tal al Mileh in the northern Hama countryside.

(Source: Shaam News Network)

Five Martyrs Due to Regime Shelling on al Mitras in Tartous, Fears of Massacres

Five martyrs and many injured fell in the village of al Mitras in Tartous due to consecutive shelling by regime forces. Civilians’ fears of a massacre increase due to the possibility of the regime raiding the village and slaughtering people in the village. It should be noted that the village is 15 km south of the city of Safeeta, and its residents are more than 8,000 people, mostly Turkmen.

(Source: Shaam News Network)

Shelling on Districts in Aleppo and its Countryside

Regime fighter jets shelled al Masaraniya in Aleppo just as its planes shelled the town of Muarat al Arteeq resulting in the injury of many people. Regime fighter jets also targeted with heavy machine guns the city of Andan, and with rockets Dahrat Kafar Hamra in the northern Aleppo countryside.

(Source: Local Coordination Committees + Shaam News Network)

Gasoline Prices Rise in Syria, Analysts Predict a Wave of More Expensive Commodities

Regime forces raised gasoline prices from 80 to 100 per liter, which will lead to a wave of increased prices according to analysts. It is noteworthy that during the Syria revolution the exchange rate of the lira against the dollar ranged between 170-187 pounds per dollar, while the exchange rate before the revolution was 47 pounds per dollar. Analysts have reported that Assad regime authorities would gain at least 100 million pounds a day due to rising gasoline prices.

(Source: al Arabiya)

The Regime Provides the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons with Information on Syria’s Chemical Weapons and the Organization Gives the Regime 7 Days to Complete the Details

The Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons in charge of the destruction of the Syrian arsenal announced that the Assad regime has given it “additional information” about Syria’s chemical weapons program in a docile response to the decision of the United Nations in this regard. The announcement came during a meeting of the Executive Board of the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons according to a statement of the organization which is based in The Hague in the Netherlands. The text of Resolution 2118 of the UN Security Council of the United Nations, which was passed last week, which gives the Assad regime seven days after the ratification of the decision to provide more details on the stocks of Syria’s chemical weapons , including data on raw materials for chemical weapons, including the toxins and their quantities. According to French intelligence, information was disclosed that the Syrian arsenal of chemical weapons consist of more than a thousand tons of components and raw materials for the production of serine, mustard and nerve gas . The Assad regime had agreed last month to join the Treaty for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons and abandon its arsenal of such weapons, under the threat of the international community to launch air strikes against them in retaliation for the serine gas attack on Damascus and its countryside towns last month.

(Source: Al Jazeera)

America Considers the Mere Idea of Assad’s Candidacy for Presidency is Humiliating

The vice spokeswoman for the U.S. State Department Mary Harvey said the idea that a dictator like Bashar al-Assad had any chance of being nominated for the presidential elections in Syria is “extremely offensive.” Harvey said during a press conference that she cannot accommodate the thought “that the president of a regime which has slaughtered thousands of Syrian people and killed more than 1,400 by gassing,” in reference to the massacre in the two Ghoutas of Damascus “is expected to run for the presidential elections.” She added that “the Syrian people were clear about what they wanted, and we were clear that we would support this, and if Assad is actually willing to meet the wishes of the Syrians, he should leave.”

(Source: al Quds al Arabi)

Saudi Supports the Decision to Destroy Chemical Weapons in Syria and Hopes for Completing the Decision with a Binding Resolution on the Assad Regime

Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Saud al Faisal expressed support of the resolution on the destruction of Syrian chemical weapons, which the Executive Council of the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons passed by consensus last Friday. Pointing to the need to adhere to the resolution, also that Riyadh had hoped that “the resolution would be complemented by a firm and clear decision from the Security Council under Chapter VII of the Charter of the United Nations, to ensure that the Assad regime complies without delay or procrastination.” After stressing the need to make the region free of all weapons of mass destruction, he said, “The Kingdom always stressed that the use of such weapons under any circumstances cannot be tolerated, which is reprehensible, denounced, condemned in the strongest terms, incompatible with the ethical and legal standards of the international community.”

(Source: Coalition + al Hayat)