Daily Newsletter – 08/11/2013

Syrian Coalition: UN Considers Syrian Coalition representatives of political transition team

“The only opposition supported and represented by the Syrian people is the one that has carried the banner of the revolution and has struggled to achieve its objectives to reach freedom and dignity and who defended the rights of the Syrian people from the outset.” Khalid Saleh, the Syrian Coalition’s Media Office Director, stated. He stressed that those who get Assad’s approval are not the real opposition, rather they must be called “opposition approved by the Assad regime” because the Assad regime “created it and is now promoting it in collaboration with its allies.” Saleh added that “Assad’s regime is hampering the peace conference, which aims to find a political solution, through the statements of its representatives who have confirmed that they will not go to Geneva II for a handing over of power. In doing so the Assad regime contradicts…Read more

Atassi stresses ACU’s role in rebuilding Syria at meeting with Western Delegations
Director of Assistance Coordination Unit (ACU), Mrs. Suhair Atassi, met yesterday with a U.S. delegation headed by Ambassador Frederick (Rick) Barton, the U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for Conflict and Stabilization Operations and the Coordinator…Read more                      

Mekdad: Assad’s latest progress is temporary
Luay Mekdad, the Free Syrian Army’s media and political coordinator, said that the “Free Syrian Army captured Assad’s second biggest strategic weapons depot and began moving arms and ammunition to other areas through the battalions that participated…Read more

Death Toll: 28 killed today, 54 dead yesterday
Local Coordination Committees in Syria documented 54 people killed yesterday, while citing 28 people killed by six in the evening on Friday, including a woman and six children, citing 11 in Hama, six in Dara’a, five in Aleppo, four in Idlib, and two in Damascus. (Source: Local Coordination Committees)

Regime forces shell al Sayeda Zeinab, Mortar rounds hit central Damascus
Regime forces shelled the town of Sayeda Zeinab in Damascus with heavy artillery today, killing three people and injuring dozens of others. In addition, civilian casualties were reported in Duma when regime forces fired mortar rounds on the city. Mortar rounds also fell near the Schools Compound in the neighborhood of Shaghour in Damascus, injuring a number of people. Meanwhile Assad warplanes launched air strikes on the outskirts of Eastern Ghouta that resulted in a number of injuries and the destruction of a number of houses. (Source: Syrian Coalition + Smart News Agency)

FSA attacks regime forces in rural Dara’a
The Free Syrian Army attacked the regime’s headquarters in Bosra al Sham in rural Dara’a with mortar rounds today killing of a number of Assad troops. Two Free Syrian Army fighters were killed during the violent clashes that took place in the town of Atman. In the meantime, regime forces shelled the town of Nahtah with rocket launchers, killing two people and injuring others. Civilian casualties, including children, were also reported in the towns of Dael and Sheikh Miskeen after coming under artillery bombardment by regime forces. (Source: Syrian Coalition + Smart News Agency)

Children Massacred in Hama
Five children were killed today and many others were wounded when Assad’s warplanes dropped cluster bombs on the village of Rasm al Daba’ in rural Hama. Meanwhile, the Free Syrian Army destroyed a tank when they captured the Alaaf checkpoint located between the towns of Souran and Kawkab in northern rural Hama. The Free Syrian Army also repelled regime forces who tried to storm the village of Khnevis, killing 13 soldiers and capturing two. (Source: Syrian Coalition + Smart News Agency)

Warplanes and artillery forces shell Aleppo
Regime warplanes and artillery pounded the eastern districts of Aleppo today killing six civilians and wounding dozens of people. Assad warplanes also dropped barrel bombs on Aleppo’s thermal power station, which resulted in a number of injuries in the region. This coincided with heavy artillery bombardment on the neighborhood of Sheikh Khader of Aleppo that led to fires with no reports of casualties. In the meantime, violent clashes took place between the Free Syrian Army and the regime’s forces around the “80” Brigade in the perimeter of Aleppo International Airport amid air strikes on the area. (Source: Syrian Coalition + Smart News Agency)

Erdogan supports Geneva II, blames Russia for failure to set a date
Turkish Prime Minister, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, stated yesterday that he “supports the convening of an internationally- supported peace conference in Syria,” blaming Assad’s ally Russia for the failure to come to an agreement this week on a date for the talks. Erdogan pointed out that ” the side in the Syrian Revolution that Turkey supports is known well,” adding that “we are in contact with the Free Syrian Army , we are also in contact with the  Syrian National Coalition, and offer all our support and our assistance through them.” Yesterday Erdogan denied claims that Turkey is providing shelter or support to groups linked to al -Qaeda in Syria, stressing that such groups “will remain excluded from the Turkish support that Turkey is providing to the Syrian opposition. Such groups will be confronted just like all separatist terrorist groups.” Erdogan’s remarks came in response to accusations that Turkey supports Islamist militants. (Source: Syrian Coalition + Reuters)

Zawahiri disbands main al Qaeda faction in Syria
In an audio tape relayed via Al-Jazeera television, the leader of al-Qaeda has ordered the re-organization of jihadist efforts in Syria and Iraq by abolishing the Islamic State of Iraq and Greater Syria (ISIS) and giving al Nusra Front sole responsibility for activities as an “independent branch” of al-Qaeda. Al Zawahiri ordered “the abolishment of ISIS. It should continue as the earlier Islamic State of Iraq,” stressing that “Al Nusra Front for Greater Syria is an independent branch of al Qaeda that works under al Qaeda’s General Command.” He specified the ‘wilaya makaniyya’, or area of political activity, for each group: the Islamic State of Iraq should confine itself to Iraq, with al Nusra Front given sole authority for Syria. (Source: Al Haiyat + Syrian Coalition)

Vaccination campaign against polio for 20 million children
The World Health Organization and the United Nations Fund for Children (UNICEF) launched an intensive vaccination campaign against polio in Syria and six other countries in the Middle East in order to protect 20 million children from the disease. The organization announced that it has already vaccinated about 650,000 children in Syria, of whom 116,000 were in Deir Ezzor, in northeast Syria, where polio cases where recorded. The organization’s report confirmed the existence of 35 cases of the disease in Deir Ezzor. (Source: Syrian Coalition + AFP)

Jordan considers turning away Syrian refugees
Jordanian sources confirmed that Amman is seriously considering no longer receiving refugees from Syria after the number of Syrian refugees currently living in Jordan has reached nearly 600 thousand since the revolution began in March 2011. This comes at a time when Jordanian King Abdullah II re-stressed his country’s position that is calling for a comprehensive political solution in Syria. (Source: Syrian Coalition)