Daily Newsletter – 17/10/2013

Free Syrian Army Storms The Aleppo Central Prison

Clashes between the FSA and Assad Forces continued today as the Free Syrian Army stormed a number of buildings in the Aleppo Central Prison. The FSA freed thousands of political detainees incarcerated for peacefully demonstrating and demanding the ouster of Assad throughout the revolution. Furthermore, this tactical advancement is in Assad’s primary military area and in important security headquarters for the Assad Regime. 

Analysts report that the latest liberation of political detainees created many humanitarian pathways and freed other FSA strongholds, as well as liberating many residential areas under Assad’s control. Fighting brigades inside the prison deny that the main building has been liberated and remain steadfast that prisoners are still trapped inside. Furthermore, fighting brigades emphasize that they are serious about liberating the prison yard where the most violent clashes have occurred between Regime Forces and the FSA.  Sources report battalions participating in the liberation activity carried out two successful military operations in the Athem building, across from the prison, a stronghold for the Assad Regime.

(Source: Syrian Coalition)

Syrian Civil Peace Council: Assad Uses Crises to Control Disputed Territory

The Syrian Civil Peace Council of the Syrian Coalition welcomes evacuations efforts in Muadamiyah to remove people from this area. However, these “moves to dodge and exploit the noble efforts of humanitarian organizations turning citizens into internal refugees and further increases the military’s grip on the area.” This became clear, “when children were detained in schools under regime security forces’ control, where children were tortured with hopes of getting information from them about the Free Syrian Army in the area.” The Council regretted “the regime forces’ diversion of the humanitarian mission from its legal and humanitarian course, considering it unethical and contrary to the principles of the law.” The Syrian Civil Peace Council confirmed that “the organizations’ mission should not be limited to getting civilians out of their towns, cities, and homes because this doesn’t address the core of the problem plaguing the area.” The Council demands “for the sake of the unity of the Syrian social fabric and the prevention of pushing people to imbalanced behavior that the siege is lifted and humanitarian corridors are opened to deal with the humanitarian crisis in Muadamiyah and the Ghoutas of Damascus. This should happen in a legal and logical manner consistent with the principles of humanitarian organizations.” (Source: Syrian Coalition)

Regime Forces Use Human Shields and Kill Members of the Mediation Committee

The Syrian Coalition launches an urgent appeal to the United Nations and its affiliated organizations, the Arab League, and human rights organizations to act immediately to save civilians in western Ghouta, rural Damascus. Humanitarian corridors are urgently needed to save the lives of men, women and children in Muadamiyah, which has been under siege by Assad’s forces for more than 330 days. The Syrian Coalition added that Assad forces “took unarmed civilians as hostages after promising safety to the mediation committee overseeing the evacuation process. According to a Syrian National Coalition statement, regime forces “targeted the area with shelling which killed three people and injured others. Then other civilians were used as human shields to prevent the Free Syrian Army from defending the city.” The Assad regime has infringed every international norm and convention during the past two and a half years. It has arrested, tortured, and killed peaceful protesters. It has carried out heinous massacres across Syria, targeting field hospitals and holy places of worship. Assad’s forces have raped, massacred, burned, and displaced civilians and starved innocent children to death. At the end of the its statement, the Syrian National Coalition demanded that the international community hold the Assad regime be held accountable and prosecuted for using civilians as human shields after giving them guarantees of safety. The Coalition considers this a clear violation of the principles of international humanitarian law and that what occurred are war crimes against humanity. (Source: Syrian Coalition)

Egyptian Authorities Exploit Syrians

Hisham Marwa, member of the Legal Committee of the Syrian National Coalition, considers Syrians arrested by Egyptian authorities as unacceptable and exceeds legal norms. He stressed that “there are Syrian prisoners detained by Egyptian forces for no reason at all.” Marwa explained that “the head of the Syrian National Coalition held talks with several Egyptian officials and asked them to address these abuses, especially the arbitrary arrest of Syrian citizens. President of the Legal Committee of the Syrian National Coalition, Haitham al-Maleh, at a conference of the Syrian community in Egypt, criticized the deportation of some Syrians back to their country by Egyptian authorities, considering it a flagrant violation of the principles of international law. Al Maleh also considered the practice of extortion practiced by Egyptian police against Syrians inside detention centers in Alexandria and border crossings as immoral and contrary to the principles of law. He pointed to a recent incident in Port Said where he said some Syrians were on their way to Libya, they were stopped, mugged, beaten, and then handed over to the Egyptian security forces who deported them back to Syria. Al Maleh explained that if Egyptian authorities insisted on the policy of deportation then they should deport Syrians to a safe place and not hand Syrians over Bashar al Assad’s regime. Amnesty International accused Egyptian authorities of deporting and arresting hundreds of refugees fleeing Syria without legal basis. Amnesty International said, “instead of providing necessary assistance and support for Syrian refugees, Egyptian authorities arrest and deport them ignoring human rights principles.” Amnesty International added, “the lack of help and protection for Syrian refugees has seriously hurt Egypt’s image as one of the most important countries in the region.” Amnesty International reported that a number of Syrian refugees had to leave Egypt due to the harsh conditions they lived under there. An Egyptian diplomatic source said, “There are no extraordinary measures or systematic political measures taken against Syrians in Egypt.”  The source also said, “Human Rights Watch requested Egyptian authorities last July to “stop arbitrary arrests of Syrian refugees and to stop threatening them with deportation from the country.” HRW also called for the immediate release of detainees who have no real charges pending against them. (Source: Syrian Coalition)

Twenty-four Dead in Syria today. 78 dead yesterday.

78 people died in Syria yesterday. Local Coordination Committees in Syria documented 24 people who died in Syria including a woman and two children. 13 people died in Aleppo, three in Homs, two in each of Damascus proper and rural Damascus, Dara’a,  Idlib, and Deir Ezzor.  (Source: Local Coordination Committees)

The Free Syrian Army Damages Military Vehicles near Tishreen Hospital

Regime Forces attacked al Qaboun, Zamalka, and Irbeen with rocket launchers and heavy artillery injuring many people and destroying many homes. The FSA fired on and damaged a regime tank on the road next to Tishreen Military Hospital in Barzah, Damascus. The Assali District experienced fierce shelling by Assad forces injuring many people. Also, there was heavy shelling on Yarmouk Camp with no reports of injury. (Source: Syrian Coalition + Smart News Agency)

Twelve Soldiers Defect from the Regime Forces, FSA Advances

Twelve soldiers defected from a regime military camp to the Free Syrian Army near Busra al Harir in rural Daraa. Regime forces responded to the defection operation by shelling the towns and villages near the military camp. Fierce clashes occurred between regime forces and the FSA around the 61st Battalion, Tafas Military Housing, Al Tableen Checkpoint, and Abu Rashed Checkpoint. Regime forces also targeted Tafas with rocket launchers and heavy artillery. They also burnt homes in the town of al Sheikh Miskeen. Regime fighter jets conducted an air strike on al Hirak  and destroyed many homes in the area. (Source: Syrian Coalition + Smart News Agency)

The Free Syrian Army Controls Two Regime Checkpoints in al Sukhna in Homs

The Free Syrian Army took control of al Sad Checkpoint and the Mafraq al Teeba Checkpoint in al Sukhna in Homs. Fierce clashes between the Free Syrian Army and regime forces resulted in the deaths of 30 soldiers and injuring many others.  Regime forces shelled the town of al Dara al Kabeera with Fozdika rockets and heavy artillery injuring many people. Also, many residents of the surrounding villages left their homes in fear of their lives. These villages have suffered a choking siege creating a shortage in food and medical supplies. (Source: Coalition + Local Coordination Committees)

Clashes in Deir Elzour Kill 20 Regime Soldier

The Free Syrian Army clashed with regime forces in Deir Ezzor in al Rushdiye, al Sinaa, al Joura, and Deir Ezzo military airport. Activists reported that the Military Hospital received the bodies of 20 dead soldiers and more than 25 injured regime soldiers. A fighting brigade detonated a car bomb near a regime stronghold eliminating more than 20 regime soldiers. The FSA in al Raqqa targeted regime strongholds in the 17th Battalion with heavy artillery and mortar shells killing a general named Ibrahim Shaaban. A large fire blazed in the Officer’s Quarters in the 17th Battalion killing many people and injuring others. (Source: Syrian Coalition + Smart News Agency)

The Turkish Military Shells ISIS Positions in Response to their Attack

The Turkish Military launched four artillery shells on ISIS positions in response to a mortar shell that fell on Turkish territory. This is the first time the Turkish Military targets a group tied to al Qaeda. Turkish authorities made clear “that the mortar came from Izaz – in the mountainous areas of Aleppo – around 1:30 PM last Tuesday, falling without exploding 450 east of a Turkish military position in Dimirisk around Kilis. The Turkish authorities added that the mortar “did not cause any reportable damage.”

The head of the Lebanese Forces Party, Samir Jaajaa, states that the Assad government created extremist organization, ISIS in Syria. According to his sources, he confirms that the regime is still in direct contact with some of its elements. He added that “many ISIS fighters were prisoners in Iraqi and Syrian prisons and were released with the goal of establishing the organization.” Jaajaa explains that “ISIS is not fighting the Assad Regime in any place, but fights are only directed at other Syrian rebels.” Jaajaa describes these organizations, which the regime created, as fungi and insists “immediate and drastic measures should be taken to put a stop to these groups.” (Source: Syrian Coalition + Reuters)    

Sky News Reporters Missing in Aleppo

Sky News Arabic has reported two of their reporters missing in Syria. They have reported losing contact with their news team operating in northern Syria, consisting of the journalist Ishaq Mukhtar and the videographer Sameer Kassab and their driver during their covering of the events in Aleppo on Tuesday, the first day of Eid ul Adha. The channel confirmed its concern for the news team’s safety, asking all groups and humanitarian organizations to offer any information about the location of the missing persons: Ishaq who is Mauritanian, Sameer who is Lebanese, and the Syrian driver. They also said they would support any efforts to find them and safely return them to their families. (Source: Sky News)

France to Accept 500 Syrian Refugees, Bulgaria Complains About Illegals

France announced they will accept 500 Syrian refugees in response to a United Nations request. This came as a result of discussions in Paris between the French President Francois Hollande and the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) Antonio Guterres.  They addressed the humanitarian consequences of the Assad regime’s massacres in Syria in particular. At the same time Bulgaria announced its intention to build a fence on its south-eastern border with Turkey to curb the flow of Syrian refugees into its territory. The Deputy Interior Minister of Bulgaria, Vasil Marinov, said the ministry has proposed building a fence along the 30 km and a height of three meters in mountainous al Hofo region. The UN High Commissioner for Refugees in the United Nations hoped the member states of the European Union would receive 10,000 Syrian refugees in 2013 and 30,000 in 2014. (Source: France 24 + The Constitution)