Syrian Coalition: Assad Proves He’s a War Criminal by His Latest Admission
The Syrian Coalition state that Bashar al-Assad’s statements that he has “allies and fighters working for him inside the opposition forces” are a confession that the international organizations must take into account, as it clearly shows his responsibility for “human rights violations” in the liberated areas” and others. Assad made this confession during a meeting with a delegation of Jordanian lawyers, who he asked for military intervention of the Kingdom of Jordan to “clean Dara’a province of the terrorists.” Louay Safi, the spokesman for the Syrian Coalition, described Bashar al-Assad’s remarks that he has “fighters in the ranks of the opposition,” as “futile attempts…Read more
Syrian Coalition Release a Report on FSA Gains The Syrian Coalition released a report that details the gains achieved by the Free Syrian Army, and demonstrates the most important military achievements…Read more
Syrian Coalition: We Have Evidence of The Regime’s Bombing of Churches in Maloula The Syrian Coalition and FSA’s General Staff denied any involvement of the FSA units in any sacrilege against the nuns of the Takla Monastery whose whereabouts…Read more
Disease Threatens the Future of Syria’s Children The blockade imposed by the Assad regime on the Syrian cities has reintroduced diseases into Syria and they threaten the future of Syrian children. Diseases such as polio and other maladies are now evident in the Syrian population. A doctor working inside Syria witnessed three cases of babies being born with severe deformities – a result of the collapse of the war-torn country’s healthcare system. The cases of Anencephaly – a condition which causes babies to be born without a major portion of the brain, skull and scalp – have been documented in northern Syria, an area in which natal care has virtually ceased to exist. In most cases the baby dies immediately after birth, or is stillborn. The large number of cases witnessed in northern Syria is possibly due to a lack of folic acid – a supplement available to pregnant women across the world that helps prevent many conditions. ‘Doctors Without Borders’ said in a statement: “It is impossible for them to determine the underlying causes of these three cases, indicating that the lack of folic acid during early pregnancy is one of several hypotheses. The organization confirmed that they do not have the means to allow them to identify the causes of the three cases of distortions, and that you cannot use this number to identify the number of infants who are born with severe deformities. Working out of field hospital for ten days just kilometers from the frontline, Dr Joanne Liu, President of the organization, witnessed high numbers of severe injuries to civilians and medical conditions symptomatic of a non-existent healthcare system. (Source: Syrian Coalition + Al Jazeera)
Activists Ask to Lift the Siege on The City Of Nabek Activists sent a distress call to lift the siege on the town of Nabak in Damascus, which is now experiencing a humanitarian catastrophe due to the 15-day siege of the town. There are around 120,000 civilians trapped inside the town, including thousands of displaced people from other Syrian cities. The blockade has led to a shortage of water, food, medicine and power outages alongside shelling by regime forces with various types of heavy and light weapons. The regime’s offensive killed more than 80 people and injured more than 200 who are in need of urgent medical aid. The Free Syrian Army and regime forces agreed to a truce several days ago, whereby the FSA retreated to a distance of 100 meters in exchange for halting the shelling on the town and the opening of humanitarian corridors to take out the wounded and the introduction of food and medicine. The FSA fighters agreed to withdraw out of their sense of responsibility. However, when the residents of the town came out to secure provisions, regime forces opened fire on them, killed 11 civilians, and wounded dozens as reported by eyewitnesses. (Source: Syrian Coalition)
Shelling on Tishreen and Dariya in Damascus Dozens of civilians were injured by regime shelling on the neighborhood of Tishreen in Damascus, alongside violent clashes between the Free Syrian Army and regime forces in the neighborhood of Qaboun. In the meantime, regime troops closed the Adawi highway in central Damascus, which caused a stiffening traffic jam. Meanwhile, regime forces of the Fourth Armored Division renewed shelling on Dariya and Moadamyeh in Rural Damascus. (Source: Syrian Coalition + Local Coordination Committees)
Clashes on the Front of the Military Academy In Homs The Free Syrian Army clashed with regime forces on the fronts of the Military Academy and the village of Al Dar al Kbira in Homs. Meanwhile, regime forces shelled the neighborhoods of Qusur and Qarabis and the town of Hula in Homs with mortal rounds, with reports of civilian casualties and material damage. (Source: Syrian Coalition + Local Coordination Committees)
Aerial Shelling and Clashes in Aleppo A number of regime forces were killed during clashes with the FSA in the perimeter of the Maysaloon Hospital, and in the districts of Saiyed Ali and Bustan Al Basha in Aleppo. In the meantime, Assad’s warplanes dropped barrel bombs on the villages of Binan, Hoss, Abtin, Kafr El-Obeid south of Aleppo, with reports of civilian casualties and material damage. (Source: Syrian Coalition + Local Coordination Committees)
Syria’s CW to be Disposed of at a Seaport Sigrid Kaag, the Special Coordinator of the joint U.N.-Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) mission, said preparations have been made to safely package and transport containers of chemical agents from Syria’s Mediterranean port of Latakia to a second port – not identified – where it will be transferred to a U.S. naval vessel and destroyed. The Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons confirmed on Saturday that the neutralization will be done, on an American ship at sea, with hydrolysis, a process that uses water and other agents to break down chemicals. A U.S. naval vessel is currently being fitted to support the operation. Italy, Norway and Denmark offered to transfer Syria’s chemical arsenal from the port of Latakia under military escort to a second, unspecified foreign port. From there the chemicals would be transferred to a specially equipped naval vessel offered by the United States. It is important to note that political analysts praised the international efforts to eliminate Syria’s chemical weapons which Assad gave up in return for staying in power after he used them to kill the Syrian people in more than one place, most recently, in the attack of August 21, 2013 on the edge of Damascus, where more than 1,400 people died. (Source: Syrian Coalition)
American Attempts to Reach Out To Islamist Groups in Syria General Martin Dempsey, chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff, said that the United States sees value in getting to know Islamist groups in Syria, in order to better understand their intentions in the war there and their possible links with al Qaeda, the top U.S. military officer said on Wednesday. “I think it’s worth knowing whether these groups have any intent whatsoever to be moderate and inclusive, or whether they … from the start intend to be radical,” Dempsey told reporters. He did not say directly whether the United States is holding face-to-face talks with Islamist rebel groups. However, he said Washington was still seeking to better understand the contours of the different fighting groups. It is important to note that the U.S. talk about their desire to reach out to “Islamic groups in Syria” came after the series of military gains that the FSA achieved on several fronts, including Eastern Ghouta, Kalamoon, Dara’a and Aleppo. (Source: Syrian Coalition)
