Latest News from Syria – 18 November 2013

– Opposition forces lose important, loved commander
– Aleppo independent media centre destroyed in air strike
– Opposition forces battle Shi’a militias in Sayida Zaynab, Damascus

OPPOSITION FORCES LOSE IMPORTANT, LOVED COMMANDER

Syrians were today morning the death of Abdul-Qadir Saleh, the popular commander of al-Tawheed Brigade. He died in a Turkish hospital yesterday from his wounds, two days after he was targeted by Syrian regime forces in Aleppo, north Syria.

Mr Saleh was considered one of the most important military leaders among opposition forces. His group, Al-Tawheed Brigade, was one of the largest armed formations within the Syrian Free Army. Apart from his military achievements, he is credited for resolving internal conflicts between various armed factions within the Syrian opposition.

COMMENT FROM THE EDITOR:
To our secular and pacifist readers who ‘hate’ Islamist forces or are ‘worried’ about the rise of salafi Islam or the militarisation of the Syrian revolution: You might be interested to know the following: Mr Saleh, who used to work as a food trader before the Syrian revolution started in March 2011, is said to have been one of the first people to participate in the peaceful anti-regime demonstrations in his area in the suburbs of Aleppo, before picking up arms, like many others, as the regime’s heavy-handed repression of protesters – including the use of heavy arms, massacres, etc. – made peaceful protests impossible and meaningless.

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ALEPPO INDEPENDENT MEDIA CENTRE DESTROYED IN AIR STRIKE

An independent media centre was totally destroyed in an air strike by the regime forces. At least four citizen journalists and media activists were wounded, in addition to great material losses.

Here is a video showing the aftermath of the strike:

Meanwhile, the intense air strikes on the Iza’a and Salahiddin areas of Aleppo continue, in a desperate and bloody attempt by regime forces to enter these two opposition-held neighbourhoods.

Source: Aleppo Media Centre

COMMENT FROM NAAME SHAAM’S ALEPPO CORRESPONDENT:
Independent media have been one of the most powerful weapons of the Syrian revolution; as important as actual weapons, perhaps. That’s why the regime has brutally targeted media activists and citizen journalists from the beginning. And that’s why you should SUPPORT and PROMOTE these projects, including our page!

COMMENT FROM THE EDITOR:
We know that the weapons used in this latest air strike, like all the previous ones, were provided and/or financed by Russia and Iran. Shouldn’t the governments of these two countries also be held accountable, alongside the Syrian regime, for this brutal crime against free journalism? Shouldn’t fellow journalists in Iran be saying something about it? Where are all those loud voices defending free media and freedom of the press when it comes to Syria?!

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OPPOSITION FORCES BATTLE SHI’A MILITIAS IN SAYIDA ZAYNAB, DAMASCUS

Armed scuffles between Syrian opposition forces and two so-called Shiaa milita groups – Hezbollah and Abu al-Fadl al-Abbas Brigade – continue in Sayda Zaynab, a predominantly Shiaa area in southern Damascus that holds a holy Shiaa shrine.

Meanwhile, around 25 Hezbollah fighters have reportedly been injured and killed during a failed ‘infiltration’ attempt on the Babbila fronline near Damascus.

Source: ‘Eyewitness from the Heart of the Event’

COMMENT FROM NAAME SHAAM’S DAMASCUS CORRESPONDENT:
For those still denying the involvement of Hezbollah and Iran in suppressing the Syrian revolution: Open your eyes!

COMMENT FROM THE EDITOR:
We should all be worried about the prospect of sectarian violence and civil war in Syria, and probably the wider region. You might have heard about a recent statement by a Sunni insurgent group called Jaysh al-‘Adl (Army of Justice) vowing to target Iranian targets INSIDE Iran. If you haven’t, see here:http://eaworldview.com/2013/11/iran-spotlight-leader-sunni-insurgents-jaish-ul-adl-says-group-wont-hit-civilian-targets-urges-tehran-end-support-assad/.

But blaming this only on salafist or jihadist Ismalist groups (read: Sunni) is at best misleading, and at worst a politically motivated distortion of reality. One cannot ignore the fact that this is largely a reaction to Hezbollah’s and other so-called Shiaa militias’ involvement in the first place. As the Arabic popular saying goes, “the one who starts it is the one who’s in the wrong.”

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