rubel Archives

Trump: Syrian rebel aid program was ‘dangerous and wasteful’

July 25, 2017 by administrator

AFP, Washington Tuesday, 25 July 2017

The comments came days after General Tony Thomas, the head of US special operations confirmed that the four-year-old operation was brought to a close but denied the decision was motivated by a desire to placate Russia, which backs the Assad regime.

“The Amazon Washington Post fabricated the facts on my ending massive, dangerous, and wasteful payments to Syrian rebels fighting Assad…..” Trump tweeted

The missive appeared to be a response to an article by the newspaper published hours earlier and titled “Cooperation with Russia becomes central to Trump strategy in Syria.”

It quoted anonymous officials as saying “the United States and its proxies would concede Assad’s control of most of central and southern Syria” in return for Moscow and its allies steering clear of US coalition operations against the Islamic State group.

The United States and Russia agreed on creating de-escalation zones in southern Syria at their first meeting at the G20 in Hamburg earlier this month.

Former president Barack Obama approved the rebel aid program in 2013 as various insurgent groups sought external support in a general uprising against the Assad regime.

Thousands of Syrian anti-government fighters were trained and armed. But the US commitment remained ambiguous amid doubts in some quarters that the rebels could actually manage to depose Assad and as attention turned to the rising power of the Islamic State group in Syria and Iraq.

Support for the program further eroded last year after the rebels lost the areas they held in the Syrian city of Aleppo under a brutal Russian-backed government assault. US officials said last week that some of the anti-Assad forces could be absorbed into US military-supported groups fighting ISIS.

The Syrian army takes control of a rebel district of Aleppo

September 27, 2016 by administrator

The Syrian army took control Tuesday of a rebellious neighborhood near the citadel in the center of Aleppo, said a military source.

“The army has taken full control of Farafira district, northwest of Aleppo Citadel, after controlling for several terrorist and engineer units are in the process of clearing the area,” the source added to AFP.

In the phraseology of the regime, the terrorist word applies to all those who took up arms against the authorities, be they rebels or jihadists. Farafira the neighborhood had been taken by the rebels in 2012, when they had conquered half of the former economic capital.

“This operation is part of the military operations that were announced (Thursday) that includes an air component and a component on the ground with use of artillery,” the official added. It follows several days of intense bombing by the air forces of the regime and Russia over the rebel area.

Tuesday, September 27, 2016,
Stéphane © armenews.com

Syrian families start leaving rebel-held areas of Aleppo

July 30, 2016 by administrator

Dozens of Syrian civilians have started exiting opposition-held areas of Aleppo to government territory through safe corridors. The crossings were the first major movement of people after Russia announced the passages.

After opening “humanitarian corridors” for residents in opposition-controlled areas of Aleppo, dozens of people crossed over into government-held side, reported Syrian state media on Saturday.

Images on state television showed multiple civilians, mostly women and children, walking through the corridor. Syria’s state news agency SANA said the residents later boarded buses and were transported to government-run shelters on the western side of Aleppo.

The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights also said that “a number” of civilians entered government territory on Saturday.

Russia’s defense ministry said 169 residents so far were able to get out, adding that that four additional safe routes will be opened.

‘Armed men’ surrender

It was the first major movement of people in Aleppo since Russia’s announcement on Thursday that safe passages would be opened for civilians and surrendering opposition fighters.

SANA reported that “armed men from eastern neighborhoods of Aleppo” turned themselves over to government troops, but did not provide further details.

A statement from Russia’s defense ministry on Saturday said that 69 rebels have laid down arms while another 59 received medical treatment.

Syria’s President Bashar Assad has offered amnesty to opposition fighters who surrender within the next three months.

Criticism of ‘humanitarian corridor’

Government forces closed off the main road into rebel-held parts of Aleppo on July 17, blocking aid and raising fears of a humanitarian crisis for the estimated 250,000 who live in the area.

Due to the lack of aid, international agencies have warned that the residents risk starvation.

The UN voiced support for the humanitarian corridors, but UN’s Syria envoy Staffan de Mistura urged that the international body take charge of the passages.

“Our suggestion to Russia is to actually leave the corridors being established at their initiative to us,” he said.

“How can you expect people to want to walk through a corridor, thousands of them, while there is shelling, bombing, fighting?” added De Mistura.

Opposition activists regarded the government’s humanitarian corridors with skepticism.

“Be clear – these ‘corridors’ are not for getting aid in, but driving people out,” Basma Kodmani, a member of the opposition High Negotiations Commission, said on Friday.

“The brutal message to our people is: leave or starve.”

Over 280,000 people have been killed in the war in Syria, which began five years ago.

rs/rc (AP, AFP, dpa)

Source: http://www.dw.com/en/syrian-families-start-leaving-rebel-held-areas-of-aleppo/a-19438984

US Military Airdrops Tons of Ammo to New Rebel Group in Syria’s North

October 12, 2015 by administrator

A group of US cargo aircraft airdropped overnight some 50 tons of small fire ammunition and explosives to rebels in northern Syria’s Hasakah province, CNN reported Monday citing a US official speaking on condition of anonymity.

MOSCOW (Sputnik) — The broadcaster claimed that this was a first step in a US effort to boost support to what the White House refers to as moderate opposition forces fighting regular Syrian troops loyal to President Bashar Assad.
C-17 cargo planes dropped ammunition on 112 pallets to be retrieved by opposition fighters on the ground from a US-vetted group called by Washington the Syrian Arab Coalition.
According to the CNN, the newly-named Syrian anti-government force was first mentioned by Christine Wormuth, policy undersecretary at the US Defense Department, during Congressional testimony in September.
She said the group was being trained as part of a train-and-equip mission for anti-Assad opposition factions in Syria.