Syria......
At least 41 people were killed in the fighting, according to reports 29 of them were members of the al-Qaeda factions and 12 otherswere Kurdish fighters. The toll is still preliminary and could yet rise further.
The SNC styles itself as the sole political representation of the rebellion, and also a government in exile. The group’s political leadership is constantly divided, however, and has been losing the backing of fighters on the ground.
The first destruction only began 10 days ago, when the OPCW oversaw the destruction of mixing equipment and warheads at a site involved in the program, which Syria has committed to dismantle.
In comments to the BBC today,Melkite Patriarch Gregorios III Laham said that 450,000 members of the Christian community in Syria have been displaced from their homes, either internally or forced to flee abroad.
Fahmy went on to warn that the “unrest” caused by the strain in relations had the potential to have consequences region-wide, and urged the US to “better evaluate their relationship in the future.”
The initial details of the salecame public in April, and centered on the idea of giving the nations weapons with which to attack Iran. The Pentagon announcement today simply informed Congress of the intention to follow through on the previously reported plans.
At Least 41 Killed in Major Battles Between al-Qaeda, Syrian Kurds
Al-Qaeda in Iraq Continues to Push Offensive Against Kurdish Towns
by Jason Ditz, October 16, 2013
Another round of major battles has been reported in Syria’s northeastern Hassakeh Province, the Kurdish dominated part of the country, with Jabhat al-Nusra and al-Qaeda in Iraq (AQI) pushing into the territory belonging to Kurdish militias.
At least 41 people were killed in the fighting, according to reports 29 of them were members of the al-Qaeda factions and 12 otherswere Kurdish fighters. The toll is still preliminary and could yet rise further.
This is increasingly the face of Syria’s complicated civil war, where interest in controlling the areas along the Turkish borderhave led various competing rebel factions to turn on one another, and fighting the Assad government seems to be a low priority these days.
Al-Qaeda’s repeated attacks on West Kurdistan have escalated in recent months, and led Kurdish militias to issue full-scale calls to arms in an attempt to retain control over their own territory. The growing concerns of al-Qaeda infiltration into the region has Iraqi Kurdistan threatening to send its own troops into the region.
More Syrian Rebel Factions Disavow Pro-US Umbrella Group
Groups Aim to Reorganize Under New Leadership
by Jason Ditz, October 16, 2013
The US-backed Syrian National Coalition (SNC) continues to lose the support of fighting forces left and right, with a new video from Anwar al-Sunna disavowingthem, and claiming 66 other groups are going with them.
The SNC styles itself as the sole political representation of the rebellion, and also a government in exile. The group’s political leadership is constantly divided, however, and has been losing the backing of fighters on the ground.
As the war has dragged on, several rebel factions have begun fighting one another, and there are now multiple umbrella groups which each command the loyalty of different factions. The Anwar al-Sunna video today likewise promised to reorganize several factions under new leadership.
The splits are going to make peace talks all the more complicated to organize, as neither the SNC nor any of the other factions have agreed to participate, and even if one of them did, their limited influence over the rest of the rebellion means they can’t really offer much in the way of stopping the fighting.
Inspectors Destroy Syrian Chemical Weapons Equipment
'Critical Equipment' Destroyed at Six Sites Already
by Jason Ditz, October 16, 2013
Progress in the disarmament of Syria’s chemical weapons program seems to be coming quick and often, with the latest reports from the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) confirming 11 sites have now been visited, and “critical equipment” destroyed at six of them.
The first destruction only began 10 days ago, when the OPCW oversaw the destruction of mixing equipment and warheads at a site involved in the program, which Syria has committed to dismantle.
The overall disarmament program is expected to take at least until summer of 2014, with the OPCW saying that finishing the process on time is going to necessitate a ceasefire, because the civil war is making some of the sites hard to reach.
Though Syria’s chemical arsenal is quite large, much of it is in the form of unweaponized chemicals, and officials have said that the process of neutralizing such chemicals will be fairly straightforward.
Patriarch: One Third of Syria’s Christians Have Fled Their Homes
Over 450,000 Displaced Nationwide
by Jason Ditz, October 16, 2013
Years of civil war in Syria have taken a heavy toll on different ethnic and religious groups across Syria. But while the fighting has mostly focused on a Sunni Islamist rebellion and an Alawite-dominated government, it is the smaller religious minorities that have seen the worst of it.
In comments to the BBC today,Melkite Patriarch Gregorios III Laham said that 450,000 members of the Christian community in Syria have been displaced from their homes, either internally or forced to flee abroad.
That’s about one third of the ancient community’s overall population, and while the patriarch insisted he is confident Syrian Christendom will survive the war, it’s looking pretty bad.
Islamist rebels have repeatedly targeted Christian towns in and around their territory, accusing them of being sympathetic to the Assad government. While most of the Christians have tried to avoid taking sides in the increasingly ugly war, it is impossible for them to not notice the trend, and if al-Qaeda indeed ended up winning the war, the Christians would not be welcome to stay.
Egypt.....
Egypt FM: Relations With US in ‘Turmoil’ Since Military Aid Cuts
Says Strain in Relations Could Effect Whole Region
by Jason Ditz, October 16, 2013
In comments today in the state-run media, Egyptian Foreign Minister Nabil Fahmy warned that US-Egyptian relations are in “turmoil” since last week’s decision to cut Egypt’s military aid.
Fahmy went on to warn that the “unrest” caused by the strain in relations had the potential to have consequences region-wide, and urged the US to “better evaluate their relationship in the future.”
The US announced the cut a week ago today, keeping most of the $1.5 billion in annual military aid intact but cutting deliveries of certain heavy weapons. The US was legally obliged to cut all aid after Egypt’s military coup, but the Obama Administration refused to do so, and it was only after repeated massacres of protesters that the limited cuts happened.
Israel angrily condemned the cuts, insisting that human rights concerns in Egypt have to take a back seat to regional stability. Israel has formed close ties with the new junta, backing its military offensive against the Sinai Peninsula.
Iran related news....
Russia proposes lifting Iran sanctions in exchange for intl control of nuclear program
Moscow has proposed the lifting of international and unilateral sanctions against Iran if it agrees to have its nuclear program placed under international control, Russia’s deputy foreign minister said as the six-party talks rounded up in Geneva.
“The beacon, the main arrangement that we follow is the proposal by [President] Vladimir Putin that the recognition of Iran’s right to [uranium] enrichment as part of its inseparable rights under the Non-proliferation Treaty should be accompanied by the introduction of full comprehensive international control over the Iranian nuclear program,” Sergey Ryabkov told journalists in Geneva on Wednesday.
If such an agreement is reached all sanctions against Iran must be scrapped, the deputy foreign minister added. Moscow has influence on the talks between six world powers and Iran, known as P5+1, Ryabkov noted.
The issue of the successive lifting of sanctions imposed on Tehran over its nuclear program will remain one of the trickiest in the upcoming period, Rybkov said. The main difficulty is that there is no common understanding of the stages and steps that should be taken. Also, there is a “low level of trust” between Tehran and the sextet – comprised of Britain, France, Germany, Russia, China and the US.
Overall though, Russia is satisfied with the results of the latest round of talks that took place on Tuesday and Wednesday in Geneva, Ryabkov said. Compared to previous rounds of talks, the sides managed to come up with a joint communiqué and the pace of the negotiations has increased.
The White House said the proposal offered by Iranian negotiators aimed at addressing its nuclear program shows a level of seriousness and substance that the United States had never before seen.
The P5+1 met this week for the first time after Iran elected President Hassan Rouhani, who pledged to work towards the normalization of diplomatic relations with the West.
Pentagon: US to Sell Over $10 Billion in Arms to UAE, Saudi Arabia
Deal Includes 5,000 Bunker Buster Bombs
by Jason Ditz, October 16, 2013
Further reflecting the incongruities of US foreign policy, the Obama Administration has followed up on a day of diplomacy with Iran by announcing a massive arms saleto the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia.
The initial details of the salecame public in April, and centered on the idea of giving the nations weapons with which to attack Iran. The Pentagon announcement today simply informed Congress of the intention to follow through on the previously reported plans.
Over $10 billion in weapons will be sent to the nations, including warplanes, 1,200 long-range missiles, and 5,000 bunker buster bombs to “enhance any coalition operations the US may undertake.”
The timing of the move is conspicuous, both in that it undercuts diplomatic efforts Iran has been making to improve relations with the rest of the world, and comes amidrecent reports of Israel courting the GCC nations, including Saudi Arabia and the UAE, to join them in an attack on Iran.
No comments:
Post a Comment