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Ahmed Jadallah / Reuters, file
Syrian soldiers check cars at a checkpoint near the Syrian capital Damascus in January.
BEIRUT - When the aspirin and alcohol swabs fell from under her clothes at a Syrian army checkpoint, Rania stood petrified, looking first down at her fallen contraband and then up at the soldier who stared straight back at her.
Rania knew that smuggling food and medicine to Syrian opposition activists was considered by security forces to be "aiding terrorists" and treated as severely as weapons smuggling.
"I thought to myself: I am dead," said Rania, 27, recalling the incident on the outskirts of Damascus.
She was in luck. The soldier was a sympathizer.
"Quick," she quoted him as saying. "Pick up your medicine and go, before my commanding officer comes back."
And with that pardon, she fled.
During the 13-month uprising against President Bashar al-Assad, Syrian forces have killed more than 9,000 people in shootings and bombardment of rebel areas, the United Nations says. Thousands more have been arrested.
Obama unveils sanctions on Syria, Iran for assault on activists
Syrian authorities, who say foreign-backed militants have killed more than 2,600 soldiers and police, have supplied aid to residents they say are fleeing "armed terrorists" but have repeatedly denied access to international aid organizations.
Activists say most people wounded in the unrest will not go to state hospitals for fear they will be considered enemies of Assad and arrested rather than treated.
Amateur video shows poorly stocked makeshift hospitals in opposition strongholds, many without electricity, with doctors pleading for help from the outside world.
Stories of atrocities carried out by Syrian government forces shortly before the ceasefire began are emerging. ITV's John Irvine reports from Taftanaz, Northern Syria, where 60 people were massacred in one day.
In the absence of international support, dissidents have found informal ways to smuggle food and medicine to injured and famished people around the country.
Rania and her friends, a group of young, liberal women, pretend to be conservative Muslims, hiding the medicines, food and money they bring out of Damascus to Homs city under thick layers of clothing and headscarves.
How many others make similar smuggling trips around Syria, they have no way of knowing. They say this method of smuggling is an open secret, but authorities are unwilling to search women, especially those who appear pious, as it would cause an outcry.
Forming the team
Rania, a qualified lawyer, operates in a team of four, including two female friends who worked as supermarket checkout assistants. The fourth team member is a doctor.
She agreed to be interviewed via Skype, but would not give her last name for fear that it could compromise their operation. Another of the girls, Ola, agreed to answer questions through a friend who sometimes helps the team, who herself asked not to be named.
All of the group are from Homs, one of the worst hit areas in Syria, where forces have been shelling central districts for months.
"Me and the girls met the doctor, who is a childhood friend, and asked him how we could help people who were injured or in need of food," Rania said.
The team rented a large apartment in a poor area of Damascus where prices are low. All quit their jobs, except the doctor who does four shifts a week; authorities suspect doctors who leave work, residents say, assuming they have joined the opposition.
AP
A doctor treats a wounded boy at a makeshift hospital in Homs on Saturday. Activists say most people wounded in the unrest will not go to state hospitals for fear they will be considered enemies of the government and arrested rather than treated.
"We sold everything we could, even our jewelry," said Ola. "We filled the apartment with rice, sugar, spaghetti and vegetable oil.
The doctor uses his sources to get anti-inflammatories, bandages and trauma kits." To save money, the team eats two meals a day.
To keep a low profile, they rarely make phone calls and only leave the building when necessary. They work at night.
When other activists visit, they are asked to bring their own food to keep costs low.
"Smuggling is expensive," said the friend who asked not to be named. "You need a taxi driver who will agree to go through the checkpoints out of Damascus and take the two-hour drive to Homs. It is dangerous for him, too".
Gauze and bandages
Operations start at the apartment. The women change their jeans and tank tops for long-sleeved dresses and the conservative Muslim hijab head scarf.
"I am thin so we can fit lots of medical gauze under my clothes," said the friend. "One of the girls stuffs cotton bandages in her bra."
The women, often covered in a hidden layer of antibiotics, travel alone in a private taxi or a bus north out of the capital to Homs city.
"The government knows everything, but they don't want extra trouble," said the friend. "In (the Damascus suburb of) Douma, security members arrested some women and it caused a huge amount of civil disobedience."
But not every checkpoint is safe and there are slip-ups that could land Rania and Ola in prison.
"Sometimes we are detained at checkpoints. We either pay a bribe or wait to see what will happen to us. Some of the checkpoints are manned by Assad loyalist gunmen who don't work for the regular army," says Ola. "We fear them the most."
Syrian rebels detonate a bomb on main highway
"But the worst time for me was when I was due to meet another activist to give him some blood bags, money and food," said Ola.
She waited in the rain but the man did not show.
"It was late at night, I was forced to leave the food on the side of the road as the risk of returning with it through checkpoints was too great," she said.
"I walked home, crying. The trip had been for nothing."
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Leave a Comment:
good luck!
Bless these people. Finally, a good use for a burka.
With burka/niqab, these al-Qaida and Muslim brotherhood women have been doing suicide bombings!
Let them do some useful things with their "moving prision" burka!
If it wasn't for Russia and China, you people would not have suffered as long and as much as you have.
We sympathise with you and wish you well:)
Maybe not, but with or without Chinese/Russian support, the rebels are in a tough spot. Nobody wants to intervene militarily, and Assad's power structure hasn't started to break down yet.
Here's hoping, though.
Hasn't China and Russia blocked UN sanctions on Syria as well? I'm sure a military intervention would have been a ways off, but from what I remember they've blocked economical intervention meant to stop the slaughter.
I know they've blocked a blanket condemnation of the crackdown and a demand for Assad to step down, but I don't remember anything about sanctions.
And certainly the most visible sign of support for Assad was Russia's sale of weapons to their armed forces after the rebellion started in earnest. The ruskies are going to have a tough time explaining that to Assad's replacement.
But my point is that foreign intervention (save Turkey's hosting of refugees and rebels) has been tepid enough that China and Russia's refusal to act hasn't actually changed much.
Who is responsible for the sufferings in Bahrain, Iraq and other places?
Bahrain's suffering is the result of Bahrain's government cracking down on peaceful protesters. Similar to Syria, although it's on a much smaller scale so the government can avoid condemnation.
Iraq is a tricky one. There's plenty of blame to go around. Insurgents, politicians, tribal militia who hold their ethnic heritage as being more important than other people's lives... and then of course there's America, which I assume you were alluding to.
Are they dissidents or terrorists? Depends on whether or not they're shooting at you.
You people make me sick , a report from MS NBC yesterday said , quote, ( Syrian troops fire at civilians 10 soldiers killed ) hum , Ronia smuggling med. but right under that said rebels blow up a bridge somewhere , you all make up your stupid mind, one minute they are innocents civilians and next min. they are blowing up bridges and shooting at the Syrian troops, they are thugs and Al Qaeda fighters that NATO and the RICH gulf states BROUGHT IN TO TOPPLE THE ASSAD REGIME , and install a Wahhabi Muslim gov. that loyal to the Saudis and Qataris and with the help of NATO ,TURKEY AND THE US AND OFF COURSE THE GOOD OLD RELIABLE UN .
You do realize that civilians AND armed rebels can work on the same side, right? Just because there are Al Qaeda operatives fighting alongside the rebels does not make all the opponents of the regime terrorists. There are plenty of civilians in the opposition who don't do any fighting, but simply oppose the regime because they've been constantly shot and shelled with artillery by the army.
So no, we don't have to "make up our mind".
And not that I believe your frequent claims that the rebellion is some foreign plot - you still haven't posted evidence of that - but even if it was it doesn't matter at this point. That can't excuse killing so many of his own people, so much torture and widespread oppression.
They are only terrorists in the eyes of the government.
SF accountant.. I think I am to quit arguing with you , simply you do not make any sense , they are not terrorists but they have people with arms, you need evidence of the outside people , you do not believe our Intel. when they said they are Al Qaeda fighting next to the rebels , you do not believe the Saudi prince and the Qataris foreign minster saying that they are not just supplying the rebels , they are paying them to do the fighting , I guess I have tp take you over there because this the only way you going to believe and we can tell the Saudis we are going to fight and they will pay us for the trip , and then you say you do not care , how about if the Russians or the Chinese decided to come to your neighbor hood and start killing people I wonder if you want the Gov. to come save your tail .
Hello my turn, nice posts. You understand the truth of the situation and are awake to the reality. As you can see by the small number of posts most people realize that the U.S. is involved in another invasion to depose a leader that isn't conforming to their dictates. This is kind of like the Kony phenomena, it has been outed for the Imperialism that it is and they know the U.S. won't confront China and Russia. We have lost most wars we have been in, Vietnam, Irag, Afghanistan, the "war on drugs", "war on terrorism". The main purpose of these invasions is to garner the resources for the rich, it's all about money and power.
General Wesley Clark: "America will take out 7 countries in 5 years"
According to Former NATO supreme allied commander, former presidential candidate and 4 star US General Wesley Clark that they had received a memo that America is going to take out 7 countries in the Middle East starting with Iraq, Libya, Syria Lebanon Sudan, Somalia, and finally Iran. It is amazing how these things that were planned years ago and even though it is taking longer than originally planned, are being achieved in front of our eyes.
Don't worry about the disinformation trolls as truth and reality probably won't come to them in this life time. Keep up the good fight!
my turn and TrustVerify: Keep going!
Many in the US, British and other nations' politicians, instead of worrying about the worst mess in the US, Britain and their own nations due to wars and the high manipulated oil prices, are acting as agents of Saudi Arabia, oil companies and lobbyists!
Idiot Sarkozy is losing elections in France ue to bad economic situations, but France is jumping on Syria!
My turn, I don't know how I can be any clearer for you: if you don't understand me, you need to brush up on your English (actually, you DEFINITELY need to brush up on your English) and stop assuming my point of view. Nothing I've said is very complicated. It's more complicated than your relentless "NATO bad, dictatorship good" point of view, but it's still not hard to figure out. What I can't figure out is why you think Assad's crimes aren't important. Why should I care about Al Qaeda working with the rebels or Saudi Arabia funding them? How does that make the struggle for democracy against tyranny any less important?
But given how many times I've asked you that, that's probably too complex for you, so here. All you need to know is this: the Syrian military has repeatedly fired upon peaceful protesters for democracy. This is not disputed by ANYONE, not even you or Trusty. They have used artillery on major population centers. They have deployed minefields along their borders that have killed refugees and fired on refugee camps. They have jailed thousands of people without trial and tortured them for information.
All of those things mean that Assad has committed severe crimes against humanity and must be removed from power. And I'd think the same thing of my own president if the American military did the same thing in my hometown. Even if it was fighting rebels. Even if those rebels were Russian agents or terrorists!
There. Is that simple enough for you?
Some wake up when Saudis and oil companies wake up!
Also some jump when Israel's Netanyahos scream!
Rest of the times they are asleep or taking English classes!
We have to look to: who are immediate threats and bigger evils.
Here Sunni Islamic radicalism and terrorism are the immediate threats.
Saudi Arabia and Pakistan are fountainheads of the problems.
Saudi Arabia is the biggest backstabber and the most dangerous nation for manipulating high oil prices by cooking up oil shortages and funder for their Sunni extremist beastly Salaffi and Wahhabi mosques, Sunni radicals and terrorists.
Syria and Iran are not our problems as Iraq was not ours!
There are too many problems inside the US and other nations to worry about someones problems.
I won't care if Assad bombs the whole Sunni areas! Let them kill each other!
I won't keep account here!
Let Saudis and Israel handle Iran and Syria.
I dont really know how many of the dissidents are like her and how many are terrorists who want to replace a secular govt with an islamic jihad style govt. Does anybody know? I think in Egypt they might be installing an islamic govt instead of secular. I seem to remember us helping to overthrow regimes in the past then having to go back later and fight another regime. And by the way im not liberal im fiscally conservative.
If a democracy is established, it's almost a certainty that an Islamic government will replace it. That's the pattern that's occurred in Tunisia, Egypt, and will probably happen in Libya when they get their government together.
Although "Islamic" is different from "Islamic Jihaad-style government". Turkey has an Islamic government, but it doesn't declare war against anyone or persecute non-Muslims. Sharia law may not look pleasant to westerners, but if the people demand it, better they get it than have to put up with this kind of horror.
Cheap agents and lobbyists of Sunni Saudis and oil companies' in the US, Britain and some other nations are repeating the mistakes of Iraq in Syria.
If Saddam was there, what was the problem? He was danger to the most bigoted Sunni Islamic Saudi beasts and other Sunni rulers.
Others did not have problems from Saddam. Christians were more secure in Saddam's Iraq. Now look at the mess and Christians are fleeing Iraq.
It is being repeated in Syria.
Hardly. Iraq was overthrown from a direct foreign military campaign. Being overthrown from within from an insurrection is COMPLETELY different. And judging how we haven't deployed in Syria and we've said we won't in the future, our strategy in Syria is precisely the OPPOSITE of that we used in Iraq.
If you have to compare it to a disastrous past foreign intervention, do more research. I'm sure there's some catastrophe we've caused that this better resembles. Maybe paying Afghans to fight the Russians? That sounds closer.
I just want to give this warning to the Arab men and women. If u adopt U.S. style democracy and become mushy your country wont be Arab anymore. Your business leaders will sell u out and import cheap african labor.And by the way we have more people killed every night in America then u have killed in your entire civil war. Maybe its America that needs advice on how to run things.
you statements are so bogus as if a bush supporter, over 9,000 in the U.S. are not killed daily making your statements sounds foolish in vain to mislead people. Also, if these people seeking freedom from a repressive gov. are terrorists in your view, then the americans during the american revolution are terrorists in your view, b/c they are seeking freedom and the right to elect their leader instead of their leader himself while ruling with a iron fist using stalin style tatics to attempt to crush freedom seeker encouraged by arab spring. Republicans supported Gadhafi and try to sue our gov. to help Gadhafi
Russia's Ambassador will report such news to Moscow and hopefully good will come from it.
these women are heros, saving lives of children and many others by risking their own lives, they should be honored when the conflict is over and the people win their freedom over this mass murdering dictator, syrians should "Saddam" Assad before he gets a "Gadhafi"
Bashar Al Assad is wicked and evil and needs to be destroyed. I would love to be around when he gets judged by ALLAH!
He best drink all the iced water he can cause he has got the number one spot in hells fire!
how come articles like this are not written about those who would like so called freedom in SAUDI ARABIA and other ARAB country's run by DESPOTS! VOTE OUT ALL U.S. GOVT. INCOMBENTS! AND STOP WATCHING NETWORK TV, it is filled with BS!
ronald fiorey-- The whole thing is BS our Media is so bias they fabricate stuff and run with it , and what so bad is the people here believe everything because they do not know any better, Tell them a Palestinian woman did the same thing in Israel , oh no that's terrorists, plus that ronia girl it probably one of these Al Qaeda fighters that they have been bringing them to Syria from Libya Iraq and every little rat hole that the Saudis can bring , Assad real brutal , but every time I read the rebels blew up bridges homes churches and mascaraed people , but its OK ,they are our thugs and our rebels just like Taliban there our heroes when they were fighting the Russians but that OK , And guess what they have not change they were bad back then and they are bad now. but in our case we the right to switch our opinion as it suits us and depends what these people doing to please us or our rich Allies that they have no Idea what democracy is , HYPOCRITES , yes that's what we are , Saddam was our best buddy when he fought the Iranians , we supplied him with everything even WMD'S , AND Qaddafi was our friend , Senator McCain said not long ago that he was a good man , and he was helping the Bush Adm. Assad was OK when he helped in the first Iraq war , but now that he is not agreeing with our and the Al Qaeda financing Saudis and Qataris , wow he is a bad man , I can go on and on but what the use , nobody listen and nobody sees the truth
Being so biased that they just fabricate things and run with it...
Who does that remind me of...?
"NATO bombs people just to make them miserable." "NATO killed 50,000 civilians in Libya and still counting." "Saudi Arabia paid Syrian civilians to protest against Assad."
Who should I believe? You or a respected media establishment that explains its sources right there in the article?
Your "truth" is the same truth that's trumpeted by the Syrian regime to excuse its revolting oppression and atrocious acts of murder. And just like the Syrian media's lies it will be ignored as the world marches on.
what is so bad, is fools that that voice their opposition here to arab spring in favor of mass murdering dictators, that has been electing themselves for decades while using stalin style tatics in slaughtering average citizens protesting for the rights and freedom.
By the way Ronald, I actually agree with you, for the most part. I hope that Saudi Arabia too someday overthrows their rulers.
Brave women, too bad we don't have enough of women like that here to protest what the GOPer men and their 'front women' are doing against women in the US. US authorities have carte blanc to take nude pictures and grope woman and children and we're supposed to BEHAVE or go to jail! Even the women in Syria are treated with more respect when it comes to free for all molestation by authority figures. All at the behest of a male dominated congress. Illegal search and seizure against females and our children was the first shot over the bow on the War on Women created by the GOPer's. 11 years later, we've got Rush to judgement calling us sluts on public radio and that's mighty fine with this same GOPer crowd. American women are tired of this treatment, GOPer's are on the rails and that is mighty fine!
Ah... the GOP doesn't have control over "US authorities" at the moment. If the government has free reign to harm/harrass women in some way (and your post does not convince me that they do), there's no way all the blame can be placed on Republicans. Democrats still hold substantial power, and they haven't done squat to roll back any of the draconian security measures proposed by Republicans, and often supported them (I assume that's what you're railing against? It's hard to tell with the vague and badly exaggerated "War on Women" rhetoric).
Also, I guarantee that American women enjoy more rights and respect than Syrian women, if only because our government hasn't yet started to imprison and torture its citizens for opposing our government (although it apparently CAN do that, Obama has not yet done so). I realize that's not a gender issue, but you shouldn't make light of these people's plight with such a ludicrous and disingenuous comparison.
I wish the best of the Syrian people in their struggle to overcome tyranny and violent oppression, and hope that our government hurries along the proceedings to establish a formal line of non-military support for the Free Syrian Army.
Either that, or pump some funds into Turkey and get their army rolling in there. There's only so much the civilized world can watch.
Assad's bloody campaign to preserve his own power base at the expense of his people's lives has to end.
SF accountant ... I think you are one of these Conservatives preacher , because you sure the hell talk like one, you want to send money to Turkey to do the job , do not worry SF they are already getting money and they have the camp for the rebels next to the Syrian border and you Black water , the french British and the money from the Gulf states there , Because as you know they only send money , Saudi Arabia welcoming Bin La din family , since they are the ones been financing them for ever even 9/11 , but off course that does not concern you and McCain and lots of our politicians , money comes first then their Mistress and finally their country if the country keep them in office, you just as hypocrite as they are, and I might need to brush up on my English , but you need to brush up on your patriotism ,just like these preachers and politicians .
Wow!!! my turn's tinfoil hat is beginning to short-circuit, big time!!! Getting harder and harder to follow the sparks! (The lack of English skills doesn't help, either.)
Well, none of what you said has anything to do with the article, so I don't see any reason to address it, save for the bit at the end that was a personal attack of sorts.
On the topic of my patriotism, it doesn't matter to me. I don't feel the need to feel pride as an American just for being an American or do what helps "America" specifically. I'm a friend of all people who oppose political oppression, regardless of nationality, religion, or their own political standing. I feel proud of my country when it does the right thing, as it did in Libya, and feel shame when it does wrong, as it did in ignoring Saudi Arabia's deployment of police to Bahrain.
But I must say, it feels weird to be lectured on patriotism by someone with such a senselessly misinformed opinion on NATO. So thank you for that, I guess.
Revolution is always sad and hurtful to the innocent. Russia and China are wise to American tricks and that is why they have supported no sanctions. Russia and China both have warned America not to interfere in Syria and they have told America to back off of Iran and its legal enrichment of uranium for peaceful purposes. For some reason America feels that it should go around and be the bully and police of the world by telling other countries what they can or cannot do. It is an expensive practice that has driven us into economic collapse. We need to mind our own business close down all those 600 military bases in foreign countries and bring our men home to defend our homeland.
Russia and China both have a history of their own of squashing freedoms and rights, they too are all familar with slaughtering thousands in order to keep their population repressed. Israel has every right to attack Iran's nuclear plants to prevent Iran from gaining nuclear weapons after Iran's president threatened to whip Israel off the map of the world. The bullies isn't america. Never again should the world turn a blind eye to genocide and evil dictators willing to kill majority of its population in order to stay in power. Arab Spring is not american intervention. It's the population of those countries standing up for the rights, digity, freedom, and the right to elect their leader instead of their leader electing himself decade after decade. I rather be on the side of those seeking freedoms than to be on the side (like you) supporting dictators genocide efforts to slaughter so many, even children
I'm not going to join John in defending Israel or talking up Iran being a threat, but he's right in that it's absurd to call America a bully and praise Russia and China in the same breath. Russia is the poster child for international bullying and cruel imperialism, threatening to manipulate their gas prices in Europe if they don't get what they want and keeping puppet regimes in former Soviet satellite nations. As for China, ever heard of the South China sea? Taiwan? Come on, now. You don't have to appreciate the US, but praising those governments run by corrupt thugs is just foolish.
Hey John M-315--- So Israel have the right to attack Iran , on what ground buddy Israel have 200 nukes , Why Israel can have them and Iran can't, or any other other country in that region , Israel attack everybody when ever they choose , you we blame Saddam but Israel is the one that bombed Iraq , Syria ,Lebanon, sorry you are just like my man SF a conservative preacher that think Israel now is the same in the bible, and they do no wrong , you bunch of hypocrites , and I do not see Russia and China going in countries to change their leaders and bringing the NATO democracy to them , NATO democracy? we steal your wealth , we bomb your people ,and you have a democracy
Russia and China don't go into countries to change their leaders? Remember how Russia invaded Georgia a while ago? Divided up the country to suit themselves and granted "independence" to the bit they wanted. Yeah. Russia is a big fan of foreign meddling.
And China would be in Taiwan affecting "regime change" in an instant were it not for America protecting them.
Finally, I'm no fan of Israel. Just sayin'.
Brave Women. Lets hope when their revolution is done the women actually get freedom, instead of being made second class citizens again by some male dominated group who refuses to notice that the revolution would not have been sucessfl without the support of women.
Kinda wonder why women support the rebels. The rebel government will likely be Islamist based so the women will be exchanging one master for another not gaining freedom.
Well, maybe the other master won't kill them. That would be nice.
Besides, the rebellion has nothing to do with equal rights, just democracy. Hopefully gender issues will follow, but for now that's hardly an issue.
If a new government takes over they will be the same as the old or worse.
That hasn't been the case in Tunisia, Libya, or Egypt (not that Libya has a fully functional government yet), so why would that be the case for Syria?
And whats going on in Tunisia or Egypt that's worth bragging about?
Only good thing a burqa ever did for a woman was allow her to smuggle help to people in need. Bless their brave souls!!