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Reuters
Debris lie near a building damaged by a jet's missile in Aleppo, Syria, on Oct. 23.
Syrian government forces killed at least 20 people on Tuesday when they shelled a bakery in a neighborhood under rebel control in the contested northern city of Aleppo, opposition activists said.
The dead included women and children, they said. Video footage, which could not be immediately verified, showed decapitated bodies amid scattered bread loaves.
Two shells hit the bakery, located in the eastern Hananu neighborhood, in the early afternoon, said Majd Nour, an opposition campaigner in Aleppo. Free Syrian Army fighters were guarding it at the time, he said.
Aleppo is Syria's biggest city and commercial hub. Rebels trying to overthrow President Bashar al-Assad launched an offensive to capture it last month and street fighting has taken place on a daily basis since then.
Shell lands in Turkey
Earlier in the day an anti-aircraft shell fired from Syria hit a health center across the border in Turkey's Hatay province but there were no immediate reports of injuries, CNN Turk television reported.
Turkey has bolstered its military presence along its 560-mile border with Syria and has been responding to gunfire and mortar shells hitting its territory from fighting between Syrian rebels and government forces.
Top 10 foreign policy issues facing a new president
The district governor's office said it had no immediate information on the incident.
Tension between the two neighbors, once close allies, is at its highest since Ankara turned against Assad last year over his violent crackdown on anti-government protests.
International mediator Lakhdar Brahimi, who ended a four-day visit to Damascus on Tuesday, has pushed for a ceasefire to mark the Islamic holiday of Eid al-Adha, which starts on Friday, hoping for a respite from daily death tolls of around 150.
For a fourth straight day, Turkey's border with Syria is the scene of intense fighting. NBC's Ayman Mohyeldin reports.
But he did not win a public commitment to a truce in his talks with Assad, and the rebels say there is little point to a ceasefire that cannot be monitored or enforced.
Report: Several killed in Damascus car bomb ahead of Syria truce talks
The Turkish military has fired on Syria 87 times, killing 12 Syrian soldiers and destroying several tanks in retaliation for Syrian shells and mortar bombs landing inside Turkey, the Turkish newspaper Milliyet reported on Saturday.
In Syria, fighting raged on Tuesday as rebels battled to seize an army base close to the main north-south highway. The rebels say its capture would be a big step toward creating a "safe zone" allowing them to focus on Assad's southern strongholds.
Battle for Wadi al-Deif
Assad is fighting an insurgency that grew out of protests 19 months ago and has escalated into a civil war in which 30,000 people have been killed. His overstretched army has lost swathes of territory and relies on air power to keep rebels at bay.
For two weeks Assad’s forces have been tied down, battling rebels in Wadi al-Deif, east of the town of Maarat al-Numan. If the town fell to rebels, who already control northern border crossings to Turkey, Assad would be dependent on a single land route - from the Mediterranean port of Latakia - to supply his forces fighting to win back Aleppo.
"The battle started 11 days ago. At first we sent small groups to liberate (the base) and we were surprised by the resistance the regime forces showed," said Lieutenant-Colonel Khaled Hmood, a former army officer who defected to fight Assad.
Fabio Bucciarelli / AFP - Getty Images
A look back at the violence that has overtaken the country
"The regime is fighting fiercely. It seems that it doesn't care if it loses thousands of troops in order to keep its control over the compound."
Syrian opposition skeptical of 'feeble' ceasefire plan
Hmood said he believed around 400 soldiers were defending Wadi al-Deif - a group of barracks barely 500 yards from the Damascus-Aleppo road and backed by air power that Assad has deployed against rebels and residents of a nearby town.
The base may also be an important fuel depot, holding at least five million liters of kerosene in five underground bunkers, according to Hmood.
Anti-Assad activists say 40 civilians were killed in air strikes on the town last Thursday in one of the most intense air offensives of the Syrian conflict.
But its efforts to send military reinforcements have been repulsed by the besieging rebels. The last attempt on Sunday ended when four tanks were destroyed and the remnants of an army column had to pull back. "We have noticed that the best strategy is to hit its supply line. We have been harming the regime a lot by hitting the reinforcements it is sending."
The rebels still face challenges to take the base. Although they have acquired increasingly deadly arms, including artillery and anti-aircraft weapons, they have regularly complained that they have only limited supplies to keep up the fight.
Reuters contributed to this report.
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Leave a Comment:
Atrocities do not "wait until after the election".
there is really no solution for the muslim world. they cannot live among themsleves because they have different beliefs and ideas. it is pointless to try and resolve there problems. it is unfortunate for the kids that get killed because the grown ups are wacko !!!!!!!!!!!!!!
CIA, Special forces, etc....We all know they are there, it'll just be a matter of time before its public....We had Special forces/CIA in vietnam/laos in the 50's...and in every conflict since, they're out there first....
http://gretawire.foxnewsinsider.com/breaking-news/emails-show-the-obama-administration-knew-ansar-al-sharia-was-behind-the-attack-in-benghazi/
breaking now...group claimed responsibility immediately...
"The dead included women and children, they said."
Here we go again just like before Iraqi wars!
See the jokes going in Syria with Sunni Saudi rebels, al-Qaida, MB on one side and the Assad’s forces on the other sides!
Just check all languages of the media, UN Security council, human rights groups, Erdogan’s, and others! These are paid pipers of Sunni Saudis, oil companies and their lobbyists.
Shiites and Sunnis are busy battling whose Allah is greater.
What roles Hillarys, McCains, Netanyahos, Libernanns, Romneys have in Syria and Iran?
If atrocities and barbarism on girls, children and women are the criteria, then the most despotic, autocratic and bigoted Sunni Saudi ruler with his 5000 princes and princesses, Kuwaiti, UAE and other Arab League Sunni rulers and their rich sheiks are the biggest culprits in the history.
Through the Muslim immoral trafficking gangs, these barbarians have assembled all varieties of poor and helpless girls and women from all over the world in their harems and brothels.
In killing of opponents again, these people have established world records in religious battles.
If the US, Britain and others support such Sunni barbarians and beasts who treat girls and women as cheap sex slaves, then one can only conclude that Saudis, oil companies and their lobbyists determine what to see, how to lecture and where and when to act.
Rest like “human rights”, “killing of children and women”, “militants”, “terrorists”, “WMDs”, “chemical weapons” and so on are a pure hoax.
Similar hoaxes were played each time before Iraqi wars on directions of Saudi, oil companies and their lobbyists.
Now none of them are looking into Iraq, where at least a million have been killed and devastated.
Twice are too much to tolerate.
Well, its accepted that the Free Syrian Army consists of Al Qaida and other terrorist group support and both Romney and Obama said last night that Al Qaida still poses a great threat to our national security. Also, the new NDAA states that anyone in the US suspected of supporting such a terrorist organization is free game to be indefinitely detained by the military. I'm confused.
http://www.thenewamerican.com/usnews/foreign-policy/item/13058-sec-clinton-pledges-additional-$45-million-in-aid-to-syrian-rebels
So we indefinitely detain both Obama, who has supported Al Qaida in Libya, and Romney, who proposes arming Al Qaida in Syria. Sounds like a win-win for the American people.
After all, they both support NDAA.
@whos the man, Lots of good stuff here, There seams to be a Republican lean on the writers parts but the senatoral voting is interesting, I was checking on the coal mining issue. I don't know how old you are but the biggest thing about coal mining is strip mining. That arguement has been going on since the early 60s. Long before The EPA was heard of. The Power Industry has been converting to natural Gas for a while now and have half their power output done this way over coal. The Industry made a decision to do the conversion on their own with no push from the Govt or the EPA. It's cost effective. At one time the Coal Industry was as Powerful as the Oil Industry. I perceive a time when Green Energy will be as powerful as the Oil Industry is now. We will still need OIl Products and Coal but they will be small. There is another war going on right now and it is a quite one The RxR and the Trucking Industry.
About two months ago, an article "Our Man In Syria" appeared in The Daily Beast, and I believe
this young man would be a great replacement for Assad. His name eludes me for the moment,
sorry.
I googled it because I think Important Manaf Tlass
Do as I say, not as I do.
Killing of 20 in a Muslim nation is no big deal! Look at the genocides they did of minorities in Darfur, Sudan, Pakistan, Somalia, and other places.
Just like before each Iraqi wars, autocratic, highly corrupt and despotic bigoted Sunni Sunni Saudi, UAE, Qatar, Kuwaiti and Sunni oil rich nations are stage managing their dances and actions through oil companies, extremist Jewish lobbys and their puppets in the US, Britain, EU and other nations on Syria and Iran.
In these bombings, Sunni Saudi proxy al-Qaida is involved. In Syria, Syrian rebels are backed by a-Qaida and MB. In Egypt, Islamic fundamentalist Morsi is a front cover for the Sunni Islamic extremist Salaffi, MB and others.
With sanctions on Iranian oil, oil prices which was around $40 in 2009 has crossed $110 now.
If Iraqi wars gave us PIIGS, there will more nations added to PIIGS.
As austerity measures wind up all UN and its agencies and partisan and most worthless IMF and WB.
ME is not our business. Just keep miles away.
IRAQ WARS
Net results of Saudi, Kuwait, UAE, oil companies and their lobbyists directed 1991 and 2003 Iraqi wars are
WINNERS
1. Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, UAE and other rich ME sharks became richer by manipulating oil prices too high.
2. Oil companies and their lobbyists also benefitted. Oil prices, which were hardly $30 a barrel before 1991, shot up to $140 a barrel.
3. Since 2003, future traders, rating agencies, Wall Street and oil companies and their lobbyists transferred five trillion dollars from oil importing countries to oil exporting nations.
4. Rich Sunni ME sharks (Saudi Arabia in particular) funded Salaffi and Wahhabi mosques and Islamic radicals and terrorists all over the world. These Sunni Islamic radicals and terrorists are rampaging all over the world. World’s 80 percent of problems are due to them.
LOSERS
1. General US and European nations’ public. There have been high unemployment, cut in welfare measures, housing market collapse and more miseries. Since 2001, US spent three trillion dollars on Iraq and Afghan wars. Did the Saudis and co foot the bill?
2. Poor soldiers killed and injured and their families. In Iraq and Afghan wars 6300 soldiers were killed and 40000 injured.
3. High budget deficits and heavier borrowing. Many nations (PIIGS) and people are on line to bankruptcy!
4. Iraq will plunge into bloody sectarian civil wars leading to the creation of Shiastan, Sunnistan and Kurdistan. Here the losses are of Iraqis.
Sees Thru Gloss I like to see what would you do , and you want our government to do , if you had these thugs in your neighborhood killing and raping and destroying every thing you ever had , you only hearing one side , and that's is these thugs side , because they are supported by our allies , and financed by none other than the Saudis and Qataris , ( Alqida's Masters ) , when in the hell you all people going to wake up for the truth .
It is a worse mess than you mentioned.
When US, British and allies are in a big ecnomic mess, who in right sense will impose sanctions on Iranian oil and minpulate oil prices higher and higher.
We are making our enemies richer and richer! At this rate, don't worry: there will be Salaffi/Wahhabi, hate preaching and killer training center, right in your street!
Followers of Islamic cult, especially Sunni Saudi inspired Islamic radicals and militants (al-Qaida, Salaffi, Wahhabi, MB, Taliban and other label ones), are fast marching backwards to their seventh century desert tribal days.
They are indulging in rapings, lootings, killings and genocides of non-Muslims (Darfur, S. Sudan, Nigeria and spreading like wild fire in many regions and Muslims (Libya, Yemen, Mali, Iraq, Syria, Pakistan, Afghanistan and other places).
Sunni Saudi backed Salaffi and MB new chapters are opening up in Egypt. Just watch the fate of Christians, women and Israel as the time goes by.
Even in Syria, if Assad is overthrown by Sunni Islamic religious Nazis like al-Qaida, MB, the conditions of Christians will be unbearable just like Iraq.
Pakis and Sunni Saudis and co are responsible for 80 percent of world problems including economic ones. Examine the devastations with Iraqi wars and now sanctions on Iranian oil and the resultant oil price manipulations.
They are making the lives of their own people also miserable by their Islamic religious madness to the intolerable levels.
Are we not committing hara-kiri by supporting our enemies and killers?
These Rebels (Activist/Terrorist) started this Civil War someone should have told them people would die. When these Rebels (Activist/Terrorist) complain about Women & Children being killed, they should stop fighting their Civil War in these residential neighborhoods. They should stop using the Women & Children as shields they can hide behind when they attack the Syrian Army. It's interesting that in this part of the World countries that have overthrown their leaders replaced them with leaders just as bad or worse than the original leader. The original Leaders of Egypt, Libya and now Syria were dictators but at least they were and are known to their people and other countries. They are predictable. Now in Egypt, Libya and in time Syria there will be leaders who are unknown to their people and the world who are members of or leaders of known Terrorist Groups.
You have got to be kidding....Assad is part of IRan and a puppet to that government....i say stand back and let them all kill themselves and let god sort it out later....
they have been killing each other for centuries -- let it continue and then when the dust settles - take all the oil and divide it equally among other nations and then put them all back in tents and riding camels....that will pretty much take care of it.
Romney implies we need to help build up certain ME nations to create civil societies.
Obama contends we need to do nation building here at home.
Well Romney, we're 0 and 2 in nation building in the ME. If you claim we are throwing money away with Obamas' nation building, I say better here than there!
Look at what the Communists did in China and Russia - you can nation build pretty darn quickly if you have the stomach for it. It would, however, require uprooting the traditional society and probably forcably relocating/reeducation/retraining millions of people.
Bulldoze every mosque in the country. Anyone caught with a Koran or practicing Islam is to be shot on site. All tribes are to be forcably disbanded and relocated to different parts of the country. Communities will be created based on the needs of the state.
DONE...there's your new society. Wouldn't take more than ten years.
But of course we won't do that because Romney is softer than baby powder and because Obama loves Islam.
It could be done though, but obviously it would require extreme ruthlessness. Its just ridiculous to think that a society is going to fundamentally change on its own in a few years. If anything Bush and Co. weren't ruthless enough - all they did was gut the Iraqi Civil Society and disband the army. They should've kept going - destroyed the tribal networks, family ties and loyalties, outlawed Islam...
Its a shame.
It is interesting how everyone seems to think it boils down to something as simple as Assad vs al-Qaida.
I guess a similiar assessment of World War II would have classified it as Nazis vs Communists (since the USSR was fighting Hitler) and we can't support any war against Hitler since we'll be helping the Communists.
Something tells me the US will be a little more discriminating than the Saudis and Qataris in sending in arms to the rebels.
Syria doesn't seem to be on a quest for world dominance.
No, they are just a major ally of a country that is attempting to build a nuclear weapon with which to wipe out Israel and finish Hitler's Holocaust.
Spew that propaganda...spew it.
http://www.newyorker.com/online/blogs/comment/2011/11/iran-and-the-iaea.html
Syria is just another country that wasn't doing the right kind of business with the U.S. so they were put on a list with Iraq, Iran, Lebanon, Libya, Somalia, and Sudan several years ago waiting for the BS "war on terror".
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SXS3vW47mOE
How is it going? Where was all the concern when there was civil unrest in Yemen, Saudi Arabia, and Bahrain last year?
Oh yeah, Saudi Arabia to some extent our Middle East sugar daddy so we couldn't object to them sending their military to support Bahrain's assault on it's citizens and when Yemen's Saleh became ill he was granted medical attention in the United States while his country's revolt was squashed.
one would hope the US would be more discriminating on who they armed......breaking now...
http://gretawire.foxnewsinsider.com/breaking-news/emails-show-the-obama-administration-knew-ansar-al-sharia-was-behind-the-attack-in-benghazi/
What's the point of this article? Do we care if 20 Syrians are dead or 100 or 1000? It's their issue not ours.
More people die in traffic related incidents each day here in the US. More people are murdered in Chicago. This liberal 'report each death as a tragedy' media hype should be of no concern until we get our act together. This Arab spring will blow up 'literally' in America's face. Our government has a poor track record in whom we support. Does anyone really think that when we are out of Afghanistan that the AlQueda cock roaches will not return? We are giving training and supplying weapons to people who will turn on the US, if they have not already done so, the second we are gone. Didn't the US support and train Osama Bin Deadladen to fight the Russians and when the Russians left he turned against the US? So what's different? Nothing.
America has many problems here at home that need to be fixed but there is little resolve by petty democrats like Harry Reid and Nancy Pelosio who have kept some 30 House bills stuck in the Senate. Democrats cackle that the Republicans are the party of NO but in reality the democrats are exactly what they accuse the other side of. No bills passed by a Republican House will be approved by the democrat Senate. NO, NO, NO, a thousand times no cried Harry the hypocrite!
When Romney/Ryan win next month, the dems will be screaming that it's all because of racism to whatever, wailling and nashing of teeth will occur all becuase their Socialist commander was not allowed a second term of failure. It will be a happy day.....
We can only hope for the change....
we can damn well vote the liars out!
This does not concern America. Let them battle it out for control of their country. I think we should only get involved when there is a direct threat to this country from other nations.
Well then detain and arrest hillary the witch for giving money and aid to the alQaida rebel thugs ! All of these traitors should be charged for aiding the enemy including McCain & Lieberman !
Manaf Tlass, Our Man in Syria. Western and regional powers pin their hopes on him. (The Daily Beast
August 6, 2012) Syriously! Have a nice evening all Phyllis Kunz
Critical times hard to deal with, will be here.
Arms pouring into Syria for the rebels are actually going to muslim insurgentcy performing there Jihad dance.
Multiple gaggles of B-52's working there magic while they dance in the streets shooting into the air will immediately lower the number of them the world has to suffer.
Syria have all the right for destrouy the rebelds and mercenaries, if some civilians stay close to them they looking for trobles on his own risk
Manaf Tlass Phyllis Kunz do you who he is , He grew up with Assad , Manaf's Dad the one put Bashar Assad in power after his Dad died , they were best friends , till Manaf sister which is married to a Saudis arm dealer that died and she lives in Paris , and she is involved with a Jewish man and she has been helping and donating money to build hospitals and different good deeds in Israel , and she had convinced her brother in defecting to France , and off course all these fine Syrian people are helping these thugs in destroying their own country , and you want him to become the next president , he is your man , any body bothered to ask the Syrian people who they want , or we have just got use to tell countries who should lead them , and what kind of democracy they should have , Romney and Mr. Obama last night , they were talking like Syria is just another state and they are going to do what ever to over throw a legitimate government that been in power for 40 years , how come they never look at the Saudis and Qataris and all these no good Emirates and tell them who should rule them , and to at least have little human rights for their people and women . amazing how we just tear countries apart and claim to save civilians , any body watching what's happening in the new democracy in Libya ??? AND HOW WONDERFUL THE NEW GOVERNMENT WE INSTALLED THERE WITH NATO , AND THE HUMAN RIGHTS VIOLATIONS EVERY DAY AND THE KILLING OF THE CIVILIANS .
A good post, it's not that I want him to replace Assad, I was just sharing the info I picked up
from The Daily Beast and also HuffPost did a good article on him. Of course, if the Syria Rebels
and the Syria people do not want him, then most definitely he should not be "Our Man in Syria"
It would not be my decision anyway, just my opinion I learn so much from you and other
bloggers in exchanging ideas.
http://gretawire.foxnewsinsider.com/breaking-news/emails-show-the-obama-administration-knew-ansar-al-sharia-was-behind-the-attack-in-benghazi/
Breaking...
Let the middle east wipe each other out and then we can step in and take all their oil.