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Syria: Shabiha Militia Member Tells It Like It Is
An active member of Syria’s feared shabiha militia says he is in a “win or die” fight for his president (and a little bit of cash). LATTAKIA, Syria and BEIRUT, Lebanon | As Syria descends into civil war, Abu Jaafar said he is ready to kill women and children to defend his friends, family and […]
U.N. adds Syria to list of countries killing children
UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) – Syrian government forces and allied militia have killed, maimed, tortured and detained children as young as 9 years old, the United Nations said on Tuesday as Syria debuted on its “list of shame” of countries that abuse children in armed conflicts.
Qubair: Sign of growing sectarian strife
The tiny hamlet of Qubair, scene of an alleged massacre, is the latest landmark in Syria’s bloody conflict. The BBC’s Middle East bureau chief Paul Danahar visited the village with UN monitors and found a worrying portent of sectarian violence to come.
Satellite images reveal Syria suffering
As the conflict in Syria worsens, a growing number of civilians there are being forced to flee their homes to escape the fighting, according to the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC).
Syria Qubair: Bloody traces of massacre seen in village
Paul Danahar: “Whoever did this may have acted with mindless violence, but attempts to cover up the details of the atrocity are calculated and clear”
Regime-backed militia does Syria’s ‘dirty work,’ analysts say
(CNN) — The Shabiha militia fighters working hand in hand with Syria’s military to repress the 15-month-long uprising are President Bashar al-Assad’s “shock troops,” observers say. “The regime uses them for the real dirty work, killing and violent action, especially where it has to go into an urban area and repress resistance,” said Jeff White, […]
U.N. monitors unable to reach site of Syria killings
(Reuters) – United Nations observers in Syria have been prevented from reaching the village of Mazraat al-Qubeir where activists say at least 78 people were massacred, the head of the monitoring mission said on Thursday. “They are being stopped at Syrian army checkpoints and in some cases turned back,” General Robert Mood said in a […]
Syria’s latest massacre leaves Annan’s peace plan in tatters
It is 10 days since Kofi Annan described the Houla massacre as a “tipping point” for Syria. Outrage apart, little has changed since 108 people, including 39 children, were slaughtered. Now another alleged mass killing has captured headlines across the world. Will it make any difference? On the face of it, the circumstances of the […]
Annan’s new road map for peace in Syria
Kofi Annan is tinkering with a radical idea for reviving his moribund peace plan for Syria — a road map for political transition there that would be negotiated through a “contact group” that could include, among other nations, Russia and Iran.
How a US strike on Syria might look: cyberwar could play key role
The Pentagon is planning for a military operation in Syria, which could include a cyberattack on its air defenses. But analysts warn that intervention could spark a costly civil war.
Syrian Affairs 