Saudi Arabia and Turkey prepare for Syrian invasion, expect 'massive escalation'.

originally posted by: Discotech

originally posted by: MrSpad
The one thing every group in Syria agrees on is Assad has to go. That may be the only thing most Syrians have in common at this point.

That's just Western propaganda

The Syrian Army, backed by pro-Iranian militias and Russia, which has been conducting air strikes targeting Daesh positions in the country, was welcomed with open arms by the residents that support the Syrian government and Bashar Assad. Streets are now decorated with posters of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah and Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei along with photographs of the Syrian President beaming down from the front of the town hall in Nubl and hanging outside its main mosque.

'Thank you Russia!' - Residents of Liberated Syrian Towns

Contrary to what the western media would have you believe there are a lot of Syrians who actually like Assad, both stuck in the hell hole the West has turned Syria into and stuck in soon to be other hell holes scattered through out Europe

You're just quoting propaganda to fight propaganda.

That article is mostly incorrect. Nubl and al-Zahra were not 'occupied' by the FSA, as the article states. They have always been in government hands. They were under siege by rebel forces since 2012, until it was broken by the government and Russia.

Even if the towns were held by the rebels and liberated by the government, people celebrating their arrival means nothing anyway. Regions in Syria have changed hands many times, and Syrians line up and cheer any force coming in - whether that be the government, the Kurds or ISIS.

I don't think anyone has hit the nail right on the head, and i don't think anyone really can. This conflict is so messy that it is very difficult to identify all the nuances and factors in play.

originally posted by: MrSpad
You do not the media to tell you this, just basic logic and military knowledge.

How long did it take the coalition to get Iraq and Afghanistan under control against groups of fighters with small arms ?
Going by your military knowledge or lack, with all the armor, air support and heavy weapons which are vastly superior to Assads military gear, they should had made more than mince meat of those skirmishers and put things down very quickly.

Please show some facts to back up your claims other than what seems to be an ill informed opinion

originally posted by: daaskapital
This conflict is so messy that it is very difficult to identify all the nuances and factors in play.

Then let's find honest accounts, it's not hard to find as Syrians still have the internet



You'd think a man so hated in his nation would at least have bodyguards when visiting the locals

a reply to: Discotech

Afghanistan if anything is still larger a failure.
More troops wont mean anything its no wonder why so many people from Afghanistan are fleeing it.

a reply to: daaskapital

You're just quoting propaganda to fight propaganda.

Our Western News Media were very reablie in this conflict how again?

Nubl and al-Zahra were not 'occupied' by the FSA

Yes it has being.

Even if the towns were held by the rebels and liberated by the government, people celebrating their arrival means nothing anyway. Regions in Syria have changed hands many times, and Syrians line up and cheer any force coming in - whether that be the government, the Kurds or ISIS.

Syrians line up and cheer any force coming in - whether that be the government, the Kurds or ISIS? wait what? lol are you trying to claim Syrians have being cheering ISIS or rebels? haven't seen that.

Aleppo isn't very friendly towards to your beloved moderates whom arent moderates. The Syrians in Aleppo have being occupied by FSA for three and half years now. And have imposed sharia law in almost every town your FSA buddies liberates.

a reply to: daaskapital

You should follow Edward Dark on the social media a Syrian in Aleppo once a Rebel supporter now his agaisnt them and has posted images caused by the rebels quite often.

No Syrians asked the FSA to liberate them from Assad. No one wanted a Islamic Uprising.

originally posted by: Discotech

originally posted by: daaskapital
This conflict is so messy that it is very difficult to identify all the nuances and factors in play.

Then let's find honest accounts, it's not hard to find as Syrians still have the internet

You'd think a man so hated in his nation would at least have bodyguards when visiting the locals

Both videos aren't available. The account associated with them has been terminated.

In any case, i maintain that the war is so messy that it's very difficult to get a totally accurate picture of everything.

originally posted by: TaleDawn

Our Western News Media were very reablie in this conflict how again?

Don't put words in my mouth.

I never said they were reliable.

Western media outlets are horrible at covering the nuances of the war. So are Russian outlets. Sputnik is just as bad as Fox News. It's just as biased.

Yes it has being.

No, The towns of Nubl and al-Zahra have always been under government control. They have been attacked by rebels, and some suburbs, occupied. But the government has always been successful in defeating the rebels there and maintaining control over the two towns.

Syrians line up and cheer any force coming in - whether that be the government, the Kurds or ISIS? wait what? lol are you trying to claim Syrians have being cheering ISIS or rebels? haven't seen that.

I'm saying that the average person who has lived through hell - the constant war and genocide, will welcome many groups, if only because some of them bring a sense of stability or order. They may not support any one group, but they will feign it to stay on their good sides.

Aleppo isn't very friendly towards to your beloved moderates whom arent moderates. The Syrians in Aleppo have being occupied by FSA for three and half years now. And have imposed sharia law in almost every town your FSA buddies liberates.

Don't assume things. I don't support any one group in the war. In fact, i would rather see a government victory over a rebel one, because i know things will go to # if it happened any other way. We just need to look at Libya to see an example of this.

originally posted by: TaleDawn
a reply to: daaskapital

You should follow Edward Dark on the social media a Syrian in Aleppo once a Rebel supporter now his agaisnt them and has posted images caused by the rebels quite often.

No Syrians asked the FSA to liberate them from Assad. No one wanted a Islamic Uprising.

Thanks for the suggestion.

I don't take my information from any one source and i don't support any group blindly. I'm well aware of the atrocities committed by the rebels. Just as i'm well aware of the atrocities committed by the Syrian government.

a reply to: daaskapital

Hmmm weird that it says account closed not just video deleted because I'm looking at guys account and all his videos are still up and working apart from the 2 I happened to post

Found another one of Assad visiting the church though



As I said if he was so hated why does he have no bodyguards near him ?

The other video was of a Syrian army "grunt" walking through Aleppo talking about the propaganda the west throws out and explaining some things

As for you saying those towns were under government control, can you at least post a source for your claims ?

a reply to: daaskapital

Western media outlets are horrible at covering the nuances of the war. So are Russian outlets. Sputnik is just as bad as Fox News. It's just as biased.

Well if anything Russian news media have being covering the war in Syria rather better then west, surprised the western journalists arent embedded with the rebels as they were in Libya lol.

originally posted by: Discotech
a reply to: daaskapital

Hmmm weird that it says account closed not just video deleted because I'm looking at guys account and all his videos are still up and working apart from the 2 I happened to post

Yeah. It won't let me watch them.

Found another one of Assad visiting the church though

As I said if he was so hated why does he have no bodyguards near him ?

Thanks for the video. I'm sure he has bodyguards in plain clothes, as any leader would.

I have seen some videos of him walking through the streets in relative safety, but it wouldn't surprise me if some of the places are screened first, just for security precautions.

And while i think he enjoys the support of many people, there is no doubt some dislike his rule. It's why the protests and civil war happened.

The other video was of a Syrian army "grunt" walking through Aleppo talking about the propaganda the west throws out and explaining some things

Thanks for explaining the context.

As for you saying those towns were under government control, can you at least post a source for your claims ?

Sure thing:

Here's an article three months after the beginning of the rebel siege. The towns were still in government hands:

Anyone who tries to slip out of the Shiite villages of Zahraa and Nubl is risking his life. Sunni rebel snipers stand ready to gun down anyone who dares. Roads are blocked with barricades and checkpoints.

For more than three months, Syria's rebels have imposed a smothering siege on the villages, home to around 35,000 people, maintaining they are a den of pro-regime gunmen responsible for killing and kidnapping Sunnis from nearby towns.

...

Zahraa and Nubl make up a small pocket of Shiites, mostly regime loyalists, in this overwhelmingly Sunni region in the northern countryside of Aleppo province. The siege has its roots in months of tensions since the Sunni-led revolt against President Bashar Assad began in March 2011. Sunnis in the area say pro-regime gunmen, known as Shabiha, operated from the two villages, attacking nearby towns as they rose up against Assad.

news.yahoo.com...

Here's a recent article on the government breaking the years-long siege:

The Syrian army and its allies have broken a three-year rebel siege of two Shi’ite towns in northwest Syria, government and rebel groups said on Wednesday, cutting off a main insurgent route to nearby Turkey.

The two towns of Nubul and Zahraa, with an estimated 60,000 population, are connected to the border by areas under the control of Kurdish militias that provided them some access.

Al Manar, television channel of Lebanon’s Hezbollah militant group, joined Syria's army and state media in reporting the breakthrough, which it said came after the army moved in from towns secured in a recent offensive in northern Aleppo province.

uk.reuters.com...

Here's a map showing government forces approaching the towns of al-Zahra and Nubl, just before they broke the siege this month. The towns are still under government control:



www.almasdarnews.com...

Here's a live map of the entire country:

syria.liveuamap.com...

a reply to: MrSpad

Russia already has a naval base in Syria and a joint air force Base.

This is why Russia won't let Assad fall

a reply to: daaskapital

Your Yahoo link doesn't work lol

Reuters link works though so thanks, nice to shed more light on the situation. So it seems poor reporting on behalf of sputnik, however I will say that the title is correct as they did liberate the towns under siege and those in the town regardless of who occupied it ARE supporters of Assad, which was really my main point, not the siege or who occupied.

As for Church comments, yeah it's possible, it's even likely but if there are bodyguards in plain clothes they're not very close to him, not like we'd see Secret Service the way they stick to the president like glue on the rare occasions he ventures into the public. Can you imagine how it would be if America was in a civil war like Syria, do you really think Obama would even go out in public like Assad is doing during civil war ? That doesn't seem like the behaviour of an evil dictator but one who will risk his life to be around his people, he even mentioned in an interview with the BBC that he could have fled Syria when the false reports of him being on a Russian ship were flying around but he stayed in Syria because he loves Syria and the people and wants to do his job as a leader to help them not abandon them.

Sure it's likely areas would be screened, Assad is no idiot BUT show me a high ranking official for any nation who would not take precautionary measures to ensure safety ? Hell do you remember the "we stand by you" walk the world leaders did in France during the Charlie Hebdo thing ? They were segregated off from the public and again, that's in a supposedly civilised nation.

Yes obviously there are those who don't agree with Assads rule, otherwise we wouldn't see the FSA or Syrian ISIS members, however that is no excuse to have a civil war. In the UK only 48% of the population voted Conservative, that means a majority of 52% did not want them in power if we go by Syrian logic and Western meddling the UK should be in a civil war trying to oust Cameron and we should be complaining about the way the government have been handling the whole Oregon stand off.

Russia and Syria are making progress agaisnt ISIS held Towns near Aleppo and how ironic the Western news are accusing the Russians of bombing civilians.


Seems the media wants nothing more then death and destruction for there ratings.

Honestly ,i doubt this will happen . specially saudi arabia cannot do such a thing . Yemen just captured a town from Saudi Nijran province and is also advancing in Jizan province .

So they are losing their homeland as we speak . They cannot and will not possibly defeat yemenis and how are they going to stand against SAA ? its just impossible .

originally posted by: Discotech
a reply to: daaskapital

Your Yahoo link doesn't work lol

Lol. Seem's we're both having trouble with sources today.

Reuters link works though so thanks, nice to shed more light on the situation. So it seems poor reporting on behalf of sputnik, however I will say that the title is correct as they did liberate the towns under siege and those in the town regardless of who occupied it ARE supporters of Assad, which was really my main point, not the siege or who occupied.

Fair enough.

As for Church comments, yeah it's possible, it's even likely but if there are bodyguards in plain clothes they're not very close to him, not like we'd see Secret Service the way they stick to the president like glue on the rare occasions he ventures into the public. Can you imagine how it would be if America was in a civil war like Syria, do you really think Obama would even go out in public like Assad is doing during civil war ? That doesn't seem like the behaviour of an evil dictator but one who will risk his life to be around his people, he even mentioned in an interview with the BBC that he could have fled Syria when the false reports of him being on a Russian ship were flying around but he stayed in Syria because he loves Syria and the people and wants to do his job as a leader to help them not abandon them.

While i have no doubt Assad could walk around certain parts of Syria in relative safety, I think there is a possibility of these events being used as propaganda/PR for the regime. That's not to say there aren't any security risks or anything. They're in a civil war, so there's always security risks. It just makes sense to consider that these things could possibly be not 100% authentic.

Sure it's likely areas would be screened, Assad is no idiot BUT show me a high ranking official for any nation who would not take precautionary measures to ensure safety ? Hell do you remember the "we stand by you" walk the world leaders did in France during the Charlie Hebdo thing ? They were segregated off from the public and again, that's in a supposedly civilised nation.

You're right. Assad would take security precautions, as any sensible leader would.

Yes obviously there are those who don't agree with Assads rule, otherwise we wouldn't see the FSA or Syrian ISIS members, however that is no excuse to have a civil war. In the UK only 48% of the population voted Conservative, that means a majority of 52% did not want them in power if we go by Syrian logic and Western meddling the UK should be in a civil war trying to oust Cameron and we should be complaining about the way the government have been handling the whole Oregon stand off.

To be fair, protests happen all the time in democratic societies. After a period of protests in Syria, tensions rose and the government responded to certain situations with force. The conflict between the government and early protesters/armed groups is what ignited the civil war. Democratic societies like Britain are unlikely to experience a similar rise in tension as they are unlikely to deploy its military to quell civil unrest.

Numerous reports state that the Kurds and the SDF have captured Tel Rifaat. A huge win for their forces.

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originally posted by: TaleDawn
a reply to: daaskapital

Western media outlets are horrible at covering the nuances of the war. So are Russian outlets. Sputnik is just as bad as Fox News. It's just as biased.

Well if anything Russian news media have being covering the war in Syria rather better then west, surprised the western journalists arent embedded with the rebels as they were in Libya lol.

Funny you mention that. CNN was apparently embedded with the government today, lol.

I like the fact that Russian news covers Syria more frequently than other sources, but i still think that due to their bias, a certain level of scepticism should be employed. As i said earlier, it's hard to accurately detail the nuances of the conflict, so it's often expected that people, including journalists, miss details. That's not including propaganda employed by Fox News or RT etc.

originally posted by: daaskapital
To be fair, protests happen all the time in democratic societies. After a period of protests in Syria, tensions rose and the government responded to certain situations with force. The conflict between the government and early protesters/armed groups is what ignited the civil war. Democratic societies like Britain are unlikely to experience a similar rise in tension as they are unlikely to deploy its military to quell civil unrest.

To be fair, from non Western reports, the protesters started by shooting the police, that info also comes from Assads mouth too on the escalations. The protesters are what we have now in the form of the FSA, much like the Oregon protesters they were armed, but Oregon folk are terrorists but FSA are just "rebels" not to mention one of the Oregon protesters was murdered by the government but we don't see world outcry from Western governments saying Obama should be put out of office. Again we can take riots in Ferguson, the riots UK had a few years back, but nobody comes out to say that governments should be toppled because of protests and riots ? Why Syria ? Why Libya ?

It just stinks and I'd rather we be told the truth no matter how disgusting it may be than be told a blatant lie by those we entrust with power and our media is complicit in all of these lies and deceit.

I'm only trying to highlight contradiction and hypocrisy in what the western powers say and what it does, I hold no allegiance to either side but I admit I hold negative bias towards western media reporting of the Syrian and Ukrainian crisis