28,000 Syrians Abducted by Assad's Thugs

Avaaz reports Assad's thugs disappeared at least 28,000 Syrians since the start of the uprising.

Ma'arrat Noman Liberated

Ma'arrat Noman liberated. Despte all the murders Assad commits he still loses even this.

As Feared Assad's Thugs Murder 19 in Qudsaya

As noted in the last blog some Syrian netizens feared a massacre in Qudsaya. The massacre happened.

Remember how I said #Qudsaya in #Damascus was going to burn today? I was right. 19 killed so far, among them 5 from single family. (From NMSyria.)

 And the Revolution continues.

Syria Secretive Minority Sect, the Allawites. (PBS.)

 Protest in Iran in solidarity with Syria.

Tragic picture of Aleppo.

Trailer for The Unknown Soldier, a movie about the Syrian revolution.

How to know when to say, You are an Embarrassment to the Revolution.

Al Arabiya columnist wonders why many Muslims protest over a 'film' no one saw (until some Egyptian yahoos with a TV program made it an issue) but no such protests occurred over the murder of Fatima of Idlib, whose photo of her decapitated body. Why is are Muslims not protesting over her? she asks.

LCC statement regarding the deadly border incident with Turkey.

Hat tip to NMSyria for these links.

SANA throws a temper tantrum at Hamas leader Kaled Meshal for having the decency to not support Assad's murderous rampage.

The Independent has a tale of arms for the Syrian opposition being held up in order to persuade the Syrians to be more coordinated.

MEMRI has this article discussing how Syria might disintegrate if it split apart.

Hat tip to Syria Comment for these links.

Disorganized like a Fox. Article from the Institute for the Study of War arguing the benefits of Syria's opposition being decentralized the way it is.

Massacre at Qudsaya

Look at the Twitter feed forQudsaya
. Reports indicate Assad's forces have committed a massacre there and maybe they might murder even more people there soon. I hope that will not be the case.

Link. Video of the grave of Caliph Omar bin AbdelAziz, Maarat al Nouman.

The grave site of the Islamic Caliph Omar bin AbdelAziz in #MaaratAlNouman was shelled and damage during shelling from Wadi Aldayf. #Idlib (Source)

On other matters I heard that a "senior military figure" from Hezbollah, Ali Hussein Nassif, was killed. It has been said that Hezbollah is sending fighters to Syria (Hezbollah denies this,) in a desperate attempt to protect the Assad regime from the justified wrath of his own people whom he slays day after day.

If Hezbollah is sending their fighters into Syria to protect Assad then I think Nasrallah and the rest of Hezbollah's leadership should feel ashamed sending their men to die for a murderous dictator who has lost any legitimacy and right to rule over Syria.

Also just heard about the bombing that just occurred in Aleppo. Alas these horrific deadly acts will surely continue until Assad is overthrown. Peace will never come as long as Assad continues to rule.

Assad blames everyone but himself for Syria's 'chaos'. Sadly unsurprising to me.

Also heard that Assad had to send in troops to repress his own hometown.

Assad sent thousands of troops to Latakia in order end clashes between pro and anti-government Alawite militias in his home city of Latakia. ...

Assad sent thousands of troops to Latakia in order bring stability back and end clashes in his home city of Aleppo [I think it means Latakia] as scores of Alawite militiamen were killed and many more were injured as heavy fighting continued between pro and anti-Assad militias in his home city of Kerdaha and the Sport City of Latakia province. (Source.)

 If Assad has to even send troops to oppress and terrorize his own hometown he is surely doomed. 

Assad's Forces Massacre 104 at al Thyabeyyeh, Damascus

Assad's forces have unleashed yet another mass massacre in Syria. After Houla, Qubeir, Darayya this time it is at al Thyabeyyeh, in the Damascus suburbs.

Al-Thyabeyyeh: A new atrocious massacre committed by Al-Assad forces as 104 bodies were found, most of them for elderly, women, and children, The victims were slaughtered with knives, their bodies mutated. Further, Al-Assad forces stormed the town reinforced with tanks. There is a fear of committing new massacres against civilians in the town. (Source from Revolutionary Command Council in Damascus Suburbs, 26 September, 2012.) 

This terrible massacre proves once again the utter disregard for human life that the Assad regime has planted and nurtured among themselves. Assad must be stopped. His forces will only do this again in a futile attempt for them to remain in power for just a little longer.

The Complete Legal Documentation of the Daraya Massacre. Speaking of massacres here is a detailed account of the Darayya massacre. It includes the names of 524 of the slain. This report is from the Syrian Network for Human Rights - London, as presented by the Damascus Center for Human Rights. 

Other links:

Hand in Hand for Syria. UK based charity focused on Syria. Here is a BBC news report that mentions this NGO.

Homs Up to Date. Facebook page focusing on Homs.

The Revolting Syrian. That is revolt as in revolt against authority.

It includes an eloquent arguement for funding 

Link. Washington Post article that suggests that Hezbollah are sending fighters to prop up the Assad regime. I feel very sorry for any Hezbollah soldier fighting for Assad in Syria, if this rumor is true. They fight for a doomed cause. They are lied to and told that the Syrian people love Assad, that they are fighting 'foreigners'. 

History Repeats Itself as Tragedy. Foreign Policy article detailing a Pentagon report on the 1982 Hama Massacre.

Makeshift Arms Production in Aleppo Governorate. New York Times report analyzing the rise of makeshift arms production in Aleppo Governorate.

Insufficient Respect. A blog that devotes a lot of its time to the Syrian revolution. Includes this eloquent argument for arming the Free Syrian Army.

One real alternative is arming the FSA with modern anti-tank and anti-aircraft missiles, and lots of ammunition.   This will almost assure their victory.  Since there is a war going on, we may also be sure that the FSA will commit war crimes and human rights violations - just like, for instance, the Allies in World War II.

 Another real alternative is not arming the FSA.    In this case, perhaps Assad would win, and certainly the struggle will go on much longer.   Régime forces will continue to operate for months or even years.   The certainties here are that the régime will commit war crimes and human rights violations many orders of magnitude more vicious and more extensive than anything perpetrated by the FSA.   If Assad wins, repression incorporating these crimes will go on indefinitely.

There are no other real alternatives.   The FSA will never conduct itself with Ikea-level innocuousness.   The Syrian régime will never, in the heat of war, attain a level of basic humanity that it never reached in peacetime.   Neither side will ever compromise because because both sides face an enemy absolutely determined to destroy them.   And because this is a world of adults, not children, 'we' will never find allies in Syria 'we' can trust,  nor will the orgy of violence become an orgy of nonviolence.   Finally, the hand-wringing West will not suddenly be overcome with lust for empire and conquer Syria with a crusading army.  These ideas, like negotiating with Assad, can arise only within a determined effort to deny reality.

May Assad soon be overthrown so that the people of Syria will be able to live in peace again.

Mothly Death Toll Worse Than Iraq at its Worst

Syria's Shocking Death Toll. (PBS.) This chilling report notes that more Syrian civilians have been killed in August 2012 than during the height of violence in Iraq.

Syria Massacres seem to show slow, steady strategy. Report from LA Times of residents who tell their horrific accounts of the Darayya massacre.

(Warning: Contains graphic content.) Goran Tomasevic's dramatic photos of the fighting around Aleppo in Syria. Media coverage seems to have lessened but right now Syria largest city, Aleppo, is in the midst of a catastrophic battle that has been raging for nearly two months now. Here are some photos of this life and death struggle.

Syria and Obama's Five Excuses for Inaction. This column argues that President Obama is being inactive regarding the situation in Syria and rebuts various objections towards greater intervention for Syrian Revolution.

 Link. This looks interesting. Some sort of news roundup concerning Syria.

Another Post on Syria

Link. Journalist Austin Tice has been captured by the Assad regime. The Syrian Expatriates Organization calls for his immediate release.

Link. Three-fifth of Aleppo still under rebel control.