Obama’s Syria Debacle; Al Qaeda

The pictures shocking. They show the savage execution of supporters of the Bachar El-Assad regime taken prisoner by the rebels. We have chosen to publish them for the essential message they convey. Both sides engage in propaganda and diffuse pictures whose authenticity cannot be guaranteed. So we do not publish them.

This time, these photos were taken, last week, by a young independent photographer who has worked regularly in Syria. We have done our best to verify this information. Only the most bearable pictures from his reportage have been retained. Others, unbearable, will remain engraved in our memory.

We have no desire to compare the ravages caused by the Damascus government’s broad and pitiless repression of its own people with the atrocities of ferocious jihadists. These images of unjustifiable assassinations nevertheless overlap with those, equally abominable, of chemical weapons massacres.

In Syria, the horror is on both sides. A reality that is impossible to ignore. These barbaric acts pose a dilemma for the West. The desire to overthrow Bachar El-Assad will likely open the door to equally bloodthirsty Islamists. With the likelihood of military intervention decreasing, these are the stakes facing François Hollande and Barack Obama as they make their final decision.

For our reporter, Alfred de Montesquiou, these revolting photos lead us to doubt the humanistic intentions of the Syrian rebellion, and are not representative of the freedom fight engaged by the 100,000 to 150,000 people committed to bringing down the dictatorship in Damascus.

Nevertheless, they undoubtedly add an element to the debate, and inform the public. The assassins featured in these images are not representative of the Syrian opposition. Yet it must be acknowledged that these barbaric warmongers raise fear in public opinion. Their acts undermine the desire to help and support the opposition and lead us to doubt its ability to bring a democratic alternative to Damascus.

Al Qaeda , Obama , Syria

A Reyhanli, Retaliation Against Syrian Refugees

Turkey was hit by a double attack on May 11 in the city of Reyhani, which hosts many Syrian refugees. For the latter, it became almost impossible to cope with the resentment of the population.

In the moments following the explosion of the first car on May 11, 2013, people rushed to the central square of Reyhanli to help the wounded. That's when the second car exploded. "Fifteen men died before my eyes," says Kasseim, 26, ran the Syrian Center for Media, where his office is located.

Many residents then fled, believing that they were bombs coming from the other side of the border. When they returned to the scene, he says, armed with knives, belts and people were attacking the Syrians even though they helped out victims from the rubble.
The people of Reyhanli are angry and their reaction is justified. The two explosions killed 46 people and injured more than 100. They ravaged the city center, destroying countless shops and offices. Of the 60,000 inhabitants of the city, there are few who have not been affected by the enormous human and material losses they have caused.

Internationally, the Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu, attributed the attack to agents of the regime of Bashar Assad, while Damascus rejected the accusation by criminalizing terrorist groups. But Reyhanli, anger towards other players. Many people blame the government for provoking the attacks by supporting Syrian rebels and show the media the finger.

Some refugees prefer to return to Syria

However, some people, the main culprits are the many Syrians who, seeking refuge in the city to escape the atrocities of the other side of the border, have pushed the regime of Bashar al-Assad to take targeted .

Assad , attack , Kasseim , Reyhanli , Syria , Turkey

Russia Calls for Calm on Tense Turkish-Syria Border

Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Gennady Gatilov has urged restraint between Turkey and Syria, calling for calm on the tense Turkish-Syrian border.
“We believe both Syrian and Turkish authorities should exercise maximum restraint in this situation, taking into account the rising number of radicals among the Syrian opposition who can intentionally provoke conflicts on the border," said Gatilov on Tuesday.

Gatilov also warned NATO and world powers not to seek ways to intervene in the Syrian war or set up buffer zones between opposition and government forces.

“In our contacts with partners in NATO and in the region, we are calling on them not to seek pretexts for carrying out a military scenario or introducing initiatives such as humanitarian corridors or buffer zones," Gatilov said, according to the Interfax news agency.

Turkey has floated the idea of setting up "safe zones" inside Syria to protect civilians.

Ankara has repeatedly complained of artillery and gunfire spilling over its border, and last week signaled it would take action if there were a repeat of a mortar strike on its territory from inside Syria.

echr , Russia , Syria , Turkey

Key to solving the Syrian impasse: Russia

Turkey is preparing to host the second Friends of Syria meeting on April 1, following the first one in Tunisia, as the situation in its neighbor -- with which it shares an 877-kilometer-long border -- continues to be in complete “deadlock.” Just like the overwhelming majority of the Syrian people, Turkey has exhibited a strong will that Bashar al-Assad must leave the wheel of the country, but no significant option for how this can be done has emerged so far.

The fragmentation in the international community is bestowing extra life on the Assad regime, but also causing dozens of people to die every day. The death toll has already exceeded 8,000 according to United Nations statistics. The Syrian opposition, on the other hand, claims this number to be above 11,000. And the Assad regime says more than 2,000 security troops have died. In addition to deaths, there have also been increasing human rights violations and displacement of populations. Moreover, thousands of people are reported to have gone missing after they were arrested by Assad's troops. Currently, about 250,000 people have been displaced within the country while at least 30,000 people have sought shelter in neighboring countries.

China , crisis , echr , International , Libya , national , news , Political , Russia , Syria , Turkey

Turkey bombed military targets in Syria

Turkey's military struck targets inside Syria on Wednesday in response to a mortar bomb fired from Syrian territory which killed five Turkish civilians, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan's office said in a statement.

Our armed forces in the border region responded immediately to this abominable attack in line with their rules of engagement; targets were struck through artillery fire against places in Syria identified by radar, the statement said.

"Turkey will never leave unanswered such kinds of provocation by the Syrian regime against our national security," it added.

Davutoğlu had also agreed with NATO Secretary-General Anders Fogh Rasmussen on the need for an emergency meeting of NATO members, the statement said.

A mortar bomb fired from Syria landed in a residential district of the southeastern Turkish town of Akçakale on Wednesday, killing a woman and four children from the same family and wounding at least 13 other people.

A cloud of dust and smoke rose up over low-rise buildings as residents ran to help the wounded. Others, infuriated by the increasing spillover of violence from Syria's civil war, took to the streets shouting protests against the local authorities.

Davutoğlu phoned UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon to brief him about the incident and also spoke with senior military officials and Syria crisis mediator Lakhdar Brahimi, his ministry said in a statement.

Davutoğlu signaled over the weekend that Turkey would take action if there was a repeat of a mortar strike which damaged homes and workplaces in Akçakale last Friday.

"It (latest mortar round) hit right in the middle of the neighbourhood. The wife and four children from the same family died," Ahmet Emin Meşhurgül, local head of the Turkish Red Crescent, told Reuters, adding he knew the victims personally.

Article , echr , Economic , national , news , People , Political , Recep Tayyip Erdoğan , Social , Syria , Turkey , Washington

Turkey hittings military targets in Syria

Turkish artillery hit targets near Syria's Tel Abyad border town for a second day on Thursday, killing several Syrian soldiers according to activists and security sources, after a mortar bomb fired from the area killed five Turkish civilians.

Turkey's government said "aggressive action" against its territory by Syria's military had become a serious threat to its national security and sought parliamentary approval for the deployment of Turkish troops beyond its borders.

"Turkey has no interest in a war with Syria. But Turkey is capable of protecting its borders and will retaliate when necessary," Ibrahim Kalin, a senior adviser to Prime Minister Tayyip Erdoğan, said on his Twitter account.

Political, diplomatic initiatives will continue," he said.

In the most serious cross-border escalation of the 18-month uprising in Syria, Turkey hit back after what it called "the last straw" when a mortar hit a residential neighbourhood of the southern border town of Akçakale on Wednesday.

ankara , Article , echr , International , national , news , Political , Recep Tayyip Erdoğan , Syria , Turkey

World Trade Center and Turkish Flag

A recent episode of famous American animated TV show “South Park” featured an image of terrorist attacks being carried out by al Qaeda aircraft bearing Turkish flags, drawing complaints from Turks for an apparent attempt to link the terrorist group and Turkey.

The plot of the episode, titled “Jersey Things,” jokingly posited that New Jersey’s inhabitants were slowly expanding and taking over a greater portion of the United States. Following a zombie-like siege of the small town of South Park, Colorado, the town’s inhabitants fight back against “the tanned, sleeveless hordes.” One of the show’s characters then decides that the solution to the Jersey “problem” is to request help from the elusive al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden. After bin Laden agrees, suicide bombers crash into South Park’s Jersey population with planes that bear Turkish flags.

The “South Park” episode comes shortly after a similar but unrelated move by the Christian Action Network, a US based right wing organization, which recently produced a documentary on Sept. 11 featuring a Turkish flag flying among the debris of the World Trade Center on the film’s promotional poster. The documentary, which was filmed in response to proposals to build an Islamic center and a mosque near Ground Zero, the site where the World Trade Center had stood, is titled “Sacrificed Survivors: The Untold Story of the Ground Zero Mega Mosque.

echr , European , Osama bin Laden , Pakistan , Saudi Arabia , Syria , Turkey , United States

Angelina Jolie arrived in Syria

Famous actress Angelina Jolie to visit the Syrians have taken refuge in the province of Hatay border and came to Turkey on Friday.

In addition, Jolie, United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees Click for Refugees (UNHCR) Office Click a goodwill ambassador, Syria, anti-government protesters who fled a military coup to 9600 refugees came together. In addition, Jolie, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) goodwill ambassador for the Office of Syria's anti-government protesters gathered in a bloody coup of refugees fled to 9600. Contrary to previous information that kind of time in Istanbul olacagını land, reportedly headed direct from Malta Arrived And Hatay. In contrast to the earlier news that would land the first time in Istanbul, reportedly came from Malta, and headed directly to Hatay. He is expected to leave Turkey after visiting refugee Syrian Hatay. He is expected to leave Turkey after visiting refugee Syrian Hatay.

Angelina Jolie , Syria , Turkey , UNHCR