Assad on the hot seat. Will the Iranians, flushed with victory over the witless Kerry at Lausanne, move to shore up his position?
“Islamic State seizes vast Damascus refugee camp,” by Sylvia Westall and Mariam Karouny, Reuters, April 1, 2015:
(Reuters) – Islamic State fighters seized most of a vast camp for Palestinian refugees on the outskirts of Damascus from other insurgents on Wednesday in a bid to capture a major foothold close to President Bashar al-Assad’s seat of power.
In a separate advance, rebel groups that have received backing from Assad’s Arab and Western foes captured a border crossing with Jordan, the first time Damascus has lost it since the start of the conflict, sources on both sides said.
The gains by groups at opposite ends of the insurgent spectrum show the pressures still facing Assad, who has sought to shore up his control over western Syria including the border zone with Jordan and Israel – the last notable foothold of the mainstream rebels who have largely been eclipsed by jihadists.
They come just days after an alliance of Islamist groups captured the northwestern city of Idlib from the government. The Nusra Front, al Qaeda’s wing in Syria and one of the groups involved, announced on Wednesday the city would be run according to sharia law.
The ultra-hardline Islamic State already controls swathes of eastern Syria and Iraq and is being targeted by a U.S.-led campaign of airstrikes.
Until Wednesday’s assault on the Yarmouk refugee camp, the group did not have a major presence in the area around the capital, where insurgents have mainly been loyal to other groups.
The Yarmouk refugee camp, which was home to half a million Palestinians before the conflict began in 2011, has been held by anti-Assad insurgents and besieged by government troops since the early days of the war. It is a few kilometers from the heart of Damascus, which is still firmly in government control.
Mirroring the way Islamic State has grown elsewhere in Syria, its fighters seized control of areas of the camp from other insurgents, helped by rebels from the rival al Qaeda-linked Nusra Front who switched sides, a political activist in the area said….
Huck Folder says
Cannon fodder?
Charli Main says
More likely, hundreds of boat loads full of Muslim “refugees” heading for the life of FREE in Europe.
Muslim ” refugees” are one of the most effective weapons that Islam has at its disposal, in its war against the West.
PatnCats says
I fear you are so right! These ”’refugees”’ or abusers, will go to France and get in the no go zones, and then more get themselves over to Britain and sign up for freebies. Instead of running and wife beating, they need to defend their own lands. These folks seem real keen to behead unarmed Christians, strap suicide vests onto ignornat children and women (as Hiter sent the youths armed with Panzerfausts to fight Russian T-34 tanks and field hardened Russian troops) then are rabid about attacking Isreal to kill the Jews – and follow the kooran to do this – then beg for sympathy from the rest of us stupid Westeners such as Obama and Idiot Lacky Kerry – and the French and the British and the Sweds, and the Danish, and the Belgians….so this isalmic poison leeks into our neighborhoods….and the kill and beheading in Oklahoma..bombing at Boston Marathon…ones and twos and dozens… ones and twos and dozens… to “””TRAIN””” us infidels AND Terrorize us into NON-ACTION on sharia law and no more talking about Mohammed unless we PRAISE this barbarian. The Germans in WWII had an expression, “Still, sprache durch die Blume” i.e. “HUSH, Speak thru the Flower” in other words, no criticizm is allowed, only speak the PRAISE of the tyrants…our news media and politicos howling “”Islamophobes, racists and bigots” at us are doing the same thing.
Rob says
The Indonesians threatened Australia with a flood of ME refugees if Australia didn’t back off on its protests about to execution of its citizens.
The fact that neither Indonesia (or Malaysia) are signatories to the UN refugee convention is starting to squeeze these two.
Rob says
Litmus test:
Do foreign aid workers feel safer or less safe with ISIS in charge and not the Syrian regime?
cs says
It is getting worse.
duh_swami says
Don’t worry, once ISIS filters out and kills the people they don”t like, they will treat the 5-10 survives well;…
PJG says
Wasn’t this picture found to be a fake?
Mirren10 says
Hi, PJG.
I googled this. Apparently the suggestions it was faked originated on various private blogs/social media.
http://english.alarabiya.net/en/media/digital/2014/03/13/U-N-says-shocking-photo-of-refugees-in-Syria-is-no-fake.html
Wiki however, says, as Baucent suggests, Yarmouk is a suburb, that contains hospitals and schools.
So, which to believe ? Propaganda is a two edged tool, and can turn back and bite the propagandists – for example, the propaganda of the allies in the First World War, that the Hun bayoneted babies, raped nuns etc, which turned out to be untrue, led to an immense scepticism, which led many people to be sceptical of German atrocities in the Second World War.
And, having seen the photographs of the luxuries of Gaza all over the web, and knowing that mohammedans lie, leads me to be equally sceptical. Also, of course, the UN lies its head off at the drop of a hat, on behalf of the ‘pooor palestinians’.
Baucent says
There’s a need to unpack some of the political jargon in this Reuters report. “Palestinian refugee camp”, sort of conjures up a vision of a tent city doesn’t it? But really this is just an outer suburb of Damascus where people live in concrete apartment buildings just like folks in other suburbs. And that refugee bit? That means their grandparents moved there from the newly established state of Israel in 1948. Should really be calling themselves Syrians by now.
Kepha says
True enough, Baucent. Those people really ought to be Syrians by now.
However, the Arab governments have never naturalized the Falastin Arab refugees–except for Jordan–even down to the fourth generation. It’s one of the great assymetries of the Arab-Israeli conflict, especially when you consider that a slight majority of no-questions-asked Israelis descend from the Jewish communities that formerly flourished everywhere from the Maghreb to the trans-Oxus region.
Indeed, the USA has given passport-holding, property rights, voting rights, public office eligibility citizenship to more direct victims of An-Nakhbar and their descendants than any seven Arab states put together. Were I the POTUS, that would be a mandatory talaking point whenever the Arab street, incensed over the “poor, poor Palestinians”, attacks a US target.
Mahendra Singh says
One set of terrorists capturing another of the same kind. As long as it is
M on M violence do not bother. They are wise enough to solve it or foolish
enough to annihilate each other. Non-Muslim powers should not interfere.
Oliver says
Hopefully, they (both sides) will annihilate ( totally) the other side.
Less terrorists
Aton says
Remind me – who is president Hussain Obama giving weapons to??
Rezali Mehil says
I cannot help thinking that this picture will be swathes of kuffar one day in LA or Washington one day. Even then peoples like Obama will be happily helping the Sunni from an underground bunker.
I think it best for you to convert before that day comes…only trying to help!!!
More later …
Rezali
Mirren10 says
Rezali, I don’t know *how* many times I’ve advised you to get your arse over there, with your wifies and your beard, to help out your bros.
But you persist in ignoring my advice ! Why is that, rezali ? 🙂
You know, your demon ‘allah’ is not going to be happy with you, if you continue to ‘shirk’ your islamic duty. Those jihadis probably could do with some fresh meat; you and the wifies would be just the ticket.
Come on, rezali old son, you know it makes sense !
PatnCat says
I’m sure the bloods, the rednecks and the biker groups to name a few – will have a lot of mohammadans heads on pikes – rather than be bowing 5 times a day to some stupid building with a metorite on the side of it. Or give up alcohol, pork rinds or their dogs. Or music and singing. Such a foolish notion our resident mohammadan here has!. We also have the second amendment, but these groups always seem to have plenty of guns without going thru the screening us regular folks have to. WIth 380 million of us to only .6% of ONE PERCENT mohammadan population in the USA….well we will be fed up with them LONG before they get any type of upperhand. Of that we do know. I’m content at the time to watch the feds and police hauling the mohams into jail and court then toss them in jail for their ””honor killing”’ bombings and beheadings. When these crimes go unpunished by law enforcement will be the time we’ve been watching for — all that reloaded ammo will have a use. And I’m confident that the American people will not tolerate such nonsense. We watch as our law enforcement agencies take care of things for now……but we are watching….
Petey says
Thank God for that! we are watching in Canada too
Barook says
Interesting to see how this pans out. ISIS fighters seizing most of a vast camp for Palestinian refugees Yarmouk Refugee Camp) on the outskirts of Damascus. I wonder what the P.A. administration and Hamas leaders have to say about this. Are they going to rally their troups against ISIS? I guess we’ll just have to wait and see.
This time it’s Muslims against Muslims (Palestinians against ISIS) …. will it happen?
shabeer_hassan says
NO SECT FIGHT
8: 46. And obey Allâh and His Messenger, and do not dispute (with one another) lest you lose courage and your strength depart, and be patient. Surely, Allâh is with those who are As-Sâbirin (the patient ones, etc.).
Muslim :: Book 39 : Hadith 6752
Jabir reported: I heard Allah’s Apostle (may peace be upon him) as saying: Verily, the Satan has lost all hopes that the worshippers would ever worship (him) in the peninsula of Arabia, but he (is hopeful) that he would sow the seed of dissension amongst them.
Bukhari :: Book 6 :: Volume 60 :: Hadith 114
Narrated Said bin Jubair:
The people of Kufa disagreed (disputed) about the above Verse. So I went to Ibn Abbas and asked him about it. He said, “This Verse:– “And whoever kills a believer intentionally, his recompense is Hell.” was revealed last of all (concerning premeditated murder) and nothing abrogated it.”
Bukhari :: Book 2 :: Volume 23 :: Hadith 428
Narrated ‘Uqba bin ‘Amir:
One day the Prophet went out and offered the funeral prayers of the martyrs of Uhud and then went up the pulpit and said, “I will pave the way for you as your predecessor and will be a witness on you. By Allah! I see my Fount (Kauthar) just now and I have been given the keys of all the treasures of the earth (or the keys of the earth). By Allah! I am not afraid that you will worship others along with Allah after my death, but I am afraid that you will fight with one another for the worldly things.”
Linde Barrera says
Rezali, I will never convert to Islam. So here I am baby, come get me.
The Doctor says
You realise that you’re challenging him to attack you. Since you are old enough to read and write, you are clearly too old for Rezali to consider for a wife.
Petey says
He doesnt have the balls, thats why hes here and not fighting jihad in any of the shitholistans, Rezali’s a loud mouth bitch! figures hell earn allahs favour by trolling,
shabeer_hassan says
Fithna: protection from the enemy from their oppression/problems /terrorism/vilonce/ trial
10:85 They said: “In Allah we put our trust. Our Lord! Make us not a trial for the folk who are wrongdoers.
10:86 “And save us by Your mercy from the disbelieving folk.”
8:25 And fear the Fitnah (affliction and trial) which affects not in particular (only) those of you who do wrong, and know that Allah is severe in punishment.
8: 73. And those who disbelieve are allies to one another, (and) if you (Muslims of the whole world collectively) do not do so (i.e. become allies, as one united block with one Khalifah – chief Muslim ruler for the whole Muslim world to make victorious Allâh’s Religion of Islâmic Monotheism), there will be Fitnah (wars, battles, polytheism, etc.) and oppression on earth, and a great mischief and corruption (appearance of polytheism).
60: 5. “Our Lord! Make us not a trial for the disbelievers, and forgive us, Our Lord! Verily, You, only You are the All-Mighty, the All-Wise.”
29:10. Of mankind are some who say: “We believe in Allâh,” but if they are made to suffer for the sake of Allâh, they consider the trial of mankind as Allâh’s punishment, and if victory comes from your Lord, (the hypocrites) will say: “Verily! We were with you (helping you).” Is not Allâh Best Aware of what is in the breast of the ‘AlamĂ®n (mankind and jinns).
Linde Barrera says
This is for The Doctor: Thank you for your comment, but I love a challenge. I really don’t know if Rezali is a male or female, but I don’t like it when anyone says “You should convert now, before….” Sounds like intimidation, and I don’t play that way.