Tyr-Ziu Saxnot
06-19-2013, 09:11 AM
BEIRUT (AP) — http://l.yimg.com/bt/api/res/1.2/oXh_6AJBHy_uEbdrklkymA--/YXBwaWQ9eW5ld3M7Zmk9Zml0O2g9Mjg-/http://l.yimg.com/os/152/2012/04/21/image001-png_162613.png (http://us.lrd.yahoo.com/_ylt=AtqFhT5.ccHui2wYTkBzix3yWed_;_ylu=X3oDMTFiN2p zZDVyBG1pdANBcnRpY2xlIEhlYWQEcG9zAzEEc2VjA01lZGlhQ XJ0aWNsZUhlYWQ-;_ylg=X3oDMTNrajQ2Z2VpBGludGwDdXMEbGFuZwNlbi11cwRw c3RhaWQDZGM5N2Q1NmYtYzcyZi0zYTdmLWFhNTktOTYwMjQyMz g3N2VjBHBzdGNhdAN3b3JsZHxtaWRkbGVlYXN0BHB0A3N0b3J5 cGFnZQR0ZXN0A3NjcmVlbl90ZXN0;_ylv=0/SIG=116p1oi0f/EXP=1372860185/**http%3A//www.ap.org/)<cite class="byline vcard">By SARAH EL DEEB | Associated Press – <abbr title="2013-06-19T13:50:02Z" class="updated">13 mins ago Syrian</abbr></cite> troops backed by Lebanese Hezbollah fighters clashed Wednesday with rebel forces south of a Damascus suburb that is home to a major Shiite Muslim shrine, in an attempt to secure the area surrounding the revered site, activists said.
State TV said government forces were able to clear rebels out of one neighborhood, al-Bahdaliya, outside the suburb of Sayida Zeinab, home to the ornate, gold-domed shrine of Sayida Zeinab, the Prophet Muhammad's granddaughter. Meanwhile, rebel forces claimed they took control of a hospital in a village south of the shrine neighborhood, from which they were battling regime forces and allied militias.
Opposition fighters control several suburbs of the capital, trying to threaten the heart of the city, seat of President Bashar Assad's power. But the regime has largely been able to keep them at bay.
The area surrounding the Sayida Zeinab suburb, about 16 kilometers (10 miles) south of Damascus, has seen fighting before. But the regime forces and Shiite Hezbollah fighters launched an intensified assault there on Monday, according to Rami Abdul-Rahman, the director of the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.
The assault appears aimed at decisively pushing rebels back and securing the suburb of the shrine, said Abdul-Rahman. The Observatory is a Britain-based group of anti-regime activists that has a network of activists on the ground.
Before the war, Shiite pilgrims from outside Syria regularly visited the shrine. Last year, rebels kidnapped Iranian pilgrims visiting the area, accusing them of being spies.
Now protection of the shrine has become a rallying cry for Shiite fighters backing Assad. Lebanese guerrillas from Hezbollah as well as Iraqi Shiite militiamen have been reported fighting in the area in the past weeks, though it was not clear if Iraqis were involved in the new assault.
The Syrian uprising began more than two years ago with peaceful protests against Assad, but later grew into a civil war that the U.N. says has killed more than 93,000 people. In recent months, the conflict's sectarian overtones have been growing, particularly with the overt participation of Hezbollah on the side of the regime, dominated by Alawites — an offshoot sect of Shiite Islam.
The rebels are largely Sunni Muslims, and have also been joined by Sunni fighters from countries in the region. Folks there are no good guys in this conflict. All involved are enemies of this nation but you can bet your last damn dollar whichever side Obama is for is our nation's worse enemy. And he is for the rebels. The Caliphate awaits.... and how many of our billions is he willing to send to our enemy over there ? How many advanced weapons to later be used on us? --Tyr
State TV said government forces were able to clear rebels out of one neighborhood, al-Bahdaliya, outside the suburb of Sayida Zeinab, home to the ornate, gold-domed shrine of Sayida Zeinab, the Prophet Muhammad's granddaughter. Meanwhile, rebel forces claimed they took control of a hospital in a village south of the shrine neighborhood, from which they were battling regime forces and allied militias.
Opposition fighters control several suburbs of the capital, trying to threaten the heart of the city, seat of President Bashar Assad's power. But the regime has largely been able to keep them at bay.
The area surrounding the Sayida Zeinab suburb, about 16 kilometers (10 miles) south of Damascus, has seen fighting before. But the regime forces and Shiite Hezbollah fighters launched an intensified assault there on Monday, according to Rami Abdul-Rahman, the director of the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.
The assault appears aimed at decisively pushing rebels back and securing the suburb of the shrine, said Abdul-Rahman. The Observatory is a Britain-based group of anti-regime activists that has a network of activists on the ground.
Before the war, Shiite pilgrims from outside Syria regularly visited the shrine. Last year, rebels kidnapped Iranian pilgrims visiting the area, accusing them of being spies.
Now protection of the shrine has become a rallying cry for Shiite fighters backing Assad. Lebanese guerrillas from Hezbollah as well as Iraqi Shiite militiamen have been reported fighting in the area in the past weeks, though it was not clear if Iraqis were involved in the new assault.
The Syrian uprising began more than two years ago with peaceful protests against Assad, but later grew into a civil war that the U.N. says has killed more than 93,000 people. In recent months, the conflict's sectarian overtones have been growing, particularly with the overt participation of Hezbollah on the side of the regime, dominated by Alawites — an offshoot sect of Shiite Islam.
The rebels are largely Sunni Muslims, and have also been joined by Sunni fighters from countries in the region. Folks there are no good guys in this conflict. All involved are enemies of this nation but you can bet your last damn dollar whichever side Obama is for is our nation's worse enemy. And he is for the rebels. The Caliphate awaits.... and how many of our billions is he willing to send to our enemy over there ? How many advanced weapons to later be used on us? --Tyr