The Worm Turns in Syria -- But Which Worm Is It?
Somebody set off two car bombs within two minutes of each other yesterday at Assad's security HQ in Aleppo, the second-largest city in Syria, the day after that city held its first anti-government demonstrations in the 11 months of the popular uprising.
State television is broadcasting images of devastation: shattered building facades, concrete debris everywhere, dismembered bodies, blood. The official death toll is 28, including military, police, and civilians, with more than 200 injured.
Aleppo is considered a bastion of the regime (or was until Thursday's demonstration), and this attack seems at first glance to suggest -- because of both its location and its magnitude -- that the opposition is getting a good deal more aggressive. But according to Haaretz, Syrian opposition leaders not only are not taking credit for the attack but are accusing the regime of orchestrating it "in order to damage the image of anti-Assad forces". The Turkey-based Syrian Free Army has acknowledged an "armed attack" on the two buildings in Aleppo but denies any part in the bombings.
The New York Times notes the distinct possibility that the perpetrators were not Syrian opposition but members of Al-Qaeda's affiliate in Iraq:
“It comes as no surprise that Al Qaeda’s Iraq affiliate — through its networks in Syria — might attempt to seem relevant by going after the Assad regime,” said an American official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because the assessment contained classified information. “It is opportunism, plain and simple.”
Andrew Tabler, a fellow at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy and author of a recent book on Syrian-American relations, said, “This is the regime’s foreign policy coming back to bite it.”
This bombing resembles the recent blasts in Damascus, which might also have been the work of non-Syrian Sunni extremists.
On February 4, Russia and China vetoed a UN Security Council resolution attempting to end the bloodshed, which has so far claimed the lives of approximately 6,000 Syrians. The Arab League's foreign ministers will be meeting tomorrow (Sunday) and the UN General Assembly on Monday to try to get through a similar resolution. In the meantime, tanks and soldiers are surrounding Sunni neighborhoods in Homs, and there are reports from that city that
military forces loyal to President Bashar Assad has begun stockpiling chemical weapons and equipping its soldiers with gas masks near the rebel town.
Opposition activists said they had received reports that the Syrian army had transferred a significant quantity of grenades and mortars containing chemical agents to a school building in Homs.
The opposition also reported that gas masks were being distributed to soldiers at roadblocks.
Hama revisited might be imminent. It remains to be seen who will fill the vacuum once the gas cloud settles.
UPDATE: Earlier today (Saturday), three gunmen assassinated Brig. Gen. Issa al-Khouli as he left his home in Damascus. This is the first assassination of a high-ranking member of Assad's military to take place inside the capital since the uprising began. No one has claimed responsibility.
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Oct '10
Re: The Worm Turns in Syria -- But Which Worm Is It?
Is this the Muslim Brotherhood's move to ultimately decapitate Iran, Shia, in Syria, eliminate Hezbollah in Lebanon, and gain the glory of attacking Israel from the south, Egypt, and the North, Lebanon? How does Jordan play into this? Will they become the next to have a purity crusade?
As dangerous as the Iranian nukes are, this might equal their threat level.
Times are getting interesting.
May '10
Re: The Worm Turns in Syria -- But Which Worm Is It?
What are the chances that Syria becomes a larger version of 1980s Beirut - horribly violent, politically and irreconcilably Balkanized, a failed-state proxy zone for all sorts of outside parties (Iran, terrorists, Israel, the U.S. by necessity), and with no prospects for improvement?By the way, not to pick at scabs but I wonder where all the chemical weapons may have come from? Just the Russians or ... other places?
Mar '11
Re: The Worm Turns in Syria -- But Which Worm Is It?
Unlikely. The military is firmly behind Assad, so far we have only seen minor defections and there is no other significant military force in Syria. The son is simply following in the footsteps of the father when he leveled Hama to secure his rule. The only real question sadly is what the ultimate body count will be.
Jun '10
Re: The Worm Turns in Syria -- But Which Worm Is It?
This is a case where the enemy of your enemy may be an even worse enemy.
Dec '10
Re: The Worm Turns in Syria -- But Which Worm Is It?
It's nice that the West is giving Al-Qaida this golden opportunity to cement its image as the defender of Sunnis from a Shiite-Alawite axis of evil. Much better than giving Syrians a reason to be grateful to us.