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Moderate rebels take key southern base in Syria, dealing blow to Assad
Washington Post ^ | June 9, 2015 | Hugh Naylor (Sam Alrefaie contributed to this report)

Posted on 06/10/2015 11:56:08 AM PDT by SunkenCiv

A coalition of moderate rebel factions known as the Southern Front took control of the Brigade 52 base by early afternoon, spokesman Issam al-Reis said. Brigade 52 is the largest military installation in Daraa province, which borders Jordan, and is key to the defense of northern routes leading to the Syrian capital, Damascus...

The loss of the base is another blow to Assad's forces, which have recently suffered a string of battlefield defeats. A largely Islamist rebel alliance that includes al-Qaeda's powerful Syria affiliate, Jabhat al-Nusra, has seized most of northwestern Idlib province. The Islamic State militant group has captured territory from government forces in the east as well as the ancient city of Palmyra, a UNESCO World Heritage site in central Syria.

The rebel and militant advances have raised questions among analysts about the durability of the Assad regime, which has weathered the civil war because of military and financial support from Russia and Iran. The four-year-old conflict has killed an estimated 220,000 people and displaced millions.

The attack on Tuesday marks another success for the largely moderate rebels fighting for the Southern Front, which is backed by the West and has received weapons and money from Arab countries. The umbrella group is supported by a military operations center in Amman, the capital of U.S. ally Jordan.

In April, Southern Front fighters captured the last border crossing between Syria and Jordan that was held by the Assad government.

Emile Hokayem, a Middle East analyst at the London-based International Institute for Strategic Studies, said the fall of Brigade 52 weakens government defenses around the capital. The assault also provides a glimmer of hope for moderate insurgent groups, which have been overtaken by extremist factions on several fronts...

(Excerpt) Read more at washingtonpost.com ...


TOPICS: Foreign Affairs; Syria
KEYWORDS: afghanistan; aleppo; assad; brigade52; damascus; daraa; freesyrianarmy; fsa; hezbollah; idlib; jabhatalnusra; jordan; kurdistan; palmyra; southernfront; syria; syriawar
(Ammar Abdullah/Reuters)

Quietly, al-Qaeda offshoots expand in Yemen and Syria

1 posted on 06/10/2015 11:56:08 AM PDT by SunkenCiv
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To: AdmSmith; AnonymousConservative; Berosus; bigheadfred; Bockscar; cardinal4; ColdOne; ...

Sometimes I just post stuff to generate business for the health care industry.

Al-Qaida-linked militants attack IS affiliate in Libya
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/3298861/posts

Rebels Seize Syrian Army Base in a Blow to Assad
Anne Barnard
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/06/10/world/middleeast/rebels-seize-syrian-army-base-in-a-blow-to-assad.html


2 posted on 06/10/2015 11:57:53 AM PDT by SunkenCiv (What do we want? REGIME CHANGE! When do we want it? NOW)
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To: SunkenCiv

Moderate Barbarians?


3 posted on 06/10/2015 11:58:04 AM PDT by mountainlion (Live well for those that did not make it back.)
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To: SunkenCiv

Have these ‘moderates’ started sawing off the heads of local Christians yet? Or are they still too busy blowing up the local churches?


4 posted on 06/10/2015 11:59:50 AM PDT by navyguy (The National Reset Button is pushed with the trigger finger.)
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To: SunkenCiv

Assad is down to 40,000 government troops. A year from now, Assad will either have joined his family in Russia, or he’ll wind up a wind chime, like Mussolini. And I wouldn’t put much stock in Iranian forces if I were him. Judging from their abysmal past performance against Iraq (last major war Iran ever fought), they’re paper tigers. So it’s going to be a 3-way dance between moderates, al-Nusra, and IS.


5 posted on 06/10/2015 12:02:00 PM PDT by Bluewater2015 (There are no coincidences)
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To: mountainlion

they are not barbarians, they are antiAssad moderates

I know, it is contrary to FRee Republic doctrine but it is true. They were in control until Obama abandoned the coalition back in ‘13 allowing the radicals to get the upper hand


6 posted on 06/10/2015 12:03:41 PM PDT by bert ((K.E.; N.P.; GOPc.;+12, 73, ..... No peace? then no peace!)
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To: mountainlion

There are no moderate rebels. The rebels are always highly partisan and highly motivated by adrenaline-fueled emphasis on opinions and actions.


7 posted on 06/10/2015 12:04:02 PM PDT by alloysteel ("Before I refuse to take your questions, I have an opening statement..." Ronald Reagan)
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To: SunkenCiv

Just to get a different perspective on the Syrian war. What if Iran was training terrorists in Mexico and sending them across the border to overthrow DC? And what if during that process, a similar ISIS group within the US gained power because the US was using all of it’s resources to fight the Iranian train terrorists groups? How would that differ from our involvement in Syria, which has killed 100k civilians, created 3 million refugees and enabled ISIS to emerge as a power army?

This is just a perspective. Something to think about how we are enforcing our policies world wide


8 posted on 06/10/2015 12:11:40 PM PDT by realcleanguy
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To: realcleanguy

Next time take your psych meds as directed.


9 posted on 06/10/2015 12:24:33 PM PDT by SunkenCiv (What do we want? REGIME CHANGE! When do we want it? NOW)
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To: SunkenCiv

The Old Media just loves those moderate muslims. And you can always tell them from the bad ones. They all have “moderate” tattooed on their foreheads.


10 posted on 06/10/2015 12:27:09 PM PDT by ModelBreaker (')
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To: bert; Bluewater2015

Yes, Zero’s approach has been one big tease — but perhaps that was his plan, since it hurts all sides. Isn’t that kind of his mantra? ;’)

There are four failed states in the Middle East — Lebanon, Iraq, Syria, and Yemen.

Iran has “advisers”, along with either troops or proxy paramilitary forces, or both, in all four of those states. The only reason Egypt isn’t in that category is that al-Sisi led a revolution against it.

Arab polities are under extreme pressure elsewhere.

Zero and his cadre have been pushing for closer ties with Iran, for lifting sanctions, for negotiations, since the 2008 campaign trail.


11 posted on 06/10/2015 12:29:20 PM PDT by SunkenCiv (What do we want? REGIME CHANGE! When do we want it? NOW)
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To: bert

You’re right, but most people want to paint with a broad brush. And those who get their news from RT especially buy into Putin’s propaganda that Russia, Syria, and Iran are pro-Christian and protectors of Christians. Crazy but true.


12 posted on 06/10/2015 12:47:00 PM PDT by elhombrelibre (Against Obama. Against Putin. Pro-freedom. Pro-US Constitution.)
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To: SunkenCiv

——but perhaps that was his plan——

I don’t really believe that because I don’t think he has a plan. He lacks the intellect to keep up. Pardon the expression that is not a political derogatory pun, but Obama is Bush league. His capabilities lie in the domestic ability to do things the Chicago way. Beyond the borders he is over his head.

He believes that the only course is to negotiate a deal to end nuclear proliferation with Iran. that is the be all end all bedrock upon which he will founder.

He doesn’t realize and can’t believe that the smartest and most powerful black man, that is BLACK man, is being played for a fool. The Iranians and for that matter all the leaders in the mid east are shrewder on their worst day than Obama is on his best day. He lacks the raw ability to be playing the game. He is trying to best people that have been trading at their father’s feet since infancy. He is and they all know he is a pathetic excuse for a president and the Iranians are going to trade the shirt off his back.

There is double proof..... Hillary Clinton and John Kerry

Americans can’t be racists but mideasterners can


13 posted on 06/10/2015 12:59:25 PM PDT by bert ((K.E.; N.P.; GOPc.;+12, 73, ..... No peace? then no peace!)
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To: Bluewater2015

40,000 troops? Source please.


14 posted on 06/10/2015 1:41:44 PM PDT by MinorityRepublican
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To: MinorityRepublican

http://www.npr.org/2015/06/09/413192414/no-winner-in-sight-as-forces-fighting-in-syria-weaken?ft=nprml&f=

Yes, I know it’s NPR. But I had it on last night because I had a long drive and didn’t want to listen to my iPhone. Not much on the radio these days.


15 posted on 06/10/2015 1:50:09 PM PDT by Bluewater2015 (There are no coincidences)
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To: SunkenCiv

Moderate rebels. Doesn’t that sound oxymoronish?


16 posted on 06/10/2015 1:56:39 PM PDT by Parmy
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To: All

Moderate is a word. Religions actually are what their founders say they are; what their sages and high level priests find in the writtings of the founding fathers. People can claim to be a member of a religion, and ignore what the religion actually says. Most people claiming to be of a religion, just go thru the motions; the religion is not in their heart. Specifically, they will do what they chose to do, chosing how much of the religion they actually live out. Most do almost nothing, they attend the religion services and go back to their own world.

In actual religion, most members are members in their own mind:
“’When I use a word,’ Humpty Dumpty said, in rather a scornful tone, ‘it means just what I choose it to mean neither more nor less.’ ‘The question is,’ said Alice, ‘whether you can make words mean so many different things.’ ‘The question is,’ said Humpty Dumpty, ‘which is to be master that’s all.’
— The Looking Glass


17 posted on 06/10/2015 2:03:42 PM PDT by veracious
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To: Bluewater2015

According to this article, the regime is down to 150,000 soldiers.

18 posted on 06/10/2015 2:25:47 PM PDT by MinorityRepublican
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