Free Syrian Army

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Dozens Defect Syrian Army as Rebels Cry Genocide

Europe calls for measured response to downed Turkish plane

(Newser) - The Syrian military has been hit with a raft of new defections: Six officers and 33 soldiers today quit the country for Turkey. Reports suggest they brought their families along, bringing the total number to 224 people. Accounts differ as to whether the defectors included an army general. They add...

Syria Shoots Down Turkish Fighter Jet

Downed plane further frays poor Syria-Turkey relations

(Newser) - Syria confirmed this morning that it did shoot down a Turkish F-4 fighter jet yesterday, saying it was flying low and well inside Syrian airspace, reports the BBC . Turkey has not said yet whether it considers the incident provocative, and much could depend on whether the plane's crew survived....

80 Killed as Syria Rebels Dump Annan Plan

Peace plan looks 'essentially dead'

(Newser) - Syrian rebels killed 80 government soldiers this weekend, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said today, after the regime ignored its Friday deadline to implement Kofi Annan's peace plan. A rebel spokesman told Reuters that they had "decided to end our commitment" to Annan's plan. "We...

Syrian Rebels to Assad: You Have 'Til Tomorrow

Peace plan is off unless regime implements ceasefire, rebel group says

(Newser) - The Free Syrian Army has warned the Syrian government it will renew its fight to overthrow Bashar al-Assad's regime unless it complies with the United Nations peace plan by lunchtime tomorrow. The rebel group, which controls parts of some towns and cities as well as large areas of countryside,...

US Helping Arm Syria Rebels... But Not Actually Arming Them

Gulf nations providing cash, US providing information

(Newser) - Syrian rebels have been receiving large shipments of arms in recent weeks with the help of the US, but the Obama administration is going out of its way to stress that it's not forking over weapons or money. Instead, the Washington Post reports, Washington is coordinating efforts to arm...

Syria Agrees to Annan's Peace Plan

Plan to be implemented April 10, in theory

(Newser) - Bashar al-Assad's regime has agreed to begin implementing Kofi Annan's UN- and Arab League-backed peace plan by April 10, and to cease hostilities entirely 48 hours later, diplomats told reporters today. Syrian officials confirmed as much for al-Jazeera , but said the deal would fall through if Annan couldn'...

Syrian Rebels to Get Paychecks

'Assad must go,' declares Hillary Clinton at Syria conference in Turkey

(Newser) - It looks like rebels in Syria are not going to be fighting only for their freedom—now they'll be fighting for a paycheck, too. Sixty nations gathered in Turkey yesterday for a “Friends of the Syrian People” conference, pledging financial support for the Syrian Free Army to encourage...

Syrian Rebels Accused of Kidnapping, Torture

Human rights group calls out freedom fighters for abuses

(Newser) - It's tempting to paint the conflict in Syria as a brutal regime fighting virtuous rebels, but Human Rights Watch today issued an open letter to the Free Syrian Army accusing insurgents of a variety of brutalities, including kidnapping and torturing security forces and government supporters. "The Syrian government'...

Russia: We Won't Stop Arming Assad

Assad's forces capture Free Syrian Army stronghold of Idlib

(Newser) - Russia has rejected calls to stop arming and training Bashar al-Assad's regime, despite evidence that its weapons are being used against civilians. "Russia enjoys good and strong military technical co-operation with Syria, and we see no reason today to reconsider it," Russia's deputy defense minister said...

More Syrian Generals Defect to Opposition

Rebels slam Kofi Annan's calls for dialogue: He's 'on Mars'

(Newser) - More military leaders are defecting in Syria: Reuters reports that four high-ranking officers jumped ship and reached a deserters' camp in Turkey. One rebel leader says a total of seven brigadier generals have now joined the opposition. The AP also notes four military defections, though the ranks are different. Regardless,...

Syrian Opposition Forms Military Bureau

Rebels say they have so far kept the government out of Homs

(Newser) - Syria's main political opposition group today announced that it was forming a "military bureau" to unify and coordinate the Free Syrian army and other armed opposition groups opposing Bashar al-Assad. Speaking in Paris, the Syrian National Council's leader said they had originally hoped for a nonviolent revolt,...

'Friends of Syria' Meet, Plan to Put Screws to Assad

Opposition activist says they're turning a blind eye as rebels smuggle in weapons

(Newser) - With UN action looking unlikely, diplomats from dozens of countries converged on Tunisia today for a "Friends of Syria" conference to chart a political solution to the Syrian crisis. Their goal is to create a "tsunami wave" of pressure against Bashar al-Assad, stripping away his internal support, CNN...

Senators McCain, Graham Push to Arm Syrian Rebels

They argue that a new government there would weaken Iran

(Newser) - John McCain and Lindsey Graham think the US isn't doing enough to help the Syrian opposition, and have drawn up proposals to provide humanitarian aid and arm rebel fighters. "I believe there are ways to get weapons to the opposition without direct United States involvement," McCain, the...

200 Dead in Syria Assault
 200 Dead in Syria Assault 
Feb 4, 2012 5:21 AM CST

200 Dead in Syria Assault

Worst killings since uprising began as UN prepares to vote

(Newser) - With anti-government forces stepping up, the Syrian military killed more than 200 people yesterday with artillery fire in the city of Homs, reports Reuters . It was the single-worst day of civilian casualties since the uprisings began early last year. Other reports put the death toll as high as 337 in...

Army Defector: 'Hitler Awoke in Syria'

Rebel tells New York Times of atrocities by Assad's forces

(Newser) - What drives the rebels of the Free Syrian Army? Ask Ammar Cheikh Omar. Raised in Germany to Syrian parents, he'd moved to Syria to attend law school and start a family. But in 2010 he was drafted into the Syrian military, and soon found himself in Daraa, ordered to...

Syrian Rebel Leader Vows 'Surprise' for Regime

Colonel Riad al-Asaad says he's frustrated with Arab League's lack of results

(Newser) - The head of the Free Syrian Army is fed up with the ineffectual Arab League observer mission, and if it doesn’t show some progress soon, he’s going to “take a decision which will surprise the regime and the whole world,” he told Reuters in an interview...

Syria Agrees 'in Principle' to Let Observers In

As violence from dissidents mounts

(Newser) - As anti-government protests intensified and armed rebels started attacking government installations, Bashar al-Assad's regime has agreed "in principle" to allow Arab League observers into Syria, a senior official tells the AP . "Syria has agreed in principle to the Arab League proposal ," he said. "We are...

Turkey Harboring Rebel 'Free Syrian Army'

Group claims to have 10,000 fighters, more than 18 battalions

(Newser) - Turkey isn’t just playing host to camps of Syrian refugees, it’s also harboring an armed opposition group calling itself the Free Syrian Army, the New York Times reports. The group claims to have more than 10,000 fighters across at least 18 battalions, and claims responsibility for the...

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