"Hundreds of men who took up arms against President Bashar al-Assad are defecting back to the government side.
Disillusioned by the Islamist twist that the "revolution" in Syria has taken, exhausted after more than two years of conflict and feeling that they are losing, growing numbers of rebels are signing up to a negotiated amnesty offered by the Assad regime.
At the same time, the families of retreating fighters have begun quietly moving back to government-controlled territory, seen as a safer place to live as the regime continues its intense military push against rebel-held areas.
"
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Well, boys and girls. This sounds like a coming "bad day" for the forces of Sunni jihadism. pl
http://www.smh.com.au/world/syrian-rebels-defect-to-government-20130724-2qig1.html
Let us hope. Hearing Kerry talk about arming the “right set of rebels” inspires none,especially as I digest this pipeline news from under my tinfoil.
Confidence in the executive and congress to do the worst thing possible remains high.
A chieu hoi program in Syria… damned smart of Assad to do so. This will deprive McCain and the “all war all the time” crowd of any moderate rebels to champion. Now if our vast and powerful IC could just put their considerable cyber capabilities to use in drying up the Gulf money flowing to the jihadis, we’d all be better off.
Syrians know their own interests. Shouldn’t we do the same and point some righteous indignation at the puritans who authored the senate bill. Or at least have them bring into line with events on the ground.
This is very good news.
I have an iota of sympathy for those people who might have rebelled in hopes of crafting a better government and it looks like Assad has given them an escape hatch. The Syrians themselves grasped the likely consequences of revolution quite quickly, didn’t they.
We should arm both sides.
Covertly would be best, but the US government doesn’t have much ability for that.
Anyway, Al Qaeda crazies fighting Iranian and Hezbollah crazies should give us good results.
The U.S. and the Euros truly have some freaky belief systems about driving a truck though hostile territory and throwing out weapons of allsorts to strangers.
“As if the harsh rules of war obeyed some Weapon Fairy Godmother high up in the sky.”
My favorite quote from the Escobar article.
The same batch of ATF folks that authorized operation Fast and Furious must have written an awesome Power Point presentation that went viral around the Belt Way. It’s a disease to think this way.
“Assad must go” Obama declared he would authorize the “light” weaponizing of “good” rebels only. As if the harsh rules of war obeyed some Weapon Fairy Godmother high up in the sky.
Perhaps its already happening the new Princeling in Qatar has cut the aid to the FSA in half according to al Jeezera . Put that with all the salafist that got arrested last week in Beirut and elsewhere that were going to bomb the FSA offices . Plus the seventy five rebels killed in the one ambush recently in or around Aleppo – I believe the BHO administration is quietly aiding and abetting Assad the Younger in his fight with the Sunni head choppers & heart eaters. We shall see.
I believe that the 2014 campaign for Congress is already engaged – and since there is zero popular support for another war in the ME – there will be no boots on the ground in Syria .
TWV
I do not agree. IMO we should not create a situation of chaos in Syria. Not all Muslims are crazy. Why do you think the groups you mention are all the same? pl
Twv: So your strategy is encouraging murderous violence, which is lead to further death of thousands of innocent people.
Classy.
Machiavelli, he is not – he advised to always take sides.
Because he has come to believe that the United States is at war against Islam – that is the reason for his policy perscription.
With the amnesty program, this guy might get home a little easier.
http://www.businessinsider.com/american-passport-found-among-rebels-possessions-syria-2013-7
The fun bit is that, for joining the fight against the hated tyrrant Assad, as encouraged by Obama and cheered on by US hawks, the US will probably reward this guy him with placing him on a terrorist watch list – naturally to the cheers of the same hawks.
After all, having jihadis murder people in Damascus or some other place ‘over there’ is all fun and games and is greeted with something approaching glee by US hawks. Now, heaven forbid such people ever get to work in places like Boston …
heart eaters?
I thought ibn Hind was sampling liver, that old pagan practice to keep your victim’s spirit from haunting you.
Graywolf,
The Qaeda Qrazies are having their heads handed to them (figuratively and maybe literally) by the “crazies” whom happen to practice professional military manners.
By the way, the Grand Bazaari with the best bargain and newly elected executive administrator of Iran will be inaugurated next weekend. Maybe he says again Let’s make a Deal?
Its what has been reported hear . Livers or hearts its still pretty gruesome imagery yes?
It does make me worried about blowback here in these United States. Are we to believe that the reports of American passports found on dead Syrian jihadis are credible ?
I remember reading somewhere that when Germany invaded USSR, Truman said: “if it looks like Hitler is winning we should help Stalin and if it looks like Stalin is winning we should help Hitler, and in that way kill as many as possible. But we shouldn’t let Hitler really finally win, of course.”
Thomas
Do you have any insight as to how much Russian SF have been training and advising Assad the Younger in his recent campaign succeses against the Quida Qwrazies ? I would imagine lessons learned in Chechyna & the Stans might be applicable to retaking Aleppo from the Black Banner Brigades .
Why not?
And even if they turn out not to be, it drives the point home that, as opposed to Brezinski’s old assumption, there are some bad aspects to have some stirred up Muslims stirring around.
In the past, it has not turned out too difficult for them to find a way to the US, or at least to US targets.
And that totally ignores the mischief they inflict regionally, which is IMO just as if not more important.
Alba,
Yes it is gruesome, though it is important to be accurate. When Vladimir Putin was quoted as saying intestines I wondered if it as a translation issue or he wasn’t paying attention to details.
“Do you have any insight as to how much Russian SF have been training and advising Assad the Younger in his recent campaign…?”
No, if they excel at their craft we should not know about it.
The advisors helping the Syrian Army are Iranian and Hizbullah as was recently demonstrated at Qusyar. They are bringing a professional approach and we see the momentum shift from it.
Now the independent insurgents, who do not want to live in Wahhabi World or go back to the way it was, would be wise to go to Geneva and get a new civil governance contract with a truth and reconciliation clause.
By the way, I agree with you that Barack does not want to get involved in the Syrian Civil War, but keep in consideration that he has courtiers on his crew that do want to and will try to undermine him.
We do agree. Yes it is all the more troubling to see us give so little attention to potential blowback from the regional mischief we instigate.
Thomas
Leader Putin also said that the jihadis that butchered the British soldier down the streets from his barracks were of the same stripe as the al Nusra fighters in Syria. Do you suppose Leader Putin was referring to IC counter terrorism taskings when he said that Snowden might get asylum in Russia if he ( Snowden) ” were to desist from hurting our partner the USA ?”
Thomas
I suspect you “might be from around here” – then as someone who does live here and does try to keep up with politics ( think globally act locally ) – my assessment is President Obama will not be going to any military operations – unless & until someone does something really stupid like attack CONUS -then you can be very certain that the gloves would come off. These United States and our citizens are bone weary from Iraq and Afghanistan. We are in the start up phase of our 2014 midterm elections. The American electorate are focused on domestic issues -It would be political suicide for any candidate to be seen as supporting another military intervention for anything other then an existential threat to our Country. The Presidential courtiers that you refer to are IMO window dressing and nothing else .I do believe Gen Dempsey carries for more water with President Obama then Samantha Powers or Susan Rice. Furthermore should we remember our history from the Former Yugoslavia Wars – one of the chief proponents of going to Pristina was then Senator Joe Biden . I believe that current Vice President Biden also does not want to be in Syria.
BTW – I also understand from news accounts that Hizbollah has actively been protecting Christians in the Levant – if that is true then God Bless them .
Correction I meant to write:
Thomas ” I suspect you might not be from around here”
in this reply above to Thomas.
“I suspect you might not be from around here”
Texas? I live in North Carolina and have always been interested in world affairs.
As for Snowden, he is a playable pawn in the ongoing dealings of diplomacy and Vladimir is a highly skilled player.
Some of my family from my Mother’s side are from North Carolina , by way of the Little Pigeon River Valley . They were the Harralls. Beautiful countryside, & good fishing too.
God’s Own Country.
Thomas
You might also enjoy Deep East Texas in the Spring . The Sierra’s Club , Lone Star Hiking , at Double Lake is very nice. It has virgin stands of Long Needle Pines & Lobolly Pines , and the state’s biggest Magnolia Tree.