Alawites Reportedly Massacred in Assad’s Homeland. On the ground in Assad’s provincial homeland of Latakia, the Guardian’s Jonathan Steele reports on a massacre of Alawites, members of Bashar al-Assad’s religious sect and his key support base.
“Armed rebels, led by local jihadis as well as members of Jabhat al-Nusra and the al-Qaida linked group, Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, left their headquarters in the largely Sunni town of Salma. They sneaked into the al-Akrad mountains, taking control of five Alawite villages,” Steele reports.
“The rebels called it Operation Liberation of the Coast and the aim was to send the government a message that even the Alawite heartland was no longer safe. Rumors of massacres spread as some 25,000 Alawite villagers fled to Latakia.”
Extremist Foreign Fighters Dominate Syria Battle. “Fighters from across the Arab world and beyond are playing an increasingly dominant role in the battle for control of Syria,” writes Liz Sly, the Washington Post’s Beirut bureau chief. “Foreign fighters man checkpoints, serve as commanders on the battlefield and have become the de facto rulers of towns and cities in areas under rebel control, giving them a visible and much-feared presence across large swaths of territory.”
The usual suspects – Saudis, Tunisians and Libyans – “are among the most frequently encountered nationalities,” Sly says, outlining the global scope of the problem, “but men from Chechnya, Kuwait, Jordan, Iraq and the United Arab Emirates also are present.” Sly cited an announcement that the Pakistani Taliban has set up a presence in Syria, while news website Al Monitor tracked Turkish fighters migrating across the border.
Within those fighting camps, groups of Salafists (the most extreme believers) are getting a renewed stream of support from Saudi Arabia, Reuters reports. Ironically, it’s a bid to curb the rising influence of al-Qaida, which sees other extreme Islamists groups as rivals on the ground.
The U.S., Europe Agree to Take in More Syrians, but not that many just yet. UNHCR says 17 countries have agreed to accept Syrian refugees, setting special quotas for those fleeing Syria’s war.
“But resettlement programs so far cover about 10,000 people – a drop in the ocean for a refugee population of 2.1 million and a further 4.25 million displaced people within Syria,” Reuters reports. “With no sign of a rapid end to the conflict, aid agencies are preparing for a third winter of war.” This week the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the death toll has reached 115,000 people in more than two years of conflict.
Death of the ‘Brave One,’ Who Captured Stunning Syria Photos. AFP’s Middle East Photo Editor Patrick Baz puts a human face on the conflict with a powerful blog post. He chronicles the death of a 26-year-old Syrian citizen photojournalist, Murdaf al-Modahi, known by his nickname Abu Shuja, alongside some of his stunning photos.
Abu Shuja was killed “in a rocket attack on September 28 in his hometown of Deir Ezzor, in the eastern part of the country. He was cycling back from a visit to his parents, where he’d been celebrating his recent economics degree when regime troops began firing rockets,” wrote Baz.
“This war is becoming more and more complicated, and above all more dangerous, to cover. New rebel factions are being created from one moment to the next, and jihadis are continuing to filter in and expand their influence. It’s hard to know who’s who and who’s controlling what.”
“Without local professionals such as Abu Shuja, the world would have a far more partial record of the horror gripping their country.”
Suggested Reads from Our Editorial Team:
Telegraph: Weapons Experts Begin Syria Mission
CBS News: War Encroaches on Damascus with No End in Sight
AFP: In Aleppo, Schools Reopen Despite War
Reuters: Syrian Pound Gains as Fears of U.S. Military Strike Recede
Telegraph: The 11-Year-Old Face of Syria’s Collateral Damage
Foreign Policy/Analysis: The Battle of Islam is Winning in Syria
Syria Comment/Joshua Landis: Syria’s Top 5 Insurgent Leaders
The Guardian: Jihadists Wreak Havoc