http://www.liveleak.com/browse?q=militia Sat, 18 May 2013 14:36:39 -0400 Liveleak http://edge.liveleak.com/80281E/u/u/ll2/logo.gif http://www.liveleak.com/browse?q=militia Fri, 17 May 2013 16:19:03 -0400 http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=7c9_1368821620 golem In April, 2013, it was announced that Hizballah member, Haidar Haj Ali who was recorded in this video, was killed while performing his "Jihad duties"-a common euphemism for Lebanese Hizballah to describe its members killed in Syria.Ali was filmed firing a B10 recoilless rifle on a rooftop in the Damascus neighborhood of Midan. The damaged dome of the Hazrat Sakina Shrine can be viewed in the background. He was fighting with members of another Iranian backed shiite militia known as the Abu Fadl al-Abbas. http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=7c9_1368821620 golem Hezbollah fighting in Syria Hezbollah Iran lebanon Iraq shiite shia al-Abbas zaynab persia assad alawite fsa sunni wahhabi qatar Turkey muslim islam Fri, 17 May 2013 08:05:28 -0400 http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=9b4_1368791955 WayneTautz READ THIS ON YAHOO NEWS TODAY FROM: http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2013/05/17/syria-s-bashar-al-assad-is-winning.html?utm_source=feedburner&amp;utm_medium=feed&amp;utm_campaign=Feed%3A+thedailybeast%2Farticles+%28The+Daily+Beast+-+Latest+Articles%29 Syria's Bashar Al-Assad is Winning by Mike Giglio May 17, 2013 4:45 AM EDT Obama isn't jumping in, and neither is anyone else. Combine that with a string of military victories, and Assad is looking stronger than he has in months. Mike Giglio on the dictator's next act. Despite President Obama's assertion on Thursday that he reserves "the options of taking additional steps, both diplomatic and military," foreign intervention in Syria seems a distant prospect, and that, along with a string of military successes, has fueled the perception that president Bashar al-Assad now has the upper hand in his country's bloody civil war. As Republican Sen. John McCain bluntly put it this week: "Right now, Bashar al-Assad is winning." Syrian troops celebrate as they take control of the village of Haydariyah, some seven kilometers outside the rebel-held city of Qusayr, on May 13, 2013. Syrian troops captured three villages in the strategic Qusayr area of Homs province, allowing them to cut supply lines to rebels inside Qusayr town, a military officer told AFP. (Joseph Eid/AFP/Getty) During the last few months, the Syrian military have retaken strategic areas across the country, reopening supply lines in the north and south while ramping up its offensive in the western city of Homs, a critical gateway between Damascus and the coast. Assad's forces have also reinforced their strongholds in Damascus and elsewhere while weathering what rebels had billed as a major offensive in the capital. Now Assad-whose impending demise was predicted by opponents both at home and abroad after rebels brought the war to Damascus and the commercial capital of Aleppo this summer-seems to be enjoying some unexpected momentum. On his visit to Washington this week, British Prime Minister David Cameron said that the idea of the rebels resolving the conflict by force "is not looking promising." Cameron and the Obama administration, meanwhile, have renewed calls for a diplomatic solution in Syria-showing that despite pressure to act on Assad's alleged use of chemical weapons, America and its allies "aren't going anywhere in a rush," says Shashank Joshi of the Royal United Services Institute in London. "This is the best month has had in a while," Joshi says. "Undoubtedly, we underestimated his resilience." But while Assad's recent success may show his staying power, analysts tracking the conflict say it also signals that he has scaled back his goals-from retaking full control of Syria to simply keeping the balance tilted his way in a brutal and drawn out war. Assad's forces have moved "from a counter-insurgency strategy to one that recognizes that they are in a civil war," says Joseph Holliday, a fellow at the Institute for the Study of War in Washington, DC and former U.S. Army intelligence officer. The shift would mean that Assad is abandoning his bid to crush the rebellion and concentrating instead on the war's vital fronts-which may have sparked the recent surge in tactical gains. "The regime just decided to stop contesting parts of the country," Holliday says. "What they're doing is saying we are going to focus our resources on areas that are strategically important to us." Assad may have the advantage in waging this type of war. While his military has been badly weakened, it still has the ability to control its strongholds-and to keep the rebels out-gunned. Assad's two main allies, Iran and the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah, have been keeping Assad well-supplied, with the latter reportedly sending fighters to critical areas like Homs and the former providing military trainers and arms. Assad has also reinforced his ranks with paramilitary groups. The rebels, on the other hand, remain hampered by internal divisions and unreliable support, which they piece together from private donors and allies such as Saudi Arabia and Qatar. "It's just not as consistent or as clear as what the regime is getting from Iran on a daily basis," Holliday says. "As this becomes a conflict of warring militias, the reality is that the regime and its militias are going to be the biggest ones out there for a very long time." Some analysts warn that as the war heads down this path, it will become more sectarian-fears that spiked after reports of mass killings by Assad forces earlier this month in the coastal province of Tartous. The victims were from the country's Sunni majority; Assad hails from the Alawite sect, an off-shoot of Shiite Islam that makes up 12 percent of Syria's population but forms the backbone of his support. Iran and Hezbollah, both Shiite, see Assad as a bulwark against Sunni influence. "He's now entering phase two of his campaign," says Michael Weiss, a Syria analyst and columnist with NOW Lebanon. "A conventional military campaign is being replaced by an Iranian-funded and trained sectarian militia, backed by Hezbollah." "This is the best month has had in a while." There are many areas of Syria, Weiss notes, that seem lost to Assad-such as Aleppo and the northwestern province of Idlib, which borders Turkey and has been a crucial rebel supply route. "The regime can't 'win' all of Syria," Weiss says. "But it can and will retake that vital corridor from Damascus to Homs to the coast to keep a supply-chain running between the capital and Lebanon, and to keep the ports and regional airports operational for resupplies from Russia and Iran." The Obama administration has argued that a political solution is the best way to end the conflict-and both America and Russia, which has backed Assad throughout the uprising, are putting their weight behind a peace conference to be held in Geneva next month. (A similar conference last year put forward a peace plan that both sides have ignored.) The Syrian opposition has demanded that Assad step down as part of any negotiated transition. But Amr al-Azm, a professor at Shawnee State University in Ohio and former adviser to the Syrian government, says Assad seems intent on forging ahead-and may even be eyeing the presidential elections scheduled for next year. "Their position is not going to change because the regime's own calculus has changed," he says. "Six months ago their idea of victory was to crush the opposition. Now it's probably the survival of Bashar al-Assad until 2014." http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=9b4_1368791955 WayneTautz US News Reports - Syria's Bashar Al-Assad is Winning Syria, News, civil war, assad, fsa Thu, 16 May 2013 17:09:45 -0400 http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=28a_1368738408 SunniLebanese Syria crisis threatens Palestinian refugeesPro- and anti-Assad factions seek support of Palestinians in Lebanon's refugee camps as tensions there rise over Syria. Zak Brophy Last Modified: 16 May 2013 10:49 The Palestinian community in Lebanon is socially vulnerable and politically divided Beirut, Lebanon - The Palestinian refugee camp of Shatila is perilously wedged along one of Lebanon's many sectarian fault lines. Black Islamic flags adorn the lampposts when approaching this small slum from Sunni strongholds to the north, while expansive Shia ghettoes border the camp immediately to the south. In recent months, an increasing number of clashes have erupted in and around Shatila, as rival Lebanese factions fight for the loyalty of the socially vulnerable and politically divided Palestinian camps. The Syrian civil war and rising Shia-Sunni discord in Lebanon are exacerbating the pressure. "These are concerted efforts to provoke a response," explained Fathi Abou al-Ardat, secretary for the Fatah movement and the Palestinian Liberation Organisation (PLO) in Lebanon. On May 12, clashes - described by local residents as the most intense fighting yet - erupted between groups inside Shatila and neighbouring Shia communities. Volleys of gunfire were exchanged for several hours, and the army encircled the camp with armoured personnel carriers. "We know the Palestinians are divided and some groups are exploiting that to stir things up here. We are not taking the bait, but these groups have to know that if they push too hard we will run all over them like we did in 2008," said Abu Ali, a resident of the Rihaab district, a predominantly Shia neighbourhood on the edge of Shatila. Palestinian refugees struggle in Lebanon Although Shatila was founded as a Palestinian refugee camp, many non-Palestinians now live there as well. Ahmad, a 20-year-old Shatila resident with little education and scant work prospects, reasoned: "Us Sunna reacted strongly and started to boil over when we saw the killing in Syria. This caused clashes with Shia because they are helping with the slaughter of our people there." Losing faith Syrian President Bashar al-Assad comes from the Alawite sect - an offshoot of Shia Islam - and the powerful Lebanese Shia group Hezbollah supports Assad. Like many of his peers, Ahmad has lost faith in the traditional Sunni leadership and places his trust instead with more religiously conservative and combative leaders such as Sheikh Ahmad Assir, who have been trying to garner support from predominantly Sunni Palestinians. "There are more and more of us prepared to follow Assir," said Ahmad. "More and more people are becoming increasingly religious. Everyone is preparing himself for what may come." The Palestinian camps in Lebanon consist of basic, overcrowded homes, their people victims of decades of war, neglect and abuse. In Shatila, the buildings are so cramped that sunlight is a rare commodity. The smells of garbage and sewage foul the air and unemployed youth fill the cramped alleys. "We are seeing increased efforts to recruit from our youth. There is desperation and anger here, so whatever they pay they will find people to say 'yes'. They think we are cheap," said Ayman Zaher, a youth worker in Shatila. All of the major Palestinian political parties have adopted, and until now managed to maintain, a policy of neutrality in Lebanon regardless of their stance on the conflict in Syria. However, in Ein el-Helweh, the largest and most populous camp in Lebanon, armed groups such as Jund al-Sham, Jabhat al-Nusra and Asbat al-Ansar have found a safe haven under the protective wing of powerful local families. Their number of followers may not be huge, but their hard-line ideology and links to like-minded movements in Lebanon and Syria make Ein el-Helweh a particularly worrying flashpoint for Palestinians and Lebanese alike. "There is so much pressure on the camps and they are ready to explode, especially Ein el-Helweh, which could go off before there is a wider conflict in Lebanon. There is so much provocation from the Islamist groups there and I'm not sure if the PLO can keep a lid on it," warned Mutuwalli Abu Naser, a Palestinian journalist and playwright from Yarmouk camp in Damascus, who now lives in Lebanon. SpotlightIn-depth coverage of escalating violence across Syria Syrian influence On the other side, Hezbollah and its allies have also been working to secure the allegiance of Palestinians in Lebanon. Until withdrawing its troops from Lebanon in 2005, the Syrian government was influential in many of the camps through various Palestinian allies. Since the Syrian withdrawal, Hezbollah has by-and-large maintained Syria's leverage in the camps, even though the stance of several Palestinian groups has shifted since the start of the Syrian uprising. "Hezbollah works by a very low profile without making noise, because they work with the Palestinians from a security background, not a political one," explained Edward Kattoura, a political analyst at Pursue, a Palestinian think-tank. Many of the Palestinian camps are located in Hezbollah-dominated areas, especially in Beirut, South Lebanon and the Bekaa Valley. Recently, Shaker Berjawi - a Sunni "strongman" in Beirut who earned his battlefield stripes in the Lebanese civil war - decided to move the headquarters of his pro-Syrian Arab Movement Party to the edge of Shatila, indicating the importance of the camp's support. While maintaining a local influence over the years, he has switched political allegiances numerous times, and he is now aligned with the Hezbollah-led camp. "It seems people use us as mercenaries, whether it be for one side or the other. When he opens up his office at the entrance to the camps, he is sending a message that the camps are part of his fight," said Kattoura. 'Sacrificial lamb' But many Palestinians in Lebanon are driven by nationalist rather than sectarian sensibilities, and the camps may be able to stay out of internal Lebanese conflict. "Most of Lebanese have a view of the camps as a source of militia fighters and criminals. There is destitution and desperation, it is true, but in fact they are much less sectarian than most of Lebanese society," said Moe Ali Nayel, a Lebanese writer and activist who regularly works in the camps. "The Palestinians are used like a sacrificial lamb in Lebanon. Lebanese groups like to have Palestinians up front and then the blame can be put on us. " - Marwan Abdulal, Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine And the Palestinians' time in Lebanon has cruelly taught them while their loyalty is dear, their blood is cheap, whether it be the massacre at Sabra and Shatila at the hands of Christian militias in 1982, the "War of the Camps" from 1985-87 between the Shia Amal Movement and Palestinian refugees, or the bombardment of Nahr Bared camp by the Lebanese army in 2007. "The Palestinians are used like a sacrificial lamb in Lebanon. Lebanese groups like to have Palestinians up front and then the blame can be put on us," said Marwan Abdulal, member of the political bureau for the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine. The Palestinian camps can hope to stay detached from the conflict in Lebanon as long as the fighting is constrained to the prevailing pattern of intermittent local clashes and firebrand speeches. However, should the situation escalate, residents will be hard pressed not to get dragged into the affray. "It will be very difficult for the camps to stay aside if this descends into a serious fitna ," warned the PLO's Fathi Abou al-Ardat. "The general atmosphere, the speeches, all of it is setting the stage for a fitna . In reality, it is already here." http://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/features/2013/05/20135791049958517.html http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=28a_1368738408 SunniLebanese Syria vis a vis the Palestinians in Lebanon in case you were wondering Syria, Lebanon, Palestine, Palestinians, FSA, SAA, Hezbollah Wed, 15 May 2013 11:46:57 -0400 http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=efa_1368632691 ConspiracyTardLL Fast &amp; Furious - Obama administration facilitated the arming of the brutal Sinaola Mexican drug cartel. Two members of American law enforcement have killed scores of Mexicans Benghazi - US embassy attacked by a militia that the US Federal government was most likely funding. White House ordered stand down and allowed the ambassador and three others to die. White House and State Department lied about the events for months Boston Bombing - Multiple Federal agencies ignored warnings from Russian and Saudi Arabia that Tamerlan Tsarnaev was actively planned to commit terrorism. Tsarnaev was even included on a list of people whom Saudi intelligence believed to be the top four most dangerous terrorists in the United States. No one in the Obama administration even bothered to notify the Boston police. AP Spying - The Obama administration illegally spied on the Associated Press to hunt for Federal whistleblowers IRS Vendetta - IRS agents given free reign to harass and persecute Obama's enemies SOURCE: http://topconservativenews.com/2013/05/obama-scandals-exploding/ http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=efa_1368632691 ConspiracyTardLL Obama scandals exploding! Obama, IRS, Benghazi, Scandals, Boston Bombing, Fast and Furious Tue, 14 May 2013 09:01:58 -0400 http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=513_1368536087 LaGrandeBouffe These FSA mercenaries were trained by western instructors in Jordan and have arrived in Syria, but ... after one day fight they look not so good. Wasted money of western taxpayers ;-) ****************************************** ALEPPO Layramoon: 8 rodents belonging to J.N. wiped out. All were foreigners. Tunisians suspected in the group. Handaraat Mosque: 2 rats killed. No id. Mannagh Airbase: The fun continues. SAA seized a brand new 23mm machine gun cannon. Thanks again to Prince Pedophile of Qatar. ****************************************** DER'AH SAUDI APE EXCREMENT FOUND WITH KUWAITI GRUB: Jaassem: Remnant creepy-crawlers from Khirbat Ghazzala were surrounded and put down: Ammaar Al-Shammari (SAUDI SPUTUM; FILTH) Mahmoud Al-Mutayri (KUWAITI PUS AND GNAT) Daawood Khaatem Ali Suwaylima Another 4 could not be identified. 6 taken prisoner and warbling. ****************************************** IDLIB TURK RAT KILLED: MAHAATEER SABI'UDDEEN (Turkish rodent) Abdul-Qaader Uthmaan Muhammad Jum'a Kazwaan Muhammad Bakkoor Jabal Al-Arba'een: At the Al-Fanaar Restaurant, 17 rodents went to Hell on a greased aluminum pole: Mundhir Sab'aawi Ismaa'eel Al-Jood Jamaal Mallaah Mustafa Hussayni The rest have either not been identified or could not be identified due to absence of documentation. ABU DHUHOOR AIRBASE REGION SCENE OF UNBELIEVABLE CARNAGE AS SYRIAN ARMY DEFIES ODDS AND SMASHES OBAMA'S TERRORISTS Tal Salmo: 49 rodents confirmed killed and sent to Lucifer for extreme unction. Over 37 foreigners among the rats!!: "Abu-Mukhtaar Al-Tunisi" (Tunisian ape and grub) Hassan 'Abdul-Ghani Faayez Amjadzaad Jihaad Al-Rasmi 'Ali Noor-Al-Hassan Muhammad Al-Ahmad Yusuf Maghribi Hussayn Al-Ustaadh 'Imaad Qajari Abdul-Naasser Al-Wajeeh Rustum Abu-'Aamer Jalaaluddeen Hajj-Hassan Al-Buwayti: In this village, stupid tactics by untrained and ignorant J.N. freaks resulted in this: Wadhdhaah Jeelaani Muhammad Abu-Al-Dhahab Zaaher Al-'Umari Sa'eed Al-Taahi Mu'tassem 'Abdul-'Azeez Raa'ef 'Aatallah Another 9 could not be identified. Jaari Al-Talab: No details. But, a big firefight and rat-stats. Al-Hameediyya: A MiG25 hit the target right on the head in this one. Reports that militia counted 28 carcasses with only these identified: Arfaan Sa'ab Hussayn Moussa Muhammad Al-Sayyed Rajab 'Attoof Kareem Abdul-Kareem Militia also seized 3 cars carrying heavy machine gun cannons, an armored car (destroyed), ammunition for AK47 assault rifles and 4 motorcycles. Thank you, Prince Fatso! Tal-Teeta: An ancient site for archaeological digs was the scene of unspeakable cupidity as rodents killed one another over stolen relics. The number killed: 11 Darkoosh: A nest of rats was surprised by an SAA pizza delivery boy with a grenade: Majeed Sufyaani Ataa' Kooza Safaa' Al-Anssaari Abdul-Mun'im Qabaqji Saari Al-'Abed Another 13 could not be identified. Ain Al-Qassab: SAA artillery devastated a rat position outside this village. Carcasses counted: 7. No details. Mashmashaan: 8 rodents confirmed killed. Only one name available: Bashshaar Abu-Rushdi Qatroon: Ba'ath militia found these cockroaches and called in help. Security arrived and helped to exterminate the nest. Hind helicopter reported playing a role: Muhammad Raadhi Waleed Barhoom Muhammad Sa'daat Hassan Biqtaashi Abdul-Majeed Al-Shaykhali Jawdaat Sharkass Another 17 could not be identified. RATS BEG FOR CEASEFIRE IN IDLIB AS SYRIAN ARMY MOVES INTO SOUTHERN NEIGHBORHOODS WITH NEW WEAPONS AND AN ATTITUDE. LOCAL FSA LEADERS ADMIT THEY CANNOT FACE DOWN THE SAA. SAA HAS REJECTED THEIR CALLS FOR A CEASE FIRE. SOURCES: FSA HAS CONTACTED CIA OPERATIVES TO "ENGINEER" A CEASE FIRE AS NEWS THAT CIA DEPUTY DIRECTOR, MICHAEL MORRELL, IS IN SOUTHERN TURKEY TO COMMIT MORE WAR CRIMES AND COLLECT MUSHROOMS. http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=513_1368536087 LaGrandeBouffe Syran Army News from the Theatre of Operations (collected from Syria Gov sources) Syria, counter-terrorism, Al Qaeda, War Mon, 13 May 2013 16:25:59 -0400 http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=7b1_1368475463 Setright The black flag of al-Qaeda flies high over Raqqa's main square in front of the smart new governor's palace, its former occupant last seen in their prison. Their fighters, clad also in black, patrol the streets, or set up positions behind sandbags. By Richard Spencer, and David Rose 7:00AM BST 12 May 2013 The Islamists smashed up one of the two shops that sold alcohol. That much was pretty inevitable, the locals agreed. The other off-licence had already closed, as had the casino on the outskirts of town. They brought in a radical cleric from Egypt to preach Friday prayers, and set up a sharia court in the city's new sports centre with the support of other brigades. They had their fiefdom - an entire city to run only 60 miles from Nato'S border. Then, one night, 10 men came for Nagham and Nour al-Rifaie, two teenage sisters from a well-known liberal family. They were at home with a family friend, Yusra Omran, 30, and their male cousin, 32 . All these guys came in with guns and wearing masks and with handcuffs," said Nagham, 19, a civil engineering student. "They started searching everything, and shouting. "They were saying, 'Put on more clothes than you are wearing, put on a headscarf.' I just said I'm wearing clothes and I'm not putting on a headscarf'." The men took them to the sports centre. There the girls were charged with being alone with a man and interrogated. "The guy with us was so mean," Miss Rifaie said. "He was speaking in a horrible way, as if he was disgusted to be with us." In Raqqa, a once conservative but by all accounts not religious city, the triumph of al-Qaeda's Syrian arm, Jabhat al-Nusra, would seem to be complete. The town is largely under the control of Jabhat al-Nusra, affiliated to al-Qaeda (David Rose for the Telegraph). Little known a year ago but suspected of having being founded by al-Qaeda in Iraq, they have grown in stature, leading many of the rebels' most successful recent battles. Last month they publicly declared their loyalty to al-Qaeda's supreme leader, Ayman al-Zawahiri. Their new-found power is such that it is changing international calculations over the conflict. After first being discouraged from action by their presence in rebel ranks, Britain now has a revised diplomatic strategy. David Cameron put it to Russia's president Vladimir Putin on Friday and will discuss it this week with a nervous President Obama in Washington. Mr Cameron's officials now feel Jabhat al-Nusra has to be defeated by actively supporting the less militant rebels, including with arms. Many of Jabhat's rival militias are being marginalised in cities like Raqqa across the north. On Tuesday, Britain will seek to have Jabhat al-Nusra added to an official list of sanctions at the United Nations. Destroyed buildings near the Ahrar al-Sham Brigade Headquarters in the centre of Al Raqqa. The base was targeted by a regime airstrike last week (David Rose for the Telegraph) In taking Raqqa two months ago al-Qaeda achieved its greatest coup in the war to date: it was the first provincial capital to fall outright to the rebels, and allowed Jabhat to assume a leadership role over a large swathe of north-eastern Syria, to the Iraqi border. To many in it is a welcome development. "Jabhat are excellent for us," said Abdullah Mohammed, a man from the nearby village of Mansoura. "They deal with us according to Islamic rules, so there are no problems. They are honest and they run everything pretty well." As a police officer, Mr Mohammed said he was in a position to know the difference between life under al-Qaeda and the Assad regime. He was in prison when the revolution broke out - he had stopped a car for jumping a red light and found to his cost it was being driven by a regime official. He said he was in a cell with four members of President Bashar al-Assad's Alawite minority sect, and when the protests started the guards were taken away to fight and the Alawite prisoners turned into guards. Other locals too, particularly shopkeepers, say the all-pervasive corruption of the Assad era has vanished with the regime's men. "I like Jabhat," said Ahmed al-Hindy, who runs an optician's shop. "They are better than the regime, at any rate." An Islamic militant in the centre of Al Raqqa (David Rose for the Telegraph) Part of it is money. Jabhat al-Nusra has always been well-funded compared to other militias - most people assume due to wealthy backers in the Gulf, though few have been able to track down the lines of the money supply. Now they have control of good sources of income and can pay salaries. From the city's main flour mill, they supply the all-important bakeries, and they have seized some of them too. At night, long queues of women form to buy their daily ration under the watchful eyes of Jabhat guards. They have also taken the oilfields in neighbouring Deir al-Zour province. Production is hardly booming, but they are able to sell enough on the local market to keep cash rolling in. It is not all plain sailing, though. Even in Raqqa, no single militia is all-powerful, even Jabhat, and they depend on an alliance with Ahrar al-Sham, another radical Islamist group. They also have to deal with a slew of other brigades with a variety of ideologies. The dynamic of Jabhat's rise is being challenged out of both envy and fear, leading to clashes. Two senior rival militiamen have been assassinated in the last 10 days: Abu Awad of the Farouq Brigade, and, on Thursday, the head of the Ahfad al-Rasool, Abu al-Zein. In both cases the method was the same - three men in black and masks drove up to the victims' cars, shot them, then sped off. Some say it could be a leftover squad of Assad's Shabiha, but members of their militias point out both were known for support for a civil state, not an Islamic one. Another militia leader, Abu Deeb of the Lions of Islam, was arrested after a fight on Tuesday with Jabhat al-Nusra that brought the city to a brief standstill. Different explanations have been given, but Abdullah al-Khalil, the civilian who heads the town's interim administration, said it was over control of the town's largest bakery. "After Assad falls, there will be a second revolution, against Jabhat al-Nusra," said Amar Abu Yasser, a battalion leader with the Farouq Brigade. The Farouq was once the most famous brigade in the Syrian revolution, spreading its power from its base in Homs across the north of the country, where it still operates several of the border crossings to Turkey, including Tal Abyad, the nearest to Raqqa. But its power and influence has been severely curbed by Jabhat al-Nusra. Abu Azzam, the Farouq head at Tal Abyad, survived an assassination attempt when a bomb was placed under his car. The flag of Jabhat al-Nusra flying over the Governer's Palace (David Rose for the Telegraph) "The problem is due to ideology," said Mr Abu Yasser, until two years ago a student of Arabic literature, now a tough, bearded warrior in fatigues and a black turban. "There is a conflict between the black flag and the revolutionary flag." The green, white and black banner with three red stars made famous by the revolution still flies in Raqqa, but in a secondary place. "It is not wise to try to make an Islamic state here," he went on. "There are Christians, Alawites, Druze living here. It will just be a big problem." He also said Jabhat al-Nusra was not as honest and Muslim as it seemed. He claimed it had stripped the town's factories and smuggled their goods, including nearly 200 tons of sugar, to Turkey for profit. Jabhat has withdrawn into itself as tensions rise, and particularly since the declaration of obedience to al-Qaeda was issued, which confirmed its status as an internationally proscribed terrorist group. It no longer gives interviews or defends itself from such allegations, and has banned its men from talking to foreign journalists. Those its men stop at checkpoints in the city are accused of being "foreign spies" Graffiti is painted on a wall by members of Civic Society, one of the more liberal youth organizations in Al Raqqa (David Rose for the Telegraph) Some locals regarded as fanciful the idea that Farouq and other group would ever again have the strength to rise up and throw out Jabhat. But most proclaimed defiantly that Syria would not become a radical Islamic state. "This is all just for the war," said Mr al-Khalil, the town leader, who is happy to cooperate with Jabhat as he tries to re-establish schools and keep the water running. A former human rights lawyer once jailed by the regime, he said he could tolerate the black flags for now. "But I think the modern Islamic project will win in the end," he added, using a phrase commonly used to refer to a civil state with a Muslim ethos, like booming Turkey next door. He added a refrain repeated now across rebel Syria: it will be harder to keep the Islamists out if the West does not come to the aid of this "modern" project. As a follower of Abu Deeb, the arrested militia leader put it: "This is a pact with the devil. We would rather ally with Obama than Jabhat." At first glance, Jabhat have tried to play safe. A small but visible minority of women go without the hijab, or headscarf. The town's handful of Christian families have stayed put, for now: the churches are closed, but untouched. But it may have made a major strategic error with its announcement of loyalty to al-Qaeda. It did not cause a big stir in the West, where the link had been assumed, but it shocked many who had begun to tolerate Jabhat's presence. Their main Islamist allies, Ahrar al-Sham, immediately denounced it. "It was like a thunderbolt," said Abu Abdullah, 40, an Ahrar al-Sham fighter outside their main base, largely abandoned after being hit by Assad missiles. "It really surprised me and is unacceptable. Our goal is just to liberate Syria. We don't care about other countries - we don't want to go and fight in Iraq or anywhere." Then there was the arrest of Nagham al-Rifaie, Nour, 18, and their cousin and friend. That was a "what the hell?" moment, said Mohammed Shuaib, a student who has helped found a human rights discussion group, Haquna. It led a 500-strong protest to the sharia court the morning after the arrest. But by then the girls were already free. What happened is a glimmer of hope to men like Mr Shuaib. On arrival at the court, the girls were told they would immediately face two judges, local worthies brought in by the ruling Islamist alliance. It was one o'clock in the morning. Nagham was told to put a headscarf on. Again she refused. "They said to me, 'It's a sharia court, you can't go in without a headscarf'. I said, 'That's fine by me!' "So we stood before the court with no headscarves on." One of the judges, a teacher called Mohammed al-Omar, referred them to the charge sheet."He said, 'It says you were alone with a man, what do you say.' I said, 'It is none of their business.' "And he said, 'I agree'." The girls were freed immediately. They asked who the men who arrested them were, but no one was able to provide an answer. Whether the rest of Raqqa will escape so lightly, the girls could not say. "Things will become difficult, that's sure," said Miss Rifaie, sitting in a coffee shop last week with her father, himself a human rights activist, the two girls the only women present. "The problem is with the people. Because of the regime, if someone speaks to them who has power, they just sit there. But my father has taught me to have opinions. So I cannot stop." http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=7b1_1368475463 Setright Under the black flag of al-Qaeda, the Syrian city ruled by gangs of extremists World News, Middle East, Syria Mon, 13 May 2013 04:34:53 -0400 http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=05f_1368432956 esammuslim Mihrac Ural, an alawite Turk is seen in this leaked video encouraging the cleansing of civilians in Sunni-dominated towns. Baniyas and al-Bayda, a Sunni town in an alawite dominated Tartous governorate was subjected to a massacre this past week, which seen around 400 people die. Mihrac Ural is seen here with his Shia religious leaders and other members of this pro-Assad militia group (Shabiha). This video was taken just before the massacre in the Sunni village of Baniyas. Pictures towards the end of the video are that of the victims of this sectarian strife. This video proves that opposition groups did not commit the killings in these two towns as the Syrian government and its supporters have suggested, as Assad's beloved Shabiha have admitted to the planning of these atrocities caught in this leaked videos. Ina lillahi wa ina ilayhi raji'oon. http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=05f_1368432956 esammuslim Leaked Video: Mihrac Ural, Leader of the Group &quot;Syrian Resistance&quot; Urges the 'Cleansing Operations' of Civilians Syria Souriya Bilad al ash Sham Assad Shabiha Genocide Free Syrian Army Al Nusra Sat, 11 May 2013 03:41:30 -0400 http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=de5_1368257156 Mr-Creosote A group of militia-men who have been captured agree to join the popular resistance, and denounce the tyrant assad. Whether the word of these fellows can be trusted is anyone's guess i assume. http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=de5_1368257156 Mr-Creosote Captured assad regime <span class="highlight">militia</span>-men join the popular resistance: Ar Raqqa Syria, Uprising, Fri, 10 May 2013 04:29:57 -0400 http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=5bb_1368173174 AEI The Ansar Al Sharia Islamic Group is said to be behind the attacks against US embassies in North Africa and still operates freely in Libya and Tunisia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ansar_al-Sharia_%28Libya%29 http://news.yahoo.com/libya-militia-linked-u-attack-returns-benghazi-141851547.html http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=5bb_1368173174 AEI Video: Islamic <span class="highlight">Militia</span> suspected for killing the American Ambassador in Libya continues to patrol freely the city of Sfax, Tunisia Tunisia, Sfax, Islamic, Millitia, Benghazi, Libya, Ansar al Sharia, Islamist, US, Embassy, Ambassador, Stevens, Fri, 03 May 2013 06:27:00 -0400 http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=55c_1367576229 Mr-Creosote These assadist militia have taken the wise step of surrendering their outpost to the freedom fighters, and claim to be willing to begin battling assad's Iranian and Lebanese protectors. http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=55c_1367576229 Mr-Creosote Assadist <span class="highlight">militia</span> surrender their outpost to the freedom fighters: Abu Khamal Syria, Uprising, Mon, 22 Apr 2013 12:38:01 -0400 http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=683_1366647605 El Ghoul101 A pro-government Militia clashed with a group of fighters mostly foreigners around silmiyeh ( a very tense city with recent attempts to control it by Nosra Front). The Militia killed the attackers and lost 5 fighters. The relatives of the dead pro-government fighters took one body of the Nosra Front militiamen after he died to the local hospital. Then they beheaded him and put his head in front of the local hospital, in an attempt as they said to " warn the local FSA from trying to bring foreign fighters and war into the city". http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=683_1366647605 El Ghoul101 Pro-Government <span class="highlight">Militia</span> Kill a Nosra Front <span class="highlight">militia</span>man and then Beahead him beheaded, Nosra Front, Sat, 11 May 2013 06:03:03 -0400 http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=c61_1368265226 belisarius / / Image Source : http://yallasouriya.wordpress.com/tag/aleppo/ (LEGEND) Red : SAA White : YPG(Kurdish Militia) Green : Rebels Orange : Contested Area Note : As yallasouriya is a pro-rebel site, rebel posession in above map might be exaggerated to some degree. Please refer to following Wikipedia map too. / / / http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=c61_1368265226 belisarius Military Situation Map of Aleppo 10-May-2013 Syria,Aleppo,map