http://www.youtube.com/v/s0MSe8riEIQ?version=3&f=videos&app=youtube_gdata Visit source: US convinced Syria government used chemical weapons
UN details grave child abuses in Syria and 20 other countries
Although the report accuses Syrian rebels of recruiting children, it also accuses the government of detaining minors who side with the rebels, and allegedly extracting information out of them with torture. Ban ki-Moon has condemned the abuse of children’s rights in the given conflict zones as “unacceptable and unbearable.” The report covers 21 countries – among them also Mali, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and the Central African Republic (CAR). A total of 55 armed groups from 14 countries have been added to the list, each for varying types of child abuse. In Mali, 12-15 year-olds were recruited by the hundreds to fight alongside rebel groups like the Tuareg tribe, or the MNLA, MUJAO and Ansar Dine. The same has been said for pro-government militias. Ban ki-Moon’s report criticizes the Syrian government for failing to prevent its intelligence services from using detention and torture of children as a means of getting information, as well as alleging that sexual abuse is also taking place. The report then talks about child recruitment happening on the rebel side – usually children between 15 and 17. Despite the grim information, there were details of progress in child protection being achieved in other conflict zones, with action plans and strategies being put in place in South Sudan, Myanmar and the DRC, as well as Somalia – all targeting the recruitment of minors. “In 2012, boys and girls from several countries had better protection from the effects of conflict, but new and ongoing crises in Mali, Central African Republic and Syria for example had — and continue to have — a devastating effect on children,” said the secretary-general’s Special Representative for Children and Armed Conflict, Leila Zerrougui. The secretary-general’s report also informs that both the Syrian government and the National Coalition of Syrian Revolutionary and Opposition Forces had both spoken to Zerrougi, reassuring her of their commitment to working together with the United Nations at tackling the problems of child abuse, recruitment and torture. … Read More
Exclusive: Wounded rebels of Syria’s Qusayr treated in Lebanon
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False Flag? Syrian Rebels Reported To Have Taken Over UN-Run Border Crossing In Golan Heights
Rebels seized a U.N.-manned border crossing linking Israel and Syria on Thursday, activists said, following heavy clashes between the opposition and President Bashar al-Assad’s forces … Read More
Assad army retakes control of strategic Lebanon-bordering Qusayr
Two weeks of fierce fighting has left Qusayr, once a city of 30,000, ruined with buildings devastated and windows shattered. The dome of the local mosque was damaged by rocket fire and the walls of a church smashed open. The opposition claims that more than 500 rebels died and 1,000 were wounded. Humanitarian agencies earlier this week claimed nearly 1,500 wounded were trapped in the city during the series of attacks by Assad forces backed by Hezbollah. Those who survived the counter-offensives escaped the city through a corridor overnight, with the rebels completely losing control of the border city. A security source with ties to Syrian forces said Assad’s troops deliberately left an escape route into nearby Debaa and the Lebanese border town of Arsal to encourage rebel fighters to quit Qusayr. The decision to withdraw was taken after a day of rocket fire from the Syrian army and Hezbollah that “leveled what had remained” of Qusayr, Reuters said citing a rebel commander in contact with the brigades. “This victory will have a major impact on the entire course of the fighting in Syria,” Homs Governor Ahmad Munir told RT. “The Syrian army liberated the province of Homs and regained control over its entire territory, and seeks to extend it to the rest of the country.” However, the rebels claim that they will take revenge. Asked by RT if that was true that Free Syrian Army is preparing to fight back, Muhammad Fatih said “Yes, it’s true.” “Now reinforcements are arriving from Aleppo, its suburbs and other areas near Qusayr. We hope that everything will be decided in the next few hours after the implementation of our planned operations,” he said. At the same time, opposition group blamed the defeat on National Coalition for Syrian Revolutionary and Opposition Forces (SC), accusing exiled members of ignoring the situation in Syria and being more concerned about money than fighting. Experts believe the victory puts an end not only to rebel control in Qusayr, but in the whole region. The city of Aleppo, which has been in rebel hands for the last year, is predicted to be the next city to be retaken by the Syrian regime’s army. “Now the Syrian army will try to regain control over the area of Aleppo, using the fact that the Turkish army is currently unable to provide active assistance to the rebels, given the current unrest in Istanbul and other major Turkish cities,” Wafeeq Ibrahim, Middle East expert from Beirut told RT. “In the coming days we are waiting reports of a new point, I think it would be Aleppo,” Ilyas Ibrahim, expert from Damascus, told RT. “Thus, Qusayr was an important turning point for the Arab Syrian army in the battle for the liberation of all Syrian territories.” Ibrahim believes that capturing Qusayr might also play role in establishing peace in Lebanon. “It will mark a new stage in the establishment of the peace process in Lebanon. Of course, there will be an attempt on the part of the armed opposition to change the balance of power, but they will fail. The battle in Qusayr is remarkable as it is held after the Syrian army was retreating for a long time. Winning the Qusayr will free the area from Akruma in northern Syria to the area Ursal, located to the east of the Bekaa Valley. Through this area, as well as across the Turkish border, militants received weapons and ammunition,” he said. According to UN figures, more than 80,000 people have been killed since the uprising against Bashar Assad began in March 2011. … Read More
Russia blasts US double standards over Syrian peace progress
The criticism by Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov was voiced as he commented on a draft resolution currently discussed at the UN Human Rights Council. The document sponsored by Qatar and Turkey seeks to condemn the Syrian government for the alleged use of mercenaries against rebel forces. The ‘mercenaries’ in question are from the Lebanese militant movement Hezbollah, who are fighting in Syria. “To my great astonishment we have learned that in addition to the sponsors of this draft resolution the US delegation is promoting most vigorously this very unhelpful idea. I asked [US State Secretary] John Kerry about it in Paris, and apparently he was not aware of this situation. He promised to handle it, but I don’t know whether he managed to do it,” Lavrov said. DETAILS TO FOLLOW … Read More
