Syrian rebels fed up with ‘cowards in exile’

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Syrian rebels at the front are turning against their commanders, accusing them of being cowards by fleeing abroad and failing to unite a cause that has been increasingly hijacked by Islamists.

Numbers are difficult to obtain, but analysts estimate that since the start of the uprising against President Bashar al-Assad in March 2011, tens of thousands of largely low-ranking members of the 300,000-strong armed forces have defected or deserted.

The Free Syrian Army (FSA), which acts as an umbrella for a multitude of different factions, was set up in August 2011 by defectors based in Turkey and led by former air force colonel Riyadh al-Asaad.

But for fighters and mid-level commanders risking their lives every day on the front line, their nominal superiors are little more than cowards who abandoned their country and whose experience would be better served in battle.

“They’re b*******,” said Abu Mohammed, a former major in the Syrian army, when asked why the FSA leaders live comfortably in Turkey.

“No one in Syria respects these commanders because when officers defect they should be fighting, not sitting over there. They drink tea and smoke nargile and just talk, just talk,” he chuckled.

Abu Mohammed said he fled to Belgium five years ago because he was fed up by the preferential treatment given to members of the Alawite sect who dominate the Assad regime, and returned to Syria after the uprising began.

Of the 350-400 men he claimed to command in the fight for Syria’s city of Aleppo, only three are defected officers. He said there is no overall FSA leader in Syria and that “this is the problem”.

Fighters have made significant gains, but — poorly equipped and made up mostly of civilian recruits — they increasingly realise that victory is far off.

“Without organisation and a system, it will be impossible to defeat Bashar al-Assad,” said Abu Mohammed, sitting in an olive grove in northern Syria where he trains slightly rag-tag recruits wearing sandals and tracksuits.

“And the reason we don’t have any organisation is because of these officers sitting in Turkey. Civilians are very good people but it is the officers who should be fighting.”

Someone brings out a couple of home-made bombs — water pipes packed solid with sand and diesel — and a dubious-looking home-made rocket.

“Simple bombs can’t break the regime but I believe in God, and God is with us,” said Abu Mohammed.

As the latest Syrian opposition conference met in Qatar, rebels repeated demands for weapons and ammunition, humanitarian aid and a no-fly zone like the one that helped Libya’s rebels defeat Moamer Kadhafi.

Washington wants the opposition to form a transitional government representing not just those fighting at the front, but all communities, in which minorities like the Alawites, Shiite Muslims, Kurds and Christians are not forgotten.

But for many FSA fighters on the ground in northern Syria, it’s a Sunni Arab fight in which Shiites are the enemy, Kurds untrustworthy at best and Christians largely ignored.

So they dismiss a call from US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton for a new, more inclusive and united opposition.

“Can Hillary Clinton make all American people unite? If she can do that, we’ll tell her we can do that,” said Sheikh Omar, a former religious studies and Arabic teacher, who commands 150 people in an FSA unit in the northern town of Al-Bab.

He said that of 1,500 FSA fighters in the town, only 30 have any military experience. He too is scathing, not just of the FSA commanders in Turkey, but of other groups, saying the FSA alone can bring down the regime.

“When I think about the FSA still not being united, then the officers in Turkey are responsible for that because they don’t work,” he said, dressed in grey combat trousers and a matching military-style shirt.

“There are two types of defectors — those who stay in Syria and fight and then the other type who stay in fancy hotels in Turkey.

“They’re dreaming of when the regime falls… These are people who just think of personal benefit, they’re not brave people, they are weak people.”

But he was tight-lipped when asked about Clinton’s remarks that the uprising has been “hijacked” by Islamist foreign fighters, refusing to discuss the matter.

Sheikh Mahmoud el-Mujadini, who claimed to preside over three brigades, dismissed any support for Al-Qaeda-style ideology in Syria and said his brigades in Aleppo had joined ranks precisely to tighten up organisation.

“Why are these people living in Turkey? They defected, so why don’t they come here to protect their homes?… The reason they ran away is that they’re scared the regime will catch or kill them and their families.”

France 24

Photo: Syrian rebel fighters set a home-made rocket in Aleppo’s northern Izaa quarter on November 3. Syrian rebels at the front are turning against their commanders, accusing them of being cowards by fleeing abroad and failing to unite a cause that has been increasingly hijacked by Islamists.

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  1. wargame1 Avatar

    Well there is no use to live in Turkey now. Its time to come back and fight and if they dont come back then they are tourists and should be deleted from FSA book and should not be allowed to take part in decision making or leadership while staying in Turkey.

    As the situation is becoming more challenging many fighters will leave some of them will flee, but there is a group who will always fight in any odd situation and they are the true Mujaheddin. It doesn’t matter how small their number is.

    However thanks to those early defectors in those difficult days.USA is trying to bring forth another Shia regime in Syria but finding it very difficult and thats why out of frustration the hag just said that the revolution is being hijacked!! NO the revolution is not hijacked but some one out their making some evil plan to hijack it. This is a armed conflict and the fighters are risking their lives so who ever survives will call on the shot and there is no doubt that the true believer will survive at the end and they will be called terrorist or Al Qaeda or Radical Muslim etc because those mujaheddin will not bow down to Hilary hag Clinton.

    So the only people who would like to lick the cream with a cherry on top are these ugly Hilary and her Syrian fat butted crony who are not fighting not even aiding the resistance other than some lip service and these are the hijackers.USA and the other self appointed guardian of the world already established their puppet SNC or something just as they fixed in Iraq ,Afghanistan and in Libya but here in Syria something is wrong…. the formula is not working and that rotten formula will not work here. This is the game changer and this Syrian Mujaheddin will reverse the game plan inshallah.

    Once the Syrian mujaheddin gets the upper hand the Irani/NATO/Israeli/USA puppets in Iraq, Libya and Afghanistan will start to fall like a domino. Then the Europeans will be forced to switch sides because whoever controls the middle east and central asian gas and oil controls the world energy.We have already seen such effort to negotiate with the Taliban but thats going to happen when the Taliban will force Europe to attack Iran. There is a detailed plan in a book called “The Grand Chessboard” by Zbigniew Brzezinski and this book is a must read.

    1. fucck you and your theory. god bless the usa.

      1. Hannibal Avatar

        lol
        OK how on Earth did you get on that site?

    2. opps sorry forgot onething, acchmed.

  2. wargame1 Avatar

    Well there is no use to live in Turkey now. Its time to come back and fight and if they dont come back then they are tourists and should be deleted from FSA book and should not be allowed to take part in decision making or leadership while staying in Turkey.

    As the situation is becoming more challenging many fighters will leave some of them will flee, but there is a group who will always fight in any odd situation and they are the true Mujaheddin. It doesn’t matter how small their number is.

    However thanks to those early defectors in those difficult days.USA is trying to bring forth another Shia regime in Syria but finding it very difficult and thats why out of frustration the hag just said that the revolution is being hijacked!! NO the revolution is not hijacked but some one out their making some evil plan to hijack it. This is a armed conflict and the fighters are risking their lives so who ever survives will call on the shot and there is no doubt that the true believer will survive at the end and they will be called terrorist or Al Qaeda or Radical Muslim etc because those mujaheddin will not bow down to Hilary hag Clinton.

    So the only people who would like to lick the cream with a cherry on top are these ugly Hilary and her Syrian fat butted crony who are not fighting not even aiding the resistance other than some lip service and these are the hijackers.USA and the other self appointed guardian of the world already established their puppet SNC or something just as they fixed in Iraq ,Afghanistan and in Libya but here in Syria something is wrong…. the formula is not working and that rotten formula will not work here. This is the game changer and this Syrian Mujaheddin will reverse the game plan inshallah.

    Once the Syrian mujaheddin gets the upper hand the Irani/NATO/Israeli/USA puppets in Iraq, Libya and Afghanistan will start to fall like a domino. Then the Europeans will be forced to switch sides because whoever controls the middle east and central asian gas and oil controls the world energy.We have already seen such effort to negotiate with the Taliban but thats going to happen when the Taliban will force Europe to attack Iran. There is a detailed plan in a book called “The Grand Chessboard” by Zbigniew Brzezinski and this book is a must read.

    1. fucck you and your theory. god bless the usa.

      1. Hannibal Avatar

        lol
        OK how on Earth did you get on that site?

    2. opps sorry forgot onething, acchmed.

  3. wargame1 Avatar

    The ultimate plan of USA/Europe/Israel/russia/China(All on the same boat at the moment) was to install shia regime in all the middle east countries and in central Asia. They are still hopeful but they have sensed that the plan is backfiring. The Syrian revolution is in fact spoiling the whole plan. 

    The Shia puppet in Iraq is stable at the moment but the Afghan shia puppet hamid Karzai cant even get out of the green Zone. The coalition force lost a huge amount of money and they start to feel the economic hit. If they leave Afghanistan they know that within a few month the Taliban will just vaporize the green Zone and fry Hamid Karzai. Consequently the Iraqi puppet Nuri will have the same fate. This momentum is not going to stop there but it will start travelling around Egypt where the Egyptians are preparing to boot the shia lackey morsi. Its going to be a total disaster and the Europeans will try to break free from Russia,China and USA. 

    The Key player Iran and its puppets installed in those invaded countries will all be in trouble because except Iraq the rest of the invaded country has sunni majority. The Fall of Bashar Al Qaeda will make the coalition force lose another player and now it seems very dangerous as the Syrian mujaheddin are now a stable army and as soon as Assad fall the Hezbushaitan will be the next Target and the Fall of Hezbushaitan means Iran is next to fall. Europeans will then no longer be able to maintain their useless Iranian Mullahs and the game of musical chair begins. 

    1. PeaceintheME Avatar
      PeaceintheME

      Wargame, what the hell are you talking about, The FSA are finished. The Syrian regime are now cleaning up the scapes. This was a war these dopes the FSA knew they were never going to win. Wake up and stop living in La La land.

    2. Hannibal Avatar

      Sunni Majority, Shia Majority… How about a patriot majority?

  4. wargame1 Avatar

    The ultimate plan of USA/Europe/Israel/russia/China(All on the same boat at the moment) was to install shia regime in all the middle east countries and in central Asia. They are still hopeful but they have sensed that the plan is backfiring. The Syrian revolution is in fact spoiling the whole plan. 

    The Shia puppet in Iraq is stable at the moment but the Afghan shia puppet hamid Karzai cant even get out of the green Zone. The coalition force lost a huge amount of money and they start to feel the economic hit. If they leave Afghanistan they know that within a few month the Taliban will just vaporize the green Zone and fry Hamid Karzai. Consequently the Iraqi puppet Nuri will have the same fate. This momentum is not going to stop there but it will start travelling around Egypt where the Egyptians are preparing to boot the shia lackey morsi. Its going to be a total disaster and the Europeans will try to break free from Russia,China and USA. 

    The Key player Iran and its puppets installed in those invaded countries will all be in trouble because except Iraq the rest of the invaded country has sunni majority. The Fall of Bashar Al Qaeda will make the coalition force lose another player and now it seems very dangerous as the Syrian mujaheddin are now a stable army and as soon as Assad fall the Hezbushaitan will be the next Target and the Fall of Hezbushaitan means Iran is next to fall. Europeans will then no longer be able to maintain their useless Iranian Mullahs and the game of musical chair begins. 

    1. PeaceintheME Avatar
      PeaceintheME

      Wargame, what the hell are you talking about, The FSA are finished. The Syrian regime are now cleaning up the scapes. This was a war these dopes the FSA knew they were never going to win. Wake up and stop living in La La land.

    2. Hannibal Avatar

      Sunni Majority, Shia Majority… How about a patriot majority?

  5. PeaceintheME Avatar
    PeaceintheME

    The reason most defectors are in Turkey is because they know very well that they stand no chance against the Syrian Regime. The ones who are in Syria fighting are brainwashed mercenaries. A Salifi Sheik gets up and gives out Fatwa. He says, Allah Wa Akbar, this is a religious war. I have had a dream, Allah has ordered you  kill all the Alawites/Shiites, Jews and Christian infidels. If this the Allah they believe in, then he can kiss my A@@. I challenge any Salifi believer to show where in the Koran it tells you to kill a person because of his or hers religious belief. I am not a hardcore Muslim, however I have read the Koran and as far as I’m concerned, it only preachers peace. Which is what pretty much most other religious books preach.  

    1. Mahdi Kenaani Avatar
      Mahdi Kenaani

      I imagine that the falafeli fatwa says something like this: kill all kind of people on this planet including shias, alawites, sunnis, jews christians, BUT SAVE THE ZIONISTS! Then Allah will reward you with 72 virgins!

      1. PeaceintheME Avatar
        PeaceintheME

        Yeh, pretty much Mahdi.

    2.  “blah blah zzzzz blah Allah has ordered you  kill all the Alawites/Shiites, Jews and Christian infidels”

      PROOF thanks??

      1. PeaceintheME Avatar
        PeaceintheME

        There is a thing called Yu Tube. Have you the brain capacity to look it up. If not let me know and I will walk you through it champ.

        1.  ummm YOU made the accusation and normal procedure would require you to provide proof otherwise you will be labeled a liar. Telling people to go find this proof on their own isn’t the way accusations work. That would be like me accusing your father of raping me and then telling you to go find the proof in tehran. btw its youtube not Yu Tube, or do u need me to “walk you through it champ”?

      2. PeaceintheME Avatar
        PeaceintheME

        Oh please preview, walk me through it. I need your expertise on how to spell. Your intelligence is so over whelming. I am very intimidated with the level of your intelligence. Or should I say the lack of.

        1.  lol still no proof?? lmfao liar!

        2.  From now on if I ever reply to you you will be referred to as liar.

      3. PeaceintheME Avatar
        PeaceintheME

        It’s not that I’m a liar, rather you being too stupid to find the proof on YOUTUBE. How was that, better spelt I hope. Does it suit your level of Intelligence Preview. Being so smart and all.

        1. PeaceintheME Avatar
          PeaceintheME

          That’s fine, And you will be referred to as an Idiot.

        2. yalibnan Avatar

          PeaceintheMEYour comments are always rude and abusive and for this reason you are being banned  from participation in Ya Libnan forum

    3. If the jihadists every wake up and realize they are fighting the wrong enemy, woe to the governments of Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Jordan, the UAE, and Israel.

  6. PeaceintheME Avatar
    PeaceintheME

    The reason most defectors are in Turkey is because they know very well that they stand no chance against the Syrian Regime. The ones who are in Syria fighting are brainwashed mercenaries. A Salifi Sheik gets up and gives out Fatwa. He says, Allah Wa Akbar, this is a religious war. I have had a dream, Allah has ordered you  kill all the Alawites/Shiites, Jews and Christian infidels. If this the Allah they believe in, then he can kiss my A@@. I challenge any Salifi believer to show where in the Koran it tells you to kill a person because of his or hers religious belief. I am not a hardcore Muslim, however I have read the Koran and as far as I’m concerned, it only preachers peace. Which is what pretty much most other religious books preach.  

    1. Mahdi Kenaani Avatar
      Mahdi Kenaani

      I imagine that the falafeli fatwa says something like this: kill all kind of people on this planet including shias, alawites, sunnis, jews christians, BUT SAVE THE ZIONISTS! Then Allah will reward you with 72 virgins!

      1. PeaceintheME Avatar
        PeaceintheME

        Yeh, pretty much Mahdi.

    2.  “blah blah zzzzz blah Allah has ordered you  kill all the Alawites/Shiites, Jews and Christian infidels”

      PROOF thanks??

      1. PeaceintheME Avatar
        PeaceintheME

        There is a thing called Yu Tube. Have you the brain capacity to look it up. If not let me know and I will walk you through it champ.

        1.  ummm YOU made the accusation and normal procedure would require you to provide proof otherwise you will be labeled a liar. Telling people to go find this proof on their own isn’t the way accusations work. That would be like me accusing your father of raping me and then telling you to go find the proof in tehran. btw its youtube not Yu Tube, or do u need me to “walk you through it champ”?

      2. PeaceintheME Avatar
        PeaceintheME

        Oh please preview, walk me through it. I need your expertise on how to spell. Your intelligence is so over whelming. I am very intimidated with the level of your intelligence. Or should I say the lack of.

        1.  lol still no proof?? lmfao liar!

        2.  From now on if I ever reply to you you will be referred to as liar.

      3. PeaceintheME Avatar
        PeaceintheME

        It’s not that I’m a liar, rather you being too stupid to find the proof on YOUTUBE. How was that, better spelt I hope. Does it suit your level of Intelligence Preview. Being so smart and all.

        1. PeaceintheME Avatar
          PeaceintheME

          That’s fine, And you will be referred to as an Idiot.

        2. yalibnan Avatar

          PeaceintheMEYour comments are always rude and abusive and for this reason you are being banned  from participation in Ya Libnan forum

    3. If the jihadists every wake up and realize they are fighting the wrong enemy, woe to the governments of Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Jordan, the UAE, and Israel.

  7. yalibnan Avatar

    We encourage you to share views, express opinions, agree and disagree with others, discuss and debate, but comments that are rude, abusive, derogatory or defamatory, contain personal attacks or inappropriate language will be deleted .
    We expect you to express your opinion  in a civilized manner and respect the rights of others to views and beliefs that are not yours.

  8. yalibnan Avatar

    We encourage you to share views, express opinions, agree and disagree with others, discuss and debate, but comments that are rude, abusive, derogatory or defamatory, contain personal attacks or inappropriate language will be deleted .
    We expect you to express your opinion  in a civilized manner and respect the rights of others to views and beliefs that are not yours.

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