LATEST: Insurgents from Ahrar al-Sham Fighting in Mork in Hama Province
FRIDAY FEATURES
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- Syria Daily: Geneva II — Opposition Leader “We Proved Regime’s Lack of Intent”
Sources say 38 bombs were dropped on the Damascus suburb of Darayya Friday, bringing the total to more than 70 since Wednesday:
A regime helicopter dropping two “barrel bombs”:
Aftermath of an attack:
The Syrian military is trying to drive insurgents from the suburb, which connects south Damascus with West Ghouta Province. The regime fears that insurgent control will hinder its access to Daraa Province in southern Syria, where opposition fighters have been making gains.
In one of the most recent victories, the Islamic Front, including the faction Ahrar al-Sham took Swisah. West of Jasim in the Quneitra countryside, the village was one of the last strongholds of pro-Assad militias in the area:
Video of insurgents attacking near Quneitra:
Insurgents from Ahrar al-Sham Fighting in Mork in Hama Province
Yalda near Damascus: “Besieged, Starving, Shot at Daily, Now Nearly Out of Grass to Eat”
A woman in Yalda, a town near Damascus, describes the state of life amid siege:
Man Mourns Loss of Family Members as Others Dig Through Rubble After Aleppo Airstrike
Regime Bombs Throughout Southern Syria
The Syrian military’s airstrikes are not just on Darayya — near-by Zabadani has been struck today:
And East Ghouta, near the capital, was bombed on Thursday, with photographs showing the burial of casualties today
Outside southern Syria, an attack on Binnish in the northwest:
US Warns Assad Regime Over Failure to Move Chemical Weapons Out of Syria
US Secretary of State John Kerry has put out a warning to Damascus:
We now know that the Assad regime is not moving as rapidly as it promised to move the chemical weapons out of Syria.
I would remind Bashar al-Assad that the agreement that we reached in New York with the [UN] Security Council makes it clear that if there are issues of non-compliance, they will be referred to the Security Council for Chapter 7 compliance purposes.
The Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons said this week that, weeks after a December 31 deadline, the regime has moved only 4.1% of its chemical stocks out of Syria.
Friday Protests in Kafranbel Pay Tribute to Wounded Activist Raed Fares
Friday’s demonstration in Kafranbel in northwest Syria, known for its posters, has paid tribute to one of the driving forces — Raed Fares, who was shot twice this week:
"Raed the truth, may the hand that tried to harm you be paralyzed. The attempt to assassinate Raed is a terrorism we are against" #PT #Syria
— Razan Ghazzawi (@RedRazan) January 31, 2014
Fares is stable and recovering.
See Kafranbel Media Activist Raed Fares Is Shot and Wounded
Russian-Language Pro-ISIS Site Comments on Turkish Strike Inside Syria
FiSyria, the Russian-language website close to the Islamic State of Iraq and as-Sham, comments on Tuesday night’s Turkish strike on an ISIS convoy near al-Raei inside Syria:
It is obvious that the Turkish authorities not happy with the fact that control of the border had changed hands, and are beginning to show their displeasure at the earliest opportunity.
If ISIS expands its influence on the Turkish border area, for them it is inevitably destabilizing because those people living in poverty will be happy to support a fair Sharia law system.
FiSyria quote the account of the Turkish strike by an ISIS fighter, posted on Twitter:
Allahu Akbar! The Turkish army intervened in the war in Sham! Yesterday, while we dealt with the FSA in Al Rai near the border, they sent a small UAV over our heads, and minutes later we were were bombarded with explosives from Allah knows what weapons. The Explosions were more like barrel bombs explosions, that are sometimes discharged from helicopters, than those from attack jet fighters
We were forced to retreat from the hitherto successful attack and take a stand behind some rocks. About an hour later it was night, and we could not see anything, but if someone moved even one step, 10-15 bullets fell centimeters from his head.
We literally lay on our backs watching them flying in front of our faces, it was like a scene from Star Wars. Sometimes a bomb rattled again, sometimes they fell by 2 at a time! Wallahi it was like a storm!
See Turkey Hits Islamic State of Iraq Convoy Near Border
Claimed Video of Regime Forces Advancing Near al-Zahra, west of Homs
State media is claiming that the Syrian military is advancing near al-Zahra, west of Homs:
The Syrian military has been attacking throughout the area, including the Crusader castle Krak des Chevaliers.