'Turkey slowly washes hands off FSA'

Monday, 24 September 2012

'Turkey slowly washes hands off FSA'

"Communique Number 1 (from Inside)!"

Subtext: 'Turkey slowly washes hands off FSA'

"... Despite the announcement of the command move, rebels still have to rely on Turkey as a rear base for supplies and reinforcements. In the past few months, rebels have captured wide swaths of Syrian territory bordering Turkey, along with three border crossings, allowing them to ferry supplies and people into Syria.FSA commander Col. Riad al-Asaad announced the move of the command center in a video with the title "Free Syrian Army Communique Number 1 from Inside." Wearing a military uniform and surrounded by a dozen gunmen, the commander said the aim is to "start the plan to liberate Damascus soon, God willing."

Source (UNSMIS*): "FSA actually controls less than 5% of Syria!"

"... "I just want to tell you this about the FSA area I visited (in rural Damascus): the people there still pay electricity bills to the regime. One man there said: administratively we are still under the regime, only security is run by the FSA. The town had no regime presence whatsoever and the opposition flags are painted everywhere but as a matter of fact, the regime has surrounded the town and has a checkpoint at the entrance giving permissions to people to come and go as if they have decided to leave it for now and will deal with it later. From time to time they do target it (it is full of civilian families) but still not as heavily as other areas, maybe to remind them that they are still there. I was also told from a trusted source (close to UNSMIS*) that the FSA actually controls less than 5% of Syria."..."