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| Iran won't abandon Assad |
First Syrian in space defects from Assad regime: Before crossing into Turkey, Gen Faris visited the headquarters of the Free Syrian Army in his home town of Aleppo in a show of solidarity with rebel forces battling Assad's troops in Syria's commercial capital. The Anatolia news agency reported that it was the general's fourth attempt to defect.
Gen Faris was born in 1951 in Aleppo, where the Syrian army and air force was pounding rebel positions on Sunday ahead of a threatened ground assault on the northern city. A graduate of the Aleppo's military pilot school in 1973, he joined a Soviet crew on the orbiting space station Mir in 1987, for which he was awarded the title Hero of the Soviet Union and also received the Order of Lenin.
Top Sunni Exits Syrian Regime;
Syria crisis: prime minister 'defects' - live updates: Live• Riyad Hijab defects to Jordan, official claims • State TV appoints caretaker PM after Hijab's 'sacking' • Bomb hits third floor of Damascus state TV building • Rebels in Aleppo braced for major assault
Hijab's replacement has already been appointed, Reuters reports. I have the names of the 2 other Ministers also, but was told to keep on hold. There are 2 other Ministers with Hijab, not 3.
Aleppo rebels wait anxiously for Bashar al-Assad's elite to attack: "We have many more weapons than we used to have," he said. "The regime is running away and they are tired, so tired. Even more than us. I would say that of the force they are bringing to fight us, only 20% are brave and committed to battle. "We had around 120 defectors this morning alone."
If the consistent rumours among rebel ranks are right, the Free Syrian Army will need many more men to defend its gains in Aleppo in the coming days. Rebel commanders across northern Syria say the rump of the regime's army, including all its key divisions and units, is travelling north from Damascus, Hama and Idlib to join the battle. "We are expecting them on Tuesday," said a rebel colonel from Idlib, who has sent spotters to monitor the progress of the regime reinforcements. "They are sending the Republican Guards."
Syrian Forces Continue Aleppo Assault: Syrian state media say a bomb has exploded at the state television building in Damascus, wounding several people. The station remained on the air Monday following the blast, which ripped through the third floor of the building. A pro-government, private TV station, which itself was hit with a deadly blast in June, broadcast images of the building's damaged walls, wires dangling from a collapsed ceiling and people walking through smoke-filled hallways.
Syrian opposition activists are reporting continued attacks by government forces in the northern city of Aleppo Monday.
* Forget it Assad the game is up! Your die hard followers now want you dead and gone and even the Shabiha your hand picked murderers are abandoning you trying to melt back into the countryside they have helped to destroy in your name. Syria as you and your father knew it is gone. Only God knows what will happen now before it spreads throughout the middle east and no one will like it.
* It would behoove Russia to cut its losses and evacuate its people and evacuate its sub base but it will not. With China and Russia both with at least 11 powerful warships in the area along with hundreds of fighter jets and soldiers I absolutely believe they plan on hanging around and fighting for their last naval hold in the middle east. Putin is done cutting and running!
*Putin and Iran are ready to fight for their last significant ally Syria, the bull in the "China"shop is China. Right now China is with Russia but when all is said and done I think it behooves China to side with the west and the Syrian people then when the dust settles if it is as vicious as it may be China will be able to be in a position to take advantageous of it. With its push in the South China seas that is the common sense thing to do!
James Joiner
Gardner, Ma
http://anaverageamericanpatriot.blogspot.com
