Syrian troops, rebels clash in city of Aleppo

Assad's national security chief, General Hisham Ikhtiyar, died Friday from wounds sustained in the bombing Wednesday that killed three others, including the defence minister and Assad's brother-in-law.

All were key to the government's efforts to stamp out the insurgency.

"The Damascus blast has indeed shifted the balance of power in favour of the FSA," Issa said on Friday.

The government is pulling its most powerful troops from around the country to reinforce Damascus, which allows rebels to swoop in and take over key areas after the soldiers abandon their positions or leave them only lightly guarded

"The Syrian soldiers have been taking refuge in the tanks, the helicopters, the shelling and nothing else. They don't have control over anything on the ground apart from their immediate area," Issa added.

Syria's unrest began in March 2011 when protests calling for political change met a violent government crackdown.

Many in the opposition have since taken up arms as the conflict has morphed into a civil war that activists say has killed more than 17-thousand people.

The government says more than 4,000 security officers have been killed.

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[alwaysright7]

Obama has nothing to do with this. Just some ignorant drivel from somebody that knows nothing. The one to blame is Ban Kay Moon (U.N. Chief) that keeps imposing meaningless sanctions. Meanwhile, innocent civilians are slaughtered. Assad will go down as another Hitler!

[inickat]

Two drag racers racing burning their tires and traveling at break neck speed down the road. One of them doesn't like the evident outcome and so he asks mr. cameron to build him a more powerful vehicle.
To bad it was a street with children playing on it and mothers and fathers taking care of their families.

Hey, I just built the car. Those thousands of people fleeing for their lives are not my responsibility. I just wanted my pick to win. The other guy could have quit racing at any time.

[inickat]

The Daily Mail can reveal some rebels inside Damascus have been trained by former SAS soldiers working for teams of private security contractors from two companies based in the Middle East.
Faltering: Syrian President Bashar Assad could fall within four weeks, potentially leading to fighting spilling out of Syria and in to Lebanon

Faltering: Syrian President Bashar Assad could fall within four weeks, potentially leading to fighting spilling out of Syria and in to Lebanon

More than 300 rebels have passed through a remote base just inside Iraq, while a second 'higher tier' command course not involving weapons is being held in Saudi Arabia.

Potential leaders are given military planning tuition with training in military tactics including weapon handling, leadership and using communications systems.

From the Daily Mail and others. Clearly this rebellion was Western initiated.