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Syria-Lebanon-Iran
Rebels take army post near Syria's southern border
2013-04-06
[ENGLISH.ALARABIYA.NET] Syrian rebels said they overran an army garrison that defends the main southern border crossing with Jordan on Friday and vowed to press on to take control of the major transit route.

Fighters from the Free Syrian Army said they captured the Umal-Mayathen post on the main Damascus
...Capital of the last overtly fascist regime in the world...
-Jordan highway in heavy fighting overnight that ended a siege that lasted more than a week. Dozens died in the festivities they said.

"It (the garrison) is a major defense and now we will lay siege to the border crossing and cut their (the Damascus government's) supply lines," Abu Omar, commander of the Lions of the Sunna Brigade, told Rooters by phone.

The army post is several kilometres (miles) from Syria's 'Nassib border crossing which, before Syria's two-year-old civil war broke out, funneled billions of dollars of trade between Gulf countries, Turkey and Europe.

Syria's southern provinces bordering Jordan and Israel have become an increasingly significant battleground as the capital comes under pressure, with Hereditary President-for-Life Bashir Pencilneck al-Assad
The Scourge of Hama...
's forces and his loyalist militias hitting back hard.

The intensified fighting has also led to an unprecedented influx of refugees through Jordan's 370 km (230 mile) border with Syria this year.

Rebels have stepped up fighting for control of the border area and the nearby town of Deraa in the last two months, gaining territory and capturing several bases.

They have also overrun several towns near the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights, fuelling tensions in the sensitive military zone.

Only two weeks ago they seized an air defense base near the strategic southern international highway, bolstering access to supply routes to the capital Damascus.

Rebels say their capture of large amounts of weapons, ammunition and vehicles has helped them to maintain an offensive after a long period in which the southern border area was quiet compared to northern and eastern parts of Syria.

"The latest gains have given us more weapons, helping the free army to mount even more attacks on key army positions," said Abu Salim, from Liwa Tawheed al-Janoob brigade.

Jordan has stepped up security and deployed more troops to the border, a Jordanian army source said.

Diplomatic and regional intelligence sources also said Amman was allowing limited supplies of light arms to moderate rebel groups opposed to the Nusra front, an Islamist bad boy group suspected of links to al Qaeda and blacklisted by the United States as a "terrorist group."
Posted by:Fred

#4  One could be forgiven for thinking the easiest way out of the whole ME conundrum is to simply carpet bomb the entire place. Sure, it would take a lot of ordnance and time, but if you want a government make-work project, there you go.
Posted by: SteveS   2013-04-06 22:36  

#3  Al Qaeda in Iraq, too, Pappy.
Posted by: trailing wife   2013-04-06 19:53  

#2  Who's providing the rebels with the level of financing, weapons supply and training/leadership that is making this happen?

Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Jordan, U.S., Pakistan, Egypt. Possibly some muslim nations in SE Asia.

Various and sundry NGOs like AlQ. AQIM, the Muslim Brotherhood, Libyan militias, other Sunni militias and organizations, private Sunni financiers/citizens, and 'charitable' organizations affiliated with a mosque or not.
Posted by: Pappy   2013-04-06 11:03  

#1  Bashir had a pretty good (by regional standards) and large military, and he seems to have some explicit support from Iran, yet the rebels are slowly beating him. Who's providing the rebels with the level of financing, weapons supply and training/leadership that is making this happen?
Posted by: Glenmore   2013-04-06 08:52  

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