VIDEO: Barbaric Terrorists Throw Alleged Post Office Workers From The Roof in Aleppo - YouTube

Two Syrian journalists killed in Damascus, Bus attacked killing six passengers - Firstpost

VIDEO: Terrorists in Syria Behead an Unarmed Civilian - YouTube

VIDEO: Bodies of Assad Supporters Litter Landscape - YouTube

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CIA polices weapons entry to Syria as spooks invade Turkey - The Australian

Ahmadinejad to visit Saudi Arabia, Invited by Saudi King Abdullah to attend OIC extraordinary summit - irib.ir

Syria's Assad lasting because of popular support: Iran - Reuters

Families of Lebanese abducted pilgrims blame Qatar - Press TV

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VIDEO: Kurds take control in Syria's northeast - al jazeera ‎

To contact Bartolo email peaceloversingle@gmail.com

US, Turkey explore no-fly zones over Syria - NBC World News

Democratic foreign policy figures criticize Obama on Syria, press for safe zones and arms to the rebels - latimes.com

Russian Warships Hold Drills in Mediterranean | RIA Novosti

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Turkey sends the Syrian rebels shoulder-carried, anti-air Stingers - DEBKAfile

Turkey, Iran Show Signs of Deep Division Over Syria - VOA

Maliki blasts Turkey for treating Iraqi Kurdistan 'as independent' - AFP

Qatar offered Syrian ambassador $5.8mn for defection - report - RT

VIDEO: Covert Smuggling Trail Arms Syrian RebelS - voa

VIDEO: Syrian rebels pull guy out of trunk and EXECUTE him!!!!!!!! - LiveLeak.com

To contact Bartolo email peaceloversingle@gmail.com

Unconscionable Media Warmongering

by Stephen Lendman

Washington needs media support to wage wars and plan new ones. Broadcast and print scoundrels oblige. 

Paid liars infest Western media. Managed news misinformation creates enemies. Fear is stoked. War is cheerled, glorified, and sanitized to suppress truths too grim to report.

US officials: al-Qaida gaining foothold in Syria - AP

Islamists fight for space in a post-Assad Syria - Yahoo! News

Syria rebels seize three state TV journalists - Now Lebanon

Families of Abducted Lebanese Pilgrims in Syria Urge Qatar to Cooperate — Naharnet

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Special report: Hundreds of rebel fighters leave Aleppo after relentless shelling by regime forces - The Independent

UK offers body armor, satellite phones, medical supplies to Syria’s opposition, will only supply equipment to those not directly involved in fighting - The Washington Post

To contact Bartolo email peaceloversingle@gmail.com

  New York Times Style Debates

by Stephen Lendman

French moralist/essayist Joseph Joubert (1754 - 1824) said it's "better to debate a question without settling it than settle a question without debating it."

Syrian rebels completely withdraw from Salaheddin ditrict in Aleppo, FSA commander says - Now Lebanon

VIDEO: EXCLUSIVE REPORT: Revolution and Jihad in Aleppo, Religious fervor diffusive among the Syrian insurgents - FRANCE 24

Red Cross says delivers food, medical aid to Aleppo - chicagotribune.com

Iran holds Syria conference, urges dialogue and peace talks to halt the bloodshed - AFP

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PYD Leader Denies Turkish Claims that His Group Works with Syrian Regime, "We want to solve the Kurdish issue in Syria through democratic and peaceful methods" - Rudaw

Davutoğlu says Turkey not against Kurdish autonomy in post-Assad Syria if all groups can agree on it - todayszaman

PYD captures 12 Turkey soldiers in Syria, The rest of the soldiers fled back to Turkey - Kurdpress News Aganecy

Turkey uses ambulances to smuggle weapons into Syria: MP - Press TV

Turkey's Republican People's Party Leader urges Erdogan to respond to the accusations of arming the opposition and sending gunmen to Syria - champress.net

To contact Bartolo email peaceloversingle@gmail.com

  Full-Scale War in Syria

by Stephen Lendman

Former Russian Prime Minister Yevgeny Primakov calls it "full-scale civil war." It's full-scale but not civil.

Rebels Withdraw From Parts of Aleppo as Government Forces Mass - NYTimes.com

Qatar Allocates $300m for Dissents in Syria - almanar.com

Insight: Syria rebels see future fight with foreign radicals carrying wads of cash from the Gulf states - Reuters

Iranian hostages in Damascus traveled via Revolutionary Guards’ travel agency: report - alarabiya.net

VIDEO: Qaida fighters infiltrate Syria - NBCNews.com

PHOTO (with article): Syria antigovernment forces have obtained a heat-seeking, shoulder-fired anti-aircraft missile - NYTimes.com

VIDEO: Syria insurgents with recoilless anti-tank rifles - Youtube

To contact Bartolo email peaceloversingle@gmail.com

  Stoking False Threats

by Stephen Lendman

Fearmongering, propaganda, deception, and hidden truths are weapons of war. They're used to convince people they're justified, righteous and vital.

Sixteen civilians, mostly Alawite and Christian, killed by Syrian rebels near Homs, They were employees of the Jandar power station - Lebanon Now

Terrorists in Syria Hang Shiite Child after Killing Family Members (PHOTO) - abna.ir

Alawite filmmaker assassinated in Damascus - Yahoo! News

Christian monastery assaulted north of Damascus, "the gunmen stole everything they could steal" - ANSAMed.it

Iran says Turkey can help free pilgrims kidnapped in Syria - Now Lebanon

Syrian rebel: Uprising hijacked by extremists - CBS News

As al-Qaida's power in Syria rises, Israeli officials ready for possible attack - Haaretz Israeli News source.

VIDEO: Qaeda offers assistance to secular Syrian rebels - NBC

VIDEO: Syria rebels 'convert' Japanese cameraman - The Times of Israel

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Syrian Kurd party says Turkey should not fear its rise - Reuters

Syrian Kurdish Politicians React to Turkish Foreign Minister’s Visit - Rudaw

Syria handed over heavy weapons to PKK, says Erdogan's deputy - AKNEWS.com

Iran says it will be ‘Turkey's turn' if it goes ahead with Syria policies - todayzaman

Iraq decides to ‘reconsider ties’ with Turkey after Davutoğlu’s Kirkuk visit - todayzaman

To contact Bartolo email peaceloversingle@gmail.com

BULLETIN 07 August 2012
    Email: office@stopwar.org.uk
    Tel: 0207 561 9311
    www.stopwar.org.uk
    Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/stopthewarcoalition
    Twitter: https://twitter.com/STWuk

In this Newsletter:
1) The West stokes more war in the Middle East
2) Don't Iraq Iran
3) Become a Friend of Stop the War and get a signed copy of David Gentleman's new book
_____________________________________________

The situation in the Middle East is becoming more and more dangerous. As the violent siege of Aleppo continues, the risk of further western intervention is growing.The West is already intervening in the Syrian conflict by arming the opposition through its proxies Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Turkey. It was revealed last week that earlier in the year President Obama authorised the CIA to support the opposition in trying to topple the Assad regime. The CIA are actively vetting which groups receive arms. (see http://bit.ly/NVt8SA)

The CIA is also working closely with the opposition leadership and campaigning internationally for regime change in Syria. Since the early stages of the uprising, the Turkish-based Syrian National Council (SNC), which is being treated by western powers as the main opposition coalition, has called for foreign intervention. The SNC leadership has close links to the US policy elite that go back several years. For the last six months representatives of various Syrian opposition groups have been meeting in Germany to plan what a post-Assad government would look like. (see  http://bit.ly/MpbQMO)

Outside intervention, particularly that of Saudi Arabia and Qatar, is inflaming the conflict and increasing sectarian tensions. Western intervention -- supposedly to support 'democracy' and 'freedom' -- brought nothing but blood and destruction to Iraq, Afghanistan and Libya. There is no reason to think it would be any different in Syria. It would deny the Syrian people the ability to shape their future, and risks turning the civil war into a disastrous regional war, drawing in Iraq, Lebanon, Iran and Turkey.

Syrian prime minister defects from Syria regime - globalpost.com

Bomb blast rocks Syrian TV station, three people reported injured - RT

Syrian rebels: Three Iran hostages killed in shelling by government troops - Now Lebanon

Saudi King Invites Iran's Ahmadinejad to Discuss Syria - RIA Novosti

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FSA local rebels in Syria defend ‘Law of Jungle’ as executions mount, While the FSA leaders in Turkey condemn the summary killings -hurriyetdailynews.com

Horrors of war: Mass grave discovered in Damascus, The victims reportedly include both civilians and military personnel - RT

While all Islamist fighters rally under the same banner, they are divided among many factions and schools of thoughts - Al Akhbar English

Video: EXTREME GRAPHIC - Executed civilian men - Liveleak

Video: Insurgents executed, chopped up a prisoner in Aleppo - YouTube

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Syrian Kurds Put Up a Show of Unity in Qamishlo’s Streets, 100,000 marching to Kurdish music and carrying Kurdish flags - Rudaw

Kurdish Syrian National Council asserts the right of self-determination and federalism - AKNEWS.com

After 50 Years, a Kurd Becomes the Mayor of Derek - Rudaw

Erdoğan: Turkey may launch operations in Syria to stop PKK infiltration - todayszaman

In Turkey Kurdish Leader Slams Erdogan's Syria Policy - As-Safir Newspaper

To contact Bartolo email peaceloversingle@gmail.com

  Death Squad Atrocities in Syria

by Stephen Lendman

Since early 2011, Washington waged proxy war on Syria. Daily it continues down and dirty. 

Targeting civilians is policy. So are atrocities grave enough to make some despots blush.

Video: Kidnapped Iranians are Revolutionary Guards, FSA says - Al Arabiya

Video: 48 Iranians kidnapped in Syria as it happens - YouTube

Iran denies visitors in Syria are military personnel  - KUNA

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Video: Torture of Berri Tribe Chief Before Killing Him - YouTube

Video: Execution of Berri tribe members by the FSA - different view - LiveLeak.com

Statement: Al Nusrah Front conducts joint operation with Free Syrian Army - Threat Matrix

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PYD Must Confront Syrian Regime and Support its Overthrow, Says Abdulbasit Sieda - Rudaw

A Rare Glimpse Into Kurdish Armed Forces in Syria - Rudaw

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Syrian opposition open to talks with officials post-Assad | Reuters

To contact Bartolo email peaceloversingle@gmail.com

  Day of Infamy at General Assembly

by Stephen Lendman

On August 3, The General Assembly ignored rule of law principles. Member states are sworn to uphold them. 

Free Syrian Army kidnapped 48 Iranian pilgrims near Damascus, report says - Haaretz Daily Newspaper

Syrian insurgents threaten to kill Iranian media staff - Press TV

Kidnapped Syrian TV host executed, says rights group - Now Lebanon

Accounts of Syria rebels executing prisoners raise new human rights concerns - McClatchy

Video: Scenes of attack by Syrian opposition group to the car of Iranian televsision reporter in Halab - YouTube

Video: State TV Ikbariya reporter captured by the FSA (Before & After) - Liveleak

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Muslim Brotherhood establishes militia inside Syria, It will not be affiliated to the Free Syrian Army - Telegraph

Turkey training rebels at secret camps, says FSA fighter - BBC

Arab states will not accept a new UN envoy to Syria unless the mandate is to negotiate a transfer of power: Qatar - alarabiya.net

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Syrian opposition leader promises constitutional recognition to Kurds - ekurd

Tension grow among Syrian Kurdish parties after Turkey FM visit to Arbil - Kurdpress News Aganecy

To contact Bartolo email peaceloversingle@gmail.com

UNRWA Statement: Shelling and deaths in Syria's Yarmouk Palestinian refugee camp, It does not indicate who may have been responsible - The Electronic Intifada

Video: Explosion in Yarmouk AS IT HAPPENS - YouTube

Syrian army storms last rebel stronghold in Damascus, prepares a massive assault in Aleppo - Reuters

UN Passes Controversial Resolution Condemning The Syria Regime - RIA Novosti

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Agencies: Russia sends navy vessels to Syria base, Each ship would have up to 120 marines on board - Reuters

Syria says reaches deal with Russia for oil products - Yahoo! News

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White House Dismisses Reports of Aid to Syrian Rebels, Policy of providing non-lethal assistance to the opposition has not changed - VOA

Growing need to conduct a covert campaign against Qaeda and other extremists groups in Syria - RAND

Video: Rebel Child Soldiers in Deir Ezzor, Syria - YouTube

By Congressman Dennis Kucinich

As we strongly condemn violence wrought in support of the Assad government, recent allegations of war crimes committed in the name of rebellion should give us pause to reexamine elements within the uprising. Before we declare our support for any side in a civil war, shouldn’t we know who and what we are supporting?

UN draft drops call for Syria's Assad to step down, Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa, Algeria, Argentina and others objected - Bradenton Herald

Video: Kofi Annan announces that he quits Syria mediator role - YouTube

Plug likely to be pulled on U.N. observers in Syria: France - Reuters

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Turkey drills aimed at PYD under way, US cautions against military intervention in Syria - todayszaman

Syria says Turkey sending terrorists to wage war - chicagotribune.com

Turkish opposition leader: Turkey must avoid Mideast quagmire, blasts its aggressive stance against Syria - breakingnews.sy

Turkish Labor Party: "We Have Clear Evidence That Turkish President Incited Terrorism and War on Syria" - dekusada

Iraq accuses Turkey of interfering in affairs - The Seattle Times

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Al Qaeda a "cancer" in Syria, says Iraq's U.N. ambassador - CBS News

'What will happen to us?': Syria loyalists fear rebel attacks - The Independent

Video: Suicide Bombing in Damascus Christian Neighborhood, The dead were Christian civilians - Liveleak

Video: It Shows New Killings by the Syrian Army In Damascus - Huffington Post

Video: Rebels Executed man in Deir Ezzor, Syria - YouTube

  Washington's Total War on Syria

by Stephen Lendman

Syria attacked no one. It threatens no one. It's victimized by naked Western aggression. Proxy death squads are used. They're armed, funded, trained, and directed by regional and Western states.

By Michael Collins

The United States of America is struggling with economic problems that leading economists call a depression.   When you count all of those without jobs seeking one, unemployment is 22%.  That figure defines a serious crisis.  While we wait for the Obama administration to do something for the people, we can be comforted to know that the president is wasting his time meddling in Syria by supporting rebels who count al Qaeda among their comrades.  This was all a secret until Reuters told us about it yesterday. (Image)

(Reuters) - President Barack Obama has signed a secret order authorizing U.S. support for rebels seeking to depose Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and his government, sources familiar with the matter said.

This and other developments signal a shift toward growing, albeit still circumscribed, support for Assad's armed opponents - a shift that intensified following last month's failure of the U.N. Security Council to agree on tougher sanctions against the Damascus government.  Reuters, August 1   (Alternate link)

The term intelligence finding used to describe Obama's action on Syria is a neologism.  The more accurate term is stupidity finding.  Why?

Syrian president says current Aleppo battles "fateful" while UN mission says rebels possess heavy weapons - Xinhua

Syrian rebels acquire surface-to-air missiles via Turkey: report - Yahoo! News

FSA chief castigates his in-country rebels, His relations with the FSA joint command inside Syria are notoriously bad - Now Lebanon

Saudi fundraising campaign for Syrians raises $117m - BBC

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Aleppo shootings by rebels condemned by human rights activists - BBC

Video: Members of the Al Berri tribe held captive before execution - You Tube

Video: FSA storms the Al Berri tribe chief home - You Tube

Video: Foreign Jihadists In Syria Screaming “Allahu Akbar” After Slaughtering 40 Syrian Police Officers - You Tube

Video: Identities of foreign fighters in Syria - YouTube

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Syria's Kurdish minority to seek regional autonomy in post-Assad Syria: Official - Haaretz Daily Newspaper

Turkey Military Drill on Syria Border Eyes Kurds - ABC News

Turkey should engage, not push away, PYD, Kurdish official says - todayszaman

Thousands of Syrians trapped in Aleppo amid fighting between the Syrian army and the rebels: UNHCR - Yahoo! News

Rebels execute members of the regime loyalist Al-Berri tribe in Aleppo, Chanting "FSA for ever" and "God is greatest" - Now Lebanon

Video: FSA Executing Al-Berri Tribal Elders In Aleppo - YouTube

Aleppo's Christians take up arms against Islamist rebels, often supplied by the Syrian regime - PBS

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Al-Qaeda Jihadists meet with members of FSA's military council almost every day, They are among the best fighters in Syria - Business Insider

Video: Free Syrian Army Commander on Ell Balad TV: We work with Islamic movements - YouTube

UN mission chief's convoy attacked in Syria, The officials said it was an opposition-held area - AlertNet

Video: Dutch photographer says it was held by "Jihadis" on Turkey-Syria border - YouTube

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Leader of Free Syrian Army Says No Kurdish Region Allowed to Establish in Syria - Rudaw

Iraqi Kurdistan trained Syrian Kurds, says official - AFP

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US defense chief: Syria military must remain intact when Assad goes - AlertNet

Saudi Arabia pressuring Jordan to help Syrian rebels: Report - Press TV

Report: Saudi intelligence chief murdered by Syrian hit men - Digital Journal

  Major Media Admit Presence of Foreign Militants in Syria

by Stephen Lendman

Syria's conflict isn't an uprising, revolution or civil war. It's lawless Western aggression. It targets an independent government and its people. Doing so violates fundamental international law.

Turkey Strengthens Military Forces on Syrian Border - NYTimes.com

Daily says Iran warns Turkey: Any attack on Syrian territory will meet with a harsh response, the Iranian-Syrian defense agreement will be activated - Now Lebanon

PYD Official: Kurdish Unity Will Not be Undermined by Turkey - Rudaw

Davutoglu to ask Barzani not to support the Kurdish autonomy in Syria - ARMENPRESS 

Video: Iraqi Kurdistan government (KRG) training the Syrian kurdish soldiers - YouTube

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As Syrian War Drags On, Jihad Gains Foothold - NYTimes.com

Foreign Arab Islamist fighters eager to join Syria rebels - chicagotribune.com

Captured journalist: None of hostage-takers rebels were Syrian - Voice of Russia

Free Syrian Army issues military-led transition plan - Ahram Online

Video: Foreign 'jihadi' fighters present in Syria - YouTube

Video: Syrian rebels drag man to death by towing behind car - LiveLeak.com

By Michael Collins

Obama administration support for Syrian rebels is based on a United Nations authorized report from November 2011. In that document, Syria is accused of committing "crimes against humanity." The report's co-author is a board member at a Washington, D.C. based think tank that just happens to have the former chairman of ExxonMobil, a consultant for the Saudi Binladin Group, and a former CIA executive on its board of directors.

Much of the U.S. and European press on the so-called civil war originates from a tiny organization in the United Kingdom called the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (the Observatory). The one man operation is run by a longtime opponent of Syrian Bashar Hafez al-Assad.

For the most part, this is how we know what we know about Syria.

Syrian gov't forces mount assault on Aleppo - Xinhua

200,000 Syrians flee Aleppo - abc.net.au

Aleppo Bishop: The Church is frightened of a repeat of the catastrophe in Homs, Christians are terrified of being targeted by Islamic extremists -Persecution News

Syrian official lashes out at Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Turkey, Blaming them for backing the rebels - NYTimes.com

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Syrian National Council demands heavy weapons, says Assad should be tried - Yahoo! News

Syria's Muslim Brotherhood condemns Assad, Russia and Iran - Channel NewsAsia

Source: Saudi Princes Seeking Anti-Aircraft Missiles for Syrian Rebels - Radical Islam

Sunday Telegraph: Many non-Syrian terrorists admit infiltration across Turkey border - islamicinvitationturkey

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Syria National Council chief visits Iraqi Kurdistan, Expected to meet with Barzani and Syrian Kurdish groups - AFP

Sending troops deteriorates Syria conflict, SNC leader says - kurdpress.com

Turkey vows to take every measure against Kurdish PKK rebels in Syrian Kurdistan - eKurd

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Video: Nun says Syrian rebels took bodies from hospital to stage Al-Houla Massacre - YouTube

  High Stakes in Syria

by Stephen Lendman

The region's fate hangs in the balance. Perhaps much more. The potential ugly reality is chilling.

Make no mistake. Washington orchestrated months of bloodbath. Obama officials bear full responsibility. They were last year against Libya. They are currently as violence wracks the country.