Messages from Local Coordination Committees to the world / رسائل لجان التنسيق الى العالم Posted on September 20, 2013<http://syriafreedomforever.wordpress.com/2013/09/20/messages-from-local-coordination-committees-to-the-world/> September 20, 2013
Despite the brutality of the Syrian regime and the weakness of the international community the insistence of the Syrians has increased day by day to go in the revolution so they come out in Friday they named “Only Syrians will liberate Syria” to prove that the will of the Syrian people will remain the most powerful weapon in the face of tyranny. Activists of the committees in Douma, Zabadani and Madaya in Damascus Suburbs, Tafas and Mizeireeb in Daraa sent messages that rejected to replace tyranny with another, especially the practices of “the State of Iraq and the Levant,” which it does not differ from the practices of the Syrian regime in repression and suppression of expression freedom, and also they emphasized the legitimacy of the revolution People and proceed with the revolution until victory, refusing half-solutions which do not satisfy the aspirations of the Syrian people, and whatever the difficulties revolutions can make the impossible becomes real http://syriafreedomforever.wordpress.com/2013/09/20/messages-from-local-coordination-committees-to-the-world/#more-4573 ----------------------------------------- http://brown-moses.blogspot.com/2013/09/evidence-of-syrian-army-using-munitions.html Tuesday, 24 September 2013 Evidence Of The Syrian Army Using Munitions Linked To The August 21st Sarin Attack<http://brown-moses.blogspot.com/2013/09/evidence-of-syrian-army-using-munitions.html> Since the UN report<http://www.un.org/disarmament/content/slideshow/Secretary_General_Report_of_CW_Investigation.pdf> into the August 21st sarin attack confirmed the use of a previously unknown munition in the attack, which I had previously named the UMLACA (more details here<http://brown-moses.blogspot.com/2013/09/a-detailed-summary-of-evidence-on.html>), there's been a lot of debate about whether or not the Syrian army has such a munition. There's been multiple videos of the munitions posted online by the Syrian opposition, and they've been consistently described as being fired by Syrian government forces. From those videos, I've been able to identify at least two types of these munitions, one type linked to the August 21st sarin attack and past alleged chemical attacks, and a second, high explosive, type. The following video from Daraya, Damascus, published on Decemeber 29th 2012, was highlighted by @hesbol <https://twitter.com/hesbol> on a blog post<http://www.whoghouta.blogspot.co.il/2013/09/umlaca-simulation.html> attempting to discern the range of the UMLACA. It shows what seems to be a high explosive version of the UMLACA being launched and detonating https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=NzKbZsTjkug As the camera tracks the flight of the UMLACA it's very distinct outline can be clearly seen <http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-YHb0J4H-MlI/UkG7xdmw8DI/AAAAAAAAGCA/hpVJV9oI5Gk/s1600/UMLACA.jpg> In the video it's claimed that the munitions are fired from Mezzeh airbase, and it's actually possible to confirm they are coming from the direction of Mezzeh airbase. At the start of the video we see the launch, and the outline of the hills behind it. <http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-dSO8j0_ZUdQ/UkG8cbWqtJI/AAAAAAAAGCI/El0xDQ6CWdE/s1600/Hills.jpg> Using Google Earth we can position the virtual camera facing north from Daraya, looking towards Mezzeh airbase, and it's clear the topography matches what we see in the video <http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-QLgi_BpOOh4/UkG85fg1VbI/AAAAAAAAGCY/2Mzl0BzQfN8/s1600/Comparison.jpg> The structure at the top of the hill is the HQ of Maher al-Assad's 4th division, which can be seenhere on Wikimapia<http://wikimapia.org/#lang=en&lat=33.500035&lon=36.213427&z=14&m=b>. A report<http://www.understandingwar.org/press-media/graphsandstat/battle-damascus-current-state-play-syria> from the Institute for the Study of War examining the situation in Damascus in December 2012, shows that the area north of Daraya, including Mezzeh airbase, and the 4th division terrain to the north, were under the control of the Syrian army, and it seems, from what we can see in the above video, that the UMLACA was fired by Syrian government forces. This not only shows the Syrian army have been using the munitions, but they've been using them since December 2012. More posted on the subject of the August 21st attacks can be found here<http://brown-moses.blogspot.com/2013/08/collected-media-of-munitions-linked-to.html>, and other posts on chemical weapons and Syria, including extremely informative interviews with chemical weapon specialists, can be found here<http://brown-moses.blogspot.com/2013/08/collected-chemical-weapon-posts.html> . http://theaviationist.com/2013/09/20/analysis-syria-cw/#.UkHit4bFXmI Imagery Analysis: Syria’s Chemical Weapons facilities currently monitored by satellites and spyplanes Sep 20 2013 - 1 Comment<http://theaviationist.com/2013/09/20/analysis-syria-cw/#comments> Even though it did not suggest responsibilities, the recent UN report<http://www.un.org/disarmament/content/slideshow/Secretary_General_Report_of_CW_Investigation.pdf> about the alleged use of chemical weapons in the Ghouta Area of Damascus on Aug. 21, 2013 confirmed that the attack was conducted with Sarin nerve agent. The Sarin was dispersed with M14 140mm artillery rocket and an unidentified improvised rocket propelled munition. Following the U.S. – Russia agreement to bring Syrian chemical weapons under international control, a missile strike against CW storage facilities<http://theaviationist.com/2013/08/26/syria-air-war-plan/> is much less likely than few weeks ago. Nonetheless a plan to secure one of the largest CW stockpile in the world implies many difficulties. Two of them are the number of storage sites spread over the country and the presence of many contested areas with frequent clashes between government forces and opposition fighters. In the past weeks, fearing an imminent U.S. attack<http://theaviationist.com/2013/09/05/syria-build-up/>, Syrian armed forces are believed to have moved a large amount of equipment and weapons (including CW) far from the usual storage facilities, to minimize losses. The movements of CW across the country are pinpointed by satellites and closely monitored by a bunch of spyplanes based in Cyprus<http://theaviationist.com/2013/09/05/syria-build-up/> and flying daily missions in the international airspace off Syria. Anyway, considered the will of President al-Assad to cooperate, the investigations on the CW arsenal on the ground will start from known sites. The following pictures, selected and commented by The Aviationist’s contributor Giuliano Ranieri, show some of chemical weapons production and storage facilities, missile bases and Republican Guard installations that could be inspected by personnel and are currently monitored by intelligence assets. - Al Safir missile base, Aleppo Governorate (36°02’02″N 37°21’03″E) [image: Al Safir]<http://theaviationist.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/Al-Safir.jpg> Al Safir complex is a large installation houses a Scud missile base, missile storage, chemical weapons production and testing facilities. Between 2005 and 2008 there was a large extension program to increase the CW production capability. Under the adjacent mountains there’s a large underground storage complex. The base is also protected by SAM batteries. - Brigade 155 Scud missile base, Rif Dimashq Governorate (33°41’53.66″N 36°31’31.75″E) [image: Brigade 155]<http://theaviationist.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/Brigade-155.jpg> Brigade 155 is one of the most important offensive units of Syrian Army. Composed by eight battalions, the staff is almost exclusively Alawite and considered very close to the regime. Located south-west from Al Qutayfah, the facility is surrounded by two mountains with many hardened storage sites capable to accommodate transporter erector launchers (TEL) and eventually chemical weapons. - Republican Guard base, Rif Dimashq Governorate (33°32’51.16″N 36°15’32.25″E) [image: Rep Guard]<http://theaviationist.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/Rep-Guard.jpg> Founded in the 1976, is the most loyal unit of the Syrian Armed Forces. The Guard is well equipped and trained and is responsible for Damascus’s defense. This is one of the elite unit installations located in North Damascus. Some sources reports that one of the alleged chemical weapon attacks was perpetrated from this site. - Salamyia chemical weapons and missile base, Hama Governorate (35° 3’4.55″N 36°59’34.93″E) [image: Salamiyah]<http://theaviationist.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/Salamiyah.jpg> A large storage complex built in a “U form” valley with approximately 50 hardened concrete bunkers. Last summer a wide rebel offensive was reported in the surrounding area and, currently fierce fighting continues. - Syrian Scientific Studies and Research Center, Rif Dimashq Governorate (33°34’31.62″N 36°14’23.95″E) [image: Syrian Scientific Studies and Research Center]<http://theaviationist.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/Syrian-Scientific-Studies-and-Research-Center.jpg> The Scientific Studies and Research Center (SSRC), or Centre D’Etudes et de Recherches Scientifiques is a government agency tasked to conduct studies in social, administrative, agricultural and technological fields. It’s also believed to be involved in nuclear, chemical and biological weapon research and development, the site showed in the picture is one of the SSRC facilities. Located in Jamraya the complex was hit on Jan. 31, 2013 by an alleged Israeli airstrike<http://theaviationist.com/2013/01/30/israel-air-strike-syria/>. Three months later, another airstrike hit a facility a mile from the research center <http://theaviationist.com/2013/05/08/targets-hit-by-iaf/>. *Top Image credit: Wiki. All the others Giuliano Ranieri / Google Earth*
