Syria Support Movement solidarity with the Syrian people
Dear Friends of Syria and the Syria Solidarity Movement,
Below please find the latest news from Latakia, Syria, received today from our good friend and correspondent Lilly Martin Sahiounie. Lilly grew up in Fresno, California but has lived in Latakia for twenty years with her Syrian husband and children, now young adults.
With best regards for justice and peace in 2015,
Syria Solidarity Movement
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Email from Lilly Martin Sahiounie, 12. 28.2014
Hello to all,
For the last week we heard that the FSA and other Radical Islamic terrorists in Turkey were meeting and actively planning another attack on Kassab. Kassab has suffered missile and mortar attacks, but no deaths in the recent past.
Several days ago, on or about Christmas eve (24th) the terrorists began a push to attack and occupy Kassab again. The Syrian Arab Army was able to push them back to Turkey. However, the terrorists are not stopping. They seem to believe they can take Kassab, and then march into Latakia. Latakia is their true target.
The residents of Kassab, and there are not many of them, were told to gather valuables and paperwork and prepare for evacuation. They did so, waiting for the HORN to blast announcing the evacuation to begin, but they waited up all night, and they were not called upon to evacuate.
I called my friend living there last night at 7 PM. She said they were packed up and ready to go, but would not leave until told to. They were hoping that the Army would hold the line and they could stay in their homes.
Last night, after speaking with her, there was a huge rain storm and temps dropped to freezing. I felt that was good, as the temps in Kassab would be enough for snow, and perhaps the terrorists would back off and wait for better weather.
Last night many tanks and soldiers left Latakia for Kassab to prepare to prevent the occupation of Kassab. At this point I do not yet know how the battle went over the night. But, a tank did just drive by my house here in Latakia, to take up a position of defense, which may mean something. We have never had tanks inside Latakia city streets, until now. During the late summer 2011 battle at the Palestinian camp (Rumal Filestine) there were several tanks on the beach which were there to prevent any attack for the sea, which did not happen after all.
We have only seen tanks being transported through Latakia on their way to other places.
There is a mountain called “#45” which lays between Latakia and Kassab. That is a high elevation, from which you can see the sea and back to Latakia, since the city is low at sea level. This Mt. 45 was made famous during the period that Gamal Abdul Nasser was President of Egypt, and he visited Syria, and made his car to stop there and got out, looking at the scene and panorama and stated, “This is Paradise”.
For some reason, the terrorists are hell bent on capturing that hill. In the previous 3 month occupation of Kassab they also tried to capture that hill. I think they may envision setting up long range missiles there, and shoot at Latakia, or other targets. In other words, they would be so high up they could take a visual target on anything, it would be clear.
As far as I can tell the terrorists are not ISIS, but they are FSA and their Jihadist associates. Perhaps this is a last ditch effort for FSA to hang on to their USA paychecks? Proving they can get something done?
As soon as I know more, I can pass it on.
2 important recent media about Syria: yesterday BBC Lyce Doucet special on Syria “The Children of Syria”. Pay attention to the Syrian child who lives in the refugee camp in Gazientep Turkey. He and his family repeatedly say they are on Jihad, and speak about killing Alowi, for no reason except sectarian differences. I was amazed that given the chance, the FSA family would not speak about freedom, democracy, or the need to remove a dictator. Instead, they showed themselves to be only sectarian, without any need for freedom and political change. They used the word Jihad repeatedly. Lyse Doucet, in typical BBC form, takes every opportunity to blame the ‘regime’ for everything from A to Z.
The second important media about Syria is the German journalist Jugen Todenhofer: 10 days in Syria and Iraq with ISIS. He gave an interview in English with France24. I thought the TV presenter might faint when he said that the people in Reqaa support Pres. Assad. (as opposed to ISIS). He also said that the weapons that ISIS uses are all US and European sources, and were bought from the FSA. I hope that Obam and the US Congress are listening!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! All the US tax payer should be listening to where their tax dollars are going: directly into the hands of ISIS, so they can rape, maim , enslave and kill.
Best regards,
Lilly Martin
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France24 Interview in English with Jurgen Todenhofer
http://tinyurl.com/llr8rs2
