Rebels claim to have destroyed helicopters in attack on air force base in northwest #Syria | http://aje.me/KL34vQ #Taftanaz
3:19 PM - 3 Nov 12 · Details
Syria Live Blog
Violence in Syria has escalated into what the Red Cross calls a civil war. Activists say at least 27,000 people have died since the uprising began in March last year. The government of Bashar al-Assad, which is increasingly losing territory to rebel fighters, blames "terrorists" and "armed gangs" for the unrest, while the opposition and other nations have accused Assad's forces of crimes against humanity.
Syria
Series of meetings are scheduled to be held by various Syrian opposition factions in Doha, as of Sunday. A number of Syrian opposition members have pre-empted upcoming Doha meetings by holding a meeting in the Jordanian capital Amman last Thursday.
The said meeting was held by 25 opposition members, among them Syrian businessman Riyadh Saif, who had called for the meeting, defecting Syrian prime minister Riyadh Hijab, Kamal Labwani, along with representative for Syria's Muslim Brotherhood group Ali Sadr al-Din al-Bayanouni.
The Amman meeting was concluded by recommending the formation of what they called the Commission for the Syrian National Initiative which aims at establishing a new political leadership for the Syrian opposition.
The formation of the commission would be followed by announcing the formation of a transitional government in exile, most likely to be headed by Riyadh Saif.
US secretary of state Hillary Clinton called last Wednesday for including those whom she said were fighting and getting killed at the front battle lines, noting that the Syrian opposition Council could be part of a broader opposition body.
Syria
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights released new videos of pro-regime fighters apparently killing prisoners and cutting ears from bodies, after footage showing rebels executing soldiers raised international concerns.
The purported video of the rebels - also released by the Observatory - showed about 10 soldiers being beaten, then lined up on the ground and executed with automatic rifles.
The UN human rights body said the video appeared to show a war crime and warned that "accountability will follow" for those who commit atrocities.
Syria
Opposition fighters say they have destroyed helicopters in a major attack on Taftanaz air force base in northwest Syria. The base came under attack at dawn.
Internet video shows rebels firing mobile rocket launchers and heavy weapons. The Free Syrian army is also using tanks captured from government forces.
Rebel sources are telling Al Jazeera they have surrounded the airbase. They say the Syrian army has retaliated by attacking rebel positions. More internet video shows scenes from the conflict around the airfield.
Rebel sources are telling Al Jazeera they have surrounded the airbase. They say the Syrian army has retaliated by attacking rebel positions. More internet video shows scenes from the conflict around the airfield.
Taftanaz
Syria
Details emerged on Saturday of plans to reshape Syria's opposition into a representative government-in-exile, on the eve of key talks between regime opponents.
The talks starting Sunday in the Qatari capital Doha come amid US criticism of the main exiled opposition group, the Syrian National Council (SNC), which Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said this week was not representative.
Reports have emerged that Washington is pressing for an overhaul of the opposition, with long-time dissident Riad Seif touted as the potential head of a new government-in-exile dubbed the Syrian National Initiative.
Seif and about two dozen other leading opposition figures gathered in Jordan's capital Amman this week and came up with proposals for a new body to represent the disparate groups opposing President Bashar al-Assad.
Among those in attendance were some SNC members, former premier Riad Hijab, who defected in August, Ali Sadreddin Bayanuni of the Muslim Brotherhood and Kurdish and tribal representatives, participants said.
In a statement Saturday, participants sought to quell concerns the overhaul is aimed at building an opposition that would be willing to negotiate with Assad.
"Assad and his entourage leaving power is a non-negotiable precondition for any dialogue aimed at finding a non-military solution, if that is still possible," the statement said.
The Amman meeting also came out in support of "efforts underway to put in place a unified political body for the whole of the opposition," according to the statement.
It examined "the means to unify the opposition in a way worthy of the sacrifices on the ground and to secure the international, regional and Arab support needed to overthrow the regime."
The group backed the rebel "Free Syrian Army and the movements behind the revolution on the ground as legitimate means to topple the criminal regime."
