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Thousands forced to seek refuge from Russian and regime bombing in Aleppo and Deraa: image via Akhbar @akhbar, 7 February 2016 ![Embedded image permalink]()
With aid of Russian air strikes, Syrian regime makes advances against rebel opposition in Aleppo after four years of stymie: image via Akhbar @akhbar, 7 February 2016
![A man stands in the debris of a building Friday after an airstrike allegedly carried out by the Russian miliary in a part of Aleppo controlled by the Syrian opposition.]( "A man stands in the debris of a building Friday after an airstrike allegedly carried out by the Russian miliary in a part of Aleppo controlled by the Syrian opposition.")
A man stands in the debris of a building Friday after an airstrike carried out by the Russian military in a part of Aleppo controlled by the Syrian opposition: photo by Anadolu Agency, 6 February 2016
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Residents inspect damage in the rebel-held al-Shaar neighborhood of Aleppo after airstrikes by pro-Syrian government forces: photo by Abdalrhman Ismail/Reuters, 4 February 2016
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Thousands flee as Russian-backed offensive threatens to besiege #Aleppo and Deraa: image via Reuters Top News @Reuters, 5 February 2016 ![Embedded image permalink]()
Civilians are icons of resilience in face of Assad brutality, saviors are champions in this darkness @SyriaCivilDef: image via Fadi Al-Qadi @fqadi, 7 February 2016
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First pictures from #Kafr_Hamra where Russian terrorists strike again while @SyriaCivilDef evacuates dead children: image via Julian Röpcke @JulianRoepcke, 7 February 2016
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Heroes from the @SyriaCivilDef save a #cat under the rubble from a "Russian" bombing raid on #Douma today: image via Julian Röpcke @JulianRoepcke, 6 February 2016
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Heroes from the @SyriaCivilDef save a #cat under the rubble from a "Russian" bombing raid on #Douma today: image via Julian Röpcke @JulianRoepcke, 6 February 2016
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Heroes from the @SyriaCivilDef save a #cat under the rubble from a "Russian" bombing raid on #Douma today: image via Julian Röpcke @JulianRoepcke, 6 February 2016
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Turkey says it won't leave Syrian refugees stranded on border to die #Aleppo: image via AFP news agency @AFP, 7 February 2016 ![Embedded image permalink]()
La Turquie prête à ouvrir sa frontière aux Syriens fuyant Alep: image via Agence France-Presse @afpfr, 7 February 2016
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it's really hard to work the day after a baby sea lion went to a restaurant: image via Julia Carrie Wong @juliacarriew, 5 February 2016
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SPAIN - 2 disguised people walk in a cemetery during ancient carnival 'Entroido' of Laza. By @PedroArmestre #AFP: image via Frédérique Geffard @fgeffardAFP, 7 February 2016
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*Nationwide commercial voice* "I just won the Super Bowl.": image via Carl Steward @stewardsfolly, 7 February 2016
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US - Fireworks burst over the New York skyline in honor of the Chinese Lunar New Year. By Kena Betancur: image via AFP Photo Department @AFPphoto, 7 February 2016 ![]()
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Prefabricated metal homes at the Azraq camp for Syrian refugees in northern Jordan last month. Jordanian officials estimate that there are 1.4 million Syrians in the country.: photo by Khalil Mazraawi/Agence France-Presse, 7 February 2016
After entering Aleppo, the Syrian army may set its sights on Raqqa: Robert Fisk, Dawn, 7 February 2016
After losing up to 60,000 soldiers in five years of fighting, the Syrian army has suddenly scored its greatest victory of the war -- smashing its way through Jabhat al-Nusra and the other rebel forces around Aleppo and effectively sealing its fate as Russia provided air strike operations outside the city.
The rebel supply lines from Turkey to Aleppo have been cut, but this does not mean the end of the story. For many months, the regime’s own military authorities -- along with tens of thousands of civilians, including many Christians -- were trapped inside Aleppo and at the mercy of shelling and mortar fire by the Nusra fighters, who surrounded them until the army opened the main highway south.
During this period, the only way to Aleppo was by plane because the army held a tiny peninsula of territory going to the airport -- I flew out one night on a military aircraft crowded with wounded Syrian troops.
But the tables have turned. It is the rebels themselves who are now surrounded, along with the tens of thousands of civilians in their sector of the city -- but they have no airport to sustain them.
On the basis of so many other battles in this appalling war, there is unlikely to be any offensive for the centre of this greatest of Syrian cities; rather it will be a slow and grinding siege to force the insurgents to surrender.
In an ironic twisting of recent history, the two Shia villages of Nubl and Zahra -- whose people had been surrounded by rebels and starved for three years, fed only by Syrian military airdrops -- have now been retaken by the Syrian military.
The Shia, co-religionists of the Alawite people from which President Bashar Al Assad comes, have been cornered in several villages in the region, although their plight has gone largely unreported.
Now the people in the rebel-held part of Aleppo are going to feel the same sense of isolation -- and, no doubt, the shellfire of their besiegers. There has always been a movement of people between the two sectors of the city -- will these passages now be closed? And what of the tens of thousands of civilians streaming north towards Turkey?
Aleppo itself was late to join the war. By some kind of historical miracle, it remained disentangled from the conflict until 2012 when rebels -- thinking they were en route to Damascus -- managed to infiltrate into the ancient city. Its streets were then burned out in months of fighting. Now it appears to be the first of Syria’s large cities to be effectively back in the hands of the regime.
What comes next? The retaking of the Roman city of Palmyra? The clearing of the lands around Deraa (of Lawrence of Arabia fame)?
And, much more dramatically, how soon will the Syrian army, its Hezbollah allies and the Russian air force set their course for the Isis “capital” of Raqqa?
The militant Islamic State (IS), which holds Palmyra, must be learning of the extraordinary developments of the past few days with deep concern. The everlasting Sunni “Islamic Caliphate” in Syria doesn’t look so everlasting any more.
Is this why the Saudis have suddenly offered to send ground troops to Syria? And why the Turks are so flustered? I doubt if anyone is weeping in Iran.
Anyway, the Saudi military is already having its feet chewed off in the disgraceful Yemen war. As for the Turks sending their own Nato soldiers across the Syrian border -- presumably at risk of being attacked by the Russians -- that is a nightmare which both Washington and Moscow must avoid.
Otherwise, we’ll find ourselves in Gavrilo Princip moment -- and we all know what happened in 1914.
(Gavrilo Princip was a Bosnian Serb who assassinated Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria and his wife in Sarajevo on June 28, 1914. After Princip and his accomplices were arrested, they implicated several members of the Serbian military, leading Austria-Hungary to issue an ultimatum to Serbia. This was used as pretext for Austria-Hungary’s invasion of Serbia, which then led to World War I.)
After losing up to 60,000 soldiers in five years of fighting, the Syrian army has suddenly scored its greatest victory of the war -- smashing its way through Jabhat al-Nusra and the other rebel forces around Aleppo and effectively sealing its fate as Russia provided air strike operations outside the city.
The rebel supply lines from Turkey to Aleppo have been cut, but this does not mean the end of the story. For many months, the regime’s own military authorities -- along with tens of thousands of civilians, including many Christians -- were trapped inside Aleppo and at the mercy of shelling and mortar fire by the Nusra fighters, who surrounded them until the army opened the main highway south.
During this period, the only way to Aleppo was by plane because the army held a tiny peninsula of territory going to the airport -- I flew out one night on a military aircraft crowded with wounded Syrian troops.
But the tables have turned. It is the rebels themselves who are now surrounded, along with the tens of thousands of civilians in their sector of the city -- but they have no airport to sustain them.
On the basis of so many other battles in this appalling war, there is unlikely to be any offensive for the centre of this greatest of Syrian cities; rather it will be a slow and grinding siege to force the insurgents to surrender.
In an ironic twisting of recent history, the two Shia villages of Nubl and Zahra -- whose people had been surrounded by rebels and starved for three years, fed only by Syrian military airdrops -- have now been retaken by the Syrian military.
The Shia, co-religionists of the Alawite people from which President Bashar Al Assad comes, have been cornered in several villages in the region, although their plight has gone largely unreported.
Now the people in the rebel-held part of Aleppo are going to feel the same sense of isolation -- and, no doubt, the shellfire of their besiegers. There has always been a movement of people between the two sectors of the city -- will these passages now be closed? And what of the tens of thousands of civilians streaming north towards Turkey?
Aleppo itself was late to join the war. By some kind of historical miracle, it remained disentangled from the conflict until 2012 when rebels -- thinking they were en route to Damascus -- managed to infiltrate into the ancient city. Its streets were then burned out in months of fighting. Now it appears to be the first of Syria’s large cities to be effectively back in the hands of the regime.
What comes next? The retaking of the Roman city of Palmyra? The clearing of the lands around Deraa (of Lawrence of Arabia fame)?
And, much more dramatically, how soon will the Syrian army, its Hezbollah allies and the Russian air force set their course for the Isis “capital” of Raqqa?
The militant Islamic State (IS), which holds Palmyra, must be learning of the extraordinary developments of the past few days with deep concern. The everlasting Sunni “Islamic Caliphate” in Syria doesn’t look so everlasting any more.
Is this why the Saudis have suddenly offered to send ground troops to Syria? And why the Turks are so flustered? I doubt if anyone is weeping in Iran.
Anyway, the Saudi military is already having its feet chewed off in the disgraceful Yemen war. As for the Turks sending their own Nato soldiers across the Syrian border -- presumably at risk of being attacked by the Russians -- that is a nightmare which both Washington and Moscow must avoid.
Otherwise, we’ll find ourselves in Gavrilo Princip moment -- and we all know what happened in 1914.
(Gavrilo Princip was a Bosnian Serb who assassinated Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria and his wife in Sarajevo on June 28, 1914. After Princip and his accomplices were arrested, they implicated several members of the Serbian military, leading Austria-Hungary to issue an ultimatum to Serbia. This was used as pretext for Austria-Hungary’s invasion of Serbia, which then led to World War I.)
Thousands forced to seek refuge from Russian and regime bombing in Aleppo and Deraa: image via Akhbar @akhbar, 7 February 2016
With aid of Russian air strikes, Syrian regime makes advances against rebel opposition in Aleppo after four years of stymie: image via Akhbar @akhbar, 7 February 2016
A man stands in the debris of a building Friday after an airstrike carried out by the Russian military in a part of Aleppo controlled by the Syrian opposition: photo by Anadolu Agency, 6 February 2016
Residents inspect damage in the rebel-held al-Shaar neighborhood of Aleppo after airstrikes by pro-Syrian government forces: photo by Abdalrhman Ismail/Reuters, 4 February 2016
Thousands flee as Russian-backed offensive threatens to besiege #Aleppo and Deraa: image via Reuters Top News @Reuters, 5 February 2016
Civilians are icons of resilience in face of Assad brutality, saviors are champions in this darkness @SyriaCivilDef: image via Fadi Al-Qadi @fqadi, 7 February 2016
First pictures from #Kafr_Hamra where Russian terrorists strike again while @SyriaCivilDef evacuates dead children: image via Julian Röpcke @JulianRoepcke, 7 February 2016
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First pictures from #Kafr_Hamra where Russian terrorists strike again while @SyriaCivilDef evacuates dead children: image via Julian Röpcke @JulianRoepcke, 7 February 2016
First pictures from #Kafr_Hamra where Russian terrorists strike again while @SyriaCivilDef evacuates dead children: image via Julian Röpcke @JulianRoepcke, 7 February 2016
First pictures from #Kafr_Hamra where Russian terrorists strike again while @SyriaCivilDef evacuates dead children: image via Julian Röpcke @JulianRoepcke, 7 February 2016
Heroes from the @SyriaCivilDef save a #cat under the rubble from a "Russian" bombing raid on #Douma today: image via Julian Röpcke @JulianRoepcke, 6 February 2016
Heroes from the @SyriaCivilDef save a #cat under the rubble from a "Russian" bombing raid on #Douma today: image via Julian Röpcke @JulianRoepcke, 6 February 2016
Heroes from the @SyriaCivilDef save a #cat under the rubble from a "Russian" bombing raid on #Douma today: image via Julian Röpcke @JulianRoepcke, 6 February 2016
#FSA pounding Assad army & IRGC in Nubl/Zahra north #Aleppo w/rocket launchers used for the 1st time in this battle: image via Stork @NorthernStork, 7 February 2016
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Inside Bab al-Salam refugee camp (Photo by @Kilicbil): image via Kaycee Nightfire @KcNightfire, 7 February 2016 ![Embedded image permalink]()
Syrie: des milliers de familles syriennes attendent dans le froid de passer en Turquie #AFP: image via Agence France-Presse @afpfr, 7 February 2016 ![Embedded image permalink]()
Des milliers de familles syriennes attendent dans le froid de passer en Turquie #AFP: image via Agence France-Presse @afpfr, 7 February 2016 ![Embedded image permalink]()
Building more refugee camps near Syria-Turkey borders north #Aleppo to accommodate the recently displaced 50k civilians: image via Stork @NorthernStork, 6 February 2016
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![A Syrian man is among the thousands who have fled the fighting in and around the northern city of Aleppo. Thousands of Syrians have gathered at the Bab al-Salam crossing in an attempt to enter Turkey, which has kept the gate closed. Syrian government troops, assisted by Russian airstrikes, have been making gains in the Aleppo area.]( "A Syrian man is among the thousands who have fled the fighting in and around the northern city of Aleppo. Thousands of Syrians have gathered at the Bab al-Salam crossing in an attempt to enter Turkey, which has kept the gate closed. Syrian government troops, assisted by Russian airstrikes, have been making gains in the Aleppo area.")
Hind Khadir, 13, a Syrian refugee, carries wood back to her tent in an informal settlement in Mafraq, Jordan, near the Syrian border: photo by Muhammed Muheisen/Associated Press, 7 February 2016
Inside Bab al-Salam refugee camp (Photo by @Kilicbil): image via Kaycee Nightfire @KcNightfire, 7 February 2016
Syrie: des milliers de familles syriennes attendent dans le froid de passer en Turquie #AFP: image via Agence France-Presse @afpfr, 7 February 2016
Des milliers de familles syriennes attendent dans le froid de passer en Turquie #AFP: image via Agence France-Presse @afpfr, 7 February 2016
Building more refugee camps near Syria-Turkey borders north #Aleppo to accommodate the recently displaced 50k civilians: image via Stork @NorthernStork, 6 February 2016
Building more refugee camps near Syria-Turkey borders north #Aleppo to accommodate the recently displaced 50k civilians: image via Stork @NorthernStork, 6 February 2016
A Syrian man is among the thousands who have fled the fighting in and around the northern city of Aleppo. Thousands of Syrians have gathered at the Bab al-Salam crossing in an attempt to enter Turkey, which has kept the gate closed. Syrian government troops, assisted by Russian airstrikes, have been making gains in the Aleppo area.: photo by Anadolu Agency, 6 February 2016
Turkey says it won't leave Syrian refugees stranded on border to die #Aleppo: image via AFP news agency @AFP, 7 February 2016
La Turquie prête à ouvrir sa frontière aux Syriens fuyant Alep: image via Agence France-Presse @afpfr, 7 February 2016
it's really hard to work the day after a baby sea lion went to a restaurant: image via Julia Carrie Wong @juliacarriew, 5 February 2016
SPAIN - 2 disguised people walk in a cemetery during ancient carnival 'Entroido' of Laza. By @PedroArmestre #AFP: image via Frédérique Geffard @fgeffardAFP, 7 February 2016
*Nationwide commercial voice* "I just won the Super Bowl.": image via Carl Steward @stewardsfolly, 7 February 2016
animal rescue
It went on so long yet was over before
dust to dust
from dawn till dusk with whitepowder people walking
into the next world shocked monkey exploded eyesockets
deep in the night
the human growth hormone took hold
US - Fireworks burst over the New York skyline in honor of the Chinese Lunar New Year. By Kena Betancur: image via AFP Photo Department @AFPphoto, 7 February 2016
Hind Khadir, 13, a Syrian refugee, carries wood back to her tent in an informal settlement in Mafraq, Jordan, near the Syrian border: photo by Muhammed Muheisen/Associated Press, 7 February 2016
Prefabricated metal homes at the Azraq camp for Syrian refugees in northern Jordan last month. Jordanian officials estimate that there are 1.4 million Syrians in the country.: photo by Khalil Mazraawi/Agence France-Presse, 7 February 2016