War On Terror News

A World at War?

At first glance one might think the world IS at war!  A brief look at the headlines over at VOA News brings a wealth of terror and fighting.  Amazingly enough, while many people in this country feel we have our fingers in stirring the pot throughout the world........we don't!

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Suspected Boko Haram gunmen killed at least 40 students during an early morning attack on a post-secondary school dormitory in northeastern Nigeria.

Army spokesman Captain Eli Lazarus told VOA News that gunmen stormed the School of Agriculture in Yobe State early Sunday firing on students as they slept.

At least 18 students are being treated for injuries at a hospital in the state capital of Damataru. The school is located in Gubja, a rural area some 50 kilometers away.

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A Syrian rights group says a government air raid has struck a high school in a rebel-held northern town, killing at least 12 people, most of them students.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the death toll from Sunday's air strike on the school in Raqqa is likely to rise because some people were critically wounded.

Syrian government warplanes have repeatedly attacked Raqqa since rebels took control of the provincial capital in March.

The Observatory also said rebels killed at least 19 government fighters in an overnight assault on the Qalamoun area on the outskirts of Damascus.

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Several car bombs have exploded in northern Iraq's usually peaceful Kurdish autonomous region, triggering a deadly gun battle between security forces and militants.

Authorities said at least two car bombs were involved in Sunday's attack near the Interior Ministry of Iraqi Kurdistan in the provincial capital of Irbil. Provincial Governor Nawzad Hadi told VOA security forces shot and killed four assailants, while another person was killed in the incident.

It was the first major bomb attack in Iraqi Kurdistan in at least six years. Hadi said it had the "finger prints" of al-Qaida. There was no immediate claim of responsibility.

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A massive car bomb explosion in Pakistan has killed at least 37 people, including women and children, and wounded at least 75 others.  This is the third deadly bombing in a week to occur in the northwestern city of Peshawar, killing a total of more than 140 people.     

Pakistani authorities say the bomb exploded Sunday during morning rush hours in Pesahawar’s oldest, Qissa Khawani, bazaar and the blast inflicted widespread destruction.

Witnesses reported that it also caused many shops and nearby vehicles to go up in flames.

Suicidal Islamist car bomb kills 42 Syrians

Syrian rights activists say the death toll from a suicide car bombing in the central province of Hama late Monday has risen to at least 42 people.

The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the attack targeted a building used by pro-government militiamen in the town of Salamiyah. It said civilians were among the dead.

Syrian state news agency SANA gave a death toll of 32 people and blamed the bombing on terrorists whom it says are behind a 22-month rebellion against President Bashar al-Assad.

The Observatory also reported deadly battles between mostly Sunni anti-government rebels and minority Kurdish fighters in the northeastern town of Ras al-Ain, on the border with Turkey.

It said at least 56 fighters have been killed in a week of fighting in the area. Syria's minority Kurds have largely remained on the sidelines of the majority-Sunni led rebellion, but have long sought greater autonomy from Damascus.

The Observatory said pro-Assad troops and rebels engaged in more battles in Damascus province on Tuesday.

Dozens of Russians boarded buses from Syria to neighboring Lebanon in the first evacuation organized by Moscow since the start of the Syrian uprising in 2011.

The Russian government had sent two planes to the Lebanese capital Beirut to fly the Russians back home. Syria's main international airport outside Damascus has been largely devoid of traffic in recent weeks due to fighting along the road to the capital.

Russia is one of the few remaining international allies of Mr. Assad's government. But, it has been distancing itself from the Syrian leader, acknowledging that he may be ousted by the uprising.

Separately, U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon called on U.N. members to send senior delegations to an international donor conference for Syria, to be held in Kuwait on January 30. He said the international community must do everything it can to help Syrians in need.

The UNHCR reported Tuesday that it is dramatically scaling up its operations for Syrian refugees. The agency says it is hard to keep pace with the increasing numbers of people fleeing Syria into neighboring countries. VoA.

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Syrian warplanes bomb targets near Damascus

Opposition activists say Syrian warplanes bombed targets near Damascus on Friday, a day after an explosion in the capital left at least nine people dead.

The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights says government shelling is underway in areas including Douma, a rebel stronghold.

The state-run SANA news news agency says “terrorists” detonated explosives at a gas station in a Damascus neighborhood, on Thursday.

Civil war between rebels and the Assad government has gripped Syria since evolving from peaceful anti-government protests in March 2011.

The United Nations estimates 60,000 people have died in Syrian fighting, a figure that surpasses opposition estimates by about one-third. VoA.

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Syria shells Damascus; 140 dead

Syrian rebels attacking Syrian Airbase

Civil War fatalities top 60,000 as American journalist missing for 6 weeks

The United Nations says new and exhaustive analysis shows that more than 60,000 people have died in Syria's civil war, a figure that surpasses Syrian opposition estimates by about one-third.

U.N. Human Rights Commissioner Navi Pillay, in a study released Wednesday in Geneva, said death reports from seven separate sources were cross-referenced by experts to arrive at the new toll. She said the number of casualties is much higher than expected, and is truly shocking.

Estimates from the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights had placed the death toll in the nearly two-year conflict at about 45,000.

The U.N. report said researchers who studied data for months could not distinguish between civilian and combat deaths.  But Pillay said she fears thousands more will die or “suffer terrible injuries” unless there is a quick resolution to the conflict. 

Near Damascus, opposition activists said Wednesday that government warplanes bombed a gasoline station, killing dozens of people as they waited for fuel.

Activists say the strike occurred in the eastern suburb of Mleiha — an area partly under rebel control.  The blast ignited a huge fire that sent black smoke billowing into the air.  Amateur video posted online showed dismembered bodies at the scene.

Separately, the French news agency reported that armed men in northern Syria kidnapped one of its freelance contributors six weeks ago.

The family of U.S. journalist James Foley — who previously had asked media groups not to report the abduction — asked Wednesday for his release.

AFP says Foley last supplied the agency with video material on November 21, the day before he disappeared in the town of Taftanaz.  No one has claimed responsibility.

A brutal civil war between rebel groups and the Assad government has shaken Syria since evolving from peaceful anti-government protests in March 2011. VoA.

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New estimate of deaths in Syria shocks U.N.

Syrian rebels attacking Syrian Airbase

Opposition activists say Syrian government forces and rebels are waging a fierce battle near an airport in the northern Idlib province, on Wednesday, a day after similar clashes prompted officials to close the airport in Aleppo.

The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights says rebels have launched an attack on a military airport near Taftanaz. The group says Islamist terrorist groups are involved in the fighting.

There was no immediate confirmation from the government, which has been battling opposition activists for almost two years.

On Tuesday, government aircraft pounded rebel-held areas of Aleppo, the country's commercial hub. 

Authorities announced the closure of the city's airport because of rebel attacks. 

Anti-government activists also reported heavy fighting in the Damascus suburb of Daraya, with bombings by Syrian warplanes.

Opposition groups say at least 75 people were killed in unrest across Syria on Tuesday.

Syrian rebels are trying to oust President Bashar al-Assad.   Activists say 45,000 people have been killed in the conflict that began with peaceful anti-government protests in March 2011.  VoA.

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Syrian warplanes bomb Palestinian refugees

Syrian opposition activists say government warplanes have bombed a Palestinian refugee camp on the southern outskirts of the capital, Damascus, killing at least eight people.

The activists said Sunday's air strike was the first of its kind on the Yarmouk refugee camp since forces loyal to President Bashar al-Assad began suppressing a popular uprising in March 2011. They said at least some of those killed were in a mosque struck by a missile.

The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the Yarmouk raid was one of six government air strikes on southern areas of Damascus on Sunday. Rebels have been trying to advance from those areas into central Damascus, the seat of Mr. Assad's power.

Meanwhile, a Lebanese newspaper quoted Syria's vice president as saying neither the rebels nor the government can win the conflict militarily. In a report Sunday, Al-Akhbar said Farouk al-Sharaa made the rare public comment in an interview with the pro-Syrian newspaper. There was no immediate response to the report from the Syrian government.

If confirmed, al-Sharaa's comment would represent a departure from the Syrian government's stated determination to defeat what it sees as foreign-backed terrorists trying to end Mr. Assad's 12-year rule.

The paper quoted the vice president as saying the government is “not in a battle for the survival of an individual or a regime.”

In another quote, al-Sharaa purportedly said a solution to the conflict must involve “regional countries” and members of the U.N. Security Council, the stopping of all violence, and the creation of a “national unity government with wide powers.”

Elsewhere, an Islamist rebel faction claimed to have seized an army academy near the northern city of Aleppo after days of fighting with government troops. The Tawheed brigade posted a video on its website Sunday, showing fighters walking around the base, while exchanges of fire could be heard in the background.

The army academy appears to be the latest Syrian military installation to fall to the rebels this month around Aleppo, Syria's commercial capital.

At the Yarmouk camp, the Observatory said fighting erupted after the air strike, with Syrian rebels and their Palestinian allies battling a Palestinian faction loyal to Mr. Assad, the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine-General Command (PFLP-GC). Syria is home to hundreds of thousands of Palestinian refugees and their descendents, whose loyalties have been divided by the Syrian civil war.

The government of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas appealed to the international community to take action to stop attacks on Palestinians in Syria.

There was no independent confirmation of the casualties at Yarmouk or the fighting at the military academy because Syria bars independent journalists from reporting freely. VoA.

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Syria bombards Rebel suburbs

Syrian activists say the army has bombed two Damascus suburbs and poured in military reinforcements in an effort to try to reclaim territory controlled by rebels.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said Friday the army fired rockets at the rebel-held Daraya and Moadamiah suburbs southwest of the capital. The group said it feared that troops massing on the suburbs' outskirts could be the prelude to an imminent ground assault.

On Thursday, United Nations peace envoy Lakhdar Brahimi said the United States and Russia agree on the need to find a “creative solution” to bring Syria back from the brink.

Brahimi held three-way talks with U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on the sidelines of a human rights meeting in Dublin earlier Thursday.

Meanwhile, U.S. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta said that intelligence shows Syrian President Bashar al-Assad may be considering using chemical weapons as rebel successes in the civil war put more and more pressure on his government.

The White House has warned Mr. Assad that using chemical gas against his own people would be a “red line” for the United States and bring serious consequences.

Syrian Deputy Foreign Minister Faisal Maqdad has told Lebanese television that if Syria had chemical weapons, it would not use them against the Syrian people. He said the West is using threat of chemical weapons as an excuse to intervene. VoA.

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Explosions in Damascus kill 34 Syrians in Christian neighborhood

Twin car bombs have ripped through a suburb in the Syrian capital, Damascus, killing at least 34 people.

Activists say the blasts Wednesday targeted the Jermana suburb, which is mostly populated by Christians and Druse. Television footage shows firemen hosing down the remains of charred vehicles. Debris from the blasts was scattered about the street.

SANA state news agency called the attack an act of “terrorists.”

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights says violence across the country has killed more than 40,000 people since an uprising against Syrian President Bashar al-Assad began in March of last year. VoA.

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Syrian warplanes destroy Olive press factory

Syrian activists say military warplanes have bombed a factory in the country's north, killing at least 20 people and wounding dozens more.

Activists say Tuesday's attack targeted an olive press factory near the city of Idlib.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights says violence across the country has killed more than 40,000 people since the uprising against Syrian President Bashar al-Assad began in March of last year. VoA.

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Syrian Civil War News - 20 Nov 2012

Syrian government troops backed by tanks battled to oust rebel forces from an opposition stronghold in a Damascus suburb on Tuesday in the heaviest fighting in the capital for months.

Opposition sources said elite Republican Guard troops attacked the rebel-held suburb of Daraya and were met by fierce resistance from anti-government fighters, who hung on to their positions despite days of aerial bombardment.

After months of slow progress, the rebels have captured several army positions in outlying regions in the last week, including a Special Forces base near Aleppo, Syria's commercial hub.

On the diplomatic front, the British government officially recognized the Syrian opposition coalition and will provide communications and other support to it. It became the tenth country to do so following France, Italy, Turkey and the Gulf Arab states.

Also Tuesday, Turkey's foreign minister said NATO states had agreed to supply Ankara with a Patriot missile system to defend against Syrian cross-border shelling. While the deployment would be for defensive purposes, it marks a hardening in the foreign opposition to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. VoA.

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Hillary promises Syrian resistance $30 Million more

The Obama Administration says it is providing $30 million in extra humanitarian aid for those affected by the Syrian conflict.

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton announced the move in Australia Wednesday while visiting for annual security talks with the American ally. She said the aid would help provide food to hungry people inside Syria along with Syrian refugees in Turkey, Lebanon, Jordan and Iraq.

She also urged the Syrian opposition to support the commitments it made recently in Doha and start influencing events on the ground.

“So, good beginning, highly welcomed by us and others, and we want to see the steps taken that have been promised. And we stand ready to assist this new opposition in standing itself up and representing the Syrian people to the regime and the international community.”

Clinton's announcement comes as Japan's Ministry for Foreign Affairs said the fifth meeting of the Friends of the Syria will be held on November 30th in Tokyo. Japan will chair the meeting.

On Tuesday, French President Francois Hollande said France officially has recognized the newly formed Syrian opposition coalition and could consider arming the rebels. It is the first European country to do so. The six-nation Gulf Cooperation Council recognized the rebel group Monday.

In Washington, State Department spokesman Mark Toner called the coalition a legitimate representative of the Syrian people. But he said the United States wants to see how it organizes itself and whether it proves to also be an effective representative.

Other European nations and the Arab League have also said they support the new coalition, but are not ready to give full recognition.

The United States and Europe have been reluctant to arm Syrian rebels, saying the rebels have been too disorganized. They also fear that weapons could fall into the hands of Islamic terrorists. VoA.

France recognizes Mullah led rebels as Syrian govt

France has become the first European country to recognize the newly formed Syrian opposition coalition and says it could consider arming the rebels.

French President Francois Hollande said Tuesday that the newly united rebel coalition is the sole legitimate representative of the Syrian people and a future government of a democratic Syria.

Mr. Hollande said France will look at the question of selling weapons to the rebels as soon as the coalition forms a transitional government.

The six-nation Gulf Cooperation Council recognized the rebel group Monday.

In Washington, State Department spokesman Mark Toner called the coalition a legitimate representative of the Syrian people. But he said the United States wants to see how it organizes itself and whether it proves to also be an effective representative.

Other European nations and the Arab League have also said they support the new coalition, but are not ready to give full recognition.

The United States and Europe have been reluctant to arm Syrian rebels, saying the rebels have been too disorganized. They also fear that weapons could fall into the hands of Islamist terrorists.  The Obama Administration has instead armed the Syrian Islamists through Saudi Arabian middlemen.

Syrian opposition members agreed at a meeting Sunday in Doha to form the new coalition to unite the various opposition groups fighting to topple President Bashar al-Assad.

Human Rights Watch is calling on the new coalition to send a clear message to the rebels that they must follow human rights law. It also urges those sending money or weapons to the rebels express the same expectations.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said fighting and shelling in and around Damascus killed at least 41 people Tuesday, mostly civilians. VoA.

France supports but doesn't recognize Syrian rebel government

French officials have expressed their support for the new, united, mullah led, Syrian opposition, but say it is too early to formally recognize the group.

French Defense Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said Tuesday the group's formation is a “significant” step, but that the coalition does not yet constitute a provisional government the international community can recognize.

The Arab League gave similar support Monday, stopping short of giving the opposition group full recognition as the representative of the Syrian people.

Opposition members agreed at a meeting Sunday in Doha to create the umbrella group, which brings together the various opposition factions inside Syria and abroad seeking to oust President Bashar al-Assad.

Human Rights Watch issued a statement Tuesday calling on the new coalition to send a “clear message” to opposition fighters that they must adhere to human rights law.  The rights group also urged those financing the opposition or providing weapons to express the same expectations.

Meanwhile, a Syrian warplane bombed a rebel-held town along the border with Turkey which was struck for a second day Tuesday.  The jet struck Ras al-Ain, where activists say at least 12 people were killed in Monday's attack.

Turkey has seen a surge in Syrian refugees, including 11,000 who crossed the border late last week to escape the fighting. VoA.

Syrian rebels choose Mullah as Leader of coalition

Syrian opposition groups have elected a cleric, Maath al-Khatib, as the first leader of a new coalition that unites the disparate factions fighting to end the rule of President Bashar al-Assad.

Businessman Riad Seif, who proposed the U.S.-backed initiative to establish an umbrella organization of Syrian- and external-based opposition, was elected vice president on Sunday.  Suhair al-Atassi, a well-known female activist, also was elected vice president.

Khatib, a former imam at the Umayyad mosque in Damascus, was imprisoned several times for criticizing Mr. Assad's rule before he left Syria this year.

Seif had drawn up the U.S.-backed reform proposals on which Sunday's agreement, reach in Doha, was based.  Opposition figures had struggled to achieve unity, under pressure from U.S. diplomats and officials from Qatar, which have supported Syrian opposition activity since an uprising began last year.

The deal came after the Syrian National Council, which had formerly been seen as the main representative of the opposition, heeded Arab and Western pressure to agree to a new structure embracing groups that had been unwilling to join its ranks.

Meanwhile, Israeli troops fired warning shots into Syria after stray munitions from fighting between Syrian troops and rebels landed in Israel's Golan Heights area.

The military said in a statement Sunday that a mortar shell landed near an Israeli army post in the Golan Heights.  It says that Israeli soldiers fired warning shots in response. 

The statement adds that the army filed a complaint through the local United Nations forces warning that “fire emanating from Syria into Israel will not be tolerated and shall be responded to with severity”.

Israel public radio said the incident was the first direct engagement between Israel and Syria since the countries' 1973 war. VoA.

Suicidal Islamists kill 20 Syrian troops

A Syrian activist group says two suicide car bomb attacks in southern Syria have killed at least 20 Syrian security force members.

The British-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights says two bombs exploded minutes apart Saturday when the cars pulled up separately into a military camp in Daraa.  Activists say many other people were wounded, and the death toll could rise.

Syria's embattled President Bashar al-Assad is insisting that he still has the support of the Syrian people and army, even as violence rages on and reports have emerged that more of his military officers defected to Turkey.

As Syrian government forces pounded rebel targets across the country Friday, Turkey's state-run Anadolu news agency reported that at least 26 military officers, including two generals and 11 colonels, fled across the border.

U.N. officials also say more than 11,000 Syrians have fled violence in Syria since Thursday, in one of the largest refugee exoduses since the 20-month civil war began.  About 120,000 refugees are now believed to be in Turkey.  An estimated 36,000 people have died as the government crackdown against protesters developed into a full-blown civil war.

Syrian speaker's brother assassinated

Syrian state television is reporting that the brother of the speaker of parliament has been assassinated.

The SANA news agency says Mohammed Osama Laham, brother to parliament speaker Jihad Laham, was shot dead early Tuesday as he drove to work in the capital, Damascus.

The shooting follows some of the fiercest fighting Syria has seen in months.

On Monday, a Syrian activist group said a suicide car bomber has killed more than 50 Syrian soldiers and gunmen loyal to President Bashar al-Assad in central Hama province.

The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said Monday's attack in the village of Ziyara was carried out by the Al-Nusra Front, an al-Qaida-inspired Islamist militant group.

The death toll cannot be independently verified.

The observatory and Syrian state television say at least 11 people were killed and dozens more wounded in a car bombing in the Mazzeh neighborhood of the capital, Damascus.

Activists also say at least 20 Syrian rebel fighters were killed in an air strike in northwest Idlib province.

The Syrian conflict is entering its 20th month and has caused the deaths of an estimated 36,000 people. VoA.

Suicidal Islamist kills 50 Syrian troops and supporters

A Syrian activist group says a suicide car bomber has killed more than 50 Syrian soldiers and gunmen loyal to President Bashar al-Assad in central Hama province.

The head of the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, Rami Abd al-Rahman, said Monday's attack in the village of Ziyara was carried out by the Al-Nusra Front, an al-Qaida-inspired Islamist militant group.

The death toll could not be independently verified.

The Observatory also said heavy fighting that began Sunday between rebels and government troops in the capital, Damascus, has continued near a Palestinian refugee camp. Palestinian and official Syrian sources said more than 30 people were killed in a 24-hour period.

Activists also said at least 20 Syrian rebel fighters were killed in an air strike in northwest Idlib province.

Also Monday, the main Syrian opposition bloc, the Syrian National Council, voted to broaden its ranks to include more activists and political groups from inside the country in the face of U.S. pressure to create a more representative leadership that could work with the West.

Washington and other foreign backers say they cannot boost aid to Syrian rebels unless the opposition is united and represents more diverse groups within Syrian society, including those fighting on the ground in Syria.

Syria's fractured opposition factions began talks Sunday in the Qatari capital, Doha.

Later in the week, a separate meeting of the wider opposition movement will aim to form a united coalition that includes rebel fighters and others inside Syria.

The Syrian conflict is entering its 20th month and has caused the deaths of an estimated 36,000 people. VoA

Syrian rebels attack government air base

Syrian activists say opposition forces and government troops are fighting for control of a northern airbase.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said rebels launched an offensive Saturday morning to take the Taftanaz airbase. 

On Friday, the Observatory said rebels had taken control of a strategic northern town crucial to the government's fierce campaign against rebels in the embattled city of Aleppo.

It said forces loyal to President Bashar al-Assad had completely withdrawn from Saraqeb , where the main highways from Aleppo to Damascus and the Mediterranean coast meet.

Activists said at least 28 soldiers were killed in the attacks on government checkpoints in the area Thursday, leading to the control of Saraqeb.

Government troops have for months been fighting rebel forces for control of Aleppo, Syria's largest city and commercial capital. 

The Syrian conflict is entering its 20th month and has caused the deaths of an estimated 36,000 people.  Hundreds of people were killed in the past week as the government has stepped up airstrikes against rebel-controlled areas. VoA.

Syrian rebels take control of town near Alleppo

Activists say the Syrian opposition has taken control of a strategic northern town that is crucial to the government's fierce campaign against rebels in the embattled city of Aleppo.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said Friday forces loyal to President Bashar al-Assad have completely withdrawn from Saraqeb , where the main highways from Aleppo to Damascus and the Mediterranean coast meet.

The Britain-based monitoring group says rebel forces now control an area extending 25 kilometers in all directions from the town. It says government convoys resupplying troops in Aleppo will now likely be more vulnerable to rebel attacks.

Activists say at least 28 soldiers were killed in the attacks on government checkpoints in the area Thursday. Video circulating on the Internet suggested that many of the soldiers were killed execution-style.  The video could not be independently authenticated but it drew protests from international rights groups.

There was no immediate response from the Syrian government or from state-controlled media.

Government troops have for months been fighting rebel forces for control of Aleppo, Syria's second largest city.

The Syrian conflict is entering its 20th month and has caused the deaths of an estimated 36,000 people.  Hundreds of people were killed in the past week as the government has stepped up airstrikes against rebel-controlled areas. VoA.

Rebels kill 28 Syrian troops

Syrian rebels attacked three army checkpoints Thursday and killed 28 soldiers, an opposition group reported.

There was no comment from the government or state-run media.

The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the attacks occurred in the northern province of Idlib, near the Turkish border. It said five rebels were killed in the skirmishes.

The attacks came after U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said Washington hopes new Syrian opposition talks next week will produce a new rebel leadership that represents those fighting and dying in the country.

Clinton said the United States is recommending names and organizations that should feature prominently in a new opposition structure emerging from talks in Doha. She said the Syrian National Council, composed mainly of exiles, can no longer be viewed as the leader of the opposition, but it can still play a role.

Speaking Wednesday in the Croatian capital, Clinton said a newly united Syrian opposition “must be on record” resisting attempts by Islamist extremists to hijack the revolution against Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. VoA.

Syrian civil war continues through UN truce

Syrian activists say government aircraft pounded opposition strongholds on the outskirts of Damascus while troops clashed with rebel fighters in several other areas of the country Sunday, leaving a U.N.-backed truce declared for the Muslim holiday of Eid al-Adha largely in tatters.

Amateur videos posted on YouTube appeared to support claims of the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights that government airstrikes hit the capital city suburbs of Irbin, Harasta and Zamalka.

The Observatory and another activist group, the Local Coordination Committees, said government troops also shelled those areas in an attempt to drive out rebels.

Fighting was also reported near Maaret al-Numan, a town along the Aleppo-Damascus highway that rebels seized earlier this month.  Opposition fighters have also besieged a nearby military base and repeatedly attacked government supply convoys heading there.

The fighting Sunday comes on the third day of what was to be a four-day holiday cease-fire between the government and rebels.

It was to begin on Friday, but 150 people were killed that day. On Saturday, about 50 people were killed.  The number of casualties Sunday was immediately clear.

U.N. special envoy Lakhdar Brahimi arranged the cease-fire so Syrians on all sides could celebrate Eid al-Adha, the holiday marking the end of the annual Muslim pilgrimage to holy sites in Saudi Arabia. VoA.

Jordan captures 11 Islamist terrorists plotting against Westerners

Jordanian officials say state security forces have arrested 11 people in connection with what they call an al-Qaida-linked plot to bomb shopping centers and attack Western diplomatic posts in the capital, Amman.

Government spokesman Sameeh Maaytah told reporters Sunday that the group had been working since June, and planned to carry out the attacks with weapons smuggled from Syria, where they had spent time.

He also said they had consulted with al-Qaida in Iraq explosives experts.

Jordan has been the target of al-Qaida attacks, including triple hotel bombings in November 2005 that killed more than 50 people. VoA.

Lebanon attempts to quell Syrian violence in its borders

The Lebanese army says it will act decisively to quell unrest linked to the Syrian conflict, as six people were wounded in clashes in southern Beirut Monday following the assassination of a top security official.

Soldiers and tanks were deployed between Sunni and Shi'ite neighborhoods in the capital's Kaskas district Monday, trying to bring calm to the area. Separate fighting in the northern Lebanese city of Tripoli killed at least one person and wounded 10 others.

After the clashes, the army command urged political leaders to use caution in their public statements so as not to inflame passions further.

It said the military will take “decisive measures, particularly in areas with rising religious tensions” to prevent Lebanon from again being transformed into a place for “regional score settling.”

Meanwhile, a group of protesters continues to occupy tents erected outside Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati's central Beirut office, vowing to remain there until he resigns. Earlier, Lebanese security forces forcefully dispersed demonstrators who were trying to storm the building.

Lebanon has been on edge since Friday after Brigadier General Wissam al-Hassan, an intelligence chief opposed to the Syrian leadership, was assassinated in a car bombing. Many politicians have accused Syria of being behind the killing and Sunday's protests followed Hassan's funeral in central Beirut.

Fouad Siniora, a former prime minister and a prominent Sunni Muslim politician, attacked the government during an angry funeral oration, saying, “The Lebanese people will not accept, after today, the continuation of the government of assassination.”

Opposition leaders want Mr. Mikati to resign, saying he is too close to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and his Lebanese terrorist ally Hezbollah, which is part of the Mikati government.

Former Lebanese prime minister Saad Hariri and opposition leader Walid Jumblatt have both accused Mr. Assad of being behind the blast.

Hassan had led an investigation into a recent bomb plot that resulted in the arrest of a pro-Syrian Lebanese politician. He also led a probe that implicated Syria and Hezbollah in the truck bomb killing of former prime minister Rafik Hariri in 2005.

In Paris, French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius also pointed to a Damascus connection, telling French television, “We don't yet know exactly who is behind this but everything indicates that this is an extension of the Syrian tragedy.” VoA.

Islamist car bomb in Beirut kills/wounds dozens

A massive car bomb in Beirut has killed at least eight people and injured about 80 others.

The bomb exploded Friday near the office of the Christian Phalange Party headquarters. The group openly disapproves of the government of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.

Lebanese hospitals issued an urgent plea for blood donors to help treat the wounded. The blast happened during rush hour and when parents were picking up their children from schools.

It damaged residential buildings in east Beirut's mainly Christian district of Achrafieh. Rescue workers on the scene rushed to help evacuate the wounded and were scouring the rubble for victims.

The bombing comes at a time of escalating tensions in Lebanon as a result of the conflict in Syria.           

Lebanon has seen a recent increase in violence related to the bloody Syrian civil war that has spilled over the border. VoA.

Syria bans Turkish civilian overflights

Syria says it is banning Turkish civilian flights from its airspace.

A Syrian Foreign Ministry statement said the ban was to take effect at midnight Saturday and comes in response to a Turkish move to ban Syrian flights.

The Syrian announcement comes three days after Turkey intercepted a Syrian passenger plane traveling from Moscow to Damascus and seized military hardware and munitions it says were destined for the embattled government of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.  Syria has denied the plane was carrying military cargo.

For its part, Turkey stepped up tank patrols Saturday on its 900-kilometer border with Syria, days after cross-border Syrian artillery fire hit several Turkish villages.  The Ankara government has threatened to retaliate against further threats to its territory.

Meanwhile, International peace envoy Lakhdar Brahimi arrived in Istanbul Saturday to discuss the escalating tensions.  Brahimi also addressed the Syrian conflict Friday with Saudi King Abdullah in Jeddah, where the two agreed on the need to stop the bloodshed and to aid the millions of Syrians affected by the country's civil war.

On the diplomatic front, Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan strongly criticized the United Nations Security Council  Saturday for inaction on the Syrian crisis.   Speaking in Istanbul, he said it has become “more and more difficult” each day for the world body to fulfill its duties due to “unjust, unequal and inactive mechanisms.”

“If we leave the issue to the vote of one or two members of the permanent five at the United Nations, then the aftermath of Syria would be very hazardous and humanity will write it down in history with unforgettable remarks,” Mr. Erdogan said.

More than 30,000 people have been killed in the Syrian conflict, which pits forces loyal to President Assad against rebels who control large swaths of Syrian territory.  The conflict began last year as a popular uprising against four decades of Assad family rule before spiraling into civil war. VoA.

Rebels attack Syrian Air base

Syrian rebels have clashed with government troops over control of an air defense base near the country's most populous city.

Activists say rebels attacked the air force post Friday outside Aleppo, but there are conflicting reports as to whether the rebels have taken over the base.

Fighting continued in several Syrian locales. The opposition Syrian Observatory for Human rights said that six rebels were killed in an attack on a military checkpoint in Dara'a province that left 14 soldiers dead.

The group says air bombardments and heavy clashes are taking place in Idlib, Deir Ezzor and Aleppo provinces.

The activists say 260 Syrians were killed in fighting Thursday, including 86 civilians, 60 rebel fighters, 13 defected soldiers, and 92 regime forces. There was no government comment on the reports and Syria does not permit journalists to report freely in the country.

Video from inside Aleppo posted on the Internet showed friends and family members mourning  loved ones as residents continued to flee from shelling. A doctor at a local hospital said his facility treats ten to 15 injured children each day, and many often end up dying from their wounds.

Meanwhile, U.N. special envoy to Syrian Lakhdar Brahimi spoke with Saudi King Abdullah about the crisis Friday. Meeting in Jeddah, the two agreed on the need to stop the bloodshed and aid the millions of Syrians affected by the violence in the country.

The talks come a day after Turkey defended its decision to intercept a Syrian-bound plane that it says was carrying military equipment and ammunition destined for Syria's government.

Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Thursday the Syrian-bound passenger jet, travelling from Moscow to Damascus earlier this week, was carrying illicit cargo provided by a Russian supplier.  Mr. Erdogan did not elaborate on where Turkey received the intelligence or who in Russia had provided the materials.

Syrian officials have denied the plane was carrying any military cargo. Russia, a top ally of Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad, demanded an explanation from Turkey, saying its actions threatened the lives and safety of the passengers on board. 

The Syrian Air flight was intercepted by fighter jets late Wednesday in the Turkish capital, Ankara. The plane was allowed to complete its trip to Syria early Thursday without the cargo.

The incident has increased tensions between Turkey and Syria, countries that in recent weeks have exchanged artillery fire across their shared border. VoA.

Turkey confiscates cargo from Russia-Syria flight

Russia is demanding an explanation from Turkey after Turkish military jets forced a Syrian passenger plane to land in Ankara while it was flying from Moscow to Damascus.

Russia's foreign ministry said in a statement Thursday that Turkey's actions threatened the lives and safety of the passengers on board, which included 17 Russian citizens.

The Syrian Air flight with more than 30 people on board was allowed to complete its trip to Syria early Thursday, after Turkey confiscated what it called illicit cargo.

Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said Wednesday that authorities at Ankara's Esenboga airport seized items that violated international civil aviation rules.

Turkish television network NTV said the confiscated materials included missile parts. The Syrian government has not commented on the incident.

Turkish military jets had forced the plane to land in the Turkish capital on suspicion that it was carrying weapons from Russia to the Syrian government of President Bashar al-Assad, a longtime Russian ally. Mr. Assad has been fighting an 19-month uprising by rebels trying to end his 11-year rule.

Davutoglu said Ankara is determined to stop the flow of weapons to what he called a Syrian “regime that carries out brutal massacres” against its own people. Turkey is one of the strongest regional opponents of Mr. Assad and provides a haven to many of the rebels leading the uprising.

The Turkish foreign minister also said Ankara has banned Turkish passenger planes from entering Syrian airspace, deeming it unsafe.

Turkish troops have repeatedly shelled Syrian military targets in recent days in response to Syrian artillery that landed just inside Turkey. Turkish military chief Gen. Necdet Ozel said Wednesday that his forces will respond with “greater force” if Syrian shelling continues to spill across the border. He was speaking on a visit to the Turkish border village of Akcakale, where Syrian artillery killed five Turkish civilians last week. VoA.

Syrian War strikes Turkish town

Turkey says its armed forces have fired on targets inside Syria in retaliation for a Syrian mortar attack that killed five Turkish civilians in a Turkish border town.

Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan's office said Turkish forces responded “immediately” by using radar to shell the sources of the Syrian mortar fire.

Mr. Erdogan said Ankara acted within international law and will never fail to retaliate for what he called Syrian provocations against Turkey's national security.

Turkish authorities said a woman and her three children were among those killed when Syrian mortars struck a residential area in Akcakale on Wednesday.  They said at least 10 other people were wounded.

Syrian Information Minister Omran Zoabi said Damascus is investigating the origin of the mortar fire.  He said Syria offers its condolences to the Turkish people for the deaths in Akcakale. 

Bombs kill 27 in Aleppo, Syria

Three bombings in a government-controlled section of Syria's largest city, Aleppo, have killed at least 27 people and wounded more than 70 others.

The blasts Wednesday hit a main square near a military officers' club in the city, which has seen increased fighting in recent days between government forces and rebels opposed to President Bashar al-Assad.

The opposition Syrian Observatory for Human Rights put the death toll at more than 40.

A pro-government television station broadcast video it said was the aftermath of the blasts.  The images show extensive damage to several buildings with piles of rubble lying the street.

State media blamed terrorists for the bombings.

Meanwhile, the joint United Nations-Arab League envoy to Syria Lakhdar Brahimi is set to return to the region next week as he tries to revive efforts to end the 18-month conflict.

U.N. Deputy Secretary-General Jan Eliasson said Tuesday that Brahimi will be based in Cairo.  He also said the U.N. wants to see a reduction in violence from Mr. Assad's government, followed by similar efforts by the opposition.

In reports published Tuesday, Western news agencies quoted Lebanese sources and Syrian activists as saying that a senior commander and two other fighters from the terrorist group Hezbollah were killed near the Syrian town of Qusair.  The reports said the men were killed in a Syrian rebel ambush on Saturday or Sunday.

Syrian rebels have accused Hezbollah of helping President Assad to fight the uprising against his autocratic rule. The group has maintained strong political support for the Syrian president but has not admitted to any military activity inside Syria.  VoA.

Hezbollah/Hamas take sides in the Syrian War

Syria's civil war appears to be drawing in Lebanese Hezbollah terrorists, subservient to Iran, and allied to President Bashar al-Assad while at the same time widening a rift between the Syrian leader and his former Palestinian terrorist allies Hamas.

In reports published Tuesday, Western news agencies quote Lebanese sources and Syrian activists as saying that a senior Hezbollah commander and two other Hezbollah terrorists have been killed near the Syrian town of Qusair, bordering northern Lebanon. The reports say the three Hezbollah men were killed in a Syrian rebel ambush on Saturday or Sunday.

Syrian rebels have accused Hezbollah of helping President Assad to fight an 18-month uprising against his autocratic rule. The Lebanese terrorist group has maintained strong political support for the Syrian president during the conflict but has not admitted to any military activity inside Syria.

Hezbollah identified the slain Hezbollah commander as Ali Hussein Nassif. It said he and the other terrorists were killed while engaging in jihad duties but did not disclose the location. Hezbollah's al-Manar television network broadcast the funerals of the fighters in Lebanon's Bekaa Valley on Tuesday.

In another development, Syrian state television has made a scathing verbal attack on Hamas leader Khaled Mashaal, a former ally of Mr. Assad. In an editorial broadcast late Monday, the network accused Mashaal of turning his back on the Syrian government and betraying the Palestinian cause.

The commentary appeared to be a reaction to Mashaal's appearance at an Ankara conference organized by Turkey's ruling party on Sunday. Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan has been one of President Assad's strongest critics in the region.

Syria granted Hamas leader Mashaal refuge status in 1999, when Jordan expelled him for involvement in illicit activities. Syria shared Hamas' hostility toward Israel and included the Palestinian terrorist group in an “axis of resistance” with Iran and Hezbollah.

But, Mashaal began distancing his Sunni Islamist terrorist group from Mr. Assad in the past year, as the minority Alawite leader intensified a deadly crackdown on the rebellion, led by Syria's majority Sunnis. Mashaal closed the Hamas office in Damascus earlier this year and relocated to predominantly-Sunni Qatar, while other Hamas officials moved to Egypt, where a Sunni Islamist president, a member of the Muslim Brotherhood, Mohammed Morsi, took office in June.

In the latest fighting in Syria, a rights group told VOA that government and rebel forces exchanged fire in almost every province on Tuesday, from Daraa in the south to Aleppo in the north. The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said at least 20 people were killed in Daraa, while five bodies were found in Aleppo.

Syria's state-run SANA news agency said security forces operating in Aleppo killed a group of terrorists and destroyed “explosives factories.”

Meanwhile, Russia urged the NATO alliance not to intervene militarily in the Syrian conflict in support of the rebels. Speaking in Moscow on Tuesday, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Gennady Gatilov said NATO also should not “introduce initiatives such as humanitarian corridors or buffer zones.”

Mr. Assad is a longtime Russian ally. Moscow has vetoed three U.N. Security Council resolutions that would have condemned his suppression of the revolt.

Iraq, Tuesday, ordered an Iranian plane bound for Syria to land in Baghdad to be searched for illicit weapons. Iraqi officials said no weapons were found and the plane was allowed to continue its journey to Damascus.

It was the first Iraqi weapons inspection of an Iranian aircraft since Washington called on Baghdad to prevent Iran from flying military supplies to the Syrian government through Iraqi airspace. VoA.

Syrian Civil War continues its path of death and destruction

Syrian activists are reporting continued deadly shelling by government forces, a day after U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon expressed concern about the ongoing aerial and artillery attacks.

Activists said shelling in the Damascus suburb Douma killed two people Tuesday, and that government forces blasted other rebel strongholds outside the capital.

The Local Coordination Committees said attacks also took place in Daraa and Idlib.

A U.N. spokesman Monday said Mr. Ban appealed to Syrian Foreign Minister Walid al-Moualem for the government to “show compassion to its own people.”  The two met on the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly in New York.

During a speech to the General Assembly, Moualem accused the United States, France, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and Turkey of supporting “terrorism” in Syria by providing arms and money to rebels. He also characterized calls for Syrian President Bashar al-Assad to step down as “blatant interference” in Syrian domestic affairs.

Syria's state-run SANA news agency said Tuesday the military killed a group of terrorists and destroyed “explosives factories” in Aleppo.

On Monday, fires broke out in more parts of Aleppo's medieval Old City as rebels and government forces engaged in fierce fighting.

The fires began in the Old City's medieval Souk al-Medina, a vast covered market, on Saturday, damaging hundreds of shops selling fabrics, perfumes and spices. Traders and visitors to the city described the fires as a side effect of the clashes in the souk.

UNESCO designated Aleppo's Old City as a World Heritage Site in 1986. UNESCO Director-General Irinia Bokova said the Syrian conflict is “destroying cultural heritage that bears witness to the country's millinery history, valued and admired the world over.”

She said Syria is obliged to safeguard its heritage from war as a signatory to the 1954 Hague Convention for the Protection of Cultural Property in the Event of Armed Conflict.

The Damascus representative of the new international envoy for Syria said the large number of deeply divided rebel groups is one of the main obstacles to the U.N. mission's efforts to end the country's prolonged crisis.

Mokhtar Lamani, who represents special envoy Lakhdar Brahimi in the Syrian capital, also pointed to “huge fragmentation” within Syrian society, which he said contributes to a high level of mistrust. He said “many elements that have nothing to do with Syria” are taking advantage of the situation.  VoA.

Syrian rebels target militias in Damascus bombings

Syrian officials say a pair of explosions targeted a military building in central Damascus but did not wound any commanders.

The blasts happened minutes apart Wednesday, leaving part of the building in flames.

Information Minister Omran Zoubi said the explosions caused only “material damage” and blamed terrorists for the attack.  A Syrian military statement said one of the explosions came from a car bomb.

Iran's Press TV said one of its correspondents was killed by sniper fire and the Damascus bureau chief for another state-run news organization was injured Wednesday as they reported on the bombings.

The explosions are the latest to hit the capital during the country's 18-month conflict, following a bombing Tuesday at a building occupied by pro-government militias.  Rebels said they hoped that attack would kill top-level security officials.

Last month, bombings struck the state television headquarters in Damascus and near a hotel used by United Nations observers.  A bomb attack in July killed Syria's sitting defense minister and three other top security officials.

World leaders speaking at the annual session of the United Nations General Assembly on Tuesday called for an end to the conflict in Syria.

U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon told the assembly the world must “stop the violence and flows of arms to both sides, and set in motion a Syrian-led transition as soon as possible.”

France called for U.N. protection of rebel-held areas to help end Syria's bloodshed and rights abuses. VoA.

Assad Govt continues bombardment of Syrians in Alleppo

Syrian activists say government warplanes again bombed the country's commercial capital early Monday, killing five people including three children.

The London-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights and the opposition Local Coordination Committees said the early morning strikes destroyed two buildings in the southern part of the city. Amateur video claimed to show survivors and others digging through the rubble for victims.

Other video from Homs, shown on the Al Jazeera television network, showed smoke rising from parts of the city, amid reports of more shelling and fighting there.

The violence takes place as the United Nations' and Arab League joint envoy for Syria, Lakhdar Brahimi, is to brief the U.N. Security Council on his recent talks in the region.  Brahimi visited Syria this month, meeting with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and opposition representatives.

The Syrian conflict is expected to be one of the biggest issues when the United Nations General Assembly gets underway Tuesday in New York.

On Saturday, Brahimi and U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon discussed how to address what a U.N. statement called the “appalling levels of violence” in Syria.  They said they hoped the U.N. session will be an opportunity to increase support for addressing the grave humanitarian situation and its impact on neighboring countries.

Eighteen months of fighting between Syrian government forces and rebels opposed to Mr. Assad has left about 20,000 people dead. VoA.

30 Syrians killed in airstrike on gas station

A Syrian rights group says a blast in northeast Syria has killed at least 30 people and wounded dozens of others.

The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights quotes witnesses as saying the blast occurred when an air strike hit a fuel station in al-Raqqa province. The group's director  says witnesses told him they saw at least 30 bodies, with the death toll likely to rise.

Earlier reports said at least 50 were killed in the blast.

Meanwhile, Syrian state television said a military helicopter that crashed near Damascus clipped the tail of a Syrian passenger plane in midair.  The report said the passenger jet landed safely at Damascus International Airport with 200 people onboard. 

  VOA correspondent Elizabeth Arrott was in Damascus.

“It just speaks to the kind of chaotic situation, with helicopters flying around bombing these places just sporadically and without, evidently, very clear guidelines of where they are flying.”

Opposition activists said rebels shot down the helicopter.  The Syrian state report did not include eye witnesses to the alleged incident.

Meanwhile, Arrott reported the Syrian government's Minister of National Reconciliation  spoke to reporters in the capital Thursday.

Syrian Helicopter crashes near Damascus

Syrian state television says a military helicopter has crashed near the capital, Damascus.

The report said the aircraft went down Thursday in the suburb of Douma, but did not give additional details.

Opposition activists said rebels shot down the helicopter.  Fighters opposed to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad have claimed bringing down military helicopters before, including late last month in Damascus.

VOA correspondent Elizabeth Arrott reported heavy shelling in the capital Thursday.  She says classrooms are crowded in the al Abbassiyin neighborhood not far from the shelling, as parents bring their children from nearby towns where fighting rages.

Meanwhile, United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon says both the government and the opposition in Syria seem determined to resolve the crisis militarily.

He told reporters Wednesday that military means will not bring an answer, and that the crisis should be resolved through political dialogue.

Mr. Ban said Syria will be a top issue as he meets with world leaders at the U.N. General Assembly, saying they must urgently address the situation. VoA.

Both sides in Syrian Civil War committing atrocities

An independent panel of U.N. investigators says the human rights situation in Syria has sharply deteriorated, with “gross violations” growing in number, pace and scale.

The panel's Brazilian chairman, Paulo Pinheiro, told the U.N. Human Rights Council in Geneva Monday that “egregious violations” happen so often that his team has not been able to investigate them all.

He also said there is an increasing number of Islamist terrorists in Syria, and that their presence tends to push rebels opposed to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad toward more radical positions.

Syria's ambassador to the United Nations in Geneva, Faysal Khabbaz Hamoui, criticized the report.  He said members of the international community are working to make the crisis in Syria worse.

What began as protests against Mr. Assad's rule in March, 2011, and a subsequent government crackdown has progressed to daily clashes between Syrian forces and rebels. 

The U.N. panel says the fighting amounts to a non-international armed conflict, and that there are “reasonable grounds” to believe government forces, pro-Assad militia groups and anti-government fighters have all committed war crimes and human rights violations. VoA.

Iran admits IGRC/Quds Force in Syria

Iran says advisers from its elite Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps are providing non-military assistance in Syria – and that Tehran may take military action if its closest ally is attacked by outside forces.

The statement by IGRC commander Mohammad Ali Jafari on Sunday is the first official acknowledgement that Iran has a military presence in Syria, where warfare during a government crackdown on an 18-month-old opposition uprising has left thousands dead.

Iranian media quoted Jafari as saying that a number of “Quds Force” members “are present in Syria.” He did not indicate how many but said they are providing “intellectual and advisory help.”

The Quds Force is a Revolutionary Guards' unit set up to export Iran's ideology. It has been implicated in plotting attacks inside Iraq since the ouster of the late dictator Saddam Hussein.

U.S. officials this month said Iraq was facilitating the transfer of weapons to Syria by opening its airspace to Iranian aircraft. Baghdad has denied the accusation.

Jafari also said any Israeli attack on Iran would trigger retaliatory action against U.S. bases in the region and that trade through the Strait of Hormuz would be disrupted.

Meanwhile, violence continued in Syria as government troops pounded rebel-held districts Sunday in the cities of Damascus, Aleppo, Daraa, Hama, Homs and Deir Ezzor with aerial bombardments and heavy artillery.

The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said at least 20 people were killed in the fighting.

Also Sunday, international peace envoy Lakhdar Brahimi left Damascus after a four-day visit during which he met with Syria's President Bashar al-Assad.

The rebel commander for northern Aleppo province told the French news agency that Brahimi's mission would likely not succeed but that anti-government forces “do not want to be the reason for his failure.”

Colonel Abdel Jabbar al-Okaidi told AFP he had participated in a conference call with Brahimi and two other rebel commanders.

Okaidi said the U.N.-Arab League envoy's mission will fail because “the international community does not actually want to help the Syrian people.”

Eighteen months into the crisis, international action remains paralyzed, with the West, the Gulf Arab states and Turkey calling for Mr. Assad's removal, and Russia and China standing by their ally in Damascus. VoA.

Syrian rebels execute 20 POW's

Syrian rebels have posted an Internet video that appears to show the bodies of 20 soldiers whom they executed in the northern city of Aleppo.

In the video published Monday, the bodies of men dressed in military fatigues can be seen lined up on a pavement with their heads bloodied. The men were blindfolded and handcuffed. Rebels also can be heard calling the dead men “dogs.” The British-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the incident happened within the past few days.

U.N. officials have accused both Syrian government and rebel forces of committing atrocities in the country's civil war. Speaking in Geneva Monday, U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay urged the U.N. Security Council to refer Syria to the International Criminal Court, to ensure that all perpetrators of rights violations do not escape justice.

Also in Geneva, U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon rebuked the Security Council for failing to take a unified approach to ending the Syrian crisis. He said he is “deeply troubled by the aerial bombardments of civilians by government forces” in Syria, and he expressed concern at increasing sectarian tensions and the deteriorating humanitarian situation.

Mr. Ban urged nations and Syrians to support the diplomatic efforts of the new U.N.-Arab League envoy for the Syrian crisis, Lakhdar Brahimi. The envoy met with Egyptian and Arab League officials in Cairo on Monday.

Brahimi said his mission is “very difficult,” but he promised he will give whatever assistance he can to the Syrian people.  Asked if he would meet Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, Brahimi said: “I hope to, but I don't know.”

In another development, one of the most prominent defectors from the Syrian government said he opposes foreign intervention in Syria. In an interview broadcast Monday on French television network BFM, former general Manaf Tlass said he believes Syrian rebels can topple the Assad government with the help of foreign supplies rather than direct intervention.

Tlas has been in exile in France since his defection in July. Some Syrian opposition figures remain suspicious of him because of his long service to Mr. Assad. VoA.

NATO Chief: Remember 9/11

By Cheryl Pellerin, AFPS, WASHINGTON, Sept. 10, 2012 - NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen discussed progress in Afghanistan, the brutal civil war in Syria and tomorrow's anniversary of the 9/11 attacks during his monthly news conference.

Rasmussen called the 11th anniversary of the attacks "a moment to remember the citizens of 25 NATO and partner countries who died that day, and all the victims of terrorist atrocities around the alliance and around the world, from Madrid and London to Istanbul, Bali and beyond."

Speaking from NATO headquarters in Brussels, Rasmussen said terrorism never can be justified or tolerated, and that NATO is determined to play its full role in the fight against it. "It is vital to our own security, and it is vital for the values and principles of international law that we uphold," he added.

Allies and partners work tirelessly to detect and prevent terrorist acts, the secretary general said, "and that is why we have more than 120,000 soldiers in Afghanistan -- to ensure that country can never again serve as a sanctuary [from which] terrorists can plan and launch attacks against our countries."

On the months-long civil war being waged between the regime of Syrian President Bashar Assad and Syrian rebels, Rasmussen said NATO has no intention of intervening militarily in the conflict.

"We do believe the right way forward is to find a political solution," he said, "and we urge the international community to send a strong and unified message to the Syrian leadership to accommodate the legitimate aspirations of the Syrian people. So our position remains unchanged."

Regarding Afghanistan, Rasmussen said the alliance views insider attacks on the coalition by Afghan security forces with great concern.

"We are looking very carefully into each one, and we are doing everything we can, together with our Afghan partners, to reduce the risks as much as we can," the secretary general said, outlining some of the steps being taken.

"The vetting and screening of recruits is getting stronger. We are seeing better counterintelligence efforts. [International Security Assistance Force] and Afghan forces are getting more training to understand cultural differences. And we are constantly adapting the measures to protect our forces to the situation on the ground," he explained.

Last week, Rasmussen said, he discussed the attacks with Afghan President Hamid Karzai and they agreed to do everything they can to tackle the problem.

"We will simply not allow the enemies of Afghanistan to change our strategy," Rasmussen said, "and we will not allow them to drive a wedge between us and our Afghan partners."

Rebel Carbombs and Govt Aircraft kill dozens of Syrians

Syrian state media say a car bomb in Aleppo has killed at least 17 people, while opposition activists say a government air strike in the northern city also has killed and wounded civilians.

The official SANA news agency said the car bomb went off near a hospital and a school in Aleppo late Sunday. It blamed the attack on terrorists – the government's term for rebels fighting in an 18-month uprising against autocratic Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.

Opposition activists said government warplanes bombed and destroyed a residential compound in Aleppo earlier in the day, killing and wounding several people and leaving others trapped under rubble.

It was not possible to verify government and opposition casualty figures independently.

Syrian security forces and rebels have been battling for control of Aleppo for months. The fighting has damaged water pipes in Syria's commercial capital and led to water shortages, which the two warring sides have blamed on each other.

Also Sunday, activists reported battles between government and rebel forces in the Yarmuk Palestinian refugee camp near the capital, Damascus. In another incident, Syrian state media said a bomb attack on a bus killed four people in Homs province. Activists said the bus was carrying soldiers and civilians.

Meanwhile, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said discussions with Russian leaders about Syria have not been productive.

The top U.S. diplomat was in Russia for a summit of Pacific Rim countries. She said her talks on Sunday with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov made little progress on how to deal with the Syrian civil war.

Clinton said if the differences persist, she is willing to work with “like-minded” states to support the Syrian opposition in its struggles. 

Lavrov said unilateral U.S. sanctions against Syria have had a direct impact on Russian business interests. He said Moscow has made it clear that this approach is not acceptable. Syrian President Assad is a longtime Russian ally.

Russia and China have repeatedly blocked attempts by Western and Arab powers to pass U.N. Security Council resolutions threatening sanctions against Mr. Assad.

Activists have said the Syrian conflict has killed at least 20,000 people. VoA.