Liwa al-Fadl al-Abbas | Today in Syria

In northwest Aleppo, rebels captured the base of Liwa al-Fadl al-Abbas, a pro-Assad Iraqi militia as part of their Battle of the North Earthquake.

–Video of dead militia: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NVVcpDd-pbw&feature=youtu.be

Asaad Mustafa, the Defense Minister, for the Syrian National Coalition, has resigned after being in his post for 6 months.

–Conflicting reports said he resigned as a protest over the lack of funds given to rebels by Ahmed Jarba, or that he was upset that Jarba didn’t appoint him as provisional Prime Minister.

The ISIL has issued a new declaration of war against the Islamic Front.

–The ISIL has lost control of a fair amount of territory since fighting began in January, but is pushing an offensive towards the east and still holds the city of Raqqa.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said that at least 162,000 people have been killed in the Syrian Civil War, a rise of 10,000 in less than 2 months.

–It estimated 54,000 civilians, 62,800 government forces, 42,700 rebels, and 3,00 people of unknown identity/affiliation have died.

–They said that both sides play down their casualties, and the true death toll could be as much as 70,000 higher.

–The count does not include the 18,000 people who have been detained by the government and whose fate remains unknown, or the 8,000 government forces being held by rebels.

On Friday Aub Alsracba, the leader of the Freedom Movement of Islamic Sham, was beheaded by the ISIL after he was captured while returning from fighting in Damascus.

–He was known as the tank sniper and had over 50 tank/armored vehicle kills.

A compilation of IED attacks by the ISIL from the long video they posted the other day: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9zl8Gk4IBOs
The Wall Street Journal reported that last year the Obama administration stepped in to block a deal being made by a private group from the US that was trying to supply the FSA with 70,000 Russian-made assault rifles and 21 million rounds of ammo.
Rebels halted an attempted advance on Sheikh Najjar by Hezbollah and the SAA.
A surface-to-surface missile was fired by the SAA at Mare’a in the Aleppo countryside, killing 40 people and destroying 10 houses. Dozens of people are trapped under the rubble.

Barrel bomb dropped on Nawa: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0bMXnijEJIs&feature=youtube_gdata_player
Jordan declared a high alert in all of it’s military sections on the border with Syria and cancelled a personnel vacations. It apparently began reinforcing the border 4 days ago.
Fighting broke out in Manbij between the ISIL, who fired on protesters the day before, and Kataeb Thuwar, which is a member of the Liwa al-Tawhid, so is part of the Islamic Front.
Lebanon is expected to have 1.5 million Syrian refugees by the end of the year, which would equal one third of it’s population.

–Lebanon has no Syrian refugee camps. The people who live there are in informal settlements, with relatives, or rent homes.

The United Arab Emirates has referred 9 Arabs to a state security court to be tried for joining al-Qaeda, collecting donations, and recruiting fighters for Jahbat al-Nusra. The trial date is set for May 26.
A delegation from the people of Deir Ez Zor met with the leaders of the ISIL last Thursday in order to try and stop the fighting between the ISIL and rebel groups.

–The ISIL’s conditions are that all factions that fought them depart the city with their light weapons, in return for the ISIL supplying factions that remained neutral with weapons and ammo that they need to fight the government.

–The agreement stressed that fighting be kept out of the city, and that any group that fights in the city will be considered the enemy of all other groups.

–It also stated that the Judicial Legal Committee is the judicial authority of all groups in the city.

–33 military factions are currently negotiating the treaty.

Video showing victims of an apparent new chemical attack in Kafr Zita: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ysxeLrFLJtA, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CBYAPxOnhrk

–Remnants of the bomb: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HmXud-ugA5k&index=9&list=PLPC0Udeof3T5rXG8FJkVuBuV0fF9mHYHI

Jaish al-Islam, part of the Islamic Front, claimed to have used an Osa Antiaircraft System to shoot down a government helicopter in Mleha.

–https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a84hQ-De51g&feature=youtu.be

Example of an Osa system.

The offensive in the north Bab countryside against the ISIL has reportedly collapsed after disagreements between the Islamic Front, the FSA, and Jahbat al-Akrad.

Deir Ez Zor map. The ISIL and government are making advances and attempting to cut rebel supply lines.

10 people killed by government forces in Aleppo.

A message from an Aleppo doctor asking for help.