Syria Rebels are retreating from Homs in what they say is “tactical withdrawal” aimed at securing western arms.
Syria rebels have announced they are retreating from the now infamous city of Homs, saying they plan to organize under a single umbrella to coordinate the flow of international weapons through the Paris based Syria National council.
The SNC was organized, according to the Associated Press, following calls from western governments to unify the rebel forces in Syria under a single umbrella so they can be safely supplied military arms while ensuring the weapons don’t end up in the hands of “Islamic Extremists” operating in the area, such as Hezbollah.
Recently the EU recognized the SNC as the “official representatives” of the Syrian people until the Assad government is toppled and replaced with a new government.
According to the SNC, news of the retreat comes as the rebel forces report that authorities have cut off all communications to the city.
Rebel forces report satellite phone and other satellite signals have now been jammed following earlier moves by authorities which cut off communications using land lines and mobile phones.
The rebels also tell SNC that communications have been cut as the Syria army masses ground troops outside the city preparing for “massive ground assault” vowing to “cleanse gunmen” from the city.
Just moments ago, the British Foreign Secretary Hague announced by Twitter has order British diplomats to withdraw from Syria and suspended embassy services in Damascus.
The severance of UK ties with Syria comes as the UK humanitarian group the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, the main source of information coming from source, was accused of supplying inaccurate information to western nations.
The accusations came after reporters discovered the SOH and other “independent humanitarian NGOs” were linked directly to Hague and receive funding from the US congress through a system of affiliated umbrella organizations such as the International Endowment for Congress.
RT reports quoting an AP breaking news report, which is further quoted below.
Syrian rebels retreat from Homs
Rebels are retreating from the Baba Amro district after laying siege to the area for a month. Opposition forces say it is a “tactical withdrawal” with a few fighters remaining as cover.
Most rebel troops were ejected from the area by President Assad’s forces on Thursday, AP reports. The Baba Amr brigade say they pulled back in order to allow some 4,000 civilian residents who had remained in their homes during the siege to escape to safety. The opposition has warned that the government will pay a high price for “targeting the civilian population in Homs.”
Earlier, the Syrian opposition made another strategic move to unify the various armed resistance factions, pushing the country further down the road to civil war.
“The revolution started peacefully and kept up its peaceful nature for months, but the reality today is different and the SNC must shoulder its responsibilities in the face of this new reality,” said the leadership of Syrian National Council.
Source: RT
The Associated Press Reports:
Syrian rebels retreating from besieged district
BEIRUT (AP) – Syria’s main opposition group formed a military council Thursday to organize and unify all armed resistance to President Bashar Assad’s regime as the conflict veered ever closer to civil war.
The Paris-based leadership of the Syrian National Council said its plan was coordinated with the most potent armed opposition force – the Free Syrian Army – made up mainly of army defectors.
[…]
The SNC has called for arming rebels in the past, but this was the first time it sought to organize the fighters under one umbrella. The plan coincides with a ferocious government offensive on the opposition stronghold of Homs in central Syria that has been going on for nearly a month.
[…]
Rami Abdul-Rahman, head of the British-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, said there was “fierce fighting” at the entrances to Baba Amr and troops have been unable to enter so far.
Ghalioun said regime forces are facing strong resistance from the rebels in Baba Amr.
“Our position is very strong. We control the terrain there,” he said. “The situation in Baba Amr is that the FSA … has relocated in some areas to other areas. In some points, they still maintain a stronghold and the regime is unable to take over. Their strategy is to take one neighborhood one street at a time, but the resistance there is still strong.”
The Syrian conflict began as mostly peaceful protests, which drew an iron-fisted military crackdown. But the revolt has turned increasingly militarized. There are near daily clashes between armed military defectors and government forces and the rebels have managed to capture and hold small pieces of territory, notably in and around Homs and along the northern border with Turkey.
The opposition’s main problem over the past year has been its inability to coalesce behind a single leader or ideology beyond toppling the regime. Western powers trying to help the anti-government forces oust Assad have repeatedly stressed the importance of the fragmented opposition pulling together. The SNC announcement seemed to respond to those calls.
“The Military Bureau will track the armed opposition groups, organize and unify their ranks under one central command, defining their defense missions while placing them under the political supervision of the SNC, and coordinating their activities in accordance with the overall strategy of the revolution,” the SNC said in a statement.
[…]
Source: KOAM