"Now this is the key question. I have been asking and talking and thinking and here are my conclusions: 1) The regime is the major and primary culprit of violence in Syria. There is no question about it. The notion that there are "criminal gangs" roaming the country and killing protesters and soldiers alike is a clear fabrication. It does not even make sense. Why would they do that? Who are they, and how did the regime allow them go grow and spread? There are civilians who are shooting and killing but they belong to the people. But the regime bears double responsibility for all the killing in Syria: this oppressive regime drew its legitimacy from its bragging about its ability to provide security to the people of Syria, and thus they are responsible for killing by opponents of the regime (if they are directed at the people as regime propaganda claims) too. 2) Why do you assume that the Muslim Brotherhood is a peaceful organization? The rebellion of the Brothers back in the late 70s and early 80s was not peaceful and I dont expect them to have stumbled on the theories of the funny guy, Gene Sharp (who the New York Times believes inspired the Arab uprisings), and decided to suddenly shun violence. The Jordanian regime admitted in the early 80s that they have armed the Brothers and they also got weapons from Israel (through the Phalanges). Back then, the Brothers not only targeted regime armed men, but they went indiscriminate on innocent `Alawites. Their sectarian violent campaign only solidified `Alawite ranks and turned even those `Alawites who were opposed to the regime in its favor. 3) There are from what I am hearing Wahhabi and Salafite groups with money and weapons who have been active in Syria. I won't be surprised if the Harirites are involved too. I find it very likely, in the service of Hariri agenda. A reliable informant of this blog in Syria tells me (I am translating from Arabic): "Yes, there are professional, trained, and organized gangs which are controlled by clerics who all have lived in Saudi Arabia, like `Adnan Al-`Ar`ur, and they kill and use violence against other sects...In Latakia, there are professional elements which used to live a normal life like sleeper cells and they perpetrated acts of sabotage and sectarian sedition and I saw that myself as i was there then...In Tell Kalakh, there are splinter groups from Fath-Islam which are moved by Hariri money, and not Hariri men as spread by Syrian media. In Banyas, it is said that there are officers from Saudi Arabia and UAE and a Mossad element who are now in custody of the security service. There were booby traps there because it has a generator and an oil refinery and a pipe line from Iraq. In Homs, there are extremist pockets from prior to Ba`th and it has been reactivated and is still strong with Saudi money. Now Idlib is all in flame and Turkey is supplying all with weapons and with fighters. Army is facing difficulty advancing because all passages and bridges have been booby trapped." This last passage is from my informant and I have no way of verifying the information. And as they used to end books of Islamic theology, I say: And Karl Marx is the all-knowing.
PS Nir Rosen added this: "there is also the iraq and zarqawi factor syria was a key staging area for zarqawi types, they had safe houses in damascus and allepo, they had a network of facilitators, as the americans like to say and i'd love to know whats happening in the border area with iraq's anbar where families have close ties on both sides and where zarqawi people had safe houses. the town of abu kamal for example, which borders the iraqi town of husseiba in al qaim. the americans raided abu kamal a couple of years ago and killed some key al qaeda guy. abu kamal had an uprising against the regime a couple of weeks ago. i think the zarqawi factor is an important one. these people always spoke about how the final battle will be in Sham"."
