Syrian Alawites horrified by rising death toll TARTUS, Syria — There are no official statistics regarding the number of Alawites who have lost their lives since the peaceful protests in Syria turned into an armed sectarian conflict in many areas of the country. Human rights organizations are not counting the victims in Syria on a sectarian basis. However, in statistics published July 12, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights announced that 65,803 people from the ranks of the Syrian regime forces and armed groups loyal to it have died. It is likely that the vast majority of the dead are Alawites, especially among the militias fighting alongside regime forces. A visit to the cities and rural areas inhabited by an Alawite majority suggests that the number of deaths may exceed this figure. There are thousands of photos posted on walls and hung at intersections of young men who have lost their lives in the war, and all of them include slogans in support of President Bashar al-Assad. In these areas, Alawite support for the Assad regime remains strong, as evidenced by the large number of portraits of Assad spread throughout the coastal region. But words of anguish are being quietly muttered in these corners of Syria, as the death toll among Alawites continues to rise. Al-Monitor spoke with a young girl during the funeral for her brother, who was killed in a recent battle. She said, "In spite of everything, Assad is our choice and we will not back down on this. The conspiracy against Syria is huge and there is no substitute for Assad, with his political expertise and alliance with Russia and Iran. Without Assad, we will all meet a bad fate and perhaps be killed at the hands of terrorists in the same way that the soldiers of the 17th Regiment were killed in Raqqa." This girl summarized the position of many Alawites up until now. However, social media networks show that some supporters of the Syrian regime are growing angry at the corruption and its spread throughout the governmental institutions, while thousands of young men die fighting for their country. One regime supporter wrote on a Facebook page created to protest corruption in Tartus, "The son of a poor man does not own a house, and dies as a martyr in war, while the son of a governmental official builds castles." So far, their expressions of anger remain limited to Facebook. In one of the Alawite villages in the countryside of Latakia, sadness and despair are evident on faces everywhere. A village resident in his 60s who spoke to Al-Monitor on condition of anonymity said, "At least half of the village's youths are spread among the fighting fronts. Dozens have been killed, and the authorities weren't even able to recover the bodies of some of them. Assad is leading the sons of the Alawite sect to certain death." Asked why they fight for Assad and support his authority, even though he is leading them to death, he replied, "Although I believe that Assad is leading the Alawites to death, only a minority of the village residents share this opinion. Even I don't dare to say this in front of many of them. Most Alawites believe that there is no alternative to Assad, and that they cannot stop fighting alongside him. The extremism of most Islamic opposition brigades pushes [Alawites] to cling tightly to their positions." This man’s view seems uncommon indeed among his neighbors. A woman from the same village emphasized, "We must continue to fight." Although she lost one of her children in the Kassab battles this past spring, she stressed, "The rest of my sons are still in the battle. We will fight until the end. If we stop fighting now, this would mean death for all of us. This is why I am angry at the Alawite youth who evade military service," she added. In the coastal cities of Latakia and Tartus, funerals for the victims are held on a near daily basis. Moreover, only rarely do the people show anger about the large number of dead. However, Al-Monitor spoke with the brother of a soldier who was killed last year. Speaking in a quiet voice for fear that those sitting near him in the Latakia cafe would hear, he said, "Assad has failed as a leader. He is sacrificing our lives to stay in power, but we have no other choice. Abandoning the regime would mean that we would be at the mercy of radical Islamists, and there is no third possibility on the horizon." As to whether many others shared this view, he said, "I think so, and this explains why some Alawite youth evade military service. But many are afraid to express their opinion on the Assad regime because they fear the consequences, including being accused of treason or of being sympathetic to opposition militants." The pain of loss is permeating the Alawite areas on Syria’s coast, as young men continue to fall in battle in high numbers. While some are critical of the regime’s handling of the war, most Alawites will continue to support Assad in what many see as a war of survival. As a militant fighting for the regime told Al-Monitor, "Many of my friends have died, but we are still fighting to defend our country and sect." Read more: http://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/originals/2014/08/alawites-pain-death-of-youth-regime-support.html##ixzz39heY2oLn

All I'm pointing out is the lack of a functioning judicial system. What legal processes were used to determine these men were alshabab ???? I can accuse anyone of being alshabab what proof do You have that they are. .? What processes were used to prove these men being shot are alshabab simple question. Never supported alshabab ever...this is a judicial issue. You might hate alshabab but they are more somali nationalists then these savages in mugdisho killing people without due legal process. That submit to the rule of Burundi and Uganda on somali soil claiming they are our brothers hahahahah.... While they rob the population blind and ferment internal problems . Give me a break

International business times of India is the same source that reported about baghdadis watch not knowing if it was fake or real. In India alqaeda Hindus known as the BJp have taken power and they are anti Muslim and amongst the polytheists anything anti Muslim is very popular. It's like the daily mail of India. Hardly an impartial source. We'll all these reports are secondary sources that remain biased. We don't have and none of us have seen the original report. Considering the biased nature of the outlets that we are dealing with it's worrying that some people still believe it.

First, The idea of Al-Baghdadi being a Mossad agent is not confirmed by reliable sources. It was published by French websites and others, and most of them say the story is originated from Edward Snowden, who almost every secret he released is becoming authentic. Iran and others also have their own agenda like the Saudis Can you share with us this Edward snowden original document. surely it must be available for all of us to read like the wikileaks sources. Snowden lives in Russia and therefore is pretty much a pawn. He made these comments recently most likely at the request of the Russian government that is fighting groups in Syria and Iraq. Remember russia bankrolls asad and has recently sent jets to Iraq. Like I said I'm a follower of truth I see things analyse and then decide. I don't see much evidence and I'm not convinced. Alqaeda in Iraq was not a Mossad operation. Zarkawi was not an agent he was killed by Americans..???? You gotta be one hell of a spy determined so much and act so much you give your life to israel??? Hahaha... His dead pictures are online his men fought with him and saw him die. Furthermore alqaeda in Iraq was an alqaeda branch. Then ibn laden and zawahiri and every other branch are all spies. Lol and if they want to make one location for all these people to come together how do you explain, boko haram in Nigeria, the Mali Islamists alqaeda in the magrib, Libya, Yemen, Sinai, Chechnya, Pakistan, Afghanistan. These organisation are becoming more numerous and independent and less centralised. Did snowden even publish his papers. Let us read it for ourselves. Many thanks

islamic state 25 miles from Erbil Kurdish regional capital: (Reuters) - Kurdish forces attacked Islamic State fighters near the Kurdish regional capital of Arbil in northern Iraq on Wednesday in a change of tactics supported by the Iraqi central government to try to break the Islamists' momentum. The attack 40 km (25 miles) southwest of Arbil came after the Sunni militants inflicted a humiliating defeat on the Kurds on Sunday with a rapid advance through three towns, prompting Iraq's prime minister to order his air force for the first time to back the Kurdish forces. "We have changed our tactics from being defensive to being offensive. Now we are clashing with the Islamic State in Makhmur," said Jabbar Yawar, secretary-general of the ministry in charge of the Kurdish peshmerga fighters. The location of the clashes puts the Islamic State fighters closer than they have ever been to the Kurdish semi-autonomous region since they swept through northern Iraq almost unopposed in June. Shortly after that lightning advance, thousands of U.S.-trained Iraqi soldiers fled. Kurdish fighters, who boast of their battles against Saddam Hussein's forces, stepped in as did Iranian-trained Shi'ite militias. But the Islamic State gunmen's defeat of the peshmerga, whose name means "those who confront death", has called into question their reputation as fearsome warriors. The Islamic State poses the biggest threat to Iraq's security since the fall of Saddam Hussein in 2003. The group, which believes Shi'ites are infidels who deserve to be killed, has won the support of some Sunnis who don't agree with their ideology but share a fierce determination to topple Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki. Maliki, a Shi'ite, is seen as an authoritarian figure with a sectarian agenda whose alienation of Sunnis is destabilising. DARK DAYS Iraq, an OPEC member, has returned to the dark days of 2006-2007 when a civil war peaked. Bombings, kidnappings and executions have again become part of daily life. On Wednesday, 60 people were killed by an Iraqi government air strike on a Sharia court set up by Islamic State militants in a juvenile prison in Mosul, the office of Maliki's military spokesman said. The Islamic State judge who ran the court, which routinely orders beheadings, was among those killed in the northern Iraqi city, the spokesman said. Hospital officials and witnesses said earlier the strike killed 50 people in a prison set up by the Islamic State, making no mention of the court. In Baghdad, car bombs exploded in crowded markets in several Shi'ite districts, killing 47 people, police said. A roadside bomb killed three Shi'ites who volunteered to fight the Islamic State on a road between the town of Samarra and Mosul, a police official said. In Taji, 20 km (12 miles) north of Baghdad, authorities found the bodies of six people who had been handcuffed and shot in the head and chest execution-style, medical sources said. The Islamic State has declared a 'caliphate' in swathes of Iraq and Syria that it controls and threatens to march on Baghdad. Islamic State fighters and their Sunni militant and tribal allies also hold parts of western Iraq. Maliki has ordered his air force to help the Kurds in their fight against the Islamic State, which seized an array of weapons including tanks and anti-aircraft guns from the Iraqi soldiers who fled in June. Maliki was at odds with the Kurds over oil, budgets and land, but both sides put their differences aside, alarmed by the Islamic State's latest gains - a fifth oilfield and three more towns in the north. The group also reached Iraq's biggest dam. Yawar confirmed the Kurds had re-established military cooperation with Baghdad. "The peshmerga ministry sent a message to the Iraqi defence ministry requesting the convening of an urgent meeting on military cooperation. The joint committees have been reactivated," Yawar said by telephone. MALIKI Maliki, who has been serving in a caretaker capacity since an inconclusive election in April, has rejected calls by Kurds, Sunnis, some fellow Shi'ites and even regional power-broker Iran to step aside and make room for a less polarising figure. In his weekly televised address to the nation on Wednesday, he warned that any unconstitutional attempt to form a new government would open "the gates of hell" in Iraq. Maliki rejected any outside interference in the process, an apparent reference to Tehran, which Iranian officials have said believes Maliki can no longer hold Iraq together. Iran is now backing calls by Iraq's top cleric Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani for Maliki to go and is looking for an alternative leader to combat the Sunni Islamist insurgency, the Iranian officials said. The United States, which was a key backer of Maliki when he first came to office as an unknown in 2006, has urged Iraqi politicians to form a more inclusive government that can unify Iraqis and take on the Islamic State. The Islamic State has put Iraq's survival as a unified state in jeopardy. The capture of one of the towns, Sinjar, home to many of Iraq's Yazidi minority sect in a weekend offensive could lead to a humanitarian crisis. Yazidis, ethnic Kurds who follow an ancient religion derived from Zoroastrianism, are at high risk of being executed because the Islamic State militants view them as devil worshippers. Yawar said 50,000 Yazidis now hiding on a mountain risked starving to death if they were not rescued within 24 hours. "Urgent international action is needed to save them. Many of them, mainly the elderly, children and pregnant women, have (already) died," he said.

Yazidi shrine:

High quality global journalism requires investment. Please share this article with others using the link below, do not cut & paste the article. See our Ts&Cs and Copyright Policy for more detail. Email ftsales.support@ft.com to buy additional rights. http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/3654aef8-1b13-11e4-b649-00144feabdc0.html#ixzz39em7S2hK Isis insurgents in Iraq have seized several northwestern enclaves from Kurd control, prompting Syrian Kurdish fighters to cross the Iraqi border in an attempt to fend off the assault. Forces of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, known as Isis, began the attack late on Saturday, seizing control of majority Kurdish towns and territory that includes an oilfield and access to the Mosul dam. Dozens of Kurdish peshmerga fighters were reportedly killed. The fall of the towns marks the first time that Kurds have lost territory to Isis forces and delivers a blow to Kurdish fighters who had argued that they were more capable of defending the country than the Iraqi army, which let much of the north Isis’s latest assault came as the Kurds are said to have taken delivery of heavy arms, presumably at the behest of the west, to fight the Islamist rebels. Kurdistan Regional Government leaders sent a delegation to Washington to plead for better weapons. US officials have been pressing the Kurds to enter the fray against Isis and have set up a an operations room in the Kurdistan capital of Erbil in an attempt to monitor Isis advances and assess peshmerga capabilities. The fall of the towns has also stirred worries about potential Isis massacres of religious minorities. The towns seized include Sinjar, Zumar and Wana, home to members of ethnic Kurdish Yazidi and Shabak Shia considered heretical by Isis, an al-Qaeda offshoot which stormed northern Iraq in June. “If they are able to control Sinjar they may be able to control other towns which are controlled by the Kurdistan Regional Government,” said Abdulla Hawez, a political commentator in Erbil. “Psychologically it’s a very important gain for Isis. Before they tried to control some towns in the Kirkuk area but they failed.” Isis’s offensive appeared to have drawn together Syrian and Iraqi Kurds. The main Iraqi Kurd political faction, under leader Masoud Barzani, had shunned Syrian Kurds who have carved out an autonomous enclave called Rojava in Syria, under the leadership of a branch of the Kurdistan Workers Party, known by the acronym PKK. The relationship appears to have changed overnight. Pictures posted on social media on Sunday showed Syrian Kurdish fighters in trucks heading into Iraq to help in the battle against Isis. “We have sent our forces toward Sinjar,” Polat Cano, a spokesman for the military wing of the Syrian PKK, announced on Twitter. Mr Hawez said: “If it happens it would be something of a game changer. PKK are much more capable of this kind of fighting. They have more experience than Kurdish peshmerga in fighting Isis.” Iraqi Kurdish forces on Sunday were scrambling to gather reinforcements. Iraqi Kurds had been criticised by the central government in Baghdad and western officials for declining to engage Isis in offensive battles in what some considered a de facto truce with the group.

How did they determine they were alshabab ??? Did they use a magic 8 ball? It's not like there is a functioning legal system. Most journalist are killed by government hitmen, warlords, businessmen and the common people who get angry after they have been exposed or insulted by the media...Life is cheap in mugdisho these days.

The doctor seems to be the only one making a case: 1. They persecute Christians and Shias 2. They kill Shias 3. The demolish mosques 4. They divided the Syrian opposition and fight them. If you read the islamic state statement regarding christiens it says Nazarenes (christiens) should pay jizya, become Muslim or leave. The western media says they said "convert or die " . Islamically speaking Muslims pay 2.5 % of all wealth in zakat jizya is like 0.5 % this is a tax for protection and this happened in islamic history and is the norm. So does the islamic state persecute christiens. Many christiens similar to some of mosuls populations left because of the fear of war, and the news they receive from the wider world which says the islamic state are terroist. Not one Christien has been reported dead. Their houses were painted with n for administrative purpose for collecting taxes. The world jumped on but no christiens are being persecuted. 2. All the people seen up to know that have been brutally publicised by the islamic state themselves wrongly In my view have been Shia militias and army regiments. Their uniforms have been clear for all to see. These same death squads kill Sunnis in Iraq but are not publicised. When someone picks up a gun they indirectly or directly enter into a military or combat role and combat roles ether in victory or lose I.e. Life or death. This is a war between the two groups though. 3. They destroy mosques, they don't destroy mosques they destroy shrines, the body of people that are worshipped by the people instead of God, so they destroy shirk in the form of grave worshipping. Not one mosque has been destroyed. 4. They divide the Syrian opposition. The Syrian opposition is divided into two factions the secularists and the Islamist. The secularist in the form of the free Syrian army want to replace bashar al asad with a secular state ???? What???? So what's the point of fighting asad??? The Islamists have been the most productive fighters in Syria. The islamic state has an objective of taking land establishing sharia and cementing a functioning system under islamic law and then move on to another territory. As the islamic state expands they tell smaller organisations to join them because after all it is the same objective, some do, but others don't. In a war situation if you want to expand and have a clear objective any group in your way becomes a liability.

I am waiting for any of you to please tell me one thing that is against islam that these so called ISIl guys have done? Another thing can you tell me what the point is of fighting and dieing (because you are all saying you support the right of Syrians and Iraqis to defend themselves just not through these guys) to topple one secular dictator an end up with another secular atheist communist in power ???

Do you know who paid for the removal of Morsi from an elected position in Egypt ??? The kingdom of Saudi Arabia the champion of islam, the protector of Palestine, the shield of the ummah. Not the servents of America. The shoe lickers of Israel. But instead a few men defending themselves are Khawarij huh? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NLYITffGQIo

When did it become haram to wear or own a Rolex hahahah how do you know it's not a 10 pound nock off from china being sold in the souk. I can buy a fake Rolex from Hargaisa souk as well you know. are these guys serious

Doctor I'll definately watch it. But can anyone tell me what has been wrong that these people have done. I don't support the killing of innocent civilians islam has a clear code of conduct and clear rules of engagement. These people fight shia militias that kill innocent Sunnis that take their orders from Iran. Do the Sunnis of Iraq have the right to defend thesmelves? Do the people syria not have the right to fight against shabiha death squads who kill men and women and babies and rape women? These people are the real Khawarij who tell Muslims to submit to dictators and that they should enjoy enslavement: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q_askHpBaSo

Talabo he is a Mossad agent as much as you are a Mossad agent hahha... All I know is a Mossad agent wouldnt fight american occupation and have shrapnel wounds furthermore a Mossad agent would never want an Islamic chilphate so believe what you want Saxib. The mans entire family live in samara his tribe know him. I support khilafa I don't support baghadi or any man I support the concept of a unitary Islamic state.

Gentlemen enjoy your enslavement. Enjoy Submiting to the real Khawarij the very leaders who support the enslavement of the muslim people's across the namely saudi, Egypt, Syria and the rest. People who fight are Khawarij and people who enslave Muslims and are the reason behind all this problem are not Khawarij. Shias are Muslims even though they are clearly kuffar. What good is a shahada if you make sajda to Ali ??? You people live in a parallel universe. To want the Sharia implemented is Khawarij acudibilah. to fight against American occupation is Khawarij and to fight so called Muslims who kill you for following the Sunnah is Khawarij hahah... These people....

Shias have undermined Muslims for hundreds of years. They killed Umar while he prayed, they revolted against the Abbasid chaliphate, the attempted to attack the ottoman chaliphate. They have suppressed the people of Syria and killed thousands of Muslims, they regularly kill Sunnis in Iraq, they kill and hang Sunnis in Iran and Iran funds fighting against the Taliban and also creates insurrections in Pakistanis Baluchistan province. They arm Hezbollah which helps kill Sunni women and children in Syria. They arm the houthis of yemen. Muslim..... Hahahahahaha.... They worship Ali and Hussein and Hassan what muslim does that.... In your desire to be liberal and all encompassing you negotiate on the core source of islam... tawheed. Shias are Muslims Hahahahahaha... Don't make me laugh. These people are not Muslims.

Operation Indian Ocean??? You going fishing??

The truth is albaghdadi is a man he means nothing this is about te concept of having a unitary Islamic state and that is not terrorism. This is not about terrorism this is about a people's right to rule themselves and not fear shia death squads just because it isn't bring reported doesn't mean it's not happening

Syria kills its own people because they are Sunnis Iraq does the same. Iran gives the orders to do this. They are te real terrorists. Iraqi an Syrian govenement are both illegitimate hense why they kill their own people. The United States illigally invaded Iraq a sovergn nation because of weapons of mass destruction.... Come on people ....self defense is a God given right. To defend your property and people is a basic human concept. No people should be killed. If people want to live under sharia then they have the right to do so. If Israel has the right to be a jewish state we have the right to be islamic states simple. Not ruled by secularist, atheists and communist but by sharia

Press tv is Iranian tv subsidised by these people ....they insult Sunnis it's not like they will praise the Islamic state. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g8BMf39TlZE This is not coolaid, these people have liberated their land from these people and declared a chaliphate between Syria and Iraq. Nothing wrong with that. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fHgycmDK5aQ

I think you guys give Mossad to much credit. If Mossad didn't know that tunnels were being built in gaza how can they seriously be as effective as you make it out to be. Israel lost against a rebel group in 2006 and today Hamas has defeated them even though they are landlocked and starved. All of Americas weapons, funding and backing has prepped up Israel all these years in reality this little state is 5 times the size of gaza If you minus its north which is Arab? And the Negev desert in the south. It's a spec filled with Russians and Eastern Europeans. The chilphate system is our new world order...therefore as Muslims we must do everthing peacefully to make it come about. Instead of posting unfounded claims about how a man born in samara is actually jewish. Are we 10 years old ???? Look at what the real western puppets do to their own people. Wake up people.

You establish a chaliphate your a terrorist and a Mossad agent. You close the border for Muslims to be slaughtered like sheep while oppressing Muslims your not a Mossad agent....the real Mossad agents have been revealed why don't you create threads about them galbeedi don't you care about Muslims around the world or are you to busy looking for the philosophers stone I.e. Trying to bring peace to somalia hahahahah...I told you all foreign mercaneries have to leave Somalia for there to be peace. All western concepts of governance must be thrown out the window. Te tribes have be called together followed by the Implementaion of sharia. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-n-GRIzSM2A

Son Of jewish parents lol. The man was born in samara and his family is known and his studies are well known. He is a student in theOlogy and it shows because he understands very complex notions of Islamic socialism. The two guys look similar but they are two different people. It's like me finding a person who looks similar and then saying it me. What are the facts. - Israeli Mossad chief says Assad can not be toppled because he has given israel 40 years of peace - israeli government says it's prepared to assist "friendly" regimes against the islamic state - israeli government says The islamic state is a threat to the Middle East and it should unite Israelis and Arabs - the islamic state objectives is to over through the governments of Iraq and Syria and establish islamic rule and destroy the border - Albaghdadi was in bakuba prison for 4 years for fighting against the Americans in faluja and ramadi (israeli Mossad fighting Americans) - albaghdadi has shrapnel and leg injuries as well. - albaghdadi was number 2 in Iraq when zarkawi was alive and became leader after. - Albaghdadi in his last speech said "follow me as long as I follow Allah, don't follow me otherwise" These are the facts so what have they achieved that is pro israeli????? They are in the verge of removing Assad a man israel has openly backed. They are on the verge of toppling Iraq a Shia government that wants Muslims to pray towards Karbala and assists in the killing of innocent Sunnis in both Iraq and Syria. Please tell me how the islamic state has helped israel ?????? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XDJT7cfqa4E Clutching onto anything these people...Mossad has established islamic law across Syria and Iraq. The real Mossad agents are sissi, the saud royal family, the king of Jordan, bashar al asad. Albaghdadi is the biggest nightmare for israel in its history. This is not even about baghdadi this is about the concept of a unified Islamic state that will become the nucleus to spearhead the liberation of Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Lebanon etc. Baghdadi will be dead tomorrow what these men struggle for is an Islamic state and that is not in the interest of Israel. Israel can barely deal with Hezbollah and Hamas http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p5tB0HcPG7c

This revival is happening across the Middle East, Europe and even turkey... Why are Somalis followers and never leaders. If turkey can do it. Surely we can do it. Like I said the people want it... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RHY7MwxzF7k

Islamic law creates an Islamic society, Islamic society creates an Islamic government, islamic governments on mass creates a chilphate. We should all strive to implement islamic law in all somali speaking territories regardless of which ever one. Rome wasn't built in a day. We should do it peacefully the people want it you just have to give it to them. This will help the poor and build more cohesive and peaceful states. It would become an example for Muslims in East Africa and eat at the heart of our enemy in Ethiopia which subjegates the muslim Oromo, anfar, gurage, somali and Hereri Islam not only builds us it weakens our enemies against us. It would usher in peace, territorially as we wouldn't need to fight, the mercaneries would go home back to Burundistan, all curropt despots would fall. All western systems would fall. All we need is islam and our cultural systems from that East Africa would become our domain.