Author: Andres-Papazian

PROTESTERS AND POLICE CLASH AGAIN IN ISTANBUL

10:37, 1 August, 2013

YEREVAN, AUGUST 1, ARMENPRESS: The Police fired water cannons and
tear gas at a group of demonstrators who gathered in Taksim Square to
protest the violence used against a 14-year-old teenager who has been
in intensive care for 46 days after being hit by a tear gas canister
in Istanbul during the Gezi Park unrest. As reported by Armenpress,
quoting the Turkish Dogan News Agency, Berkin Elvan was not a protester
but a bystander who was attacked after stepping out to buy bread during
a police intervention in Istanbul’s Okmeydanı neighborhood on June 15.

Hundreds turned out to show their support in a demonstration called by
the young protester’s family, seeking justice and action against those
officers who fired the gas canister. Opposition Republican People’s
Party (CHP) lawmaker Sezgin Tanrıkulu also attended the protest.

Elvan’s condition is critical due to an infection, the family had said
in their call for protest. However, riot police stationed around the
Taksim area started to use water cannons after the protesters refused
to disperse.

Scuffles occurred when police officers tried to push protesters
to the entrance of the pedestrian Ä°stiklal Street. The parents of
the injured teenager, Sami and Gulsum Elvan, who had read a written
statement, were trapped inside the crowd.

Officers were chasing demonstrators who have escaped into the side
streets. A protester has been injured and taken to hospital after
being hit by an “unidentified object” on the head, the report also
said. An officer was also reportedly firing rubber bullets from the
top of an armored police vehicle.

Police have not allowed demonstrations in Taksim Square, despite
having reopened Gezi Park in the second week of July.

The disorders in Turkey began when on May 28 2013 the plans of
replacing Taksim Gezi Park with a reconstruction of the historic Taksim
Military Barracks (demolished in 1940) with the possibility of housing
a shopping mall became known. The protests developed into riots when
a group occupying the park was attacked by police. The subjects of
the protests have since broadened beyond the development of Taksim
Gezi Park, developing into wider anti-government demonstrations. The
protests have also spread to other cities in Turkey, and protests have
been seen in other countries with significant Turkish communities. On
May 31 2013, police suppressed the protesters with tear gas, arrested
at least 60 people and injured hundreds. The police action received
wide attention online. 5 men died in the clashes between the police
and the protesters, more than 7,500 people were injured and about
5,000 of people were arrested. By the data provided by the Ministry of
Internal Affairs of Turkey, about 2,5 million people from 79 regions
took part in the anti-government demonstrations held in Turkey.

Content-Type: MESSAGE/RFC822; CHARSET=US-ASCII
Content-Description:

MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1
From: Mihran Keheyian
Subject: Two Non-Combat Deaths In Two Days

Two Non-Combat Deaths In Two Days

The Ministry of Defense informed that on July 31 at 1:20 conscript
Manuchar Meruzhan Manucharyan injured himself deadly from the AKS-74
gun attached to him at the sentry post. This is preliminary
information, the MoD states.

The MoD investigative service has launched proceedings under Article
110 Para 1 of the criminal code on causing somebody to commit a
suicide.

Earlier on July 30 conscript Arman Hovsep Muradyan born in 1993
reportedly committed a suicide. The suicide is the preliminary version
offered by the Ministry of Defense.

11:10 01/08/2013
Story from Lragir.am News:

From: A. Papazian

TURKEY EXCAVATION UNCOVERS CARVED CROSSES THAT MAY HAVE BELONGED TO CHRIST

11:21 01.08.13

A piece of a stone with crosses carved into it that may have belonged
to Jesus Christ has been found in an excavation of a church in the
northern province of Sinop, Today’s Zaman reported.

The large-scale excavation, led by Professor Gulgun Koroglu, is
ongoing at the Balatlar Church. The church was built in A.D. 660 by
the Byzantines.

Sinop Mayor Yavuz Selim KöÅ~_ger and Sinop Police Chief Å~^eref
Aytekin visited Köroglu and were briefed on the excavation.

“This carved stone is the most significant thing we have found so
far,” Koroglu told the mayor and police chief, adding that her team
has been carrying out the excavation for almost four years and has
reason to believe the carved stone belonged to Jesus Christ.

Koshger said the excavations are important for the province.

“Excavations [like this one] will contribute a great deal to the
future of Sinop,” the mayor stated.

In remarks to the press, Koroglu said: “The excavation of Balatlar
Church has been going on since 2009 and this stone is the most
important piece we have found so far. We have also found a number of
human bones during our excavation.”

Koroglu added: “We have been working here for four years and have
found more than 2,000 skeletons. I hope this year will be a very
fruitful working season for us. We have learned many things during
the excavation that we did not previously know.”

Armenian News – Tert.am

From: A. Papazian

ARMENIAN AUTHORITIES PREFER GREECE AND ITALY AS SUMMER VACATION DESTINATION – NEWSPAPER

August 01, 2013 | 06:45

YEREVAN. – The vacation relaxation of the Armenian establishment is
in progress, Hraparak daily writes.

“In addition, in the case when the tired Armenian cast were all
heading to ‘enjoy’ Spain last year, this year these ‘tired ones’
prefer Greece and Italy.

“[National Assembly Speaker] Hovik Abrahamyan will return from vacation
on August 10, to resume legislative activities in September.

“Incidentally, once some part of the Armenian establishment returns
[from vacation], the other part will go on vacation. On August 15,
[PM] Tigran Sargsyan will go to Karabakh to rest,” Hraparak writes.

News from Armenia – NEWS.am

From: A. Papazian

KILLED SOLDIER’S MOTHER DEMANDS JUSTICE

20:30 31.07.13

An Armenian soldier, Arman Muradyan, reportedly killed himself from
a government-issue gun in a military unit.

According to the preliminary information, the soldier committed
suicide.

The Helsinki Citizens Assembly Vanadzor office visited the soldier’s
family to find out the details of the tragedy. The soldier’s mother
was told that her son was “a sectarian”, which allegedly incited
him to commit suicide. The mother, however, refutes the claims –
her son was a member of the Armenian Apostolic Church.

Arman was a jovial person, and his loved and respected him. She
is determined to avenge her son’s death. “I am not going to remain
silent. Help me find the criminals!”

From: A. Papazian

DES ARMENIENS DE SYRIE ENLEVES PRES DE LA FRONTIERE ENTRE LA SYRIE ET LA TURQUIE

Les enlèvements d’Armeniens de Syrie continuent sur la frontière turque.

syrie

Selon Zarmik Poghikyan du journal Kantsasare d’Alep ” le 28 juillet
dans la matinee, un petit bus se rendait d’Alep en Turquie transportait
3 familles armeniennes – 7 femmes et 2 enfants. A la a frontière turque
le bus a ete arrete.DLes militants ont enleve les enfants de 14 et
12 ans et liberes es femmes, qui sont en Turquie maintenant. Nous
n’avons aucune information sur les jeunes pour l’instant “.

Durant la dernière semaine, les Armeniens de Syrie ont souffert de
pertes : dans l’attaque d’un bus une femme armenienne a ete tuee,
17 personnes ont ete blessees. Un enfant a ete blesse par une balle
perdue et le 26 Juillet quatre hommes armeniens ont ete enleves par des
militants et des femmes armeniennes ont ete dirigees vers un cafe dans
une province turque alors qu’elles souhaitaient se rendre a Erevan.

jeudi 1er août 2013, Stephane ©armenews.com

From: A. Papazian

THE EU-ARMENIA ASSOCIATION AGREEMENT AND MOSCOW’S PLAYBOOK

Today’s Zaman, Turkey
July 31 2013

ZAUR SHIRIYEV

A week ago, Armenia and the European Union concluded negotiations on
a Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Area (DCFTA). The DCFTA is an
integral part of Armenia’s Association Agreement, which it expects
to sign at November’s Eastern Partnership summit in Vilnius.

Unsurprisingly, the negotiations have intensified the debate about
how Armenian-EU relations will be balanced with Yerevan-Moscow ties.

The essential question among Armenian experts is how Moscow will
react towards Armenia. According to Brussels, signing an Association
Agreement will essentially preclude Yerevan’s membership in not only
Russia’s Customs Union but also the so-called Eurasian Union. Beyond
the challenge of Moscow’s reaction, the debate also encompasses the
possible economic and political benefits for Armenia, as well as the
Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.

>From the perspective of the Armenian ruling elite, there are several
aspects of the agreement that will strengthen the country economically
and politically:

First of all, the EU’s political and material support will help
stabilize the Armenian economy. But on the other hand, the current
economic crisis in the eurozone prevents the EU from making any
grand gestures of financial support. By contrast, Russia’s overall
investment in the Armenian economy since independence is close to $3.3
billion, equal to more than 40 percent of all foreign investment. It
is true that after Russia, France and Greece are the second and third
biggest investors, but this is due to national rather than EU-related
initiatives. Furthermore, the key difference is that Moscow used its
investments as a tool to gain economic and political dependence on
Yerevan’s part.

Second, the Armenian authorities will argue that the benefits of the
DCFTA agreement will be limited by the border closures. The reference
here is not to the closed Armenian-Azerbaijani borders, but to the
Turkish-Armenian border. Yerevan believes that after signing the
Association Agreement, they can ask Europe to put pressure on Turkey
to open the border. Armenian President Serzh Sarksyan indicated this
aim in speeches at the end of June in Poland and in early July in
Moldova. In the latter, Sarksyan said that the free trade agreement
(FTA) is unworkable if the Armenian-Turkish border remains closed
and called for action by the EU. “We think that the European Union
should seriously address the issue of closed borders because their
existence cannot make trade with the EU’s customs union effective.”

The third issue is the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. By signing an
Association Agreement before Azerbaijan, Yerevan hopes to avoid
the inclusion of the “territorial integrity” provision among
its commitments. This is despite the fact that among Yerevan’s
intelligentsia, it is believed that the EU’s involvement in the
conflict resolution is crucial and should be increased. If the EU does
not make serious commitments regarding a Nagorno-Karabakh conflict
resolution, it risks further criticism from Azerbaijan, namely that EU
member countries have double standards with respect to Azerbaijan’s
territorial integrity. Azerbaijan wants an agreement that includes a
commitment from the EU: that it will take act as a guarantor for the
second phase of Nagorno-Karabakh status negotiations if the parties
reach a political solution. The Yerevan-EU and Baku-EU agreements,
by including commitments for conflict resolution and post-conflict
resolution, will mean that both countries are relying on a “more
results, financial support” system of conflict resolution. If
the EU signs an agreement with Armenia without these commitments,
Azerbaijan’s next question will be about the geographical delimitation
of EU-Armenian trade. The concern there is that the de facto regime
in Nagorno-Karabakh could benefit from the agreement and use it to
bolster its prospects for future survival.

Moscow’s reaction: ‘Dog in the manger’?

The draft text of the association agreement has not been disclosed
despite the recommendation of European Commissioner for Enlargement
and European Neighborhood Policy Stefan Fule. Thus the precise details
of the Nagorno-Karabakh provisions are unknown to the public. The
tricky question, much debated among the Armenian public, remains
Moscow’s potential reaction. Most experts anticipate a “dog in the
manger” position. In order to prevent Armenia from becoming closer
to the EU, Russia has, for instance, recently increased the price of
gas exports for Armenia. And when an Armenian truck driver recently
caused a fatal road accident in Russia, Russian authorities dealt
with him harshly. These have been cited as indicators of Moscow’s
dissatisfaction. Interestingly — and unexpectedly — both cases gave
rise to protests in front of the Russian embassy in Yerevan.

Moscow seems less concerned than Armenians might have expected.

Russia’s position is that the agreement does not represent a choice
between the EU and Russia. The belief in Moscow is that there is
no “either/or” choice for Armenia. It does seem clear, though,
that Armenia must acknowledge who is currently more influential in
the region and in Armenia; who is more important and necessary for
Armenians — Russia or the EU?

Meanwhile, there is not yet enough information to establish Russia’s
official position, which will likely become clearer through the
developments in the next month. It is expected but not confirmed
that President Sarksyan will visit Moscow following Russian President
Vladimir Putin’s “East Expedition”– visits to Azerbaijan and Iran.

Clearly, it would be wrong to treat Armenia’s Association Agreement
with the EU as a geopolitical choice; Yerevan made that choice two
decades ago. Moreover Armenia is not in a sufficiently strong position
to make a final choice regarding its ultimate political alignment. For
now, until the text of the association agreement is disclosed and
until Russia reveals an official position, the situation bears strong
resemblance to the Russian saying, “All cats are grey in the dark.”

From: A. Papazian

AZERBAIJANI COMMUNITY IN LITHUANIA OPPOSES ‘FRIENDSHIP GROUP WITH NAGORNO-KARABAKH’

AzerNews, Azerbaijan
July 31 2013

31 July 2013, 17:36 (GMT+05:00)
By Sara Rajabova

Azerbaijani diaspora in Lithuania is working hard to achieve
invalidation of the “Friendship Group with Nagorno-Karabakh” in the
Lithuanian Seim (parliament), chairman of Azerbaijan’s State Committee
for Work with Diaspora Nazim Ibrahimov said on his Facebook page on
July 30.

According to Ibrahimov, in March 2013 12 deputies of the Lithuanian
Seim set up a “friendship group with Nagorno-Karabakh.” Immediately
thereafter, chairman of the Society of Lithuanian Azerbaijanis
Mahir Gamzaev and president of the Lithuania-Azerbaijan Association
Imantas Melyanas sent a joint request on behalf of the Azerbaijani
organizations of Lithuania to the Seim leadership. The request
stated that in the bylaws regulating the activities of the Seim,
there is no clause on the “Friendship Group”. The authors of the
request demanded explaining under what law the group is operating
and what is its status.

“The leaders of Azerbaijani organizations have made suggestions
relating to…the elimination of such groups that do not meet the
requirements of the Seim Charter,” says a letter of the chairman of
the steering board of the Chamber of Information of the Lithuanian
Peoples, co-founder of the Lithuania-Azerbaijan Association, Vitaliyus
Karakorskis, sent to the Azerbaijani State Committee for Work with
Diaspora.

Karakorskis also noted in the letter that the chairman of the
Lithuanian parliament Vidas Gedvilas instructed the committee on
foreign affairs and the committee on law and legal norms of the
Lithuanian parliament to study the issue in order to respond to this
request and examine the proposed measures.

A few days ago the Society of Lithuanian Azerbaijanis and the
Lithuania-Azerbaijan Association received a response from the Seim
committees to the request they sent in June this year.

The letter, signed by the chairman of the foreign affairs committee
of the Lithuanian parliament, representative of the ruling Social
Democratic Party of Lithuania, Benediktas Juodka, said that this
committee doesn’t recognize the given “friendship group with the
parliament of the so-called Nagorno-Karabakh” as a working group
on inter-parliamentary relations, because such working groups can
be established only with the parliaments of states that have been
recognized de jure.

“The legal basis for the establishment of a friendship group with
the ‘parliament of Nagorno-Karabakh’ does not meet the requirements
cited in the Charter of the Lithuanian Seim. According to these
requirements, ‘a working group on inter-parliamentary relations’
can only be created with the parliaments of those countries that are
legally recognized by the state. Therefore, the organization is not
recognized as a ‘group on inter-parliamentary relations’ and in no
way reflects the official view of the Lithuanian state. With regard
to the measures proposed by the Society of Lithuanian Azerbaijanis
and the Lithuania-Azerbaijan Association on optimization of rules of
establishing inter-parliamentary working groups, they will be taken
into account when proposals are made for the improvement of the Seim
Charter,” says the official response of the chairman of the committee
on law of the Seim Julius Sabatauskas to the request of the Azerbaijani
organizations in Lithuania.

According to Vitaliyus Karakorskis, the decision of the Seim committees
shows that the attempts of the Armenian reactionary forces to create a
“friendship group with the Parliament of Nagorno-Karabakh” have failed.

Nazim Ibrahimov said on Facebook that it is for the first time that
members of parliament admitted their mistake since the establishment
of the parliament of independent Lithuania. According to Ibrahimov,
the proposals made by the Azerbaijani organizations will soon be
adopted by the Lithuanian Seim.

“It also should be noted that these decisive measures on elimination
of the ‘friendship group with the parliament of Nagorno-Karabakh’
were taken as a result of the lobbying activities of the Azerbaijani
Diaspora in Lithuania and with the support of the initiative friends
of Azerbaijan in Lithuania,” Ibrahimov wrote.

Nagorno-Karabakh is an Azerbaijani region occupied by Armenia along
with seven adjacent regions since a war fought by the two South
Caucasus republics in the early 1990s. Years of OSCE-brokered peace
talks have been largely fruitless so far.

From: A. Papazian

RATIONALIZING GENOCIDE DENIAL: ASBAREZ’S RESPONSE TO LIBARIDIAN

Wednesday, July 31st, 2013

Genocide denial

On June 5, Asbarez published an article by its editor, Ara
Khachatourian, entitled “Armenian Scholars at the Center of Genocide
Denial,” in which he questioned the participation of Armenian scholars
at a conference in Tbilisi organized by the Turkish Studies Project
of the University of Utah, which is funded by the notorious Genocide
denial-machine known as the Turkish Coalition of America.

Arguing that the participation of Armenian scholars in such conferences
feeds into the decades-long Turkish denialist efforts, Khachatourian
challenged the Armenian scholars who went to Tbilisi to “be accountable
to the public” and through the Armenian press “report on their efforts
to ‘counter’ Genocide denial in these forums.”

Asbarez subsequently published a letter to the editor on the matter
and republished a piece from its sister publication, The Armenian
Weekly, entitled “The Case Against Legitimizing Genocide Deniers:
Scholars Speak Up,” in which several prominent scholars expressed
their views on the Tbilisi conference.

Soon after the publication of the aforementioned articles, Asbarez
was contacted by Professor Jirair Libaridian, who was scheduled
to deliver a keynote at the Tbilisi conference, asking for an
opportunity to respond to the articles. Libaridian was the former
adviser to President Levon Ter-Petrosian and one of the architects
of the failed Turkish-Armenian Reconciliation Commission, which had
an agenda to discuss the “historical fact” of the Armenian Genocide
and emboldened the notion argued by Turks that the veracity of the
Genocide can be questioned within political and academic circles.

We received his response, in which he terms the Asbarez article
“libelous,” and are publishing it simultaneously with our response.

While Libaridian claims he is answering the challenge put forth
by Khachatourian in his initial article, the response is a lengthy
rationalization of Armenian scholars’ participation in conferences
organized by Turkish denialists as well as misplaced attacks on
Asbarez and The Armenian Weekly. Judge for yourself.

It is also worth noting that the Turkish press and the TCA went
to great lengths to admonish Asbarez and The Armenian Weekly,
accusing the publications of “doing everything they can to block
the way forward, even putting heavy pressure on Armenians who want
to participate in these programs. In this way, many intellectuals
are prevented from joining in the general process of compromise and
solution-finding [Today’s Zaman 6/19/2012].” The same publication
dubbed the Armenians who participated in the conference as scholars
who are “open to compromise.”

Similarly, the TCA, in an electronic newsletter sent to its supporters
condemned Asbarez and The Armenian Weekly for “humiliating” and
“threatening” the scholars who took part in the Tbilisi conference.

The TCA went on to deny the Genocide further by saying: “The fact
remains that the full narrative of the contested historical period is
still a matter of controversy among historians and other scholars. The
continued study of this period in Ottoman-Armenian relations is
essential. But such study should not require a genocide-or-not-genocide
litmus test as an entry point.”

A US Federal Appeals Court in May 2012 designated TCA as an
organization engaging in Genocide denial when it sued an academic
institution for advancing Genocide awareness. In his response,
Libaridian neglects to discuss the TCA’s denialist track record and
the impact the organization had on the Tbilisi conference and on
Genocide denial generally.

Libaridian’s assertion that Asbarez, Khachatourian or The Armenian
Weekly should have contacted him prior to publishing the articles,
which he calls an “assault,” is unwarranted since Khachatourian and the
subsequent articles substantiated the premise and, in Khachatourian’s
case, challenged the Armenian scholars in attendance to present to
the public the thesis they presented, not merely as justification
for participation but to enlighten the Armenian public at large about
the ways in which they are countering denialist efforts, even if they
are attending conferences organized by rabid deniers. Incidentally,
none of the participants have answered Khachatourian’s call as of
the date of this publication.

“We believe that denialist-funded and denialist-organized conferences
are best left to denialists,” wrote The Armenian Weekly in its response
to the same article by Libaridian.

It seems Libaridian is outraged that Asbarez and The Armenian Weekly
informed their readers about the existence of such a conference. If
we had not shed light on the Tbilisi conference, Libaridian and the
academicians who participated in the conference would have gone
about their business of scholarship without being called to task
or accountability.

In its response, the Weekly also argued that “Had Holocaust scholars
not had the wisdom to marginalize Holocaust deniers decades ago,
they would still be arguing with fringe elements because denialists
will never be satisfied with any amount of evidence presented.”

We remain steadfast in our opposition to any effort to deny the
Armenian Genocide or dispute its veracity. Hence our publication’s
strong stance against the dangerous Armenia-Turkey Protocols and its
predecessor-enabler-the Turkish Armenian Reconciliation Commission. At
the same time, we reiterate the challenge posed by Khachatourian
in his initial article to the Armenian scholars who attended the
Tbilisi conference.

From: A. Papazian

ARS NAIRY CHAPTER HOSTS 45TH ANNIVERSARY DINNER

Wednesday, July 31st, 2013

Guests during the opening ceremony.

MONTEBELLO, Calif-The Armenian Relief Society (ARS) of Western USA,
Nairy Chapter, was the host of the ARS 93rd Annual Regional Convention,
and organized a program on the second day of the convention to
celebrate its own 45th anniversary. The dinner-dance program was
held on July 13, 2013, at the Armenian Center in Montebello, with
dozens of delegates and guests participating, along with some local
residents. Among the guests was the ARS of Eastern USA Regional
Executive representative Taline Mkrtschjan.

Opening remarks were made by the convention organizing committee
chairperson Arpik Najarian, who invited the ARS members and guests
to renew their oath “to be the true successors of our founders and
benefactors.” Following with the national and ARS anthems sung by
Nairy Chapter Executive chairperson Heghine Harboyan, Pastor of
Holy Cross Cathedral, Rev. Fr. Ashod Kambourian provided blessing
for realizing the ARS dreams in service of the Armenian people. The
pastor also conveyed Prelate Arch. Moushegh Mardirossian’s blessings
and congratulations.

ARS Central Executive Board representative to the 93rd Convention,
Annie Kechichian congratulated the ARS Nairy Chapter, noting that
when the anniversary of a chapter is celebrated, it is a sign of
the chapter’s success and continued existence, and proof of the
advancement of the centenarian ARS. Kechichian urged to involve the
youth in Armenian community life, and congratulated the ARS Nairy
members for their many years of hard work and countless efforts
to help families and advance the Armenian language and culture, in
addition to congratulating the ARS supporters for their contributions.

ARS of Western USA, Regional Executive chairperson Lena Bozoyan
congratulated the ARS Nairy Chapter members for their golden hearts,
iron will and unwavering efforts during the past 45 years. She
commended the Nairy Chapter’s level of activity, dedication and strong
ties of fellowship, and she was confident that the chapter would
continue its many accomplishments. Bozoyan promised that together
they would continue to meet the ever-changing societal needs of our
local communities and serve as symbols of hope to our brethren in
the homeland.

On behalf of the ARS Regional Executive, Bozoyan presented a plaque
commemorating the Nairy Chapter’s 45th anniversary to the Chapter
Executive chairperson Heghine Harboyan.

The chapter had displayed posters of old photographs of ARS history
and a video of the early history of the ARS was shown during the
program, which was followed by the message of the ARF Tro Committee
representative Levon Kirakosian, Esq. He said that he was one of the
displaced persons (DPs) shown on the video, but wished that more of
his friends were with him. He congratulated the Nairy Chapter and
asked the ARS to include the local youth and their needs in their
programs. He handed a certificate of recognition by Christina Cortez,
the Mayor of the City of Montebello, to Heghine Harboyan.

Harboyan reminded the audience of the accomplishments of the chapter:
45 years ago the chapter was founded; 31 years ago the Saturday School
was founded; 15 years ago the day care was founded; and during the
past year 5 new members joined the chapter. The Nairy Day Care had
been recognized by the City of Montebello Chamber of Commerce as a
“Quality of Life” business for 2013. She congratulated the Nairy
Chapter members, who believe in the volunteering and value teamwork.

Throughout the convention, the ARS Nairy Chapter volunteers had
demonstrated their willingness to do their best in order to provide
for the delegates and guests who arrived in Montebello. “Vartskernit
gadar” as they say for a job well done.

From: A. Papazian

TERRORISTS TARGETED ACROSS SYRIAN CITIES

Jul 31, 2013

Provinces, (SANA)- Units of the armed forces on Wednesday inflicted
heavy losses upon terrorists in Daraa and its countryside and destroyed
their equipment.

A military source told SANA that army units targeted terrorists’
gatherings in al-Ghariyeh al-Sharkiyeh, al-Hrak, Izraa, al-Mseifra
and al-Harra near al-Jdeira checkpoint, killing and injuring a number
of terrorists, among them terrorist Ammar Jamal Awad was identified.

In Daraa al-Balad and Bosra al-Cham, units of the armned forces killed
a number of terrorists, among them were Mohammad Khalil al-Sawaleh
and Ashraf Suleiman al-Duroubi.

An Army unit pursued terrorists between the villages of al-Harir and
al-Ghariyat, killing and injuring many terrorists.

Army units eliminate terrorists in Damascus Countryside

Army units killed and injured a number of terrorists and destroyed
their weapons and ammo in al-Qaboun area in Damascus countryside, while
other units established control of a number of buildings in the area
after eliminating the terrorists inside them, one of whom was a sniper.

An Army unit pursued a terrorist group in Harasta area, leaving
its members dead or injured, while a second union carried out an
operation against a terrorist hideout in Ein Tarma, resulting in
destroying weapons and the elimination of terrorists including Wael
Marwan Krenbeh.

In Adra area, a terrorist gathering was destroyed along with the
weapons and equipment inside it, while Army units continued operations
against terrorists in al-Bahariya farms, eliminating a number of
terrorists including Haitham al-Hashash and destroyed their weapons.

A terrorist hideout was destroyed along with the terrorists, weapons
and munitions inside it in al-Ziyabiye. One of the dead terrorists
was identified as Abd al-Ilah al-Jerdi.

In the town of Hejjeira, a number of terrorists were eliminated
including Samer al-Baida and Fadel al-Mashtuli.

Terrorists’ dens targeted in a series of operations in Homs

Meanwhile, units of the armed forces inflicted heavy losses upon
terrorist groups in a series of operations that targeted their
gatherings and dens in the city and countryside of Homs.

SANA reporter quoted a military source as saying that army units
targeted the terrorists’ gatherings and hideouts in the neighborhoods
of al-Qusour, al-Qarabis, Jouret al-Shayah, Bab Hood, al-Warsheh and
Wadi al-Sayeh in Homs city.

A number of terrorists were killed and others were injured in the
operations, according to the source.

Army units prevented a terrorist group from sneaking from al-Qarabis
neighborhood to al-Ghouta fields, eliminating most of its members,
in addition to preventing terrorists from entering the city from
fields in the southwest, killing many terrorists.

Several tunnels dug by terrorists were uncovered, extending from Souq
al-Jajj area to Jouret al-Shiyah neighborhood.

An Army unit established control over a number of building in Bab
Houd neighborhood after eliminating terrorists who were holed up
inside them.

It added that army units also eliminated and injured many terrorists
and destroyed their equipment and weapons in the areas of Bab al-Sba’,
al-Waer, al-Houleh, Kisin, al-Rastan, Talbiseh, al-Dar al-Kabira,
al-Ghanto and al-Ghajar.

With the help of locals, the authorities seized a weapons cache in
a terrorist hideout in Talkalakh area.

Confiscated items include a 23mm cannon, an RPG rifle, 4 sniper rifles,
an assault rifle, a homemade missile, and 5 explosive devices, in
addition to large amounts of ammo for heavy machineguns, snipers
and cannons.

Army units restore security to Tallet Maragha, kill several terrorists
in Aleppo and its countryside

Units of the armed forces carried out operations against terrorists’
dens and gatherings in Aleppo and its countryside, killing and injuring
several terrorists, in addition to restoring security and stability
to Tallet Maragha after destroying the last terrorists’ gatherings.

An official source told SANA that the army units destroyed terrorists’
heavy machineguns and dens in Ein Dakna, Andan, Mazra’at Debo and
Hretan, killing several terrorists, including non-Syrians.

The source added that an army unit destroyed weapons and ammunition
loaded in cars on Daret Ezza-al-Dana road which were headed to Khan
al-Assal to help the armed terrorist groups, while another army
unit killed terrorists at Journalists residential compound in Khan
al-Assal area.

In Aleppo northern countryside, other army units killed and injured
a number of terrorists and destroyed their weapons in Minnegh ,
Handarat and the area surrounding the Central Prison in the northern
countryside of Aleppo.

In Aleppo city, the army units repelled armed terrorists’ attempt to
attack the Justice Palace and Carilton hotel, killing and injuring
scores of them.

Other army units clashed with armed terrorist groups’ members who were
attempting to sneak to the safe areas in Salah-Edden, Karm al-Jabal
and al-Mashhad, eliminating scores of them.

Other army units carried out operations against terrorists and killed
several terrorists who were stationed in Hanano Police Station,
killing a number of terrorists, including non-Syrian, in addition to
destroying their den.

Another army unit foiled an armed terrorist group’ attempt to
infiltrate to the city from Bani Zaid and killed its members.

Army eliminates Jabhat al-Nusra terrorists in Deir Ezzor

Army units eliminated a number of terrorists from Jabhat al-Nusra in
the neighborhoods of al-Rashidiye, al-Huwaiqa, al-Jbaileh, al-Sina’a
and Cinema Fouad street in Deir Ezzor city, destroying the terrorists’
weapons and ammo.

Another unit eliminated a terrorist group which was attempting to
transport weapons and ammo into Deir Ezzor city. The weapons included
heavy machineguns.

Six terrorists were eliminated in an operation targeting a terrorist
hideout in Kabajeb village in Deir Ezzor countryside, while another
unit destroyed an anti-aircraft machinegun and eliminated a terrorist
group in the village of al-Maryaiya.

Terrorists eliminated in Idleb countryside

Army units eliminated terrorists in the villages and towns of
Bashlamoun, al-Qunia, al-Bara, Ehsem, Kansafra, Deir Sunbul, Kafrroma,
al-Tamania, Nahleh and Oum Jireen in Idleb countryside.

Another unit arrested three terrorists and confiscated their cars
and weapons in Oum Jireen area.

Army eliminates terrorists responsible for robberies in Hama province

Army units eliminated terrorists who were committing acts of armed
robbery and thesft west of Saijar village on the road between
al-Jdaideh and al-Traimseh in Hama province.

A terrorist hideout in Ba’arin area was destroyed along with the
weapons, ammo and equipment inside them.

Army arrests terrorists in Quneitra

Army units arrested 8 terrorists who attempted to sneak into the town
of Jabata al-Khashab in Quneitra countryside, with the terrorist
confessing to sneaking weapons and ammo into the town and into
Beit Jinn.

Army destroys terrorist hideouts in Hasaka, Terrorists steal
hydraulic oil

Army units destroyed terrorist hideouts in the areas of al-Arisha,
al-Karameh, al-Bassel Dam and the Eastern Dam in Hasaka countryside,
inflicting heavy losses upon the terrorists.

Meanwhile, director of the Hasaka Electric Company said that terrorists
stole a large shipment of hydraulic oil.

A terrorist group stopped a truck carrying 112 drums of hydraulic
oil used for electric power generators in Oum Madfa’a area on the
road between Hasaka and Damascus, and stole the entire shipment.

English Bulletin

From: A. Papazian