Syrian Rebels Threaten to Heighten Attacks

The leader of Syrian rebels that has been launching attacks recently threatened yesterday to ratchet up those attacks on President Bashar al-Assad’s army. He noted that he was angered over the lack of progress on ending the extreme government responses to protests. Noted Colonel Riad al-Asaad, head of the Free Syrian Army, "If we feel they (the monitors) are still not serious in a few days, or at most within a week, we will take a decision which will surprise the regime and the whole world."

While the Arab League has claimed the monitors in Syria were working to avoid bloodshed in the midst of the protests, it apparently is not enough for Asaad. Still, the monitors are asking for more time to properly do their jobs, now 10 months into the protests against Syria’s ruling family. Speaking of the monitors, Asaad noted, "Since they entered we had many more martyrs. Is it in the Syrian people's interest to allow the massacre to continue?"

Asaad is currently in a safe haven in Turkey, but continuing to lead the protests from afar. Many in the area simply claim that the monitors are afraid and can therefore not do their jobs. "I don't think they are sympathetic, I think they are afraid," said activist Abu Faisal. "We wanted to take them to one of the narrow alleys where there had been a lot of shelling. They wouldn't go past the buildings where there were snipers. People here are getting shot. They are here to get the facts but they are cowards and too afraid to do it."