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| Syria crisis: 'a huge snowball that can destroy everything' | Syria crisis: 'a huge snowball that can destroy everything' |
| (8 days later) | |
| They placed the wooden coffin on the back of a gun carriage. Cars, mopeds and a No 10 minibus followed it up the hill in dusty procession. When they reached the mosque, mourners carried the coffin gingerly inside. There were cries of "God is great!" A framed portrait revealed a solemn young man in military pose with a maroon beret. | They placed the wooden coffin on the back of a gun carriage. Cars, mopeds and a No 10 minibus followed it up the hill in dusty procession. When they reached the mosque, mourners carried the coffin gingerly inside. There were cries of "God is great!" A framed portrait revealed a solemn young man in military pose with a maroon beret. |
| The funeral was for Ahmad al-Fij, a 28-year-old Free Syrian Army (FSA) commander killed on Friday in the battle for Aleppo. He was buried in his local cemetery. Tuesday's ceremony was necessarily hasty: the Syrian army was encamped nearby and could resume shelling at any minute. | The funeral was for Ahmad al-Fij, a 28-year-old Free Syrian Army (FSA) commander killed on Friday in the battle for Aleppo. He was buried in his local cemetery. Tuesday's ceremony was necessarily hasty: the Syrian army was encamped nearby and could resume shelling at any minute. |
| "My son was honest, decent and a patriot," Fij's father, Abdul-Rahman, said. "This regime is unjust. It is using fire against humans, trees, against everything." But could it be defeated? "Absolutely," he replied. "We have faith in our cause. We have God; they do not." | "My son was honest, decent and a patriot," Fij's father, Abdul-Rahman, said. "This regime is unjust. It is using fire against humans, trees, against everything." But could it be defeated? "Absolutely," he replied. "We have faith in our cause. We have God; they do not." |
| It would be rash to predict Syria's bloody conflict will be over soon. The militia volunteers fighting to overthrow the entrenched regime of Bashar al-Assad are equipped with Kalashnikovs, Czech-made pistols and hunting knives. Ranged against them is a military state armed with helicopter gunships, Russian tanks and artillery. | It would be rash to predict Syria's bloody conflict will be over soon. The militia volunteers fighting to overthrow the entrenched regime of Bashar al-Assad are equipped with Kalashnikovs, Czech-made pistols and hunting knives. Ranged against them is a military state armed with helicopter gunships, Russian tanks and artillery. |
| And yet in this dark, asymmetric struggle, there is a sense that the rebels are winning, not by great degrees, but slowly and inexorably: an unstoppable human tide. The regime may have succeeded in quelling the rebellion in Damascus, for the moment. But virtually the entire country is in the grip of a popular revolution. | And yet in this dark, asymmetric struggle, there is a sense that the rebels are winning, not by great degrees, but slowly and inexorably: an unstoppable human tide. The regime may have succeeded in quelling the rebellion in Damascus, for the moment. But virtually the entire country is in the grip of a popular revolution. |
| The battle for Syria's biggest city, Aleppo, in the north – just down the road from Fij's home town of Atareb – is desperately poised. The rebels are outgunned, fighting street by street, and up against a mostly invisible enemy that rains death from the skies. The FSA meticulously records its attacks on mobile phones: Syria's war is sometimes streamed live for the YouTube generation. | The battle for Syria's biggest city, Aleppo, in the north – just down the road from Fij's home town of Atareb – is desperately poised. The rebels are outgunned, fighting street by street, and up against a mostly invisible enemy that rains death from the skies. The FSA meticulously records its attacks on mobile phones: Syria's war is sometimes streamed live for the YouTube generation. |
| "Victory is coming soon. Almost half of Aleppo is now with the FSA," Abdul Gabbar Kaidi, the colonel in charge of the rebel battle for Aleppo, said bullishly. Kaidi was sitting in his HQ, a former school. Walkie-talkies sat on a table and a whiteboard showed his plans for attack. He broke off the conversation to take a phone call – the rebels, he said, had just succeeded in downing an army helicopter. | "Victory is coming soon. Almost half of Aleppo is now with the FSA," Abdul Gabbar Kaidi, the colonel in charge of the rebel battle for Aleppo, said bullishly. Kaidi was sitting in his HQ, a former school. Walkie-talkies sat on a table and a whiteboard showed his plans for attack. He broke off the conversation to take a phone call – the rebels, he said, had just succeeded in downing an army helicopter. |
| "They [the regime] are weak. They lack self-belief," said Kaidi, who defected from the Syrian military on 6 March. "They are killing, raping women, destroying the country. We're fighting to protect the people." | "They [the regime] are weak. They lack self-belief," said Kaidi, who defected from the Syrian military on 6 March. "They are killing, raping women, destroying the country. We're fighting to protect the people." |
| And what of Assad, who has not been seen for days? "He's a psycho, a criminal dictator. When we get hold of him, we'll shove a stick up his arse." | And what of Assad, who has not been seen for days? "He's a psycho, a criminal dictator. When we get hold of him, we'll shove a stick up his arse." |
| The FSA claims it controls about 80% of Syria. This is probably an exaggeration. But Damascus's security apparatus, reeling from a bomb attack last week that killed four members of the military-security command, is overstretched and demoralised. It faces insurrection everywhere: Homs, Hama, Aleppo, Deir el-Zour, every point of the map. | The FSA claims it controls about 80% of Syria. This is probably an exaggeration. But Damascus's security apparatus, reeling from a bomb attack last week that killed four members of the military-security command, is overstretched and demoralised. It faces insurrection everywhere: Homs, Hama, Aleppo, Deir el-Zour, every point of the map. |
| Into this power vacuum, the rebels have succeeded in carving out their own rustic empire. It encompasses much of the countryside and Syria's northern and eastern periphery with Turkey. | Into this power vacuum, the rebels have succeeded in carving out their own rustic empire. It encompasses much of the countryside and Syria's northern and eastern periphery with Turkey. |
| Here is a biblical landscape of vivid, silver-green olive groves, stony brown mountains and small boys herding sheep. There are gardens of bright yellow sunflowers, fig trees, and the odd pumpkin. There is, relatively speaking, calm. | Here is a biblical landscape of vivid, silver-green olive groves, stony brown mountains and small boys herding sheep. There are gardens of bright yellow sunflowers, fig trees, and the odd pumpkin. There is, relatively speaking, calm. |
| In the village of Atma, close to Turkey, Syrian civilians move slowly at night under a starry sky, creeping across the border. They trek over muddy fields through a hole in a barbed wire fence. | In the village of Atma, close to Turkey, Syrian civilians move slowly at night under a starry sky, creeping across the border. They trek over muddy fields through a hole in a barbed wire fence. |
| In the other direction stream volunteers: Syrian expatriates returning to join the revolution. The newcomers bed down in Atma's former police station. A bearded FSA sergeant logs new arrivals, killing time during slack periods by reading the Qur'an. | In the other direction stream volunteers: Syrian expatriates returning to join the revolution. The newcomers bed down in Atma's former police station. A bearded FSA sergeant logs new arrivals, killing time during slack periods by reading the Qur'an. |
| "I've come back to avenge my father," one volunteer, Ahmed Syri, 22, explained. Syri said he grew up in Copenhagen. His father left Syria in 1982, when Hafez al-Assad, Bashar's father, crushed a Muslim Brotherhood uprising in the city of Hama, killing thousands. | "I've come back to avenge my father," one volunteer, Ahmed Syri, 22, explained. Syri said he grew up in Copenhagen. His father left Syria in 1982, when Hafez al-Assad, Bashar's father, crushed a Muslim Brotherhood uprising in the city of Hama, killing thousands. |
| The FSA took over Atma's tiny administration in October. (In this instance there was no bloodshed; the local commander, a grizzled, bearded former carpenter called Za-Za, simply told the policemen to piss off.) Since then, it has taken more and more territory, overrunning Idlib and Aleppo provinces, though the corresponding cities remain in regime hands. So does most of urban Syria. | The FSA took over Atma's tiny administration in October. (In this instance there was no bloodshed; the local commander, a grizzled, bearded former carpenter called Za-Za, simply told the policemen to piss off.) Since then, it has taken more and more territory, overrunning Idlib and Aleppo provinces, though the corresponding cities remain in regime hands. So does most of urban Syria. |
| Two months ago, the rebels advanced to Atareb, a town with a population of 20,000 less than 20 miles from Aleppo. One fighter, Bilal, explained what happened: "The regime tried to arrest a guy. They parked two tanks outside his house. There was a firefight. He managed to escape. After that, we decided to liberate the city," he said. | Two months ago, the rebels advanced to Atareb, a town with a population of 20,000 less than 20 miles from Aleppo. One fighter, Bilal, explained what happened: "The regime tried to arrest a guy. They parked two tanks outside his house. There was a firefight. He managed to escape. After that, we decided to liberate the city," he said. |
| Over 48 hours, battle raged across Atareb's main street and market. The fighters encircled the municipality, where government troops were holed up. Eighteen defected. The FSA eventually stormed the building, killing the major in charge. "We searched the building and found three corpses," Bilal recalled, cradling his pistol. | Over 48 hours, battle raged across Atareb's main street and market. The fighters encircled the municipality, where government troops were holed up. Eighteen defected. The FSA eventually stormed the building, killing the major in charge. "We searched the building and found three corpses," Bilal recalled, cradling his pistol. |
| The regime's response to this defeat was predictable: it sent in an attack helicopter. The FSA tried to mask its positions by setting fire to tyres, sending up black smoke. But then it ran out of ammunition. | The regime's response to this defeat was predictable: it sent in an attack helicopter. The FSA tried to mask its positions by setting fire to tyres, sending up black smoke. But then it ran out of ammunition. |
| The government sent in an armoured column, snuffing out the attack. A week later, however, the troops abruptly pulled out again: they had had nothing to eat. Damascus had failed to resupply them. | The government sent in an armoured column, snuffing out the attack. A week later, however, the troops abruptly pulled out again: they had had nothing to eat. Damascus had failed to resupply them. |
| Today, "freed" Atareb is a ravaged mess. Only a few residents have returned. Shells pulverised homes; the clinic was gutted by fire. The old souk was a deadly sniper's alley during the fighting; now, it is a tangle of broken glass and destroyed shopfronts. The revolutionary flag flies from Atareb's 2,000-year-old citadel, an ancient structure that will take years to rebuild. | Today, "freed" Atareb is a ravaged mess. Only a few residents have returned. Shells pulverised homes; the clinic was gutted by fire. The old souk was a deadly sniper's alley during the fighting; now, it is a tangle of broken glass and destroyed shopfronts. The revolutionary flag flies from Atareb's 2,000-year-old citadel, an ancient structure that will take years to rebuild. |
| An alleyway next to the army's former HQ has become a masonry-choked graveyard of armoured personnel carriers and an upside-down bus – all burnt. The rebels have learned to take out tanks, Bilal explained. | An alleyway next to the army's former HQ has become a masonry-choked graveyard of armoured personnel carriers and an upside-down bus – all burnt. The rebels have learned to take out tanks, Bilal explained. |
| Despite the FSA's increased tactical prowess, there is little evidence of heavy weapons supplied from outside. On Tuesday, soldiers in khaki fatigues had to push-start Kaidi's battered car. Others mustering for the fighting in Aleppo tucked plastic bags and rocket-propelled grenades into the boot of a black family saloon. They headed off for the front as if for a suburban picnic. | Despite the FSA's increased tactical prowess, there is little evidence of heavy weapons supplied from outside. On Tuesday, soldiers in khaki fatigues had to push-start Kaidi's battered car. Others mustering for the fighting in Aleppo tucked plastic bags and rocket-propelled grenades into the boot of a black family saloon. They headed off for the front as if for a suburban picnic. |
| "Almost all our guns are bought from inside Syria; the rest, we seize from the army," Kaidi said. Gesturing at his standard-issue Kalashnikov, he laughed off suggestions that Qatar and Saudi Arabia were lavishly equipping Syria's opposition and hastening Assad's demise. Minutes later, he left the room. He returned with his hair smoothed, then read out a video message, praising Fij's sacrifice. "He was genuinely popular," a soldier chipped in. | "Almost all our guns are bought from inside Syria; the rest, we seize from the army," Kaidi said. Gesturing at his standard-issue Kalashnikov, he laughed off suggestions that Qatar and Saudi Arabia were lavishly equipping Syria's opposition and hastening Assad's demise. Minutes later, he left the room. He returned with his hair smoothed, then read out a video message, praising Fij's sacrifice. "He was genuinely popular," a soldier chipped in. |
| Despite the upbeat mood in the rebel camp, there is plenty of fear. Abdullah, an educated, English-speaking civil engineer who declined to give his second name, predicted the war could drag on for months. "The FSA every day is increasing," he observed. "It's becoming stronger and stronger. But the price will be very big without help from the west." | Despite the upbeat mood in the rebel camp, there is plenty of fear. Abdullah, an educated, English-speaking civil engineer who declined to give his second name, predicted the war could drag on for months. "The FSA every day is increasing," he observed. "It's becoming stronger and stronger. But the price will be very big without help from the west." |
| Abdullah fled Damascus last Thursday, a day after Assad took the drastic step of shelling his own capital, formerly considered impregnable but now under internal opposition assault. The bombs fell on Abdullah's western Kafar Sousseh district. "It was terrible. You could hear the firing all night," he said. | Abdullah fled Damascus last Thursday, a day after Assad took the drastic step of shelling his own capital, formerly considered impregnable but now under internal opposition assault. The bombs fell on Abdullah's western Kafar Sousseh district. "It was terrible. You could hear the firing all night," he said. |
| He and his family set off in three cars, driving for 10 hours across the country towards the FSA-controlled north. It was a spookily perilous trek. Often, they were the only vehicles on the road, Abdullah said; driving past Homs they heard the thunder of mortars. There were numerous checkpoints, government and opposition. The family encountered their first FSA fighters just outside Hama. | He and his family set off in three cars, driving for 10 hours across the country towards the FSA-controlled north. It was a spookily perilous trek. Often, they were the only vehicles on the road, Abdullah said; driving past Homs they heard the thunder of mortars. There were numerous checkpoints, government and opposition. The family encountered their first FSA fighters just outside Hama. |
| "The regime always insists everything is normal. But it [the revolution] is like a snowball," he said, sitting in the courtyard of his relatives' house in Atma under a vine-covered trellis. "It's a huge snowball that can destroy everything. I've left my job, my home, my life." | "The regime always insists everything is normal. But it [the revolution] is like a snowball," he said, sitting in the courtyard of his relatives' house in Atma under a vine-covered trellis. "It's a huge snowball that can destroy everything. I've left my job, my home, my life." |
| He took a sip from a cup of sweet tea, then said most Syrians, whatever their professed beliefs, opposed the regime. "Those who support it don't do it because they like it; they do it because it is mandatory," he said. "They are afraid: for their families, their homes and their jobs." | He took a sip from a cup of sweet tea, then said most Syrians, whatever their professed beliefs, opposed the regime. "Those who support it don't do it because they like it; they do it because it is mandatory," he said. "They are afraid: for their families, their homes and their jobs." |
| Like many Syrians, he said, he feared for his country's future: "Now we are going into a dark hole. Nobody knows what will happen. The regime starts to fall down. The revolution gets stronger and stronger. | Like many Syrians, he said, he feared for his country's future: "Now we are going into a dark hole. Nobody knows what will happen. The regime starts to fall down. The revolution gets stronger and stronger. |
| "But," he wondered, "is it united?" | "But," he wondered, "is it united?" |
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