To make a longer story very short by summing it as if for a cable (or txt mssg) — Idlib, Syria – destroyed by blast: Ahrar-al-Sham – “The Free Men of Syria” — described by Breitbart as “main rival to ISIS.”
http://www.breitbart.com/Breitbart-London/2014/09/11/ISIS-Opposition-Killed-Bomb – 9/11/2014
Nearly fifty senior commanders of a major coalition of Islamic ‘moderates’ opposed to ISIS in Syria have been killed by an explosion at their secret command bunker as they met to discuss strategy against the the Islamic State.
http://astuteblogger.blogspot.com/2014/09/mega-uh-oh-entire-isis-opposition-wiped.html – 9/11/2014.
Main rival to ISIS or main moderate opposition to ISIS?
The leader of one of the biggest Islamist rebel groups in Syria has been killed by an explosion in the north-western province of Idlib.
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-29135922 – 9/10/2014.
Note the date of the BBC report.
Another wrinkle: “The doctor saw bodies with frothing at the mouth and fluid coming from the eyes and noses, Abu Baraa said, adding: ‘This was a highly sophisticated attack in a location that was very secure.'”
Big concussive blast with fire or some other kind of explosion with a chemical payload?
Oh, who cares how they died, eh?
An activist collective called the Edlib News Network, the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights and Syrian state media also reported Aboud’s death. The activist reports said the men died in a suicide bombing.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/09/09/ahrar-al-sham-leader-killed_n_5792942.html – 9/9/2014.
I kid about the not caring — caring is what matters and how whatever has happened has happened matters in numerous ways. But to push on: with the count coming down to “over 40” (cited in the HuffPost piece) from 50, somehow 10 (or less) people (somewhere) have gotten to live. Credit the AP writers with noting how the numbers are reported (in tens) and uncertain in the wake of an event.
A statement posted on Ahrar al-Sham’s official Twitter feed said the blast had hit a meeting in Idlib province in north-west Syria and confirmed Hassan Aboud, the group’s leader, among at least 12 dead.
http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/sep/09/explosion-syria-islamist-insurgent-islamic-state – 9/9/2014.
The Guardian makes mention of 28 dead (citing another source, probably the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights) before dropping the count to 12.
What we know: the story broke at least two days ago; about 50 leaders of Ahrar al-Sham, an ISIS rival, had assembled in a basement to discuss the war; and there was an explosion (of some kind) leaving between 12 and 50 dead.
What we also know: the event was not a 9/11 event.
Why post it as one?
It may be making the rounds as “news” cogent to the anti-Jihad when it was news two days ago and not particularly about “moderate” forces opposed to Assad’s absolute rule.
Moreover, with Ahrar al-Sham aligned with al-Qaeda, why characterize it as part of the bands of the “Free Syrian Army” even if in the field cooperation develops and dissolves according to conditions and who else is in the field?
Ahrar al-Sham cooperates with the Free Syrian Army and other secular rebel groups, however, it does not maintain ties with the Syrian National Council.[27] Although they coordinate with other groups, they maintain their own strict and secretive leadership, receiving the majority of their funding and support from donors in Kuwait.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ahrar_ash-Sham – as viewed 9/11/2014/2125-ET
Way down on the irreducible floor of the Islamic Small Wars, there is in addition to an underlying argument about integrity (with all men, not only Muslims) a similar one about mankind: does nature dictate “all against all”, which appears the zeitgeist most in play across Syria and Iraq, or is a democratic, egalitarian, systematic, and reasoning “all for all” a real possibility for most of the world?
Stay tuned, but adventure out where ye may and live beyond war: it looks like answering the simple binary posed today in Syria and Iraq will take a lot more time, possibly generations.
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