Al Nusrah front spearheads capture of Syrian dam, claims suicide assault

The Long War Journal ^ | February 11, 2013 | BILL ROGGIO

[neverdem]

The Al Nusrah Front for the People of the Levant, al Qaeda in Iraq's affiliate in Syria, led an assault today that resulted in the takeover of a major dam on the Euphrates River in northern Syria. Additionally, the terror group claimed credit for a suicide assault on an intelligence headquarters in the city of Palmyra.

The Al Nusrah Front spearheaded today's assault on the "strategic" dam in Thawra in Raqqa province, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. The Nusrah Front led "other factions" of the insurgency to take control of Thawra, which "is considered one of the most important cities in north-east of Syria," and its dam, which is the largest in the country.

The Syrian military melted in the face of the Al Nusrah Front-led attack, the Observatory reported on its Facebook page. The group also published video of jihadists in control of the dam.

"The regime has not shown any serious resistance to the rebel takeover, the leaders of the security services were flown out of the cities with helicopters, they are now stationed at the Tabqa military airport," the human rights group reported.

The fall of Thawra puts the Al Nusrah Front and its rebel allies in virtual control of the Euphrates River Valley. Thawra is upriver from Deir al Zour, a major stronghold of the Al Nusrah Front and jihadist allies. The Al Nusrah Front has banded together with nine other Islamist groups to create the "Mujahideen Shura Council," which is modeled after a group with the same name that was formed by al Qaeda in Iraq in 2006 and which eventually became the Islamic State of Iraq. Al Nusrah has also imposed sharia, or Islamic law, in Mayadin and has a strong presence in Abu Kamal, which is on the border with...

[Art in Idaho]

The Long March continues. . Forward. . . How long until it's here? Oh, I forgot, it's already here. So what do Patriots do now?

[1010RD]

Is Obama an enabler or a bumbler?

[MestaMachine]

A co-conspirator.

[American in Israel]

I don't really understand all the effort of the State Department and Obama to please the Muslims for peace. How can infidels please the Death Cultist's if they are all the time killing each other. One would think a Muslim could get along with a Muslim.

But every border is a war with them.

Perhaps the Goobermint should try the old “victory” approach. It has worked for generations before the Progressives took over and improved things.

[Ezekiel]

The Al Nusrah Front for the People of the Levant, al Qaeda in Iraq's affiliate in Syria, led an assault today that resulted in the takeover of a major dam on the Euphrates River in northern Syria.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tabqa_Dam

Lost in the shuffle ping.

[SunkenCiv]

Note: this topic was posted 2/11/2013. Thanks neverdem.