Topic: Free Syrian Army
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In key Syrian city, snipers and bombing tear at fabric of daily life
As rebels and the Syrian government battle for control of Aleppo, residents tap caution – and dark humor – to survive.
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Why no safe zone in Syria, yet? 5 complications
The flood of Syrian refugees entering Turkey – as many as 5,000 a day for the last 10 days – has ratcheted up the pressure for a safe zone’s creation. But a safe zone is complicated and carries many risks.
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Five reasons why Syria may be at a tipping point
Since the start of the conflict in Syria, international observers have been watching the government of President Bashar al-Assad for signs that the once-feared regime might be vulnerable to overthrow. Despite Syrian efforts to crush the rebels and to stifle news out of the country, this past week has shown the strongest evidence yet that the end of the Assad regime may be near. Here are five signs that the Syrian conflict may finally be tipping in favor of the rebels.
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Briefing
Syria conflict: 5 warring factions
Syria is at the nexus of some of the Middle East's most central problems, meaning that fallout from its uprising is likely to ripple, in unpredictable ways, through the region. Here's a brief guide to the actors in the conflict.
All Content
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Terrorism & Security Kidnapped Syrian bishops still missing, despite reports otherwise
The churches of two prominent Syrian Orthodox bishops reportedly kidnapped in northern Syria were unable to verify a claim that the pair had been released by their armed rebel captors.
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Syrian rebels intensify rocket attacks into Lebanon
Rebels fighting the Syrian government are shelling villages on the Lebanese side of the border in order to curb a Lebanese group's efforts to help the Syrian regime.
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In rebel fighter's personal story, the arc of Syria's war
When The Monitor first met Syrian rebel fighter Abu Omar last July, he was buoyant and determined to bring down the Assad regime. Now his outlook is a bit more grim.
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Iran's 'axis of resistance' loses its Palestinian arm to Syrian war
Sunni Hamas has broken its longtime ties with the Assad regime to fight alongside the predominantly Sunni Syrian opposition.
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Despite UN peacekeeper capture, Syrian aid groups say dangers are overblown
Syrian rebels' detention of 21 UN peacekeepers has set off alarm bells for international aid groups, but local organizations say that such incidents are rare and short-lived.
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Syrian rebels seize UN peacekeepers in Golan (+video)
Syrian rebels are holding about 20 UN peacekeepers who monitor the Israel-Syria border in an attempt to force the withdrawal of Syrian Army forces from a nearby village.
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Terrorism & Security Syria's violence continues its march across borders, into Iraq
Dozens of Syrian Army soldiers were killed yesterday while in Iraq seeking temporary refuge from fighting with rebels. They were ambushed by suspected Al Qaeda-affiliated militants.
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Aleppo takes first step toward post-Assad governance in Syria
Syria's Aleppo Province elected a local council this weekend, replacing an interim local government and taking a step toward restoring some semblance of order to the war-torn province.
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Lebanon erects string of watchtowers on Syrian border
Lebanon is struggling to maintain control over its border region as Syrian rebels and the Syrian Army increasingly treat the area as just another battlefield in the civil war.
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Backchannels Will limited US aid to Syria rebels hasten the end of war, or prolong it?
The US has promised to do a lot more to help Syria's rebellion against the government of Bashar al-Assad, but is stopping well short of the kind of aid that might prove decisive.
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Terrorism & Security US will send nonlethal aid directly to Syrian rebels (+video)
Secretary of State John Kerry said that some groups the US doesn't support are gaining more influence with the rebels in the absence of greater Western help.
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Criminals cash in on Syria's chaos with kidnappings and ransoms
Not all of the kidnappings in Syria are politically driven. In lawless areas not held by either the government or opposition, kidnappers are increasingly driven by cold cash.
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Syrian government offers to meet with opposition
Against a backdrop of steady military gains for the opposition forces, Bashar Assad's government proposed a meeting. Critics call it a tactic to keep western arms out of opposition hands.
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Syrian regime battles rebels for control of highway to its safe haven
Lebanon appears closer than ever to getting dragged into Syria's war as the regime and rebels battle just over the border and Hezbollah's growing involvement raises rebel ire.
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Lebanese military seals off a town involved in Syrian rebellion
The Lebanese military has surrounded the town of Arsal after a deadly gunbattle between troops and residents. The tensions are linked to the conflict in neighboring Syria.
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Ferocious battle for strategic suburb could hold the keys to Damascus (+video)
Syria's Assad regime appears to be investing all it has in the battle for Daraya to ensure its grip on power. Sixty percent of Army troops are deployed in Damascus.
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Syrian activists report 106 killed in raid on civilians, call for UN action
Activists say women and children were among the 106 people killed by forces who stormed an impoverished district on the edge of Homs, where a similar raid happened in 2011.
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Syria swaps over 2,000 prisoners for Iranians held by rebels, Turkish NGO says
Over 40 Iranian hostages held since last summer by a Syrian rebel group were released Wednesday in exchange for civilian prisoners held by the Syrian government.
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Another Syria blast kills 11, state media reports
Syrian officials blamed 'terrorists' for a Damascus gas station explosion that left 11 dead and 40 injured.
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Focus
In 2013, possibilities for stability from Somalia to South China SeaPolicymakers in many of the world's hot spots have a common New Year's wish: for unity to usher in and consolidate political and economic stability.
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Syrian moderates fear being edged out of uprising
Some of Syria's moderate opposition members worry they are losing a place in the fight against the regime as better-armed, more experienced hard-line groups proliferate.
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Lebanese border means little in Syria's civil war
With Sunni villages sheltering Syrian rebel fighters and Shiite villages shipping Hezbollah fighters across the border, northern Lebanon is now just another frontline in Syria's war.
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Syrian rebel infighting could take dangerous turn if Assad falls
If President Bashar al-Assad falls and the disparate Syrian opposition groups lose their common enemy, their ranks will likely fracture – perhaps violently.
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Syrian opposition forces say they are on brink of major victory in Aleppo
If Syrian rebels succeed in breaching an infantry school in Aleppo, they will gain some strategically critical pieces of territory, a windfall of supplies, and possibly a slew of regime defectors.
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Russia, NATO: Assad could lose Syria to rebels (+video)
Opposition fighters have seized large swaths of territory in northern Syria along the border with Turkey and appear to be expanding their control outside of Damascus.
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