SHAFAQNA

SHAFAQNA (Shia International News Association) –UN-Arab League special envoy to Syria Lakhdar Brahimi says there is no end to the Syrian crisis and that the country is facing "unprecedented levels of horror."

Brahimi made the remarks in New York on Tuesday during a briefing to the United Nations Security Council on Syria, which has been facing a foreign-backed insurgency for nearly two years.

"I'm sorry if I sound like an old broken record. The country [Syria] is breaking up before everyone's eyes… The tragedy does not have an end,” Brahimi said.

Brahimi told the Security Council he was very concerned about an increasing danger of "contamination" which the countries around Syria are facing.

"There might be implications if the crisis continues spiraling. The refugee flow is becoming a matter of controversy in these countries," he added.

"None of the neighbors is immune to the fallout consequences of the conflict. The region is facing the risk of contamination," Brahimi noted.

Syria has been experiencing unrest since mid-March 2011. Many people, including large numbers of security personnel, have been killed in the violence.

The Syrian government says the chaos is being orchestrated from outside the country, and there are reports that a very large number of the militants fighting the Syrian government are foreign nationals.

And several international human rights organizations have accused the foreign-sponsored militants of committing war crimes.

On January 14, an international aid agency said the conflict in Syria is causing a "staggering humanitarian crisis" in the Middle East.

The International Rescue Committee (IRC) said in a 23-page report that more than 600,000 Syrians have fled the country because of violence, including gang rape.

The New York-based organization described the level of rape and sexual violence taking place in the conflict zones in Syria as "horrific."-www.shfaqna.com/English

SHAFAQNA (Shia International News Association) – A controversial referendum on a new constitution in Egypt due to start Saturday looks set to further split the country after the opposition called for a ‘no’ vote and imposed conditions that could yet result in its boycott.

Egypt’s powerful army called off a national “unity” meeting between President Mohamed Mursi and opposition leaders that was supposed to happen Wednesday because responses from both sides “were not at the level wished for.”

The dialogue has been pushed back to an unspecified “later date,” according to a statement on the military’s official Facebook page.

Mursi has brushed aside all opposition demands to halt the referendum on the constitution, which was drafted by a panel dominated by his Islamist allies and rushed through under near-absolute powers he gave up only last weekend after big protests.

But many judges are refusing to oversee the vote, forcing Mursi to order the plebiscite to be split over two days, on Saturday and a week later, on December 22, to meet voting rules.

Saturday will see voters in 10 governorates called to polling stations, including in the two biggest cities of Cairo and Alexandria. On December 22 it will be the turn of Giza, Port Said, Luxor and 14 other regions.

Egypt’s main opposition coalition, the National Salvation Front, called Wednesday on the Egyptian people to vote “no” against a controversial draft constitution in a two-stage referendum on Dec. 15 and 22, Al Arabiya TV reported.

“We call on citizens to vote ‘no’ in the referendum on the constitution,” the Front said in a statement read out by a spokesman at a Cairo news conference.

Hamdeen Sabahi, head of the Dignity Party and one of the opposition leaders, said the Egyptian people have the “opportunity” to foil the constitution project when voting.

The announcement also came after Egypt’s armed forces chief and defense minister, General Abdel Fattah al-Sissi, said that the unity talks called by his ministry for the country’s divided political forces to meet was postponed.

The televised appeal by al-Sissi came late Tuesday, as rival camps of President Mohammed Mursi supporters and opponents brought tens of thousands of people out for separate mass rallies in Cairo.

The Egyptian army called on Mursi and oppositional groups, including youth movements, judges and journalists, to hold unity talks on Wednesday to stop a crisis over an imminent constitutional referendum from tearing the country apart.

The military has said it fears the Arab world’s most populous country is headed for a disastrous “dark tunnel” unless the two sides talk. It has warned it will not allow the situation to worsen.

Troops have orders to use police powers to protect state institutions until results are announced from the referendum, which is scheduled for Saturday.

The unity talks scheduled for 14:30 GMT were called in response to a wave of protests since President Mursi awarded himself sweeping powers on Nov. 22 to push through a new constitution shaped by his Islamist allies, which is due to go to a referendum on Saturday.

“We will not speak about politics nor about the referendum. Tomorrow we will sit together as Egyptians,” Sissi said at the gathering of army and police officials.

The United States has urged Egypt’s military -- which it provides with billions of dollars each year -- “to exercise restraint, to respect the right of peaceful protest.”

Washington said there were “real and legitimate questions” about the referendum process.

State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland said there were fears for “public order surrounding the polling”, but urged Egypt’s military to show restraint.

The prolonged crisis, the worst since a popular uprising overthrew autocratic president Hosni Mubarak early last year, is intensifying uncertainty over Egypt’s economy.

The International Monetary Fund on Tuesday put on hold a $4.8-billion loan Egypt has sought to fill budget gaps it will face in the 2013-2014 fiscal year.

The IMF had been expected to review the loan, which would have come with budget-cutting requirements attached, this month for final approval.- www.shfaqna.com/English

Source: Al Arabiya

SHAFAQNA (Shia International News Association) – The first reaction many may have when hearing the word 'Ashura' may be, "Oh come on, you keep repeating the same story over and over again! Imam Hussain (peace be upon him) was martyred, life goes on!" or even more practically, "Why should we always be portrayed as victims?"  There are a few points to make in response.

Ashura is a word that has come to describe an everlasting struggle.  When Muslims commemorate the martyrdom of Imam Hussain and his companions (peace be upon them) on Ashura, they are not simply mourning for their loss as a Muslim nation.  Yes!  The Muslim world did lose the Imam of its time on the plains of Karbala. But when Muslims commemorate Ashura, it is far greater than the strife of a few heroic souls in a specific period of time.

During Ashura, on the sandy plains of Karbala, the forces of justice rose to challenge the infestation of injustice.  When Muslims cry, "Oh Hussain!" they do not simply call out to the Infallible Imam of the year 680 AD.  Rather, they cry out a universal call for justice.  When Muslims repeat, "Hayhaat Minna-Th-Thilla!" (Away With Disgrace!), their souls burst with a surge of power against oppression and falsehood.

Imam Hussain not only sacrificed himself, but his family as well.  Imam Hussain told his family and companions on the last night before the bloody massacre: "Those people (the army of Yazeed) only want to fight me. And this night has come upon you all, so take the night as your ride and leave this place…."

None of the family members or companions left. Instead, many of them chanted things like: "Oh son of the Messenger of God!  We would never leave you!  Even if I were to be killed, cut into pieces, then brought back to life – and that were to be done to me several times – I would never leave you!"

Why were they so willing to sacrifice? Islam, which is the path of true submission to the will of God – in all the principles of truth, justice, and love – was at the verge of annihilation during the time of Imam Hussain.

The Imam knew this and told the people before he left to Karbala: "I have not left my home to seek power or to cause mischief.  I have not left my home to cause corruption or to do injustice.  Rather, I have left my home to demand reform in the nation of my grandfather, the Messenger of God."

When Muslims commemorate Ashura, they are not commemorating an event that concerns only Muslims.  Ashura holds a universal call to justice.  Ashura must be commemorated every year as a message of hope to all the oppressed.

When a tear trickles down a person's cheek, the person is crying for the tragedy of Ashura, but even more so, that person is crying for the tragedies in this world of injustice. When Muslims speak of Imam Hussain and the rest of the martyrs, they speak of the epitome of sacrifice.

When Muslims speak of the women and children who were led as prisoners throughout the deserts, they speak of the dignity of women and children as well.  When they speak of Lady Zayneb (peace be upon her), they refer to the one who held the torch of freedom from oppression after the massacre.

Every day there is oppression and injustice.  Every land on Earth is a battlefield between justice and injustice.

Hence, there should be no hesitation to chant with full comprehension,

"Every Day Is Ashura! Every Land Is Karbala!"— www.shafaqna.com/English

Source:Islamicinsights

SHAFAQNA (Shia International News Association) – The public search engine for the US National Archives appears to be blocked for the term “WikiLeaks”. The whistleblower website has already lashed out at the move, saying the Archives has turned into “Orwell’s Ministry of Truth.”

An error message pops up every time a search is performed with the word “WikiLeaks”.

It’s not entirely clear when the US National Archives decided to block these searches.

However, WikiLeaks’ has already called the whole thing a “farce”.

“The US National Archives has literally turned into Orwell’s Ministry of Truth,” a message on the site’s Twitter account reads, adding “The US state is literally eating its own brain by censoring its own collective memories about WikiLeaks.”

The block is likely to be in line with the “Protecting Cyberspace as a National Asset Act,” a form of internet censorship the US adopted back in 2010.

It did not become law, but it prompted various US government agencies such as the White House Office of Management and Budget and the US Air Force to advise their employees not to read or access classified documents being made available by sites like WikiLeaks.

The Library of Congress went further by blocking access to WikiLeaks content from its server in 2010.

The American Library Association suggested this violated the First Amendment rights of internet users to receive information.

“The Library of Congress’s decision is a violation of the First Amendment and a violation of the American Library Association’s Bill of Rights. Moreover, it is a violation of the professional ethics of librarians to always provide free access to all information,” their statement said.

WikiLeaks exploded on to the global scene back in 2006, since then releasing hundreds of thousands of classified diplomatic cables, including top secret documents from the US Department of Defense, and secret cables from the State Department.

Some of that classified information was seen as damaging the US government’s reputation in a number of incidents.

Recently it was revealed that the US government officially considers WikiLeaks’ and its founder Julian Assange to be enemies of the state.

Declassified US Air Force counter-intelligence documents show that military personnel contacting WikiLeaks could face execution for "communicating with the enemy."

The fact that WikiLeaks was treated as an enemy of state would have serious implications should Assange be extradited to the US, as he could face military detention.

According to diplomatic cables released over the past months the US Justice Department’s investigation targeting of both Assange and WikiLeaks is real.

Assange himself called the investigation "unprecedented." His lawyer Jennifer Robinson told RT there are signs that the US has already lodged a sealed indictment to sue Assange, and that his case might outdo the one of Bradley Manning. The corporal is accused of releasing classified information to WikiLeaks.

At the moment Assange is holed up in the Ecuadorian embassy in London as the UK has forcefully asserted that it will deny him safe passage to Ecuador. Ecuador granted Assange political asylum in August over fears that if extradited to Sweden, Assange could be transferred to the US and once there, face execution.

In Sweden, the whistleblower is wanted for questioning over sexual assault allegations, which he denies, although no charges have yet been filed against him.

Assange believes these charges are a pretext to hand him over to the US, where many officials have talked in favor of trying Assange in a court martial as a terrorist and spy.— www.shafaqna.com/English

SHAFAQNA (Shia International News Association) – Unlike previous studies investigating the relationship between soy and these menopausal symptoms, the current study included a very large population over a long period of time: more than 1,600 women over 10 years.

“Given that most women experience unpleasant symptoms, particularly hot flashes and night sweats, during menopause, we were hopeful that certain dietary intakes would provide good alternatives to hormone therapy,” says Ellen Gold, lead author of the study and professor and chair of the UC Davis Department of Public Health Sciences. “Unfortunately, based on our study, soy-related foods did not turn out to be the ‘magic bullet.’”

The study analyzed data from the Study of Women’s Health Across the Nation (SWAN), which followed more than 3,000 premenopausal and early perimenopausal women with annual visits for 10 years. Women answered detailed questionnaires of their dietary habits at baseline, year five and year nine, and in each year were asked about the frequency of various menopausal symptoms, including hot flashes and night sweats.

The new study focused on the 1,651 women who had not yet had hot flashes and night sweats (called vasomotor symptoms) at the beginning of the study, because the investigators wanted to specifically evaluate the effect of dietary factors on preventing the onset of these symptoms.

The main dietary factor of interest in this study was phytoestrogens, also known as plant-based estrogens.

Predominantly found in tofu, soy milk, and other soy-containing foods, phytoestrogens have a chemical structure similar to estrogen and are believed to mimic the effects of the female hormone in the body.

Since estrogen levels drop during menopause, the investigators hypothesized that a diet high in phytoestrogens would reduce menopause symptoms. They also evaluated the participants’ consumption of fiber, because it is thought to increase the availability of estrogens in the body.

The study found no consistent correlations between dietary phytoestrogens or fiber and the onset of menopausal symptoms in women who were not yet postmenopausal when they started the study.

Although other studies have examined similar hypotheses, the outcomes have been somewhat inconsistent. Most previous studies evaluated women who were already postmenopausal and having symptoms. Also, a clear dose-response relationship—showing that the more phytoestrogens or fiber women consumed, the less likely they were to develop symptoms—has not been consistently found.

The authors concede that to determine conclusively if a relationship exists between such dietary intakes and the onset of menopausal symptoms, a large, randomized, placebo-controlled trial would be needed with many years of follow-up.

However, they state that such a study would be costly and difficult, and their results indicate that finding a clinically significant or large effect would be unlikely.

‘Eastern’ diets

The study had many advantages over earlier studies. It included detailed dietary information on a large number of women from across the US who were followed over the course of a decade. SWAN also included women from different racial and ethnic groups, including white, African-American, Hispanic, Chinese, and Japanese women.

“In general, women of Asian ancestry report fewer menopausal hot flashes than do women of European backgrounds,” says Gail Greendale, a specialist in geriatric medicine with UCLA Health System and the UCLA principal investigator of the SWAN Phytoestrogen Study.

“The ‘Eastern’ dietary pattern, which is high in phytoestrogens, has been one of the proposed explanations for the ethnic differences in hot flash occurrence. Our findings do not support the theory that higher phytonutrient intakes are associated with lower hot flash rates.”

“This study contributes to the discussion about the effects of phytoestrogens on symptoms at menopause,” adds Gold, who was principal investigator of the UC Davis/Kaiser Permanente site of the SWAN study.

“But it is not the final word. Other advantages to these compounds may exist, or it may be that a subset of women will benefit from phytoestrogen intake because of their genetic makeup, which could affect their metabolism of these dietary factors.”

The SWAN Phytoestrogen Study investigators are also studying the effects of phytoestrogens on bone density and cognition, as well as whether the ability to produce a metabolite called equol when digesting phytoestrogens may have an effect. Equol appears to have greater biological potency as an estrogen mimic than other breakdown products of phytoestrogens, and Asians are more likely to be equol producers than non-Asians.

SWAN was supported by the National Institute on Aging, National Institute of Nursing Research, and the National Institutes of Health Office of Research on Women’s Health. The Study of Women’s Health Across the Nation Phytoestrogen Ancillary Study was supported by the NIH.— www.shafaqna.com/English

Source: Futurity

SHAFAQNA (Shia International News Association) - A planned 10,000-capacity ‘mega mosque’ in East London is under consideration by city authorities as locals mount a campaign to halt construction amid fears it will become a hotbed of Islamic extremism.

The gigantic mosque, four times the size of St. Paul’s Cathedral, will sport towering 40-foot minarets, an Islamic library, sports facilities and eight apartments.

Planning permission for the place of worship is being considered by Newham Council, despite controversy and fierce opposition from the local community, including many Muslims.

The plans were submitted by Tablighi Jamaat, a Muslim missionary movement, which some have described as an ‘antechamber of fundamentalism’.

Critics claim the Islamic group preaches separatism and segregation. Two of the July 7, 2005, London bombers – Shehzad Tanweer and Mohammad Sidique Khan – are believed to have prayed at a Tablighi mosque in Dewsbury, West Yorkshire, before committing their terror attack.

“They teach that if you want to be a good Muslim you must separate off from non-Muslims…It's only Tablighi Jamaat – of all the Islamic groups – that has created ghettos over in Toronto, in Canada. They're all around the world, this is a huge group and wherever they go they create barriers, hostility, division, they create separatism," Alan Craig, campaign director of ‘Mega Mosque No Thanks,’ which is actively opposing its construction, told RT.

If given the go-ahead, the massive mosque could be the first Sharia-law-controlled area in Britain. Many East Londoners are worried that flouts Prime Minster David Cameron’s policy of a multicultural Britain that embraces all ethnic groups.

“The grounds on which they're trying to set-up here in Britain are anti-British, anti-Western. This is not just going to be a Mosque – this is going to be a centre of training, where they are going to try to reach out to Islamist Muslims. To harden up and medieval-ize the Islam of ordinary Muslims in this country. And I meet so many Muslims, who don't want that," journalist and cultural analyst Dr. Jenny Taylor, founder of religious literacy consulting group Lapido Media, explained to RT.

That view is shared by many Muslims in East London. Asqhar Bukhari, a spokesperson for the UK branch of the Muslim Public Affairs Committee, told RT, “Muslims themselves oppose this mosque. Not on the grounds that, they don't want to worship their God, but on the grounds that women aren't allowed, the local population, the Muslim population, has no say in how the mosque itself is governed."

The proposal has sparked intense opposition in the years since the plans were first submitted in 1999.

In 2001, Tablighi Jamaat agreed worship would only be on a temporary basis at the site of the proposed mosque. In 2010, Newham Council issued an enforcement notice, but Tablighi successfully appealed it in 2011 and now more than 5,000 people worship at the ramshackle site every week.

The plans had initially included a provision for retail units and 300 houses, which were shelved in place of the mega mosque. The Muslim community refused to allow their donations to contribute to commercial businesses.

Newham Council, which received the proposal from Tablighi on September 5, 2012, issued a statement in response: “We can confirm we have received a planning application. As this is currently being processed it would be inappropriate to comment further at this stage.”

The Mega Mosque No Thanks website contains a checklist for mobilizing activists, including signing an e-petition on the government’s website and contacting local MPs.

Craig explained to RT, “If this went ahead it would be like a tipping point – there will be no stopping fundamentalist Islam. If that happens – well we'd all need to leave the county."

Tablighi Jamaat maintains that their purpose is peaceful missionary work. Spokesperson for the group’s charitable trust and site owner Anjuman-E-Islahul-Muslimeen previously told reporters, “The door is always open and we are happy to meet and discuss in depth our proposals.”— www.shafaqna.com/English

Source: RT

SHAFAQNA (Shia International News Association) - A new piece of technology from Volvo is designed to make daily commuting much easier. The Traffic Jam Assistance can drive and steer a vehicle in thick traffic at speeds up to 31 mph. And rather than just a fanciful concept, Volvo says Traffic Jam Assistance is a real-world system that will go into production by 2014.

Volvo admits that Traffic Jam Assistance is essentially an evolution of two existing technologies: adaptive cruise control and lane-departure warning. When the driver is in a slow-moving jam on a highway, he or she can push a button to have the Volvo’s computer take control of steering, braking, and steering. The car will continue driving in the same lane until the driver takes over. The system is even said to be clever enough to automatically steer around obstacles in a traffic lane, like construction barrels.

“Our aim with the traffic jam assistance is to make commuting a bit less stressful for the driver,” Volvo senior vice president for research and development Peter Mertens said in a statement. “It offers you a safe, effortless drive in slow traffic.”

The technology follows on Volvo’s earlier trials of “road trains”, in which cars communication with one another to drive safely at highway speeds. Unlike that trial, however, Traffic Jam Assistance doesn’t require cars to communicate with one another, and functions only at low speeds when highways are gridlocked. The company notes that this technology has lots of potential to help drivers on a daily basis — the average American apparently spends over 100 hours annually driving to and from work.

While Volvo says this technology will simply help drivers relax when commuting in heavy traffic, it’s clear that Traffic Jam Assistance is the company’s first tentative foray into self-driving cars. Volvo has publicly promised that by the year 2020, nobody will be killed or injured in any of its road cars, and self-driving cars are a big part of that goal. The company has already shown systems that can automatically brake to avoid a collision at an intersection, as well as technology that automatically brakes to avoid hitting animals like moose and deer.

Traffic Jam Assistance will debut on a new Volvo product in 2014. The company says the feature will be built into its new Scalable Product Architecture that will underpin future small Volvo models, meaning a wide range of new cars could be fitted with Traffic Jam Assistance.— www.shafaqna.com/English

Source: Motortrend

SHAFAQNA (Shia International News Association) — The Muslim community in Burma has cancelled plans to hold festivities to mark the advent of `Eid Al-Adha, one of two major festivals in Islamic calendar, in solidarity with ethnic-Bengali Muslims, known as Rohingyas.

“Our brothers and sisters are being murdered and their villages are being burned down in Arakan State,” Myo Latt, a senior leader of the Burmese Muslim Association, told The Irrawaddy newspaper on Wednesday, October 24.

“It is for this reason that we will not celebrate `Eid.”

`Eid Al-Adha, or "Feast of Sacrifice”, is one of the two most important Islamic celebrations, together with `Eid Al-Fitr.

After special prayers to mark the day, Muslims offer unhiyah, a ritual that reminds of the great act of sacrifice Prophet Ibrahim and his son Isma`eel were willing to make for the sake of God

Festivities and merriment then start with visits to the homes of friends and relatives.

But Burmese Muslims decided to scrap `Eid celebrations in solidarity with Rohingya Muslims, who are facing attacks in the western state of Rakhine.

Myo Latt said Burmese Muslims often gather for a grand dinner in Rangoon to mark `Eid Al-Adha, which will start on Friday, October 26.

But they decided to cancel this year’s celebrations for the first time in living memory over the ongoing persecution of Rohingya Muslims.

Described by the UN as one of the world's most persecuted minorities, Rohingya Muslims are facing a catalogue of discrimination in their homeland.

They have been denied citizenship rights since an amendment to the citizenship laws in 1982 and are treated as illegal immigrants in their own home.

The Burmese government as well as the Buddhist majority refuse to recognize the term "Rohingya", referring to them as "Bengalis".

Thousands of Rohingya Muslims have been forced to flee their homes in June after ethnic violence rocked the western city of Rakhine in July.

Human rights groups have accused Burmese police and troops of disproportionate use of force and arrests of Rohingyas in the wake of the violence in Rakhine.

Human Rights Watch has accused Burmese security forces of targeting Rohingya Muslims with killing, rape and arrest following the unrest.

Protection

Muslim leaders said that the cancellation of `Eid celebration was also prompted by fears of attacks during the festival.

“He [Myint Swe] told us not to hold the festival because of a lack of security,” Muslim community leader Hla Thein said, referring to chief minister of Rangoon.

Sectarian clashes erupted again this week between Buddhists and Muslims in the western state of Rakhine.

Official media said Wednesday that two people had been killed and eight injured in the violence since Sunday, while 1,039 homes had been burned down.

Unconfirmed reports from other sources put the death toll higher.

Burmese authorities imposed a night-time curfew in at least two towns in Rakhine to help control sectarian violence in the state.

“Five Muslim organizations [in Burma] got together to pen an open letter to the president requesting full protection for our brothers in Arakan State,” said Myo Latt.

“But we have not as yet received a reply.”

Burma is about 90 percent Buddhist and the majority are ethnically Burman, but the remaining people are a diverse group of over 100 ethnic and religious minorities.

Treating Buddhism as the state de facto religion, the Buddhist Burman majority was singled out as the trustworthy pillar of national identity.— www.shafaqna.com/English

Source: On Islam

SHAFAQNA (Shia International News Association) — Sometimes you don't want to be ahead of schedule. A major federal study has ended two years early after it became clear that diet and weight loss do nothing to prevent heart attacks and strokes in overweight people with type 2 diabetes. Doctors were surprised, as both previous short-term studies and common sense seem to indicate that weight loss would help prevent heart attacks in these patients. But medical experts caution that this study doesn't mean you should stop exercising: maintaining a healthy weight is always a good thing.— www.shafaqna.com/English

Source: The Daily Beast

SHAFAQNA (Shia International News Association) — Members of the Union of Turkish Youth have staged an anti-war protest in Ankara to condemn the Turkish government’s policy on Syria.

On Tuesday, the protesters waved Turkish, Syrian, and Palestinian flags during the demonstration and chanted slogans in condemnation of Ankara’s hostile approach toward Damascus, AFP reported.

On the same day, Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan warned that Turkey’s armed forces would not hesitate to strike back in response to any strike on Turkish soil.

The Turkish and Syrian militaries exchanged artillery fire for a sixth straight day on Monday.

In the latest cross-border incident, a Syrian artillery shell fell on Turkey's border province of Hatay. The round reportedly landed in a cotton field near the town of Altinozu. People were working in the field but no one was injured.

Turkey retaliated, as it did on the five previous days, and struck areas inside Syria.

On October 5, Erdogan said that Turkey was not far from war with Syria due to the cross-border attacks.

"We are not interested in war, but we're not far from it either," Erdogan told a crowd in Istanbul.

"Those who attempt to test Turkey's deterrence, its decisiveness, its capacity; I say here they are making a fatal mistake," he warned.

On October 4, the Turkish parliament authorized cross-border military action against Syria “when deemed right.”

Tensions have been running high between Syria and Turkey, with Damascus accusing Turkey -- along with Saudi Arabia and Qatar -- of backing a deadly insurgency that has claimed the lives of many Syrians, including security and army personnel.

In an interview with the Turkish daily Cumhuriyet in July, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad said Ankara “has supplied all logistic support to the terrorists who have killed our people.”— www.shafaqna.com/English