Deborah Amos

Is Syria's Bashar Assad Getting The Upper Hand?

Deborah Amos — Tue, 04 Jun 2013 13:51:00 +0000

After more than a year of military stalemate in Syria between the rebels and the government, President Bashar Assad appears to be making political and military gains and is not likely to be pushed aside anytime soon, according to many analysts.

Assad reasserted his plans to stay in power during a recent interview on Al Manar TV, a channel owned by Hezbollah, the Lebanese Shiite militant group, which has openly joined the Syria war on Assad's side.

The symbolism was clear.

Teaching The Rules Of War In Syria's Vicious Conflict

Deborah Amos — Wed, 15 May 2013 17:36:00 +0000

A new video from Syria is shocking even by the standards of a war that keeps setting new standards for brutality.

In the video, a rebel fighter identified as Khalid al-Hamad is shown cutting out and eating the organs of a dead government soldier.

This appeared shortly after a pro-regime militia filmed the aftermath of a massacre of Sunni villagers in the coastal town of Banias, in which at least 62 people, including babies, were stabbed or sh

Top U.S. Official Meets With Rebels Inside Syria

Deborah Amos — Thu, 09 May 2013 21:34:00 +0000

Ambassador Robert Ford, the State Department's point man on Syrian policy, crossed into northern Syria on Wednesday. The secret visit was confirmed by Syrian activists at the media office at the Bab al-Salama crossing on the Turkish frontier.

Ford met with the head of the Aleppo military council, Abdul Jabbar Okaidi, who thanked him for the shipment of nonlethal aid. Seven trucks transported some 65,000 MREs, or meals ready to eat, the U.S. military's battlefield rations.

As Syria Melts Down, Ice Cream Shop Sets Up In Jordan

Deborah Amos — Sat, 04 May 2013 10:03:00 +0000

Bakdash is a landmark in the Syrian capital, serving the Arab world's most famous ice cream since 1895.

Sea Of Syrian Refugees Threatens To Overload Jordan

Deborah Amos — Thu, 02 May 2013 20:35:00 +0000

Jordan's fastest-growing city lies in the middle of the desert, where the sand is so white that from a distance it looks like snow. There's little running water and not much electricity.

The name of this place? The Zaatari refugee camp, home to more than 100,000 Syrian refugees.

"This is a city — not one that anybody would want to create if they had a choice," says Caroline Gluck of Oxfam, one of the aid agencies working in the Zaatari camp.