Syrian Propaganda Wars: The Liberation of an Al Akhbariya Crew

The SyrianGirlpartisan Mimi Al-Laham notes on her YouTube Channel that ‘Yara Saleh and the Al Akhbariya news channel crew were kidnapped around Aleppo by the foreign funded insurgents (the FSA, Foreign Salafi Army). A video of her later emerged were she was forced into a Hijaab. The FSA clearly follow the extremist Saudi arabian style of Islam called ‘wahabism/salafi’ , the US’s favourite kind. The Army has now rescued the crew’.

The kidnappers had previously released this video message. I found this video on the blogpage of the Voltaire Network, an organisation set up by the French intellectual Thierry Meyssan as a web of non-aligned press groups dedicated to the analysis of international relations.

The Voltaire Network summarised the event as follows: ‘The FSA officer in Al-Tal is reading a text not written by him. The FSA does not consider the kidnapped journalists as “hostages”, but as “guests.” It specifies, however, that they are serving as human shields (to prevent the national army from bombing or attacking) and that their safe return would be jeopardized if the FSA’s demands are not met. The FSA presents itself as an Islamist organization. (1) The statement is preceded by a Koranic verse; (2) it contains an implicit reference to Islam; (3) the negotiator is referred to as “brother”; (4) while Islam prohibits the taking of women and children as hostages, journalist Yara Saleh is being held and forced to wear a veil. The FSA says that civilians are being bombarded by the regular army from which it is trying to protect them, while stating at the same time that they have actually fled the city. Then it calls for the removal of check points allegedly to allow people to return, whereas in reality it is to permit its fighters to escape. Strikingly, for the first time since the outbreak of the crisis, the FSA has named as negotiator a contact in Saudi Arabia. This is an attempt to camouflage that its orders come from the NATO headquarters in Incirlik. On this air base in southwestern Turkey, the U.S., France and Turkey are working hand in hand. The FSA prefers to acknowledge its lack of independence and present itself as an organization run by the Saudis rather than unveiling its ties with Paris. With a touch of unintentional humor, the officer reading the paper ends with “Long live independent Syria!”’.[1]

And for good measure, here is Hezbollah’s take on the liberation of Yara Saleh and the rest of the crew: the ‘Syrian Army succeeded in liberating three of the Al-Ikhbayiya television station crew, after being kidnapped by armed men related to the so-called “free Syrian army” Tuesday [, 14 August] in the region of AL-Tal. The crew has been kidnapped while covering clashes between the Syrian national army and the armed groups in the suburbs of Damascus. Reporter Yarah Saleh, cameraman Abboud Tabarah, his assistant Hatem Abu Yehiah and driver Housam Imad were accompanying an army unit. They all work for the al-Ikhbariya. Yesterday, [, Wednesday, 15 August] a video surfaced online showing three of the team. A man who identified himself as a rebel spokesperson appeared to say that the cameraman had been killed in government shelling . . . Liberating al-Ikhbariya crew coincided with the information published by the Syrian Al-Watan daily on the national army restoring control over all public facilities in the city of Al-Tal, which the armed groups attempted to violate. Most of the invaders were killed, while some surrendered and handed over their weapons’.[2]

Yara Saleh and the crew were fortunate, as some time ago another tv personality was killed by the “rebels”: Mohammed al-Saeed has been executed by the militant group al-Nusra Front at the start of August. The al-Nusra Front subsequently issued this statement: “Perhaps this operation and others will serve as an example to all who support this tyrannical regime, so that they may repent to God”.[3]

 

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[1] “Yara Saleh’s kidnappers deny having ties with Paris” Voltaire Network (14 August 2012). http://www.voltairenet.org/Yara-Saleh-s-kidnappers-deny.

[2] “Army Liberates Al-Ikhbariya Crew, Destroys Terrorists’ Supply Routes in Aleppo” Al-Manar (16 August 2012). http://www.almanar.com.lb/english/adetails.php?eid=65081&cid=23&fromval=1&frid=23&seccatid=20&s1=1.

[3] Jason Ditz, “Islamist Group Claims Credit for Executing Kidnapped Syrian TV Presenter” AntiWar (05 August 2012). http://news.antiwar.com/2012/08/05/islamist-group-claims-credit-for-executing-kidnapped-syrian-tv-presenter/.