Friday, January 25, 2013

they want more money, damn it

""Members of the Syrian Opposition Coalition, a political body formed in Qatar in November, grumble that pledges of money have yet to be honoured. "It's unfair," says a member. "We're told, 'do this, do that,' but then the promises are never fulfilled." "The fighters sound increasingly hostile to the outside world. A new rebel council is viewed as "a toy of the West", says a fighter in Azaz. Divisions in rebel ranks are widening. Islamist fighters recently shelled Ras al-Ain, a Kurdish-controlled town, under the eye of Turkey, which fears an upsurge of Kurdish nationalism. Looting and stealing are common. "It's a mess," says a disgruntled activist from the eastern city of Deir ez-Zor. "The regime is killing, the Free Syrian Army [a main rebel front] is stealing, and we are suffering." ""