Damascus Water Crisis, Wadi Barada: A New MO in Terrorists' List of War Crimes

The beautiful Barada River that runs through Damascus has been the main source of fresh and healthy water for centuries, poisoned with diesel by NATO backed Al Qaeda terrorists on December 23, 2016  (Image by AFP).


AlQaeda terrorists are trying to balance the proxy battle with a new strategy - starting a water war.   Wadi Barada near Qalamoun region is occupied by the Takfiri-heathens of Nusra and Ahrar.  On December 23, 2016 they mixed diesel in the Ein-al-Fijah Spring that supplies fresh water to a population of 5 million in Rif-Damashq Governorate via Barada River.  Thereafter, they bombed the structure of the spring, knocking it down altogether.   Then they claimed that the water supply to Damascus was damaged by cluster bombs dropped by Syrian  forces in mid December while chasing 'rebels’ in and around Wadi Barada, even though at that time the water supply in Damascus Governorate was not damaged.  The proof of the truth was inadvertently provided by the terrorists.  Twitter images below of terrorists with pseudos Abu Taleb Barada and Laith Yousef speak for themselves.  Both images are part of the same tweet.

Much too disgusting !!

As expected, pro-terrorist circles are grabbing the opportunity to share the suspicion claiming that the story of Damascus water crisis is debatable as to who caused the damage – “rebels or government forces -” despite terrorists gleefully bragging on social media the destruction they carried out.  This Satanic manipulation using the aspect of doubt is the hallmark of the wretchedest of the wretched to dump the blame on the blameless.  

On January 6th, while SAA and Hezbollah confronted Takfiri terrorists in Wadi Barada, Ya Libnan - a mainstream Beirut news channel and not the most reliable - reported that a team of Russian observers were barred from entering Wadi Barada by Hezbollah forces.  Ya Libnan did not cite any reasons why nor was this confirmed by Syrian or Iranian sources..  But it's very likely that Hezbollah suspected Russia may give some feedback to Turkey that may cause negative repercussions on the Syrian side. High time for Russia to be decisive and choose between Syria or Turkey instead of dangling between the two. That's the sign of a crook, not an honest broker.  More on that in a while.

It was reported on January 13th that the Syrian Army entered the village of Bassimeh where the fresh water spring of Ein-al-Fijah is located.  Their effort to drive out the terrorists was intense and the AlQaeda groups were overwhelmed.  And then guess what?  The Israeli Defense Force that was apparently monitoring the battle fired several missiles from Sea of Galilee (south of occupied Golan Height) into Syria's strategic military airport base of Mazzeh city in Damascus Governorate, barely 5km from the capital.  Residents at the capital heard a barrage of loud explosions that shook the city and its vicinity.  "Israel, through its attacks, is assisting terrorist groups fighting the Syrian government" was the statement issued by the Syrian Army.  This is not the first time.  In the past there have been countless incidents when Israel intervened to bolster the foreign fighters of Al Nusra, Daesh and other splinter groups against advancing Syrian forces.  The U.S. coalition uses an identical tactic.  Last October 2016, several major bridges in Deir Ez-zor Province including the Syasia Bridge were bombed by the coalition to hinder Syrian forces advancing to Daesh strongholds.  Hezbollah's presence in the military operation at Wadi Barada served Israeli interest still better to execute this attack to the advantage of AlQaeda.   But despite Israel's assistance, their allies were defeated in Wadi Barada.

              Image from Ya Libnan.


Needless to say, hardships faced by the residents of Damascus since the past 2 weeks have been immeasurable.  All store shelves are empty of bottled water.  Many residents began taking water not fit for consumption.  It's nothing short of a miracle how water-borne diseases haven't begun spreading yet.

                       Image Press TV

RT reports, terrorists have "allowed" Syrian forces to take control of water supplies to Damascus Governorate .. in other words, the terrorists have surrendered to Syrian forces and Hezbollah.  According to the Governor of the countryside province of Damascus-Governorate on January 13, Syrian engineers had entered the location of Ain-al-Fijah for extensive repairs.

Quoting the Governor, Alaa Ibrahim: "God willing, the pipe will be fixed within three days... rapid measures will be taken to get water to Damascus tomorrow."  That refers to a makeshift arrangement to restore partial water supply to Rif Damashq. Complete repair would likely take much longer considering the extent of destruction.

But as you read RT's side of the story, you may not need to be too discerning to smell a rat.  According to RT, Syrian forces and "militias" reached a "deal," that Syrian forces "halted military operations in Ain-al-Fijah and started reconciliation with the militias there."  And those "rebels who refused the deal will be allowed to leave for the rebel-held Idlib province."  Such expressions and conditions over the Damascus water crisis (after the defeat of terrorists) at Wadi Barada do not delineate the independent views / decisions of the Syrian Government as they did not in Aleppo.  Governor Alaa Ibrahim had to say that (if at all he did) under Russian pressure.  Russia's problem-solving approach of Wadi Barada had to similarly appease Turkey after this latest terrorist debacle.  Quite obviously, Hezbollah had a valid point refusing entry to Russian observers.  Russia had no part in the military operation at Wadi Barada anyway; it was exclusively by the joint efforts of SAA and Hezbollah. 

If vanquished terrorists who sabotaged the water supply to 5 million people - a serious war crime also admitted recently by an organization as partisan as the U.N. - can be exonerated, set free like birds and ushered, this time to Idlib Governorate which is only 325km north of Damascus, to what extent can the future safety of Damascus water supply be reassured?  Will the Syrian engineers even get enough time to finish the vast repair work before another terror attack is launched?  If this is Russia's interpretation to "eliminate terrorists from Syria," simply shuffling them from one corner of the country to another, then the word "eliminate" might as well be removed from the English dictionary.