US Expert on Syrian Affairs: Western Media Pass on Bad Information on Syria Events
Local Editor
Director of the Center for Middle East Studies and Associate Professor at University of Oklahoma, Joshua Landis, who is also a US expert in 9Syrian affairs revealed that "considerable evidence on the events that took place in Banyas on Sunday is not true and that western journalists are passing on bad information."
In an article he published on his blog, Landis said that "A number of news reports by AFP, the Guardian, and other news agencies and outlets suggesting that Syrian security forces were responsible for shooting nine Syrian soldiers, who were killed in Banyas on Sunday are not true. Some versions insisted that they were shot for refusing orders to shoot at demonstrators.
He referred to the testimony of one witness who denied the story. He is colonel `Uday Ahmad, brother-in-law of Lt. Col. Yasir Qash`ur, who was shot and killed in Banyas with eight other Syrian soldiers on Sunday April 10, 2011.
In his article, Landis said that "Uday Ahmad was sitting in the back seat of the truck which Yasir was driving when he was shot dead on the highway outside Banyas. Uday said that shooting was coming from two directions. One was from the roof of a building facing the highway and another from people hiding behind the cement median of the highway. They jumped up and shot into the two trucks carrying Syrian troops, killing 9. Col. Uday survived."
Furthermore, Landis wrote "a video of one soldier purportedly confessing to being shot in the back by security forces and linked to by the Guardian has been completely misconstrued. The Guardian irresponsibly repeats a false interpretation of the video provided by an informant. This is what the Guardian writes: "Footage on YouTube shows an injured soldier saying he was shot in the back by security forces."
Landis explains "that the soldier denies that he was ordered to fire on people. Instead, he says he was on his way to Banyas to enforce security. He does not say that he was shot at by government agents or soldiers. In fact he denies it. The interviewer tries to put words in his mouth but the soldier clearly denies the story that the interviewer is trying to make him confess to."
The expert continues "In the video, the wounded soldier is surrounded by people who are trying to get him to say that he was shot by a military officer. The soldier says clearly, "They [our superiors] told us, ‘Shoot at them IF they shoot at you.'"
Landis wrote also that Alix Van Buren, a veteran reporter for la Repubblica, Italy's leading newspaper, is in Damascus and has sent a report about the possible role of armed foreign agitators in Banyas.
Haytham Al Maleh, one of the prominenet opposition figures was the most explicit in pointing to the meddling of foreign people in and around Banyas.
Landis adds that another witness, Haytham Al Manna basically says that he was approached by a group of men, including a Syrian businessman holding a foreign passport, who asked him to facilitate the distribution of money and weapons to the young demonstrators. There is a vague reference to a person in the group, linked to a "major Arab Gulf country". Yet the Western media doesn't seem to have picked upon it yet.
In the same context, Landis wrote that Al Manna "confirmed the story of Al Watan, adding a few details: he spoke about three groups having contacted him to provide money and weapons to the rebels in Syria. First, a Syrian businessman secondly, he was contacted by "several pro-American Syrian opposers" to put it in his words; thirdly, he mentioned approaches of the same kind by "Syrians in Lebanon who are loyal to a Lebanese party which is against Syria".
Director of the Center for Middle East Studies and Associate Professor at University of Oklahoma, Joshua Landis, who is also a US expert in 9Syrian affairs revealed that "considerable evidence on the events that took place in Banyas on Sunday is not true and that western journalists are passing on bad information."
In an article he published on his blog, Landis said that "A number of news reports by AFP, the Guardian, and other news agencies and outlets suggesting that Syrian security forces were responsible for shooting nine Syrian soldiers, who were killed in Banyas on Sunday are not true. Some versions insisted that they were shot for refusing orders to shoot at demonstrators.
He referred to the testimony of one witness who denied the story. He is colonel `Uday Ahmad, brother-in-law of Lt. Col. Yasir Qash`ur, who was shot and killed in Banyas with eight other Syrian soldiers on Sunday April 10, 2011.
In his article, Landis said that "Uday Ahmad was sitting in the back seat of the truck which Yasir was driving when he was shot dead on the highway outside Banyas. Uday said that shooting was coming from two directions. One was from the roof of a building facing the highway and another from people hiding behind the cement median of the highway. They jumped up and shot into the two trucks carrying Syrian troops, killing 9. Col. Uday survived."
Furthermore, Landis wrote "a video of one soldier purportedly confessing to being shot in the back by security forces and linked to by the Guardian has been completely misconstrued. The Guardian irresponsibly repeats a false interpretation of the video provided by an informant. This is what the Guardian writes: "Footage on YouTube shows an injured soldier saying he was shot in the back by security forces."
Landis explains "that the soldier denies that he was ordered to fire on people. Instead, he says he was on his way to Banyas to enforce security. He does not say that he was shot at by government agents or soldiers. In fact he denies it. The interviewer tries to put words in his mouth but the soldier clearly denies the story that the interviewer is trying to make him confess to."
The expert continues "In the video, the wounded soldier is surrounded by people who are trying to get him to say that he was shot by a military officer. The soldier says clearly, "They [our superiors] told us, ‘Shoot at them IF they shoot at you.'"
Landis wrote also that Alix Van Buren, a veteran reporter for la Repubblica, Italy's leading newspaper, is in Damascus and has sent a report about the possible role of armed foreign agitators in Banyas.
Haytham Al Maleh, one of the prominenet opposition figures was the most explicit in pointing to the meddling of foreign people in and around Banyas.
Landis adds that another witness, Haytham Al Manna basically says that he was approached by a group of men, including a Syrian businessman holding a foreign passport, who asked him to facilitate the distribution of money and weapons to the young demonstrators. There is a vague reference to a person in the group, linked to a "major Arab Gulf country". Yet the Western media doesn't seem to have picked upon it yet.
In the same context, Landis wrote that Al Manna "confirmed the story of Al Watan, adding a few details: he spoke about three groups having contacted him to provide money and weapons to the rebels in Syria. First, a Syrian businessman secondly, he was contacted by "several pro-American Syrian opposers" to put it in his words; thirdly, he mentioned approaches of the same kind by "Syrians in Lebanon who are loyal to a Lebanese party which is against Syria".
