Coup in Damascus; Al-Asad in Exile

[Suriyya al-Kubra]

Coup in Damascus, al-Asad in Exile

Damascus, Syria

Through a coup d’état in the Syrian capital this morning, members of a secret military fraternity calling itself the Revolutionary Officers’ Corps have ousted President Bashar al-Asad and declared a revolutionary government in the country. The leader of the coup is apparently former defense minister Salah al-Din as-Saleh, rumored to have fallen out in recent months with President al-Asad following the latter’s announcement of a sweeping reform program in the nation that was to include such measures as a schedule for free national elections and vast economic liberalization. As-Saleh and his fellow conspirators have announced that they represent an organization known as the “New” Ba’ath Party, which will embody a return to the party’s classic values of unity, liberty, and socialism.

A Bloodless Coup

As-Saleh’s coup so far appears to have been a bloodless one, as units from the 6th Syrian armored division entered the city at around five AM local time, arriving from a nearby military base. Former President al-Asad was apparently roused from his bed and brought downstairs, where he was confronted with the news that he had been deposed and was to enter exile immediately. The bewildered Syrian President was rushed to the airport, where his plane took off roughly twenty minutes later, landing an hour after that in neighboring Jordan. Too bewildered to give a statement himself, the President’s wife stated that she was certain the Israeli government was behind this “remorseless display of imperialist-zionist conspiracy against the great Syrian nation.”

Back to basics

Though the coup is not even a day old, as-Saleh wasted no time in addressing the nation from a television station in Damascus; one of the first targets to be seized. He began by criticizing al-Asad’s reform program, which he claimed was “certain to diminish the prestige of the Syrian nation and her people.” He announced that a revolutionary junta was being formed from members of the Revolutionary Officers’ Corps of the New Ba’ath Party, and announced that a curfew would be in effect in Damascus for the near future. His promises, while vague, alluded to a return to the values of the party’s founders, Michel Aflaq and Salah Bitar…

[Suriyya al-Kubra]

Al-Watan Independent Daily

Isolated Clashes With the Muslim Brotherhood

Damascus, Syria

Two days after the coup d'etat of former defense minister Salah Ad-Din Saleh and the exile of President Bashar al-Asad, the military units stationed within the capital to preserve order have reported isolated clashes with young Qutbist militants believed to be associated with the Muslim Brotherhood. Military spokesmen have been quick to report that these are isolated incidents, in no way resembling the uprising thirty years ago. It is likely, said a senior officer of the Military Intelligence Division, that the Islamist militants are acting independently, hoping to take advantage of disorder following the coup. The officer proceeded to say that the militants found themselves caught off guard by the readiness and direction of the Syrian military, who have taken control of the city and imposed a curfew. No deaths have yet been reported, but a dozen militants are believed to be in custody.

Now President Salah ad-Din as-Saleh has stated that, as part of his reforms, he intends to crack down on Islamist groups, who had been breathing easier in the last days of al-Asad's reign, as part of a democratization program. Brotherhood supporters in Egypt and the west have been quick to condemn the coup and President as-Saleh, who is seen as a regressive hostile to a pan-Islamic ideology and reminiscent of Nasserism and the old gangster-regimes of the Arab nationalist movement.