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Executive Summary for November 21st

To give you an overview of the latest news, we’ve organized the latest Syrian developments in a curated summary. .

Published on Nov. 21, 2013 Read time Approx. 3 minutes

Dozens of Americans Have Sought to Join Rebels in Syria. The New York Times reports that dozens of U.S. citizens have traveled to Syria (or tried to) to fight alongside anti-government rebels since 2011.

“The Americans are a small subset of the mostly radicalized young Muslims with Western passports who are entering Syria from Europe, North America and Australia, a group that numbers roughly 600, according to the officials and classified estimates from Western spy agencies. That represents a fraction of the roughly 6,000 to 11,000 foreign fighters over all who have poured into Syria by way of the Middle East and North Africa,” writes Eric Schmitt.

“It’s a very steady increase, and I expect that to continue as long as the fighting there continues,” a senior U.S. intelligence official told him.

Debts of Syrian Refugees in Lebanon Spiraling Out of Control. The AP reports on refugee families in Lebanon being pushed into a cycle of “grinding poverty.” There are 800,000 registered Syrian refugees in the country, and estimates of at least half a million more who are not.

“Oxfam says in a report released Thursday that refugee families in Lebanon are spending more than twice their monthly average income of $250. It says many families have exhausted their savings and have resorted to borrowing money as the job market in Lebanon has dried up,” the wire says.

“It also says many Syrian children are not going to school because their parents can’t afford the additional expenses.”

Lebanon Town Braces for New Flood of Refugees. Meanwhile, the AFP reports on the Sunni farming town of Arsal, a key point along smuggling routes from Syria, which is preparing for the next wave of refugees.

“The town has long been linked to Syria by well-worn smuggling paths over the mountains, now used by thousands of refugees fleeing the latest offensive by President Bashar al-Assad’s troops,” the wire says. “The latest wave have fled from Qara, a village in Syria’s mountainous Qalamoun, a strategic region straddling supply routes between Damascus and the central city of Homs.

But it is situated in a region dominated by the Lebanese Hezbollah movement, which is fighting alongside Assad’s forces in a conflict that threatens to spill into overwhelmed Lebanon. ‘We are in solidarity with our neighbors from across the border because we are linked by family and social ties,’ says municipal councillor Wafiq Khalaf.”

Media Activists ‘Targeted’ in Syria’s North. Al Jazeera reports on Syrian government troops targeting media activists in northern Syria, which is largely rebel-held. Activists working in media have been among the most visible and prominent regime targets since the start of the revolution.

According to Reporters without Borders, “On Tuesday, Mohamed Ahmed Taysir Bellou, the editor of the opposition Al-Shahba TV and a reporter for Shahba Press Agency, was shot dead by a sniper while covering clashes between President Bashar al-Assad’s troops and rebels in Aleppo’s Lairmoon district. The army also bombarded the premises of the Aleppo News Network and the Aleppo Media Centre “within the space of 48 hours.”

Gun Traders in Iraqi Kurdistan Do Brisk Business from Syria War. Finally, the Kurdish news site KurdNet has a story on the Sulaimaniyah gun markets, whose business is booming due to increased demand from Syrians in Iraqi Kurdistan, as well as those looking to take guns back across the Kurdish border.

“Gun and ammunition prices have shot up, and the cost of a Kalashnikov bullet has doubled, at Sulaimaniyah’s gun markets since the civil war across the border in Syria,” it says. “The price of a bullet for a Kalashnikov AK-47 rifle is now $2 a piece.

“Many of the customers who buy guns are wealthy Kurds, said Aso Mohammed, a gun dealer in the city. ‘They are interested in buying pistols which range from $500 to $12,000,’ and are not necessarily involved in illegal activities.”

Suggested Reads from Our Editorial Team: 

Huffington Post: Polio in Syria: Putting Children Above Politics

Hurriyet Daily News: PM Erdoğan Set to Meet Putin Over Syria

Wall Street Journal: Young Palestinian Refugees Join Jihadists Fighting in Syria

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