I’ve put together this 3 part fact sheet on various topics related to the city of Aleppo. It is the worst hit and largest city in Syria, and according to Wikipedia is the site of “major military confrontation between the Syrian opposition (including Free Syrian Army, and Sunni fighters, including Levant Front) in partial cooperation with the Army of Conquest, which includes within it Jabhat Fateh al-Sham, formerly al-Qaida‘s Syrian branch,[88] against the Syrian Armed Forces of the Syrian Government, supported by Hezbollah and Shiite militias and Russia,[65][89] and against the Kurdish People’s Protection Units.”
Part 1 will focus on the White Helmets, as they’re known within the media, or the Syrian Civil Defence, their official title.
• Founded in 2013 (by a British ex-military officer, James Le Mesurier, more than one year after the ongoing Battle of Aleppo began in 2012)
• In Eastern Aleppo and Idlib (a city South of Aleppo), the hardest hit areas, their presence is minimal
• Major funding is being provided by USAID, to the tune of more than $23 million
• Total funding since 2012 is estimated at $100 million by the US/UK and other influential countries
• As of 5 days ago, 95% of the area has been liberated by the Syrian Arab Army (SAA)
• They purport to be neutral, yet some carry guns and reports have stated that some are posing for photos standing over dead Syrian soldier’s bodies
• Their videos contain children identified in multiple video sources used primarily as propaganda
Monday will feature Part 2: Propaganda
Media Spin 