Politic?

This is a blog dedicated to a personal interpretation of political news of the day. I attempt to be as knowledgeable as possible before commenting and committing my thoughts to a day's communication.

Tuesday, February 05, 2013

 The Improper Female Sniper

"I like fighting. When I see that one of my friends in my katiba [rebel division] has been killed, I feel that I have to hold a weapon and take my revenge.
"The civilians go home in the late afternoon. When the streets clear it is a very good chance to shoot the soldiers. I think I have killed soldiers. You can never be 100% sure that they are dead, but I have hit them at least four or five times.
"It makes you feel good. Whenever I hit one I shout, 'Yes'
"My boy [son] used to be frightened of the bombs, and ask me what was happening. I said, 'I promise that I am going to defend your future'. Now, I will not forget my children's blood and I promise to take revenge.
"When I was a student in Aleppo University -- years before the uprising began -- we created an underground opposition newspaper. We formed a political party for Palestinians and held secret, underground meetings to discuss how to overthrow Bashar al-Assad's regime.
"I have seen more than 100 bodies in the last few months. So many people were killed in shelling and air strikes. And I have had many near misses. Once a bomb exploded nearby, wounding people who I was with in a car and I thought, 'Oh my God, death is near'."
Guevara (imaginative, admiring pseudonym)
Here is a case study in hatred. The resolve to overturn the reign of a dictator. The smouldering resentment of a Palestinian, a Syrian of Palestinian heritage. Might that be a Palestinian of Syrian heritage? Presumably a Sunni Muslim, whose neglect and persecution by a Shiite-minority Baath-Alawite regime oppressing the majority Syrian population, has finally, with the protests and then the rebel challenge of the regime, has come to full fruition.

Guevara is a former English teacher. Her children, a boy and a girl ages seven and ten, were killed in a government military airstrike months ago when their home was hit square on. Guevara felt her first husband was inadequately "revolutionary", and left him. The commander of her brigade is her second husband. She threatened to leave him as well when he forbade her from fighting on the front line.

Subsequently she was trained in Lebanon by Hamas how to fire a gun at their military training camp.

"I said, 'I have the strength to hold a gun, so why can't I fight?'", she had insisted to her husband the brigade commander. So he relented and trained her how to be a crack shot, a sniper. She reputedly has the respect of the 30 men in her division. She dresses in green khaki pants, grey sweater dress, tight hijab, and camouflage combat jacket. At 36, she is properly feminine, carefully plucking her eyebrows, wearing blusher and eyeliner.

Her battle gear is completed with her heeled leather boots and a gold bracelet. Guerrilla-chic. And an accurate shot. "Whenever I hit one I shout, 'Yes!'"

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