Bill,
after posting my last post above and while preparing few artworks ('colour profiles') of SyAAF MiG-21s captured by the Daesh at Tabqa AB for one of my future publications.... it dawned upon me that I failed to express my appreciation for you about one (or even 'a few') fact(s).

Namely, you are now in exclusive club of about 0,0001% of total US population that knows there is something like 'Syrian Marxists'.

It might sound silly at the first look, and it's certainly going to sound 'patronizing', although what I'm going to write as next is not meant that way: but, I think this is an important step forward.

If you wonder why: because this means you're one of very, very, very, very, VERY few Americans not considering all the Syrians either for 'crazy Islamist terrorists' or for 'fans of that lesser-evil, named Bashar'.

IMHO, this is important for the next reason you mentioned in your reply too: yup, only the blind would argue there is no resistance against Assad. This stands precisely in opposition to what the US government, most of US political establishment, large parts of the IC and especially most of the military are arguing.

That said, and because you 'still insist' that this 'doesn't prove who is doing the fighting', I guess I'll have to keep on posting videos of TOW-kills. Reason is rather simple: just to show you how many of them are used in combat, and how many Assadists are blown up by them.

Regarding sources: nope, my primary sources are no mainstream media, internet etc. And nope: at least from my standpoint I can say I'm not posting plenty of 'sensitive' stuff I do happen to know. I do not demand anybody to do something of that kind either.

But, I do happen to have contacts to people serving with (what is left of) the Syrian military, to people that joined the insurgents etc. and I also do happen to be in a position to...let's say 'monitor'... let's say 'discussions' within certain, 'quite influential' circles in the DC. Of course, all of this is completely unofficial by nature and some of stuff they say sometimes proves wrong. Therefore, nobody is obliged to 'believe' anything I say. Yet, the point is this: primary reason why I'm - sometimes - posting links to specific media/blogs or other sorts of internet websites is solely to point at sources confirming what I've heard from somewhere else.

Am I biased?

I'm staunchly against any regime that's terrorising its population. But especially against one that has caused the death of 400,000 people and forced 10 million of others to become homeless refugees, that's purposedly destroying most of Syrian cities, regularly using chemical weapons, and then depending on two major (and several minor) terrorist organizations for own survival.

If that's making me 'biased', oh my dear Sir: yes, I am.

On the contrary, the end of your post is leaving me not a little bit bamboozled: precisely what kind of 'US interests' here are then 'not align' with mine?

Would you like to say the US is now curious to ignore regimes doing all of what I listed?

***********

That all said, here one example of what you're not going to find in any kind of media: the top ranks of the Assadist military (that is: the few old farths left over from the former SyAA) are presently (and seriously) considering official re-designation of military services from 'Syrian Arab Army' to something like the 'Syrian National Army'. I.e. the droppin 'Arab' from the official designation.

Local IRGC-QF commanders were a lil' bit stunned about this (then the IRGC is eagerly Arabizing even the official Iranian history since years), but they've meanwhile joined related discussions with suggestion of something like: 'Syrian Peoples' Army'.

Should you wonder where have I got this: sorry, I can't say more than I have already said.

Whatever, I am a great fan of sarcasm, and thus cannot fail observing few things:

- That with 'Syrian People's Army' would be the gem - even more so because half the 'people' in question either do not speak Arabic with Syrian accent, or do not speak any Arabic at all.

- I'm eagerly waiting for reaction of such regime's combatants like those from the Ba'ath Party Militia, Arab National Guard (the latter are primarily Egyptians, but few Lebanese and other Arabs too), and then the Syrian Socialist Party Militia (the standpoint of which is that Arabs are better than even Nazi's Arians) - once they realize the regime for which they are fighting has decided to drop not only 'Arab', but even pan-Arabism from its agenda.