Observers in Syria: Time to separate civilians from insurgents?

Dozens of new civilian deaths are being reported in Syria as the Arab League gears up to monitor the implementation of a peace plan. But could the media be failing to distinguish between civilians and armed insurgents?Hisham Jaber, the director of the Center for Middle East Studies, told RT that there is no doubt that armed insurgents are operating in Syria. But when the media report violent clashes and deaths in the country, for some reason the word “insurgent” is never used.“When they talk about the thousands of people killed in Syria, they don’t mention insurgents – they say civilians,” Jaber said. “And also we cannot deny that about 2,000 soldiers or security men were also killed in Syria within this period.”Arab League observers are charged with ensuring that Damascus sticks to a peace deal brokered by the League, a mission Hisham Jaber believes will be a very “complicated and sensitive” one. But the Syrian government will provide the observers with all the necessary tools to accomplish the job.“The Syrian government made it clear that it is not using forces and weapons against peaceful civilians,” he said. “But the army in Syria will continue the military operation against deserters from the army and against insurgents, who now have the most sophisticated weapons.”Syria accepted and signed the Arab League’s protocol, letting the observers in, because it wants out of the current political dead end, Jaber said. “And many believe that Russia was behind this, convincing Syria to accept the protocol, which represents a breakthrough of the situation,” he added.