It’s widely reported that, after four years of fighting, the rebel-held areas of Aleppo are on the brink of falling to Syrian government forces, along with their affiliated militias and allies.
There are already reports of atrocities and UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has voiced alarm. In a statement, Mr Ban’s spokesman Stephane Dujarric said: “the secretary-general is alarmed over reports of atrocities against a large number of civilians, including women and children, in recent hours in Aleppo”.
The remaining areas still under rebel control are reported to hold up to 50,000 civilians and they have been under constant bombardment in a situation described as being like “doomsday”.
On social media, people in Aleppo are saying their goodbyes to the world and appealing for the world’s attention to their plight. I’ve seen photos of executed men, videos of people on fire and a temporary morgue filled with dead children.
At the same time on social media there are many celebrating the liberation of the city.
I fear that a lot of bad things are going to happen to a lot of people - and many are going to die - over the next few hours and days. In 1982, the city of Hama rebelled and, after a three week siege, the city was “liberated” by Syrian government forces. 10,000-40,000 civilians were killed in the subsequent Hama massacre.
The 1982 massacre was carried out by Assad’s father. In the 2011 liberation of Hama only 16 people died in the first assault and 100 later when the Syrian army moved in. That’s the difference between Assad and his father.
As for the liberation of Aleppo just how many would have died had the siege continued, including those in West Aleppo killed by rebel shelling? Assad will certainly deal with the rebels who have blood on their hands, as any country would, but why on earth would he massacre civilians? The answer is that he won’t. This isn’t 1982. The liberation of Aleppo should be celebrated.
Hear, hear. Three cheers for the mass murdering tyrant Assad. Long may he oppress his people, for, indeed, Assad is the sun, and he illuminates the Syrian people with his example and sometimes firebombs.
Really, who is this idiotic poster who would apologize for tyrants?
Assad is a monster, as were Khadafi and Hussein. But can we say that Libya and Iraq are better off now without their murderous strongmen? Seems to me that if you watched what you said and did in Iraq and Libya pre-regime change, you probably were fairly safe. With the anarchy that followed, maybe not so much. The people of Aleppo are suffering. Some of them are the rebels who will no doubt be subject to savagery if captured. Some are innocents who will at least not be bombed anymore. For the rebels who fought bravely against Assad, I feel genuine sorrow. But for the innocents caught in the crossfire, I feel relief. I don’t see a side to root for in this battle, had the rebels toppled Assad I’m not sure the end result would be any better than Libya. With Assad reasserting control, his brutal rule will continue as it did before. I just want the killing to stop more than I want either side to prevail.
I have no love lost for Baby Assad but right now the best thing for Syria and its people is the Central Government to restore order throughout the country. No matter how much it may hurt people on this thread who are ready to fight for ideology and “freedom” to the last Syrian.
Al-Rayyis can always be disposed off latter or convinced to resign.
Whatever happens, we (the US) should stay out. Getting involved just adds an element to a firestorm whose outcome cannot be predicted, and based on history, is just as likely (or more likely) to make things worse than to improve things, at great cost either way.
Just so there’s no misunderstanding, restoring order means killing all of Assad’s enemies, perceived enemies, and suspected collaborators. There won’t be trials, there won’t be mercy, there won’t be any kind of even pretend examination of evidence. The only bright spot in Syria for the moment is that the Kurds will likely be able to retain their virtual independence from Assad, since even with Russian dummy carpet bombing help, Assad’s forces are barely even a match for Da’esh as shown in the recent retaking of Palmyra by Da’esh.
It’s an awful situation, but one which would have occurred slowly anyway. We certainly didn’t help with our meddling in the region but it’s a horrid part of the world filled with agony and hatred and in any course of events just as many people would have died horribly slowly or quickly. There is nothing we could have done to improve the situation, picking sides only changes who the murderers are today.
See, it’s Obama’s fault, because he threatened to get involved, which was wrong, and then he didn’t get involved, which was wrong. Both were wrong. The whole thing is Obama’s fault, for not being a manly man. If the American president is strong, wars don’t happen, and when they happen the strong American president strongly fights them to a strong finish.
Also, when the American President says “Radical Islamic Terrorism”, then the enemies of America quake in fear and run and hide. Obama’s cowardly refusal to say those words of power is the real reason for the continuing strife in the middle east.
That’s a misunderstanding.
Lots of FSA fighters are being pardoned and most Islamists are being transported out after their surrender. As was stated beforehand, the only exception are foreign Islamist fighters. No pardon for them.
The civilians are just glad their oppresssion by the Islamists is over and they are free again.
Bingo. 110% Obama’s fault, He did not give enough support when needed to overthrow Assad, while giving just enough that the regime would be unable to crush resistance (and incidentally arming ISIS in the process) leading to the shitshow stalemate we have seen, which destroyed Syria.
Barry’s fingerprints are all over this crime scene.
In what way did he not get involved? You mean all those videos I saw that the rebels took of shooting CIA provided TOW missiles (needed to prove they were using them so they could get more) were fake? CGI? The US has been involved just enough to make things worse but not enough to really do anything positive.
I remember watching Sri Lanka’s Killing Fields, one of the most harrowing documentaries one can see, about the massacres that occured when the Tamil Tigers and their supporters were cornered at the end of the Sri Lankan Civil War and pro-government forces moved in for the kill. It was an orgy of rape and murder.
The conflict has degenerated considerably since the 2011 siege of Hama, in the early days of the rebellion, and such is the bitterness now that atrocities are commonplace.
Aside from the indiscrimate bombardment from the air by artillery and warplanes, I fear the greatest danger to the trapped civilians comes from the paramilitaries fighting alongside the Syrian Army, such as the Syrian, Lebanese and Iraqi militias.