It’s heartbreaking to witness Syria’s tragic descent into chaos once again. The situation, already so complex, seems to be spiraling out of control. Just recently, Syrian rebels, led by the Islamist group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, launched a surprise offensive and took control of Aleppo, the country’s second-largest city. It feels like a painful echo of the horrors from 2011 to 2018, when Syria was torn apart by a brutal civil war that left scars on the nation that are still deeply felt today.
In response, we are once again seeing Syrian and Russian forces conducting airstrikes on rebel positions, the same devastating cycle of violence that has already caused so much destruction. The fighting has led to countless lives lost and forced thousands more from their homes, adding to the immense suffering of a population that has already endured so much. The Syrian government, under President Bashar al-Assad, remains determined to crush the rebels and retain control, but it’s hard not to feel that, despite everything, the country is slipping further into darkness. This relentless cycle of war and pain feels all too familiar, and the toll it continues to take on the people of Syria is nothing short of tragic.
Of course, there are other external hands behind this whole thing: how can things blow out of nowhere and a whole region gets taken over without much fighting from government forces. I feel and fear for Assyrians and Christians in general in Syria, as these Islamist rebels will likely not be too kind to them, their churches etc. One big player is Turkey of course, who want nothing than to bring down the Assad regime and establish a proxy region in the country, to prevent Kurds there from ever daring to establish their own state, should the country falls and gets divided. Look at this picture I came across online of a Turkish flag being draped over the citadel of Aleppo.
Then you have the Kurdish part to this, where I have already seen Kurdish women (likely fighters) being captured by Islamist forces, being put on back of trucks and humiliated. Of course, although they are usually fighting against these Islamist rebels, they are no angels either, as they are also against the Assad regime and only care for their own interests and maybe to one day separate and declare their own state. Not to mention, they have often mistreated Assyrians in areas where the two co-live.
In response, we are once again seeing Syrian and Russian forces conducting airstrikes on rebel positions, the same devastating cycle of violence that has already caused so much destruction. The fighting has led to countless lives lost and forced thousands more from their homes, adding to the immense suffering of a population that has already endured so much. The Syrian government, under President Bashar al-Assad, remains determined to crush the rebels and retain control, but it’s hard not to feel that, despite everything, the country is slipping further into darkness. This relentless cycle of war and pain feels all too familiar, and the toll it continues to take on the people of Syria is nothing short of tragic.
Of course, there are other external hands behind this whole thing: how can things blow out of nowhere and a whole region gets taken over without much fighting from government forces. I feel and fear for Assyrians and Christians in general in Syria, as these Islamist rebels will likely not be too kind to them, their churches etc. One big player is Turkey of course, who want nothing than to bring down the Assad regime and establish a proxy region in the country, to prevent Kurds there from ever daring to establish their own state, should the country falls and gets divided. Look at this picture I came across online of a Turkish flag being draped over the citadel of Aleppo.
Then you have the Kurdish part to this, where I have already seen Kurdish women (likely fighters) being captured by Islamist forces, being put on back of trucks and humiliated. Of course, although they are usually fighting against these Islamist rebels, they are no angels either, as they are also against the Assad regime and only care for their own interests and maybe to one day separate and declare their own state. Not to mention, they have often mistreated Assyrians in areas where the two co-live.
Now some criticism of Israel is fine, but Dan qam awedla pakhta. But think about a Dan Bilzerian-esque fella saying all this about Assyrians. How would you feel?
