A further 30 people have been killed overnight in Syrian clashes. Raston became the latest city to fall victim of the heavy violence on behalf of the Syrian rebels. This follows a series of 2 blasts in the thriving city of Damascus, resulting in the deaths of 55 people on Thursday morning. The blasts were the most deadly since the uprising began in 2011. There is an obvious disregard to civilian lives throughout the country both on behalf of the rebels and the Syrian authorities, who, whilst trying to retake Homs from rebel hands early this year, unleashed a deadly series of artillery strikes into heavily populated areas within the city.
The blasts were said to have been caused by two improvised explosive devices ranging from 225kg to 450kg, to put into perspective the explosion from a 500lb (230kg) bomb dropped from an aircraft causes a danger area of around 300m, add this to a concrete road at rush hour and the devastation is truly horrifying. The use of a weapon such as this in such a densely populated area has got to be the work of an organisation capable of truly horrendous acts. This leaves the otherwise innocent population of Syria between a rock and a hard place; the government wishes them dead, as do the rebels. Is it not time something must be done?
Instead the world looks on, the human rights watchdog has condemned the violence however condemnation will only go so far, increasing pressure on the UN will undoubtedly have an effect eventually, however, with coalition countries withdrawing from Afghanistan due to public pressure within their own border’s, how many of these countries will be willing to commit to creating peace within a country in turmoil? The jihadist group al-Qaida has been suspected of causing the violence, and with increasing civilian causalities within Syria due to IED and suicide bombings it appears increasingly and more importantly disturbingly likely.
The group under their new commander recently encouraged the use of civilian victims and weapons of mass destruction to achieve their goal of a world under an extremist sharia fist. The Syrian authorities have, using an overwhelming and fierce retaliation, also created an increasingly desperate force, fighting against their troops, who, have reportedly slaughtered up to 9,000 victims, merely trying to live in a country torn at the seams by the vicious, oppressive regime.
However, there appears to be 2 very different rebel tactics in use within Syria, the first, armed attacks directed towards the Syrian army, and other authorities, similar to the attack last night. Causing the deaths of the soldiers who themselves, operating under orders have been spearheading the bombardment of civilian locations under rebel control throughout the country, 23 of which were killed in last nights raid. And the second, the use of suicide and improvised explosions as mentioned earlier. Could we be seeing (as seen in every major middle-eastern conflict in the last 500 years) an influx of foreign fighters, wishing to push through their ‘jihad’, appearing to not have any regard for the lives of the people of Syria. If this is the case there is a very real danger of the crisis spiralling out of control. Creating an insurgency, that could cost the lives of far more innocent victims. The violence needs to be stopped, and needs to be stopped soon.
