On CNN today I watched helplessly as the life of 4 year old Rena slipped away. I watched as her family tried in vain to get her medical help, first at a local hospital in Aleppo, then as they dared to bring her to a government run hospital. CNN helped, putting their cameras aside and driving as fast as they could to the first hospital. This little girl had been shot in the face, yes you read that right, by a sniper, as she played in her apartment. The sniper took a potshot, not even seeing his target. Why would anyone fire into an apartment blindly? To terrorize the public in a desperate attempt to get them to turn against the FSA. To be fair here, it is not known actually who committed this murder. Here is a link to the original story, http://edition.cnn.com/2012/09/03/world/meast/syria-desperate-family/index.html For months now Bashar Assad has turned more and more to targeting civilians, not that he hasn't done that all along, just more so now. Knowing that no international consequences are to be paid by him, he is committing mass murder with impunity.
The theory behind such brutality is threefold . First, as I have already said, he attempts to pit the public against the FSA. Second, he is attempting to terrorize the public so badly that they will flee. Third, he is attempting to wipe out a generation of younger Syrians, thereby robbing the people of their future. To accomplish this, he is using fixed wing aircraft, helicopter gunships, artillery, snipers, tanks, Shabiha militia, rockets, mortars. All of this against civilians. He has targeted breadlines with bombs, you read that right too. He has targeted hospitals with bombs. His snipers target anything that moves. Most hideous, is when a sniper targets an individual as they attempt to retrieve a body, or as they attempt to get much needed medical supplies.
Make no mistake about it, these are war crimes, genocide, ethnic cleansing and crimes against humanity. 18 months after the start of a peaceful uprising and Assad's brutal response, this butcher continues unabated and unhindered in his quest to massacre his own people. Everyone knows these crimes are documented, and in theory someone will pay the consequences for committing them. For now, Assad is getting away with murder, plain and simple. Holding him and his thugs accountable does nothing for the more than 20,000 people, that we know of, who have already died violent deaths.
If you find yourself voicing support for, or defending such a beast, shame on you. If you purposely sow disinformation through the media on the cause of the suffering, to Hell with you. Just like Russia, China, and Iran, you are guilty of aiding and abetting a mass murderer. Insisting the opposition give up their struggle," lay down the weapons and talk" is suicide. Like Assad is going "pardon them." Would you talk to the monster who just killed your four year old? The people have no choice but to continue in their struggle to be free, their fight is the right fight.
