It has been six years since the outbreak of the civil war in Syria. Thousands of innocent lives have been lost, many thousands have been grievously injured and the end doesn't seem to be in sight. The players in this game are many but what they're fighting for remains to be a mystery, at least for a curious outsider, like me, who is witnessing it. Bashar al Assad, is this the country that you want to rule when you've contributed to its dismemberment, turmoil and anguish? Will the souls of the many who've perished over the last six years let you rule peacefully, ever?
Let's try to make out from the mess, the genesis of this sordid saga of human suffering. Here we go:-
* The demonstrations began on 15 Mar '11, when the protesters marched in Damascus, demanding
- democratic reforms
- the release of political prisoners
- an increase in freedom
- abolition of emergency law and
- an end to corruption.
* After 08 Apr, the slogan shifted slowly towards a call to overthrow the Assad government when
the forces fired at the demonstrators and they realised that Bashar al Assad would never bring in
the much needed reforms. .
* The forces involved in the civil war, over these six years, are:-
- Bashar al Assad's government forces
- Free Syrian Army(FSA), who're the defected Syrian military officers, men with the united
opposition forces.
- Syrian National Council, based in Turkey, that oganised the opposition which included
fractious collection of political groups, longtime exiles, grassroots organisers and armed
militants divided along ethnic, sectarian lines.
- Kurdish Peoples' Protection Units(YPG).
- Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant(ISIS).
03 Jun '14 A farcical presidential election was conducted which was won by Bashar al Assad. There was no voting in roughly 60% of the country due to rebel, Kurdish and ISIS
control of Syrian territories.
* American jets began bombing ISIL positions in Syria on 23 Sep '14.
* The Russian aerospace forces began a sustained campaign of air strikes on ISIL and anti-Assad
forces on 30 Sep '15.
30 Oct '15 Syrian peace talks were held in Vienna initiated by the US, Russia, Turkey and
Saudi Arabia. The participants disagreed on the future of Bashar al Assad! Can
you beat that?
* By the end of Mar '16 the Syrian forces, with the support of the Russian and the Iranian
forces, captured Palmyra from the ISIL.
* The Turkish armed forces invaded from northern Syria, supposedly against the IS and the
Kurdish units because 'they threatened its sovereignty'.
And the civil war rages on with no end in sight.
Tailpiece.
The cities of Aleppo and many others - once beautiful and orderly - have been reduced to rubble where ordinary men, women and children try to go though their daily lives under the constant threat of artillery shelling and air bombardments. What they've lost thus far cannot ever be quantified in terms of mental fear, lack of safety with death lurking around all the time.
Can't we do something?
Let's try to make out from the mess, the genesis of this sordid saga of human suffering. Here we go:-
* The demonstrations began on 15 Mar '11, when the protesters marched in Damascus, demanding
- democratic reforms
- the release of political prisoners
- an increase in freedom
- abolition of emergency law and
- an end to corruption.
* After 08 Apr, the slogan shifted slowly towards a call to overthrow the Assad government when
the forces fired at the demonstrators and they realised that Bashar al Assad would never bring in
the much needed reforms. .
* The forces involved in the civil war, over these six years, are:-
- Bashar al Assad's government forces
- Free Syrian Army(FSA), who're the defected Syrian military officers, men with the united
opposition forces.
- Syrian National Council, based in Turkey, that oganised the opposition which included
fractious collection of political groups, longtime exiles, grassroots organisers and armed
militants divided along ethnic, sectarian lines.
- Kurdish Peoples' Protection Units(YPG).
- Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant(ISIS).
03 Jun '14 A farcical presidential election was conducted which was won by Bashar al Assad. There was no voting in roughly 60% of the country due to rebel, Kurdish and ISIS
control of Syrian territories.
* American jets began bombing ISIL positions in Syria on 23 Sep '14.
* The Russian aerospace forces began a sustained campaign of air strikes on ISIL and anti-Assad
forces on 30 Sep '15.
30 Oct '15 Syrian peace talks were held in Vienna initiated by the US, Russia, Turkey and
Saudi Arabia. The participants disagreed on the future of Bashar al Assad! Can
you beat that?
* By the end of Mar '16 the Syrian forces, with the support of the Russian and the Iranian
forces, captured Palmyra from the ISIL.
* The Turkish armed forces invaded from northern Syria, supposedly against the IS and the
Kurdish units because 'they threatened its sovereignty'.
And the civil war rages on with no end in sight.
Tailpiece.
The cities of Aleppo and many others - once beautiful and orderly - have been reduced to rubble where ordinary men, women and children try to go though their daily lives under the constant threat of artillery shelling and air bombardments. What they've lost thus far cannot ever be quantified in terms of mental fear, lack of safety with death lurking around all the time.
Can't we do something?
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