Syria’s Army has declared “victory” today as the last busloads of rebels were evacuated from the city of Aleppo, ending over four years of fighting over what was once the most economically important city in all of Syria, and what is now a collection of badly damaged neighborhoods separated by makeshift barriers.
The army presented the total control they now have over the city as “an important turning point” in the civil war, though it remains unclear if the city retains the value it once did, beyond the obvious PR implications of finishing such a high-profile battle.
There was some expectation that the evacuations would end Wednesday night, though sleet somewhat slowed the buses transporting the large number of people out of the area, and kept things going into early Thursday. UN officials complained having to wait for buses in such cold weather was “traumatic” for the evacuees.
The UN also pushed for a quick deal to end fighting, warning that the Idlib Province, where the rebels were sent, could become “the new Aleppo” if Syria again decides to contest al-Qaeda control of a significant portion of their territory, and insisting that a deal needs to happen to preclude that. Russia, Turkey, and Iran have been negotiating on such a deal, but it is unclear how close it might be.
Poor trumatized headchoppers and their families found it very difficult having to wait for
busses delayed due to sleet and snow. How long will this dim illusion be kept ip, Turkey, Iran and Russia will continue fight agsinst Al-Nusra and ISIS — as well as their affiliates. It is up to them to surrender.
And I am not sure who in their sane mind believes that it is OK for these radical cults to actually have the right to drag their wives and children with them? And how many of those wives are kidnapped.? It is the civilized world that has lost all common sense in dealing with these violent cults.
In Idlib there are many different groups and many like segments of Free Syrian Army have chosen to join Turkey and fight terrorists. Others will have same opportunities. Those that do not join Turkey, Syria or Iran forces — will be defeated. Will Angela Merkel offer them political asylum? West seems to have a soft spot for psychopatic radical islamic cults.
The rest of the world is just standing in amazement –watching us pretend that we are defending a noble revolution, knowing full well the bloody track record of each and every one of the groups we are mourning over. And being worried how traumatic experience it is having to wait in the icy weather for a bus. Ask the parents of the poor boy whose head they do proudly displayed — how they feel about seeing the monsters being cuddled. Or parents of the two Turkish soldiers being burned alive? We should display some intelligence and recognize that the alphabethceoup of different accronims means nothing. They are all blood drenched radical islamic cults. We need no thought police — but what these people actually do. Terrorist is what terrorist does.
Congrats to Mr. Assad and the people of Syria, caught
in this nightmare.
I would also like to wish everyone at Antiwar.com a
Merry Christmas, Happy Chanukah, Happy Kwanzaa,
and Happy Winter Solstice.
“I don’t understand why an ‘antiwar’ publication would be antiwar instead of supporting the same side I support in a war.”
Fixed, no charge.
So antiwar is antiwar. No defense against psychopathic islaamic cults is allowed. Especiallybwhen our very special friends, the Desert Kingdom support the righteous headchoppers. And our government is up to their eyeballs in the bloody mess. So, antiwar means antiwar, whenever our side is losing.
Antiwar is antiwar all the time. Not that complicated.
Not sure who “our” government or “our” side is.
This precisely is my problem. Antiwar site has been an invaluable source of information with different perspectives on many issues over the years. For this alone I am gratefull. But Antiwar is not an abstract philosophy of peace that does not differentiate. between foreign funded armed violent groups taking control over unarmed civians against their will — and the response by the institutions of state in defence of that population. To accept the theory that the entire Sunni population of Syria rose up against a brutal regime — is to fall for another version of WMD,
To my knowledge Antiwar it is not an advocate of viollent regime change practices. Antiwar is not an advocate of accepting npeacefully the rule of religious ideologies and cults. Antiwar editors never advocated violent dismemberment of secular states in order to usher in chaos fueled by violent groups vying for power. It has never advocated using false intelligence to start wars, or advocated “rebellions” and bullets over ballots.
Why start now? There is a clear bias in favor of terrorist groups and against Syrian government. All the norms of civilized order have been broken by Western powers from day one in Syria. According to the official narrative it became legitimate for armed groups to declare “civil war” and the population was AUTOMATICALLY deprived of their right to be represented and defended by their army and the institutions of state. In this not just false, but painfully unintelligent narrative, we were to believe that the armed terror groups represent the WHOLE population and the government — NONE. Thus — in the same unintelligent vein, govrrnment is killing its own population, or at least all Sunnis. The fact that 80% of Syrian army are Sunni, the unintelligent narrative ignores. And the “rebels” were — contrary to all decency and justice — supported fully by our establishment. This unsustainable position is now maintained until the laughable end.
It is not to Antiwar credit to belittle the rights of those Syrian citizens –a vast majority — snd the successes of their army.
The accusstions receny flew about presumed massacre by Syrian Army — just before the grim reality was uncovered of hundreds of prisoners and civilian hostages killed by terrorists just before they were evacuated from their last stand. Lies are piling up upon lies — unintelligently, painfully transparently.
Why would Antiwar chose to delegitimize the Syrian Army? Claiming that the army and terrorists are equally guilty — turns antiwar position into appologia for what was done to Syria. Antiwar is not a defense of anarchy, nor an advocate of breakdown of civilized world order consisting of
sovereign states.
“Rebels”?
Nothing wrong with calling al-qaeda “rebels”. Rebel is not a complement, and does not legitimise their agenda.
‘Rebel’ implies a legitimacy, and often carries the modifier ‘moderate’, These terms have generally been used by the left wing press (and the State Department !) in the past to describe communist insurrection (when communism mattered), e.g. Mao, a moderate rebel.
Maybe it does in America. In most of the rest of the world though, “rebel” is largely a prejoritive term, it tends to linked with the term ‘traitors’. America has ideology of heroic rebellion that most of the world doesn’t have.
I was questioning exactly who was being evacuated. Rebels, opposition, and moderate terrorists are terms that have been used to justify arms drops and other gestures of support. It is loaded language that has ceased to clearly denote anything at all. But the buses have been in what oasses for news. I thought maybe someone would know.
The ironic quotes were probably because it was a Pyrric ‘victory’. Aleppo is destroyed and many residents and Army were killed. Unfortunately, there can be alternate interpretations.
One wonders though about the UN comment that ‘having to wait for buses in such cold weather was “traumatic” for the evacuees’, when the ‘rebels’ probably would have exterminated any troops and residents had the battle gone the other way. Waiting for a bus in the cold, something many people do every day on the way to work, would be far more preferable.