On a map of Syria, the Idlib Province looks relatively unassuming, nestled in the country’s northwest. The small province is effectively the last rebel-held territory in the country, and is expected to play host to a massive battle that will likely be the last big conflict of the Syrian War.
This has about three million civilian residents of the area bracing for the attack. On top of that, Idlib is hosting hundreds of thousands of displaced people who fled other territory. They wanted to stay in rebel territory, but at this point there’s no where else to flee.
The number of people, and combatants (an estimated 70,000 rebels, 10,000 of which are UN-designated terrorists) means this offensive could be a calamitously bloody one. Fighting is likely to include a lot of urban conflict in densely populated areas.
This has been a recurring problem in the wars in both Syria and Iraq, with urban fighting displacing large numbers of people, and little preparation made by the international community to support them. This has led to inordinate casualties, and lingering anger among the displaced.
Seems like we are about to see a bunch of people who are martyrs / terrorists / typical Syrian civilians, depending on your perspective, predictably end up dead. Knowing this, surely some other way forward for Syria, its people land and government, could be found, preferably by Syrians for themselves instead of imposed by outsiders. Maybe some international body just needs to decree the whole current population of Idlib are refugees and must be deported back to the nations that sponsored them: Saudi Arabia, Israel, and the United States. Should the slogan for this initiative be “Seek Peace, Prevent needless killing in Syria, let us welcome Al Qaeda to the United States”?!
add Great Britain, France and the Western main stream media to that list of “sponsors”. When the leaders of those countries point their fingers at other countries being sponsors of terrorist organizations, they are projecting.
The displaced are not thought of as real people. Those who could do something just don’t care.
This has about three million civilian residents of the area bracing for the attack . . . but at this point there’s no where else to flee.
Really? Why not anyplace else in western Syria?
news report
Why not just do it? If I had a family in Idlib I would evacuate for this impending military destruction, just as if it were a wildfire or a hurricane in the US. Just do it.
Putin, Erdogan and the Iranians will decide this starting Friday, in Iran.
Assad will not act without their blessings.