As of July 19, 2012, there has been a civil war taking place in one of the largest cities in Syria known as Aleppo. The battle began when the Syrian armed forces began dropping barrel bombs, killing thousands and forcing hundreds of thousands out of their homes into safer locations. To make matters worse, the Old City of Aleppo was known to be a World Heritage site, but this war has left it to ruins. To this day this war is still ongoing.
Why did I bring up a war that started years ago? Did I get news of the war coming to an end? Maybe peace has been made between the Syrian army and the people of Aleppo. Maybe al-Qaeda has fled from this once beautiful historic city or even surrendered to the armed forces.
If only that was the case.
The war was thought to have started because the Syrian regime wanted to take back their land, but that’s only half of the point. The city of Aleppo was not the goal, but the territory of the opposing forces deemed valuable to those willing to put their lives and others' on the line. The rebels wanted what they believed the government was unable to control well and unfit to have.
But why Aleppo? According to BBC, there are four main reasons why rebel soldiers are treading over the historic city. For starters, Aleppo is nearly 50 miles from the Turkish border, leaving them control over the supply line all throughout Syria. After a while, however, the soldiers blocked off the Rebels and were able to regain control of the supplies while the rebels still held control of the city. Secondly, there is opportunity for captives. The city itself houses an estimated 250,000 to 300,000 Syrians. As the captivity grows, the UN now becomes involved, trying to free those who are unable to escape the terrors of the city. Thirdly, there is the opposition or the groups involved such as al-Qaeda and the now-known group of Jabhat al-Nursa. Finally, there is the “cementing of their stalemate.” Without the rebels being defeated, they power on and prove this war is far from over.
Why do I bring this up? What is the purpose and why should anyone care? Humans are suffering and dying. We have a right to know what’s going on, and we’ve fallen onto hard times such as this, whether we remember it or not. We’ve been in a civil war before, but as the years progress so does our technology. “Why should I care?” Take a look at this photo and you'll understand "why":
This child is named Omran Daqneesh, and he is only five years old. He and his family lived in Aleppo until the house they were living in was attacked by an airstrike on August 16, 2016. He and his family has survived, but are in dire need of medical attention. Unlike many, they were lucky to make it out with their lives, especially when their own house was destroyed in the explosion. What if Omran was one of us, one of our children, or one of our loved ones? There’s a lot going on in the world whether we choose to look into it or not. Pray for the Syrian people, pray that the suffering ends, pray for peace.
For more information about Omran and other Syrian children involved in this war, please go to https://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/aug/18/treating-aleppos-child-casualties-we-see-many-like-omran-daqneesh. Thank you.
