This morning, a coalition of Syrian rebels made a statement to the free world. Doctors and civil servants wearing their uniforms and holding opposition flags stand against a backdrop of a bombarded Aleppo. In a video, they desperately ask for humanitarian aid to be airdropped by the U.S. led coalition.
Speaking for the coalition, Dr. Hamza al-Khatib recounts the grim statistics of this unnecessary war. Over 500,000 people killed these past six years (the U.N. concedes at least 400,000), more than 271,536 people trapped in rebel held eastern Aleppo. At least 2,300 strikes in the past 23 days (100 a day) including airstrikes exploding barrels, chlorine gas bombs, cluster bombs and bunker busters. 2 bakeries, 4 hospitals, 6 schools and the civil defense headquarters were struck this past week alone. People starving and dying and needing medical aid won’t go near the hospitals for those are potential targets.
Dr. Al-Khatib wonders out loud: “What good is the United Nations? Where has the world been these past six years?” The Russians and Syrians are intentionally targeting civilian infrastructure to “break the people’s will”. Dr. Al-Khatib asks the international community to push for the following things:
· Apply diplomatic pressure to end Russian and Syrian bombing of the city.
· Open a U.N. demilitarized zone for food, fuel, medicine, and infrastructure including water stations, civil defense, schools , hospitals and electricity.
· If the demilitarized zone is not implemented, the U.S. should airdrop humanitarian aid with their warplanes stationed in the area.
It should be noted that in Southern Syria, thousands of Syrians have received humanitarian aid and medical help from Israel both in Israel and even in Syria through groups risking their lives to help the victims of this needless war. Will the rest of the world follow us?