ShareThe Syrian tragedy returned in the past few days to the fore in the global media and with the emergence of an image of a Syrian child. A 25-second video shows a young boy with both his legs blown off due to an air strike, screaming at his father to pick him up. The video was heartbreaking and sent a message to the people that the war is Syria is bloody and devastating.
The child's name is Abdul Basset, and he was screaming "Baba, sheelni, Baba" after he survived an air strike in the southern countryside of Idlib. But he was rendered immobile after losing his feet. The video reminded the world of the bloody Syrian war and similarity to the images of Imran in 2016 and Alan in 2015.
Such horrific pictures send a clear message that the Syrian crisis is not only a battle between several forces and militants fuelled by the support of foreign countries - the conflict in Syria has put many innocent lives at stake and forced millions of people to flee their homes to nearby countries such as Turkey and Lebanon, as well as to migrate to Europe, especially Germany. We are confronting a humanitarian crisis, where food aid is on top of priorities.
Although some European countries such as Germany provide tremendous support to Syrian refugees, we should not disregard the possible impact on these countries. The problem today is the transformation of these immigrants to citizens because of coercive circumstances, and this is something worth looking at seriously. What will happen after the victory of Bashar Al-Assad? This is an important question. What happens when pro-regime troops are in control of all areas? What happens to IS?
Sir Bernard Hogan-Howe, a former official in the British police force, told The Times newspaper in an article on terrorism that around 850 Britons have traveled to fight in Syria and Iraq and that police now faced the threat of battle-hardened fighters returning home as IS moves closer to defeat. These people can be a threat to others and the society itself. It's natural to expect that IS is close to an end, and therefore some of these militants will return to their countries in the West, because IS members will not be able to stay in Syria, where they will be hunted. If they return to their respective countries, they will probably tend to stay under the radar, but this doesn't mean the society is safe from their revenge.
The conflict in Syria has entered a new phase, in which the ruling regime is strong on the battlefronts and the negotiating table. The Syrian issue is a war against humanity and must be stopped. In light of the new shift in US policy toward Iran, a new and potential Arab-Israeli alliance is possible, and the rules of the game will change.
Today, the biggest issue is not the image of an injured child or a family that chose to migrate to a country that it does not belong to or bonds with at all. The question is - what about Syria? It can't be evacuated of its citizens because it will become a hotbed for all terror cells on Planet Earth.
By Muna Al-Fuzai
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