With the relentless pounding it has faced during the Syrian civil war, it’s surprising that there is much left of Aleppo. Even with peace talks still officially under way – although the next scheduled session is more than a week away – the troops of Bashar Al Assad’s brutal regime are continuing their push into the country’s second-biggest city. Mr Al Assad would have us believe that he is trying to crush extremism and bring Jabhat Al Nusra, an Al Qaeda affiliate, to its knees. But that is his excuse, not his real reason.
Has Aleppo, which has suffered more or less permanent bombardment since the war began, not suffered enough?
Its population has been depleted. Innocent civilians – including children, doctors, nurses, the elderly and the infirm – continue to die in great numbers. Many people have fled, contributing to the huge refugee crisis in Europe. Many of the buildings of this once-thriving commercial centre lay in ruins. Will anything be left standing once the regime completes its assault? Does Mr Al Assad even care?
The simple truth is that the struggle for Aleppo is about arresting control of the bitter narrative of this years-long conflict. The city is seen as a prize asset by the regime because it was once the beating economic heart of the country.
Now, even in its derelict state, if Aleppo were to fall into regime hands, officials would claim a propaganda coup and falsely assert that only Mr Al Assad can steer the future of Syria. So, instead of the regime creating a dialogue with those who oppose him and making sensible concessions, he continues to crush all dissent – in Aleppo and elsewhere.
Nothing has been out of bounds for Mr Al Assad over the past five years. He has found many ways to kill his own people, including the continued use of indiscriminate weapons such as barrel bombs. The recent campaign in Aleppo has ruthlessly targeted civilians.
Sadly, there has been no consensus on how to end this war. We can only hope and pray that the next round of talks in Geneva, due to start on May 10, finds a solution that stops the killing and begins to map a way forward. The Syrian people have had enough; the world has had enough.
