ISIL and Assad have no place

Revelations of ISIL’s chemical weapons and Assad’s extortion show that both must go

While the battle is continuing, Syria will only be free when Assad and ISIL are both removed. George Ourfalian / AFP Photo

Two events this week each with grave consequences for the future occurred in Syria. International chemical weapons experts determined that ISIL militants used mustard gas in the Syrian town of Marea, north of Aleppo, during a battle with another rebel group in August. Amnesty International also revealed that Bashar Al Assad’s government is profiting from money extracted from family members trying to find loved ones who had been forcibly abducted. These revelations prove the theory that achieving an equitable solution to the conflict requires both the removal of Mr Al Assad and the eradication of ISIL.

ISIL’s reported use of chemical weapons has serious ramifications for the greater region and beyond. The brutality of the militants – from beheadings of innocents to the destruction of priceless cultural artefacts – is well known. That the group has access to and knowledge of how to use chemical weapons demonstrates that the international community is now dealing with a much more dangerous adversary than previously thought.

Bashar Al Assad has reportedly used chemical weapons against his own people. He has also displayed his absolute disregard for human life through his military’s regular use of crude barrel bombs on urban areas.

Reports that his regime is extorting money from family members desperate to learn about their loved ones is another stark reminder of his inhumanity. According to Amnesty International, more than 60,000 Syrians have been taken by the regime since the start of the civil war in March 2011. Both of these events underline the need to remove both Mr Al Assad and ISIL from the Syrian picture.

If Syria is going to return to stability and normality, there can no place for extremists and politicians who abduct their own people and demand extortion money from their families or who use chemical weapons. Syria will only be free when these two groups are removed. Sooner or later, broad political resolve is going to be required to end this terrible conflict.