NPR: Syrian War Enters 8th Year

With Russia’s help, the Assad regime slowly crushes multiple opposition groups. Seven years of war have been hard on civilians, leaving up to 500,000 people dead, more than half the population displaced, and government and militia forces accused of war crimes by the Human Rights Council. “For weeks the Syrian government has been bombarding the suburbs with shelling and airstrikes, aiming to dislodge several rebel organizations from their perches just outside the capital,” reports NPR. “Elsewhere in eastern Ghouta, in the town of Douma held by still another rebel group, the Red Crescent entered in a convoy of 25 trucks packing 340 tons of food. The ‘humanitarian pause’ – which had been negotiated between Russia, a key Syrian ally, and Jaysh al-Islam, an Islamist militia — brought a rare respite to the northern end of eastern Ghouta.” Neighborhoods are in ruins, with civilians fleeing and wounded left behind. In the meantime, Turkish forces work along that country’s border with Syria to clear Kurdish fighters who fought so fiercely against Islamic State. The United States armed and supported YPG Kurdish fighters in that fight against the extremists disagrees with Turkey that YPG is a terrorist organization. Syria and Turkey are unmoved by international condemnation. – YaleGlobal

NPR: Syrian War Enters 8th Year

Syria is in ruins, as the authoritarian Assad regime crushes the many opposition groups with Russia’s help and Turkey targets Kurdish fighters
Colin Dwyer
Friday, March 16, 2018

Read the article from NPR about the war in Syria.

Read the report on sexual violence in Syria from the UN Human Rights Council.

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